Where was Calvary?

Matthew 27:57-61 (ESV)

57 When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who also was a disciple of Jesus. 58 He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered it to be given to him. 59 And Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen shroud 60 and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had cut in the rock. And he rolled a great stone to the entrance of the tomb and went away. 61 Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there, sitting opposite the tomb.

Jesus was crucified around the year 33AD. The city of Jerusalem was then severely destroyed by the Romans in 70AD.

In the 130s AD the emperor Hadrian built a temple over the site of Jesus’ tomb near Calvary (Golgotha). Hadrian hated Christianity and sought to bury important Christian sites by building pagan temples over them. Finding Hadrian’s temples actually helped to know locations of important biblical sites.

In 313 AD the Roman emperor Constantine finally made it legal to be a Christian in the empire. Constantine’s mother, Helena, wanted to preserve the important sites of the Bible.

Helena had Hadrian’s temple torn down and the new Church of the Holy Sepulcher was built to preserve both the locations of Jesus’ crucifixion and tomb. Is the Church of the Holy Sepulcher really the place of Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection?

Many people who travel to Israel today are shown a place called the Garden Tomb. It’s a peaceful place with gardens all around. You feel like you’ve just stepped into a 1st century cemetery. Many people leave Israel convinced the Garden Tomb must be the authentic spot.

The problem, however, is all the Garden Tomb burial spots are simply too old. We know Jesus was laid in a freshly carved tomb. There are no 1st century tombs in the area of the Garden Tomb. There are, however, 1st century tombs inside the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.

Some say the Church of the Holy Sepulcher can’t be the spot because it’s inside the walls of Jerusalem. Crucifixion only happened outside the walls of Jerusalem.

Recent archeological work underneath the nearby Church of the Redeemer have shown the Church of the Holy Sepulcher is indeed outside the ancient city walls of Jersualem.

First, there’s a stone quarry found at the bottom layer of the excavation. These were always outside the walls of a city. Second, the Bible tells us there were gardens around the place of the crucifixion. Archeologists found proof of gardens in the area in the 1st century. Third, Golgotha was described as being on hill. The Church of the Holy Sepulcher is a lot higher than it’s surroundings. It’s truly up on a hill.

So if you ever get a chance to walk into the Church of the Holy Sepulcher know that you’re walking into the air space where the sin of humanity was paid for on the cross and death was defeated at the resurrection of Jesus.

Dear Lord, we pray that we would never take lightly what You did for each one of us. Thank You for taking our sins on Your body on the cross and then conquering death so that we may live forever in Heaven with You. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.  

Crucified Man

John 19:1-6 (ESV)

1 Then Pilate took Jesus and flogged him. 2 And the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head and arrayed him in a purple robe. 3 They came up to him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and struck him with their hands. 4 Pilate went out again and said to them, “See, I am bringing him out to you that you may know that I find no guilt in him.” 5 So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, “Behold the man!” 6 When the chief priests and the officers saw him, they cried out, “Crucify him, crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves and crucify him, for I find no guilt in him.”

The significance of the cross cannot be overstated for a person who believes the collective sin of the world was nailed to a single cross in Jerusalem during the first century AD. The Son of God, Jesus, experienced execution by crucifixion.

An artifact discovered in 1968 brought the first century form of crucifixion to our present-day lives.

Construction workers were working on a project in a suburb north of Jerusalem. To their surprise they accidentally uncovered a Jewish tomb dating to the first century. Inside the tomb was a stone ossuary (bone box) bearing the Hebrew name John. Inside the ossuary were found the skeletal remains of a man in his twenties who had been crucified. How did they know the young man had been crucified?

The man, stunningly, still had a nail driven through his right heel. The iron nail measured 11.5 centimeters (4.53 inches) in length. Why was the nail still in his heel? The end of the nail was bent. It looks like what happened is while the nail was being driven into the cross the nail hit a knot in the wood and bent. The people burying the man left the nail in place.

Remains of olive wood, additionally, were found between the head of the nail and the heel bone.

These bones found outside Jerusalem, amazingly, can be dated to a time very close to the time of Jesus. This young man was crucified in a way slightly different from Jesus. His feet were nailed individually to the outside of the cross. His arms appear to have been tied by ropes. His arms wouldn’t have experienced the same pain Jesus experienced, yet it probably took him much longer to die.

Significance of the Discovery

This artifact proves that death by crucifixion was happening in the exact city and at the exact time mentioned in the New Testament. As we look at the nail driven into this foot we can only imagine if the same man swung the hammer placing nails in the arms and feet of Jesus. Were the nails forged by the same blacksmith? We will never know.

This artifact gives us more confidence toward the historical reliability of Jesus’ death on the cross which has bought us life.

