SEARCHING FOR THE EMPTY TOMB!
I will never forget the first time I saw the TOMB.
It was an oppressively hot and rather muggy evening… in early July. I was studying in Old City Jerusalem.
There were four of us… American women dressed in “holy garb”… head covered, shoulders covered, knees covered. Our head scarves wet with perspiration stuck to the sides of our cheeks and rivulets of sweat ran down our backs…partly because it was stifling and partly because we were overcome with heart racing anticipation of where we were headed.
We darted through the very crowded and close Arab market that was alive with strange faces and unusual aromas and brightly colored wares hung on each side of the narrow streets two stories high. The streets were so narrow that we could hardly walk four across…
Arab market in Old City Jerusalem by day
streets in Old Jerusalem
We had ventured out away from the rest of the students to visit and the Church Of The Holy Sepulchre …the holy burial chamber of Jesus of Nazareth. The four of us decided that we did not want to visit the tomb as a part of a study course… but as a pilgrimage.
And so it was.
We scurried along… huddled together, grasping at one another’s hands and clothing just to make sure we were not parted in the crowd. The streets were a labyrinth of alleyways and passages. The ancient stone buildings so tall on both sides it felt as thought you were in a tunnel!
Arab market in Old City Jerusalem by day
It wasn’t long until we were completely lost! Being lost in a foreign country can be scary and dangerous. And being lost in old city Jerusalem two days after a terrorist attack heightened my angst! Throughout my study trip the Jewish areas of Israel had been bombarded with hundreds of scud missiles and a terrorist had commandeered a backloader and plowed over crowds of Jews not far from where our group was that day!
We wound our way here and there trying to find a familiar looking landmark… the Tower of David, the gold top of the Dome of the Rock, the jewelry shop of David, the “safe” jeweler. But as much as we tried, nothing looked familiar. I began to second guess our decision to leave the safety of the group and go on this personal pilgrimage! What was I thinking?
At one point in an attempt to find our bearings we stopped at a corner of a ancient stone building. Standing in the middle of the street, I could stretch my arms out and almost touch the building on the other side. I could feel the panic starting to rise up inside me… I don’t like the feeling of being closed in or lost in a sea of strangers and strange things! It mingled with the heat and made me feel lightheaded!
I put my hand against the wall in front of me to steady myself and touched something etched into the building… a cross and the word NIKA. I knew that Greek word. It meant VICTORY.
At that moment I knew exactly where I was although I had never been there before. We had stumbled on to the VIA DELOROSA… the way of the cross. We were standing in front of the eighth station of the cross! We were unknowingly walking the path that our Savior walked over two thousand years earlier as he carried His instrument of death to Calvary! Right there in the midst of the market… and the noise and the smells and the heat and the crowds of strange faces was the Way Of The Cross!
Because of my early religious background I was able to remember the eighth station on the Via Delorosa…
JESUS MEETS THE WOMEN OF JERUSALEM.
At this point I was totally overcome by the divine appointment that brought us to this exact place!
As Jesus walked to His death, a group of women met Him and were grief stricken. Jesus tells them not to weep for Him…but to weep for themselves and their children. As days would be coming that would be very hard for them. He felt great love and compassion for them even though He was steps away from His own death.
That evening, lost in old town Jerusalem while seeking the tomb where they had “laid our Lord”…we were these women! We were the woman of the eighth station on the Via Delarosa. Jesus met US at that corner and strengthened us and poured His great love over us! And we were at peace! Our circumstance had not changed, but when the Lord steps into your world EVERYTHING changes! We went on our way praising God confident that we were not lost at all. We were just where God wanted us to be!
When we finally got to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre it was dark.. and the church not overly crowded.
How could I ever explain this “church”. Think of a fortress the size of a football field. Nothing to me resembled a church… or Calvary or a garden tomb… which are all in such close proximity housed inside the “church”.
The church was lit by hundreds and hundreds of ornate oil lanterns in different jewel toned colors and shapes hanging from above… and the whole huge place smelled like burning oil and incense! There was nothing western or familiar about this place. It was old and oriental and orthodox!
We made our way to an area in the huge complex-of-a-church that was the tomb where Jesus was buried.
