Garden Tomb - Golgotha

It’s about time I told you guys about the Garden Tomb and Golgotha. The first time I went to the Garden Tomb was with my religion class after church one Saturday. We took the tour, went inside the tomb, then had a brief testimony meeting. I’ve gone back several times and taken some pretty sweet pictures. It wasn’t until the last time I went (about a week ago) that the tomb was clear of tourists and I was able to get some decent pictures.
The Garden Tomb is just that – a garden with trees, bushes, flowers, stone walls, etc. There are lots of little paths with benches and small mosaic tiles with scriptures on them. At the back of the garden is an overlook for Golgotha.

Golgotha means “the skull” and it’s just that: a skull face embedded in the rock. The mouth has eroded away, but you can still see the eyes. We are fairly certain that Christ was crucified somewhere around this rock face. One of my Professors, Dr. Chadwick, gave an excellent lecture on the Garden Tomb and Golgotha in class back in January. He explained that the Romans usually crucified people at crossroads because crossroads are generally public areas and therefore would send a very poignant message to all who saw these men. Golgotha is currently a bus stop, so the tradition still lives that Golgotha is at a crossroads. The fact that Christ was crucified at a crossroads also lets us know that He wasn’t on top of a hill. When I thought of the crucifixion, I always pictured it on top of a hill. It appears that he was crucified at the bottom of a hill right by the skull mountain face.
Dr. Chadwick also told us that the Romans thought crucifixion so painful and unbearable, that they wouldn’t crucify their own people (Romans). This shows you just how agonizing the crucifixion was. Our Savior was crucified because He loves us. This sends such a powerful message to me and I hope you will ponder this yourself.

Now that I’ve sufficiently depressed you, let me bring you back up. After travelling to the back of the garden and seeing Golgotha, you turn around and go back the same way you came and take a right to go where the tomb lies. Although tradition says that this particular tomb is the same one where Christ was laid, it has been discovered that this particular tomb was not made until after Christ’s time, so it’s not the correct site. BUT it helps you visualize what it would have been like and it’s still a revered and sacred place. You have to walk down steps to the floor where the tomb is, then you can walk inside the tomb. The door into the tomb has a sign that says “HE IS NOT HERE, FOR HE IS RISEN.”

The beauty of the Garden Tomb is that it reminds us that Christ has risen again. He lives and He loves us. I know that Christ died to save me and He died to save you too. I’m grateful to be in this beautiful city where I can be where Christ was so long ago.

-Audryn-