Dear Lord, we thank You that artifacts are found they keep showing the truth of the Bible. Help us to share the confidence that we have what You did for us to those around us. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Gethsemane

Matthew 26:36 (ESV)

Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, “Sit here, while I go over there and pray.”

Do we know where Gethsemane is located? Is it reliable to know where Jesus spent one of the most important nights in human history? The answer to both of these questions is: yes!

In Matthew, Mark and Luke we only know the disciples went to a place called Gethsemane. The word Gethsemane literally means “oil press.” Many oil presses were in caves. The temperature in caves allowed for better olive oil production. Caves also provided great natural protection from the elements.

There is only one cave in the area where people have said for 2,000 years Jesus prayed on that amazing evening before he went to the cross. The cave of Gethsemane is large. Excavations in 1956-1957 revealed the mouth of the cave was over 16 feet wide. They also found evidence as many as three olive presses were operating inside the cave.

We also know from the Bible that it was a cold night when Jesus prayed at Gethsemane. Mark 14 and John 18 say Peter was warming himself next to a fire later that night. This is important because the disciples likely did not lay down to sleep out in the open under the stars on that night. It gets pretty cold at night in Jerusalem and there’s usually a heavy dew. Having Jesus and the disciples initially laying down to rest inside the cave of Gethsemane makes much more sense.

Next to the cave, however, the garden of Gethsemane has been growing Olive Trees for as long as anyone can remember. Some of the trees in the garden today are among the oldest living things on planet earth. Many of the trees are hollow so they are unable to reliably date the older core of the tree, but they still date to well over a thousand years old!

It is likely Jesus left the disciples sleeping in the cave and then ventured out into the garden of olive trees to pray that the cup would pass from him. These are sacred places on planet earth where you can go and realize the important events of that night which lead to our soul freedom today through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus.

Dear Lord, we are reminded again how important prayer is in our life through Your example. Help us to take the time to pray each day. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Caiaphas Ossuary

Matthew 26:57 (ESV)

Then those who had seized Jesus led him to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders had gathered.

In December, 1990, a new park was being constructed in Jerusalem. As the workers, using modern construction equipment, dug down they soon stopped and realized they had found something special. A long forgotten ceiling collapsed revealing a room deep in the earth.

Archeologist Zvi Greenhut arrived on the scene to see what the construction workers stumbled upon.

Greenhut realizes they’re looking down on a burial tomb from the time of Jesus. The archaeologists have just stepped back in time more than 2,000 years. As the flashlights sweep the tomb several ossuaries are found. An ossuary is a box that would hold a person’s bones.

They discover an exceptionally fancy ossuary. The ossuary is dated to the first century. It’s covered with an ornate design which would seem to point toward an important person.

Inside this ornate ossuary are found the bones of two babies, an adolescent child, a teenage boy, an adult woman, and a man about 60 years of age.

On the outside of the ossuary is found an inscription in the Aramaic language saying, “Joseph son of Caiaphas.”

The New Testament describes Caiaphas as one of the primary individuals involved in the crucifixion of Jesus. You may be thinking, “Wait a second. The inscription says Joseph son of Caiaphas. Not just Caiaphas.” The way the inscription is written is actually why it drew so much attention.

The first-century historian Josephus identifies the high priest at the time of Jesus as not only Caiaphas but “Joseph Caiaphas.” Josephus tells us, additionally, that Caiaphas was the Jewish high priest from 18 to 36 AD (Jewish Antiquities 18:35). A source outside the Bible helps us to establish the right name at the right time. Josephus later refers to him as “Joseph who was called Caiaphas of the high priesthood” (Jewish Antiquities 18:95).

Significance of the Artifact

The 60 year old man found in the ossuary is determined by Greenhut and others to be the high priest involved in the crucifixion of Jesus.

For those of us who believe the crucifixion to be the most important event of human history, this artifact holds substantial significance. The Caiaphas Ossuary holds the bones of a 60 year old man who 2,000 years ago led the charge to put Jesus on the cross. The ossuary strengthens the historical reliability of the cross by supporting the existence of one of its central characters.

Dear Lord, we thank You for the way history keeps showing the reliability of the Bible.  In the Name of Jesus, Amen.  

Pontius Pilate Inscription

John 19:9-11 (ESV)

9 He entered his headquarters again and said to Jesus, “Where are you from?” But Jesus gave him no answer. 10 So Pilate said to him, “You will not speak to me? Do you not know that I have authority to release you and authority to crucify you?” 11 Jesus answered him, “You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above. Therefore he who delivered me over to you has the greater sin.”

Jesus speaks with determined clarity when speaking to Pilate. Those seeking the death of Jesus cry out to Pilate, “If you release this man, you are not Caesar’s friend. Everyone who makes himself a king opposes Caesar.” (John 19:12)

Pontius Pilate eventually gives in and agrees to have Jesus crucified.