Of course it looked nothing like a garden and nothing like a tomb. It was a small church… inside the big fortress church. A church inside a church!
The tomb by day
I decided to sit on a bench near the opening of the church-tomb to reflect and get myself in a worshipful place. My sister-in-law sat with me.
I spent a lot of time weeping quietly… the magnitude of it all…Jesus’ supreme sacrifice for me and the extreme and lavish gift of life everlasting at my God’s expense pierced my heart!
Just before the Church closed for the night, four American women in holy garb… head covered, shoulders covered, knees covered… got in line to go into the tomb.
There are just some things about the tomb visitation I still want to keep locked in my heart… things that I ponder and treasure. Things I don’t want to share because if I do I’m afraid they will slip out of my mouth and float away into thin air and I won’t get them back inside me again!
Things between me and God!
But this you must know…
I was in the inner tomb… inside where you could see that it was actually a cave. Where they laid the dead body of Jesus of Nazareth. It was a small cramped space. Only a couple of people could fit in at a time. I could not stand upright. It was a real tomb.
I knelt down at the stone slab where my Lord’s body once was. I draped my arms over it and laid my cheek against it and the thirsty stone drank up my tears!
The tomb was empty! Jesus was not there!
Again, I thought of a few women over two thousand years ago who came to this very tomb looking for Jesus
… they found it empty too!
An angel met them and said. “Why are you looking for the LIVING ONE among the dead? He is not here…
HE IS RISEN”.
He is risen, indeed!
I have seen the empty tomb with my own eyes!
SCRIPTURE MEMORIZATION VERSE THIS WEEK:
I AM THE WAY, THE TRUTH, AND THE LIFE. NO ONE CAN COME TO THE FATHER EXCEPT THROUGH ME. John 14:6
Heart touching and.beautiful….thank you for sharing….
Two years ago this coming June we took my brother David to Washington Dc to the heart institute , He had a Dr Waxman, as his surgeon and when he talk to the family I ask so you were raised in Israel and he said have you seen the Via Delarosa, I said no, he told us as a child that when he played and walk the streets and even today that Jesus presence is so vivid that you Just know Jesus was and still is there. Your encounter that day made my day real by your experience and me actually meeting someone who was raised there, David my brother died will be 1 yr. ago March 9th but I was supposed to meet Dr. Waxman and hear his true life experience with Jesus just as you did, thank you for this, I needed it today.
Dear Joy, I am so sad for your loss! Bless you!
I couldn’t go to church this morning due to illness. I want to thank you for helping me to worship alone at home, praising my Savior for his unspeakable gift and mercy.
Thank you for sharing this awesome experience. It was a joy to read this today!!!
This is so powerful! Thank you!!
Our footsteps took the same route as yours six years ago. It was a truly wonderful experience, to this day I still get goose bumps when I recall the moment I touched the rock Our Lord was laid on, We also walked the same street he walked bearing the weight of the cross. Thank you for your memories, it made mine all come alive again on this Sunday morning after mass. God Bless you.
Thank you for sharing your powerful worship experience.
Thank you!
This post gave me chills! You made me feel like I was there! Thank you!
Have a beautiful and Blessed day, Kathleen in Az
Thank you, it was so much moving……He Is Risen………
This was truly Beautiful Yvonne… I want to Thank You for sharing your experience…. you have made my heart much lighter… We have God’s richest Blessing in Our Dear Lord Jesus…every second we live.
Such an atmospheric post, I can’t thank you enough for sharing this in your own, unique way, I was extremely moved by it…..I feel blessed for having read it…..
Thank you so much…….be blessed…xx
What a wonderful reminder that if we know Him we are not lost!
Thank you for sharing your experience , It was very encouraging , thank you.
Have a blessed day.
You don’t know how much I needed to read this today! God has touched my heart and soul through your words. Perhaps you will consider publishing this story? Guideposts, my favorite magazine, is always looking for authors to write for them. You can find them on the web.
God Bless you and your family for what you do for others.
Beautifully written! Thank y0u for sharing. I felt as if I were there.
Thank you for today’s post. I am still praying for your son’s health and his “hearts desire.”
