As
we noted yesterday, we spend time each year at the Garden Tomb of
Jerusalem. We do not insist that people
consider our tomb to be the true tomb of Jesus.
We know there is a traditional location.
But we do say that you can see the tomb as described in Scripture at the
Garden. (For people who want to be contentious
about the traditional site, we invite you to come to the Garden for a
look. The things we will list from
Scripture are hard to imagine at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. We think you might find the Garden to be refreshing
and it will help you understand the account in the Gospels.)
1. The
tomb was near the place of crucifixion (John 19:41). The gospel is one story of two events. There is no power in the cross if there is no
resurrection.
2. The
tomb was in a garden (John 19:41). The
Garden Tomb has cisterns and a winepress that likely go back to a couple
hundred years after Christ. The likelihood
of a working garden in Jesus day isn’t a big stretch.
3. The
tomb was a new tomb that had never been used (John 19:41). For many this is a sticking point on the
Garden Tomb as they feel it is many hundreds of years older. This may be which indicates it is not the
tomb of Jesus. But it is possible Joseph
of Arimathea made the tomb in the older style to keep his burial chamber from
being too close to another burial chamber beyond his.
4. The
tomb was in a cemetery (among the dead;
Luke 24:5). Many tombs have been discovered
in the area around the Garden.
5. The
tomb belonged to a wealthy man (Matt. 27:57; Isa. 53:9). This fulfills a specific Messianic prophecy
and contradicts the normal handling of the bodies of people who were crucified.
6. The
tomb was hews out of the rock (Matt. 27:60).
Like the Garden Tomb, the tomb of Jesus was not a natural cave but was
chiseled out of the rock.
7. The
tomb was sealed with a large rolling stone (Matt. 27:60). The Garden Tomb has a trough that runs in
front of the door.
8. The
burial chamber was visible from the door (John 20:5). The door of the Garden Tomb today is twice its
original height. But even in the shorter
form one could do as John: squat down and see the place of burial and the
arrangement of the grave clothes.
9. The
burial chamber was to the right of the door (Mark 16:5). The likely place for the angel to sit was in
the burial chamber.
10.
The tomb, after three days, was EMPTY (Matt. 28:6; Mark 16:6; Luke 24:6). The empty tomb tells us Jesus is unique in
all of history. A few moments at the
Garden Tomb will give you the sense that the cross and resurrection of Christ
were very real. The Bible says the death
and resurrection of Christ are the good news that calls people to trust in Him
for the forgiveness of sin. He is the
only means by which people can be right with their Creator.
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