Calvary at the Bus Stop

Yesterday morning we were taken to the Garden Tomb which serves as an alternative to the traditional Holy Sepulcher site since crucifixions and burials would not have occurred within the walls of the city. We all walked inside this tomb, cut out of a massive rock wall bordering the garden. On the far side of the garden is an outcropping that has been carved out and looks almost skull-like. I had chills knowing that this spot could really mark the location of Calvary. And then my eyes were drawn to what was immediately below; a bus stop!

At first I was annoyed that I could not get a good picture without that silly bus stop. It was dirty and unattractive. Maybe I could crop it out when I got home. Then it occurred to me, with our guide’s help, that it was an important part of the picture. Crucifixions were public executions intentionally located for crowds to see. It made sense that it would be at a busy intersection. It would be where the people are.

Interestingly enough, this intersection of a well traveled road is on the way to Damascus. People have gathered and still gather in this spot as they are coming and going in their busy, sometimes dirty, daily lives. It is a perfect spot for a crucifixion. But where do you put a cross when you are getting ready for this execution? Probably not at the top of the wall; high enough for all to see but low enough for all to unavoidably see up close, hear, smell, and perhaps even talk (or jeer?) at the prisoners.

All are there; Jew, Gentile, believer, non-believer. And at this intersection, in our very midst, is Jesus. None of us knows the exact GPS coordinates for Calvary but I think it’s closer than we may realize. You find it when you’re waiting at the bus stop for Damascus.