205
April 1927
T h e
K i n g ’ s
B u s i n e s s
He was nailed to the cruel tree for us- ~-but it was not possible that He should be holdeh of death. He cried “It is finished.” The resurrection was t h e Father’s “ j :4-men.” It was the proof that the Saviour’s death was accepted as an atoning sacrifice for all who should believe.
wall from the eminence upon which we are standing, we see the city lying upon its five hills. It occupies practically the same site that it did in the days of Christ, and doubt less looks much the same too. As we gaze upon this city, teeming with life, we wonder what change would come, if every person in it understood the meaning of Golgotha. T h e ' G arden of J oseph Now we turn our gaze to the West. Lying just below us is a beautiful garden. It stands upon the spot that another garden stood nineteen hundred' years ago—the garden of Joseph of Arimathea. In the garden are flow ers, shrubs, and olive trees. ■In the center of the garden is a winepress. But that which interests us most, is the tomb. “Now in the place where- he was crucified was a gar den; and in the garden a new sepulchre, wherein was never man yet laid.” On the north side of the garden, cut out of the solid rock, is the tomb. The door has been enlarged since it was first cut, and we can easily enter. We find ourselves in a room about twelve feet by twenty. The walls, ceiling, and floors are of the virgin rock. The room has been made by hewing out the white limestone, of which the hills of this vicinity are composed. Abotit the sides of the tomb are ledges, or shelves, upon which the bodies were originally laid. In one corner is a recess in which they tell us the body of Christ was laid. But we rejoice that though He was laid there, and the tomb was sealed with a great stone, yet death could not hold Him. On the third day the stone was rolled away from the door, and the tomb was found empty, for the Lord had risen. And today, the empty tomb, in the garden of Joseph of Arimathea, is the emblem of hope, and the pledge of immortality to every child of God. We shall long cherish the memory of this Easter morning, upon which we are visiting the tomb of Christ. We come just at sunrjse, when all nature is awakened to new life, and bathed in the golden radiance of the new day: The flowers seem never so beautiful as this morning. The scent of the shrubs and new springing grass seem never so fragrant. The song of the birds seems more cheerful, and all nature proclaims the happiness of the new life that is symbolized by the empty tomb.
the garden and the trees, and accompany visitors who wish *to visit the sacred spot. They have taken out practically all the flowers and shrubs; and have let the grass grow naturally among the olive trees. There are eight ven erable old olive trees still growing in the Garden. Their trunks are twisted and weather-beaten, and show the passing of the storms of the ages. It is said that some of these trees were there in the time of Christ. From their ancient appearance they might well have been, for all we know. They produce a few olives yet, the oil of which is sold for a very high'price, and-the stones of which are made into rosaries. The Garden today, provides a quiet, restful spot, where one may meditate upon the things of God. When Jesus entered the city of Jerusalem on His way from Bethany, He entered by the only open gate which, pierces the frowning eastern wall. It is now called St. Stephen’s gate, for tradition has it that it was out this gate that the first martyr was taken to be stoned. In our Lord’s day it was called the Sheep Gate. The opening is about ten feet wide, and about fifteen feet high. T h e W ay of S orrows As we enter this gate, we find ourselves in the narrow street called the Via Dolorosa. That name being inter preted means, “the way of sorrows.” It was so named because Christ walked down this street, bearing His cross toward Golgotha. We know that He suffered “outside the gate.” If we follow the course He most likely took, we must leave the Via Dolorosa, and leave the city by the middle one of its three north gates. It is called the Damascus Gate. We do not proceed far, until we come to Golgotha, the place of the skull. It is now used as a Mohammedan cemetery, and' few people ever stand upon it, yet it was here that “the Son of Man gave His life as a ransom for many.” A view from the hill is inspiring. As we stand upon the brow of that sacred mount, and look toward the south, we have an excellent view of Jerusalem. In the immediate foreground rise the weatherstained tow ers and battlements of thé north wall of the city. Beneath. thè wall, 'which at this point is built upon a high ledge of rock, is the entrance to 'Solomon’s quarries. It is here, far beneath the busy, bustling city, that the stone for the temple was quarried and dressed. Looking out over the
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