I have not yet been to the Holy Land, yet in your vivid description it is though there were five women on this journey, and I was among them. Actually, in reading the other commenters here, there were indeed many others on this journey as well. Just reading this reminds me of our ever present Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Indeed He has risen, but is among us still! Amen! Nanny
So interesting and inspiring – thank you for sharing:)
What a gift God has given you in your writings, and we in turn are blessed by reading those touchingly written words. Praise to our Lord and Savior!
Oh do I wish I was brave enough to visit the Holy Land! I would dearly love to walk where my Jesus walked. It just seems so dangerous for Americans to travel to Israel. Would you go again if you had the opportunity?
This was so timely….on March 6 my best friend and I leave for 12 days touring the Holy Land…I cannot wait! Thank you for your inspirational blog today! He is risen indeed!
Suzy
He is RISEN indeed! You will be changed forever!
Since we did it six years ago, was different from today. I would not do it today. Would be totally different. God Bless you all.
Yvonne,I did receive an email from you regarding your son Christopher? I couldn’t open it but was quite taken back! So sorry about his Heath issues! I don’t know what is going on with him but he is dearly in my prayers! I can’t even begin to imagine the feeling to be standing in the same space our Lord and Savior sacrificed his life for us! That had to be truly overwhelming! And Awesome!!!! As for your son, I hope and pray God will heal him, take care Cindy
Thank you. Your memory sharing is beautifully written. I feel I’ve walked right with you. In our American society we are currently so focused on who should be included “in” and who is to be excluded this message clarifies yet again that The Way is right there for all of us. During this Lenten season I appreciate these lessons that speak to my heart and help me grow spiritually.
God Bless You and your family Yvonne. This was beautifully written and a joy to read. Thank you for sharing it. I have been blessed to visit Ephesus where Paul walked and was arrested for railing against the idols made to honor Diana/Artemus. How much more special to touch where our beloved Jesus lay. Touch your son and ask Jesus our ultimate physician to make him well again. You must know one of His names is Jehovah Rapha. I will continue prayer for him too.
What a wonderful story, it gave me chills reading it. For anyone that is not a believer, I wish they could go and see this for themselves and that it is real. I appreciate all the time and energy you put in your blog, you truly have a gift.
Yvonne, thank you for your beautifully written post about the Empty Tomb. I have been fortunate enough to visit Israel twice. Having seen the Holy Land in person makes the reading the Bible and places in Scripture visible in my mind’s eye. I would go back to Israel in a heartbeat. lt was an amazing trip. Thanks for the remembrances. I am continuing to pray for your son, Christopher.
Yvonne, your beautifully written account makes me feel as if I was with you in the shadows. I truly could see your tears fall upon the stone in the tomb. What a wonderful experience for the “four women” on the walk. May God especially bless you during this most Holiest season.
Thank you for such a wonderful post. It brought tears to eyes. I can only imagine how it must have felt to you. Bless you for sharing this heart felt moment.
I can see that we all feel the same after reading this , that we were right there with you ! Truly incredible story and brought tears to my eyes as well. Thank you for sharing your incredible journey with us . God bless you & your family
Thank you for your beautiful story about our Lord Jesus! Yvonne also thank you for sharing your heart with us! God has given you a wonderful gift to wright and connect with people!
What a beautiful and touching story, Yvonne! Just reading it brought tears and my heart to bursting with both sadness and joy thinking upon our Savior who gave up all for us. I can only imagine the feelings you must have had and still have from being in this most sacred place. Thank you for sharing this magnificent story.
Thank you for sharing such a special experience with us. Very touching and I wish I had been there.
Beautiful and heart warming.Thank you, for sharing a divine moment with us,truly blessed to read this message this morning.Many blessings to you & your family
I wish we could all experience what you did in The Holy Land. But, for those of us that can’t, I would like to tell you that I had those same feelings at The Holy Land Experience in Orlando, Florida. I was in tears as I watched the recreation of Jesus’s crucifixion and the open tomb. You amaze me with your ability to witness and share your faith with all of us. Thanks for all you do.
What you wrote about Jesus and the Tomb is just so overwhelmingly beautiful. You are a writer for sure. I felt as though I was there myself. Thank you so much! Just beautiful.