On our last day, Ryan reserved a taxi via Gett (similar to Uber) for noon, so we rose bright and early to visit The Garden Tomb. It is the site where many believe Jesus was buried and where He was resurrected three days later. From our apartment, we walked about ten minutes to reach the garden. There is no fee to enter, and the organization in charge, The Garden Tomb Association, provides a guide to point out different areas in the garden.
Even though we could hear traffic outside the walls, we sensed a quiet and peaceful atmosphere. Our guide, Steve, took us to the edge of the garden and showed us what they believe to be The Skull of the Rock, or the place where Jesus may have been crucified. He then showed us the winepress and cistern, both pieces of evidence to suggest that the garden was a working garden, similar to gardens of the day when Jesus lived.
Steve then pointed out the tomb, and we proceeded down the stone steps and found ourselves at the entrance. It was rather small, compared to how I imagined it. The tomb was supposed to be large enough for an entire family, with three resting places, presumably a father, a mother, and a child. On the door inside hangs a post saying, "He is not here for He is risen." True today as it was back then!
After purchasing souvenirs from the gift shop, we exited and walked toward the Damascus gate. Since it was close to noon, we went back to our apartment, packed what we had left, and waited for our ride. Within an hour we were back at Ben Gurion Airport. Using the kiosk, we printed our tickets and headed for security, which wasn’t as bad as our Larnaca Airport experience. As we flew out of Israel, I prayed that next year Zach and I would be able to make it back!
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