“Why do you search for the living one among the dead?
He is not here; he has been raised up.”
From Luke 24:5-6
It was our last day in Israel when we visited the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in the Old City of Jerusalem. Though I hadn’t thought of this beforehand, this timing was absolutely perfect! I was secretly proud of my husband and me because we’d endured the walking, climbing and other rigors of this second tour quite well. I was especially pleased because none of these “externals” had distracted me from the amazingly spiritual experience this trip had proven to be. I had many good reasons to rejoice when we visited that beautiful church.
Though archaeologists aren’t absolutely certain that this church houses either Jesus’ tomb or the place Jesus was crucified, the evidence supports this theory. The location is close-by and allowed the Romans to carry out their executions efficiently. The close proximity of passersby allowed a lesson to be given regarding the fate of those who chose to break Roman Law. Though there seems not to have been a specified place for executions, this location served its purpose in Jesus’ and his fellow victims’ case. None of this was particularly important to me because simply being in the vicinity of these events was enough.
In one way or another, I crossed Jesus’ path as he dragged himself to the place of his crucifixion. I also walked near the place where Joseph of Arimathea had given up his tomb for Jesus’ burial. As I considered these events, it occurred to me that though Jesus’ body lay wrapped from Friday until Sunday morning, Jesus himself was busy celebrating with his Abba over our good fortune. We would all soon realize that the end of this life isn’t the end after all!
Loving God, only you can draw such amazing good from even the worst of our evil-doing. Amen! Alleluia!
©2018 Mary Penich – All Rights Reserved
Mary Penich 
You must be logged in to post a comment.