The Place of a Skull

“And He went out, bearing His own cross, to the place called The Place of a Skull, which in Aramaic is called Golgotha” (John 19:17). A few years ago, Lula and I led a group of LCMS travelers on a wonderful trip though Israel and Jordan. Our hotel was located about a mile away from the Old City of Jerusalem and so, with our group safe in the hotel, one evening Lula and I decided to venture out on our own. After a while we reached the Damascus Gate, which is located on the northern side of the Old City and serves as the main entrance to the Muslim quarter. Wandering through the maze of the bazaar, we soon had no idea where we were. What made matters worse, night had fallen and the tourists had disappeared. Looking around warily, I commented to Lula, “This is not a good.” We then noticed a sign pointing to the crown jewel of Jerusalem: the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which, as tradition holds, was built above Jesus’ tomb and the crucifixion site. “Let’s try and find it,” I suggested. During the day, the church is jam-packed with thousands and thousands of tourists and pilgrims. You have to stand in line for hours to see these most important sites in Christianity—and, of course, the throngs of people make it difficult to get into a meditative mood. But that evening there was hardly anyone in the church and so we were able to get right up to where Jesus died and rose again—without the crowds. At one point, we heard beautiful chanting. We followed the voices down some steps and came upon a chamber directly below Calvary. Orthodox Christians were worshipping at an altar. We sat down and listened to their hauntingly beautiful melodies, reflecting on what had happened directly above us some 2,000 years ago. I managed to take a video, which you can watch here. The next morning, we told our local guide about our little adventure. He dryly remarked that it was not smart to walk through that part of the Old City by ourselves after dark. Thankfully, the Lord protected us. May you have a blessed Good Friday, as we reflect on what our Lord and Savior did for us at The Place of a Skull, which in Aramaic is called Golgotha.