May 21st: And you thought Baptists and Methodists were so different

One of the realities about a place with the historical significance of Israel is that competing traditions sometimes crop up. For instance, there are two locations that claim to be the site of Calvary and Jesus’ tomb (the cross and tomb are regarded as having been close to one another). One of these sites is the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, and the other is the Garden Tomb (also called Gordon’s tomb, named after a popular nineteenth century British army officer). Our group visited both sites.

Such competing claims leave the historian and biblical scholar with the task of sorting out which claim is most valid. The task is somewhat similar to that of a military intelligence specialist or a television meteorologist. That is, one has to make assessments based on a combination of known data and educated conjecture. In the case of assessing the validity of historical sites in Israel, our professor used the rough categories of “certain,” “probable,” “possible,” and “ridiculous.”

Biblical scholars generally agree that the Church of the Holy Sepulchre is the probable location of Calvary and Jesus’ tomb, largely because of the ancient origins of the claim and because the location fairly accurately matches the biblical description of the location. On the other hand, the Garden Tomb falls into the category of ridiculous, as that tomb was clearly used in the Old Testament era (the Bible says that Jesus was buried in a new tomb, see Matt. 27:60 and Luke 23:53).

I took the photos that you see on May 21st during our trip to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. The first is the outside of the church. The second is the area (protected by glass) of the location of the foot of the cross. The third and fourth photos are upstairs from there, and mark the location of the top of the cross.

“Denominationally” speaking, the church is Greek orthodox, and as such, it is very ornate. There are intricate mosaics, paintings, and decorations all over the church. For those who have never been in an eastern orthodox church, they are very different in look and feel from the average Protestant church in America. In fact, when I entered the church, I turned to a fellow student and said, “And you thought Baptists and Methodists were different.” (By contrast, the Garden Tomb, though not the real location of the cross and tomb, is located in a quasi-park, in what I would call a much more “Baptist-friendly” atmosphere.)

While in the church, our group took a few minutes to find a quiet corner and read some Scripture. It was here that I experienced one of the most meaningful privileges of my entire trip. I got to read Psalm 22 aloud to our group. This is the Psalm that begins, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” Most people recognize this as the words that Jesus spoke while He was being crucified. Many don’t realize, however, that Jesus was actually quoting Scripture from the cross.

The thing that amazes me about Psalm 22 is that it was written about a thousand years before Jesus was born, yet the first verse is not the only glimpse (prophecy) of things to come. Consider briefly the following verses from Psalm 22:

“All who see me mock me; they hurl insults, shaking their heads: "He trusts in the Lord; let the Lord rescue him.” (vv. 7-8a)

“I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint. My heart has turned to wax; it has melted away within me. My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth; you lay me in the dust of death.” (vv. 14-15)

“They divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing.” (v. 18)

These are just a few examples, but if you read Psalm 22 in its entirety, you will see the depiction of a man who suffers rejection, pain, and death, but is rescued by God and subsequently causes the nations to turn to the Lord. Sounds a lot like the gospel, doesn’t it? This has long been a very meaningful chapter of Scripture for me, and it was an incredible honor and privilege to be able to read these weighty words aloud in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem.