Why We Came

There are many reasons to take a trip to the Holy Land. To strengthen faith, to grow in Gods Word, to celebrate the Promised Land, to view prophecy fulfilled and yet to be fulfilled, to meet and enjoy new friends. But on our last day here we realized why we really came to this incredible place. We gathered our group in a Garden and walked into a two thousand year old tomb that is… empty. Inside the words were written… “He is not here, He is risen.” So when you think about it, we traveled all this distance to see … nothing! This empty tomb could be the very place where Jesus was laid. There is compelling evidence to suggest that the Garden Tomb is the burial site for Jesus. But wherever the place, an empty grave proves our Savior lives and that He is Lord.


Just a few steps away is a rugged cliff which mysteriously looks like a skull. If you look closely you will see the bridge of a nose and two eye sockets in the photo. We are told in the Bible that Jesus was crucified at Calvary that means “the place of the skull.” Jesus did not die on a “Hill Far Away”, as the song suggests, but in a well-known public place of execution just outside the walls of Jerusalem. He was exposed to the stares and jeers of all who passed by. So when you look at the skull like features of this hill you realize the most important event in human history likely took place here.

Back in the Garden, we all remembered why Jesus died and shared the Lord’s Supper together. We wept and we worshipped. Most of all we celebrated the reality of the resurrection. We stood together, held hands and sang these words:
“Because He lives, I can face tomorrow, because He Lives, all fear is gone. Because I know He holds the future, and life is worth the living just because He lives.”

This is my last blog from a trip of a lifetime to the lands of the Bible. I hope that you can go with us same time next year. But even if you have never come to the Holy Land, never forget this truth… Jesus is where you are right now. If you are a Christ follower you are the temple of the Holy Spirit (I Corinthians 6:19). So every place you go is a holy place. Every step you take is a walk with Him. Jesus is alive and living in the Believer. So you don’t have to come to where He was to know where He is, if He lives in you. You are His Holy Place.

As we left Israel, we all felt like the disciples on the road to Emmaus. After they walked with the Risen Savior they exclaimed, “Did not our hearts burn within us while He talked to us on the road, while He opened to us the Scriptures (Luke 24: 32).” So we come back home with our hearts believing and burning. Make it your prayer each day to walk in His steps and by His Spirit make life a journey that never ends.

From Jerusalem – that is all for now. But join me regularly from this blog as we will have a chance to connect and communicate. I am looking forward to talking with you about a variety of important subjects. Stay tuned. Shalom!! Jack



Pictured: Jack, Deb, Kelly, Josh and Kaytie Graham