Ein Karem, Yad Vashem & The Garden Tomb – Day 7

Today is our final day here. First thing this morning we stopped to take a group photo and a couple of people took camel and donkey rides.

Then, we traveled to southwest Jerusalem to Ein Karem. According to the Bible, Mary went "into the hill country, to a city of Judah" when she visited the home of Zechariah and Elizabeth (Luke 1:39). It's believed that the present day village of Ein Karem is where Elizabeth was when she gave birth to her son, John, the cousin of Jesus. John was anointed by God to be a prophet for The Lord.

In Ein Karem is the Church of St. John the Baptist. Inside are the remains of an ancient mosaic floor and a cave where, according to tradition, John the Baptist was born. Some remnants below the building suggest the presence of a mikveh, a Jewish baptism bath, which is dated to the 2nd temple period.

We traveled to Yad Vashem which, according to its Web site, is the Jewish people’s living memorial to the Holocaust. It is a simple modern structure with a pyramid of glass running down the length of the building as a skylight. It sits in a peaceful wooded area. It is filled with pictures, stories, artifacts, memories of a tragic, gaping wound in our world's history.

I think it's important for all human beings to hear and see the story of the Holocaust and know how easy it is for evil to take control. How easy it is for people to get caught up in group-think. And to know the power of the human spirit and the steady comforts hand of God. I also think it could be easy for people to ask where God was when this was happening. In my simple opinion, He was there in every person unafraid to claim the God they loved, in every person who lent aid, every person who prayed for a land they would never be in and in every person who walked out proclaiming their God had not forsaken them. God was everywhere. Unfortunately, evil was too. Fortunately, God remains in the healing.

After the museum we took time to reflect and then went to lunch. After lunch, we headed to the Garden Tomb, located outside the old city walls and close to the Damascus Gate. It is a rock-cut tomb considered by some to be the site of the burial and resurrection of Jesus, and to be adjacent to Golgotha. Earlier in the week we visited the traditional site for these at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Our guide at the Garden Tomb (run by the British, as a side note) explained why they believe this spot to truly be Golgatha – it’s street presence, the fact that it looked like a skull and that stonings historically happened on this location – and why they believe the tomb is the true tomb – it has 3 rooms, with the burial chamber to the right (not typical of the time, but also stated in the Gospels, including Mark 16), is on a property with a wealthy owner and is carved into the cave, not naturally made.

We were able to view the tomb and see the tracks where a large stone would have been rolled in front. Then, Rev. Bruce Hay led us through a devotional and he and Dr. Dale Hunt served us communion. We ended our service by passing candlelight, and Rev. Becky Walker asked us to consider how the light of this story has touched us and how we would let that light shine to the world.

Our guide then said something that really helped put a lot of this trip into perspective. He said, ultimately it doesn’t really matter if this is the true location of the tomb, or the Holy Sepulchre is, or someplace else, although he believes it to be. If this is nothing more than a good visual to help tell the story, then that’s wonderful. What does matter is that it did happen. Christ was born the son of God. He walked among us sharing the message of love and a New Covenant. He came to deliver us from our sins – the ultimate sacrificial lamb. He died on a cross and then rose from the dead. That’s what matters. Looking around the peaceful, serene garden, I found there to be much joy in the place. And joy there should be. Christ is risen! Christ is risen, indeed!

For more photos, click here.