| 
Spirit of the Garden Tomb
by
Laurie Williams Sowby
Shielded
from noisy streets around it, this peaceful enclave in the Holy
Land has ever more appeal for Christians, even though visits are
way down from previous years.
"When the
even was come, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph,
who also himself was Jesus' disciple. He went to Pilate, and begged
the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be delivered.
And when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen
cloth, and laid it in his own tomb, which he had hewn out of the
rock." --Matthew 27: 57-60
JERUSALEM --
The peacefulness of the Garden Tomb is a stark contrast to the noise
of buses, cars and throngs of people on the street across from Damascus
Gate, outside the ancient walls of Jerusalem. It is even more of
a contrast to that which has pervaded the Holy Land in recent years
and driven tourists away.
For decades,
Christians from many countries have come to the Garden Tomb. Discovered
and uncovered barely a century ago, this tomb is the place many
believe the Savior's body was laid after his crucifixion on the
cross.
|
The
tomb excavated outside Jerusalem's walls in the 1890s is believed
by many Christians to be the site where Christ's body lay
before being resurrected. The area has been returned to a
peaceful garden. (Photo by Laurie Williams Sowby)
|
The sound of
birds singing and the life apparent throughout the garden contrast
deeply with the darkness and tense atmosphere inside the Church
of the Holy Sepulcher, located inside Jerusalem's walls, where four
different Christian sects take turns at ownership of the "tomb"
that was the traditional site for the better part of 2,000 years.
Before current
tensions all but totally eliminated visitors to the Holy Land, hymns
of the Resurrection could be heard in many tongues, sung by clusters
of visitors throughout the garden, as the Easter season approached.
Many an LDS tourist group or family sat beneath the shade trees
and sang "He is Risen" and "I Know That My Redeemer
Lives" as they'd never sung it before.
Colorful flowers
still bloom among shrubs and trees, not so carefully trimmed these
days. Benches in secluded areas off the paths still offer opportunities
for spiritual reflection, individually or in groups.
Recent Discovery
In 1883, a British
soldier and Bible student named General Gordon was impressed by
the topography of the land as he viewed the skull-like appearance
of the rock across from Damascus Gate and realized this could be
the site of Golgotha.
After his death,
Christians in Britain appealed for donations to buy and maintain
the tomb and the land around it. The Garden Tomb Association was
founded, and in 1894, the tomb and land were purchased from the
German owners, "that it might be kept sacred as a quiet spot."
Indeed, it is.
Sheltered by buildings and a steep escarpment, the Garden Tomb is
shielded from the hubbub all around it. Water cisterns uncovered
under several layers of earth and debris has allowed the garden
to bloom once again.
But strife in
the Middle East and the war in Iraq have taken their toll on this
far-removed place. During the first three months of 2003, say officials
at the Garden Tomb, there were just over 7,700 visitors to the site;
there used to be that many in a single week not many years back.
Open hours have been cut, a single British couple rather than four
couples now cares for the site, and the gardener, his assistant
and a maintenance man have been let go.
|
Resting
place: Hollowed out of solid rock in the floor of the unfinished
tomb, the place for a body has a pillow cut from rock (left)
and a space hollowed out for the feet (right). (Photo by Laurie
Williams Sowby) |
Yet, says an
official of the association, "the message of the garden remains
the same: Jesus is alive, and as we but can trust in Him, we too
will rejoice in eternal life."
Surrounded
by Evidence
Visitors first
walk along the path to the edge of the garden for a view of the
craggy, skull-like rock formation that now overlooks a busy bus
yard. It's likely that 2,000 years ago, this place, known as Skull
Hill and the Place of Stoning, was deemed an ideal spot for hangings
and crucifixions; the proximity to a well-traveled highway made
the public executions a warning to anyone under Roman rule.
Cisterns and
an excavated wine press also indicate that this was a garden and
vineyard anciently.
Steps lead down
to an open area where a tomb has been cut out of solid stone. A
trough still stands along the front where a stone could be rolled
to cover the small doorway, now enlarged; the stone has disappeared
sometime in the past two millennia.
Visitors can
step inside the two-room tomb and see and feel its emptiness for
themselves. Beyond the weeping chamber, cut into the floor (not
on a raised slab as it's so often depicted), is the place where
a body lay. Evident are a pillow for the head and a place carved
out of the stone for the feet. A similar but unfinished spot is
in the same room.
|
'Place of the Skull': Golgotha,
its craggy rocks which resemble a skull overlooking a busy
bus station today, can be seen from one end of the Garden
Tomb area. Crucifixion 2,000 years ago took place along crowded
highways so passersby would be sufficiently reminded of Roman
rule. (Photo by Laurie Williams Sowby) |
Is this really
the place where the Savior's body was laid, the place where Mary
stood weeping outside and mistook the risen Lord for the gardener?
Although the
scriptures give only sketchy clues, the details fit. And, as the
Garden Tomb Association offers, "How much does it matter? Clearly
our faith in the risen Jesus does not depend on knowing where he
was buried or seeing the site . . . It is the person who matters,
not the place. As it says on the door of the Garden Tomb, `He is
not here; for He is risen.'"
Click
here to sign up for Meridian's FREE email updates.
© 2004 Meridian
Magazine. All Rights Reserved.
|
