Israel - Day 5 - The Garden Tomb

After leaving Shiloam Pool we hopped back in the bus & drove to a little cafe in the middle of Jerusalem.  We passed Mount Zion cemetary (near Caiaphas' court where Jesus was taken after Gethsemane) where Oscar Schindler is buried, then settled down for lunch.

Our lunch was hilariously bad here.  We don't know what was going on at that cafe, but it was so ridiculous that I have to write it down so we can remember what it was like.  We sat down & looked at a wonderful menu full of burgers, fries, pizza, chicken nuggets, salads, & MEXICAN FOOD.  My kids were SO excited.  We had been paying $20 per person for our lunches (which were the same thing every day) so far on the trip & this one was about $10 a person & the kids were dying for some pizza & quesadillas.  We started to order, but the waitress continued to say, "Oh, we don't have that!" for every single thing we ordered.  EVERYTHING.  So finally, frustrated, we asked "What DO you have?"  "Plain hamburgers & cheese pizza."  We were SO excited for the mexican food, it was so sad.  So, Lorien asked if they could do a Caesar Salad & they told her no.  Canyon & I ended up getting burgers & everyone else got 2 large pizzas to share.  Trek asked if we could add toppings to pizzas, but they told us "NO!  Only cheese!"  We were disappointed, but still fine until we started talking to other members of our group.

One family was able to order Caesar Salads just fine.  Another got pizzas with whatever toppings they wanted. . . however, they wouldn't let them order large pizzas, just a bunch of small personal pizzas.  Another family could only get small cheese pizzas & no burgers.  It was the most bizarre thing EVER.  We all wanted what other people got.

We were happy to be able to get some milkshakes though.  Those sounded so good!  We each got a different flavor to try.  When they finally got us our food it was good so we really couldn't complain.  The burgers were great & the pizza was delicious.  Canyon took one bite of his burger & then threw up all over his plate.  (He still had a cough & SO much flem had found it's way into his throat that it decided right at lunch that it all needed to come up.  Poor kid.  He didn't feel like eating after that.  The waitress forgot about Taya's milkshake so we all had milkshakes except for her. . . we told the waitress & she quickly made one before we left.  They were wonderful so I'm grateful they did have those on their menu.  Our entire lunch including milkshakes for 7 people was still half the price of all the other days' lunches.  So overall, it was a good meal even if it was weird.

A Nativity at the cafe we stopped at

HILARIOUS sign in the bathroom

Our final stop of the day was the Garden Tomb.

This was the highlight of my entire trip.  This made everything worth coming.  The spirit that we felt here was indescribable & was felt by all.  It was such a SPECIAL experience.

There are actually 2 speculated locations for both Golgotha & for the tomb Christ was placed in.  We visited both on this trip.  Nobody knows which one (or if either location) is the correct place, but this particular location is the one that I truly felt the spirit in.  Whether this was the actual location or not, it gave me opportunity to reflect on my Savior & what he did for me.  The location doesn't matter, but the act does & I am grateful for his sacrifice so that I can live with him again someday.

First we went to the possible location of Golgotha, where the Crucifixion took place.  This rocky cliff, which resembles a skull (the word "Golgotha" means skull) is just outside of Jerusalem's Damascus Gate.

John 19: 17 & 20

"And he bearing his cross went forth into a place called the place of a skull, which is called in the Hebrew Golgotha . . . This title then read many of the Jews: for the place where Jesus was crucified was nigh to the city"

This location is just outside the Damascus Gate, but still close to the old city.  The cliff face itself once formed a skull-like shape that has deteriorated over time & erosion, but in old photographs, you can see the skull that once looked down upon the area here.  Many bones & skulls have been found at the base of this cliff making historians believe that this was an execution spot for both stonings & crucifixions. The main road to Jerusalem during Jesus' time was right in front of this cliff (where there is now a bus stop), & executions were always displayed in front of main roads to act as a "warning" to those coming into the city of what the consequences would be for disobedience here.

This is a photo from the 1800's & you can see the 2 eyes of the "skull" in the cliff face.  You can also see the road in front of it.

Just around the corner from this cliff lies the garden tomb found in 1867.  An ancient wine press & cistern have been cited as evidence that the area had once been a garden.  This particular tomb also had a stone groove running along the ground outside it that once housed a large stone.

John 19:41

"Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden; & in the garden a new sepulchre, wherein was never a man laid."

The tomb has 2 chambers & there is a red Byzantine symbol stamped above the chamber on the right.  The symbols say "Jesus Christ - The Alpha & Omega."

John 20:14-

"And when she had thus said, she turned herself back, & saw Jesus standing, & knew not that it was Jesus.  Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou?  whom seekest thou?  She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou has laid him, & I will take him away.  Jesus saith unto her, Mary.  She turned herself, & saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master."

Nobody knows for sure if this was indeed the burial place of our Savior, but what DOES matter is that 

THE TOMB WAS EMPTY & HE LIVES.

The garden around The Garden Tomb

After visiting the garden tomb, we walked just outside the city wall to "Jimmy's Bazaar."  Jimmy is a great guy who sells olive wood nativities & other carvings.  We know him because he comes to our base in Germany for the bazaar's every year.  He is the one that got us in touch with our tour guide & got this whole thing set up for us.  We love him.  We were excited to see his carvings & buy something for our home.

We bought a beautiful nativity set carved out of olive wood.  I love the way Joseph is keeping watch over Mary & Jesus.  It's just beautiful.  I will treasure this nativity forever.

Poor Canyon started feeling sick again as we were shopping.  He had a small fever & his cough was just making him miserable.  He hated being inside that store with so many people, so he hung out outside the store on these chairs.  I thought I had lost him when I didn't see him looking around the store, but I found him sleeping just outside the door.  Poor kid.  I guess it was a good thing this was our last stop of the day.

We drove back to our hotel & had dinner.  A lot of the kids hung out in the lobby playing games.  My boys opted to just go to bed early.  Though Canyon was the worst, both Bladen & Craiger were developing a cough at this point.  Poor kids.

Once the boys were asleep & my girls were hanging out with the teens, Trek & I gathered up all the grown ups & we went out for a good time at a local marketplace in the Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem.