“Carrying his own cross, he went out to the place of the Skull (which in Aramaic is called Golgotha). Here they crucified him, and with him two others — one on each side and Jesus in the middle.”
John 19:18
When Ken and I visited Jerusalem, we visited the garden tomb. We entered a gate through high walls and walked into a quiet, green oasis — a contrast to the dusty, noisy street outside. We meandered along a flowered path and came upon an empty tomb carved into the side of a hill. There is no solid evidence that this was the actual tomb in which they placed Christ, but there is a curious coincidence.
The coincidence is located beyond the far wall on the other side of the garden. It is a limestone hill with a couple of natural caves near the top — amazingly, the side of the cliff looks just like a human skull. Golgotha, known as “hill of the skull.” At the base of the cliff is a sprawling, noisy parking lot for public buses and beyond that, the Damascus Gate, the eastern entrance into the old city of Jerusalem. Our guide said, “See those people waiting for buses? This is a good picture of the way it was the day Jesus died. There were no buses then, but Jesus was crucified in a public place where people could see Him. They made a spectacle of His death.”
As I left the garden, I remembered I Corinthians 4:9 (KJV): “We are made a spectacle unto the world, and to angels, and to men.” Now it’s our turn.
Spectacle in the Greek means “a place of public show.” Where is your Golgotha? Can people see that you have been crucified with Christ? You may be a fool for Christ. Don’t worry; you’re in godly company.
Lord Jesus, I want the world to see how I identify with You. I want them to see that I am crucifying my worldly desires and wants. I consider it an honor to be made “a spectacle.”
