Day 45 – Golgotha: Were You There?

“They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means The Place of the Skull)” Mark 15:22.

9 A.M. Friday morning, it is killing time in Jerusalem.

The Damascus Gate led into a flat area near a spot where, according to legend, the prophet Jeremiah was buried. Up above, if you looked very closely and from the right angle, it would take on the shape of a skull. The erosion of the limestone gave it the appearance of two eye sockets and even the outline of a nose, maybe even a mouth.

Skull Hill, they called it. Golgotha.

Please take note of these three words from Mark’s Gospel: “They crucified Him.” They speak to those who crucified our Lord. They include the Romans and the Jews, and they include you and me.  We all had a share in the death of Jesus.

The word “crucified” speaks to the painful death He suffered. Crucifixion was the ultimate punishment in that day. It represented the final judgment of the world on Jesus: “This man deserves to die.” Though He had done no wrong, they crucified Him anyway.

To be absolutely clear, the word “Him” refers to the person who died that day. This was no ordinary man. The centurion cried out when He (Jesus) died, “Surely, this was the Son of God!”

A story was told of a man who visited Golgotha and the Garden Tomb in Jerusalem. Being overcome, he began to weep. “Have you ever been here before?” someone asked. “Oh, yes,” he replied. “I was here 2000 years ago.”

The old Negro Spiritual first appeared in print in 1899, asking the question that we should consider sometimes during this season:

Were you there when they crucified my Lord?

Were you there when they crucified my Lord?

Oh, sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.

Were you there when they crucified my Lord?

Lord Jesus, we tremble to think of what You endured for our salvation. May we never be ashamed of Jesus or what He did for us. Amen.