It’s common for people today to question the historical events of the Bible. Since most of the events of the Bible happened between 2,000 and 4,000 years ago, it’s understandable that people wonder if it all really happened?

So, was there really a Pontius Pilate who lived in Israel during the 1st century as governor?

In 1961, readers of the Bible were shocked that an artifact had been discovered taking everyone back to those events of the first century Roman province of Judea.

A group of archaeologists, led by Dr. Antonio Frova were excavating an ancient Roman theater near Caesarea Maritima. Caesarea was a leading city in the first century located on the Mediterranean Sea. A limestone block was found there with a surprising inscription. The inscription, on three lines, reads:

…]S TIBERIVM …PON]TIVS PILATVS …PRAEF]ECTVS IVDA[EA]

The inscription is believed to be part of a larger inscription dedicating a temple in Caesarea to the emperor Tiberius. The inscription clearly reads, “Pontius Pilate, Prefect of Judea.” The inscription is significant on several levels.

Significance

It makes sense for Pilate to be dedicating a temple in Caesarea Maritima. The prefect usually lived in Caesarea and only went to Jerusalem for special purposes. An inscription of Pilate found in Caesarea fits with the first century world described in the Bible.

The dating of the inscription, in connection with its mention of Tiberius (42 BC-37AD) places the governor Pontius Pilate at the same place and time as the Bible’s information about Jesus.

The vast significance of the Pilate Inscription is attached to the significance of the crucifixion of Jesus. The inscription does not prove the conversations between Pilate and Jesus. The inscription does not prove Pilate condemned Jesus to be crucified. The inscription does not prove the forgiveness of mankind’s sin through the death of Christ. The inscription does, however, put one of the central characters of the Easter story at the right place and right time as described by the Bible.

Dear Lord, we thank You for the great sacrifice You gave for each of us. Help us this Easter season share Your great love with those all around us. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Loved

1 John 4:19 (ESV)

We love because he first loved us.

One of the results of rejection is the inability to receive or give love. None of us can give love unless we have first received love. The rejection leaves us poor and needy in our relationships.

But God’s acceptance and His love makes us rich and transforms us into givers in our relationships.

1 John 4:19 “We love Him because He first loved us”.

The Cross tells us that we are loved and treasured by God. When we understand this truth, it sets us free to love God and others.

1 John 3:1 “See how great a love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called children of God, and such we are”.

The first question you need to settle is “Who am I?

The root of rejection lies in our identity issues. It doesn’t matter who you thought you were before because now God has given you a new identity. You are no longer an orphan, with no one to love you. You are a child of God! You belong to Him, His family.

The more you focus on your new identity, the more you will be equipped to handle rejection from people.

Psalm 90:14 “Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days”.

The second question you need to answer is, “Whose love will satisfy me?” Experience tells us that people fail us sometimes, just the way we fail people many times.

Why not decide to come to the One who is love, who will never fail you, who never runs out of love!

Moses’ prayer was that they would be satisfied with God’s love each morning. Not with His miracles or wonders or blessings.

The love of God is enough for all the needs of our soul. If we will be fed and filled with God’s steadfast love, then we will always have a song of joy in our mouths.

Dear Lord, we thank You for Your unending love. We pray that today we would rest completely in it. Help us be the one that shares Your love today. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Acceptance

Matthew 27:46 (ESV)

And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

Rejection, simply defined, is the sense of being unwanted or unloved. Usually, this stems from some form of broken relationship or merely a failure to show love and acceptance. It may start from the womb, childhood, adult life, marriage, and even old age. Rejection brings deep wounds in our souls and negatively affects our thinking and relationships. God has provided healing for the wound of rejection.

For the first time in the history of the universe, the Son of God called out to His Father and received no response. So fully was Jesus identified with man’s iniquity that the uncompromising holiness of God caused Him to reject even His own Son. In this way, Jesus endured rejection in its most agonizing form. Almost immediately after that, He died, not of the wounds of crucifixion, but probably of a heart broken by rejection.

Matt 27:51 “And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom”.

Almost immediately, as soon as Jesus died, the thick veil, in the temple, that forbade a sinful man from entering God’s presence, was torn in two. The blood of the sinless Lamb of God was shed! The way had been made!

Ephesians 1:6 “...He has made us accepted in the Beloved”.

Jesus was rejected so that we, unworthy sinners, can have the acceptance of God. To all those who are in the Beloved Son of God, He extends His acceptance.

Dear Lord, we thank You for taking upon Yourself the rejection of Your Father because You bore all of our sins.  Thank You that we are accepted into Heaven because of what You did for us. In The Name of Jesus, Amen.