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Travelers in Jerusalem wanting to visit sites where Jesus may have spent
time now have a new location to visit. The site, just opened to the public, is
where Jesus' trial before Pilate may have taken place.Historians and archaeologists have long agreed that Herod's palace was located on the western side of Jerusalem's Old City, near the present-day Tower of David Museum. If the palace is there, however, it has long since been buried under subsequent construction and centuries of dirt and debris.
But more than a decade ago, during a planned expansion of the museum, archaeologists began dismantling an old adjacent building. Below the floorboards, they found the remains of a prison dating from the Ottoman Turk rule of Jerusalem. Below that, they found what they believe are some remains of Herod's palace, where some Bible scholars say Jesus was tried by Pilate. Though the palace was Herod's, these scholars say Pilate would likely have been a guest there.
The site of the trial cannot be identified with certainty because the gospels themselves are not specific about its location. Matthew, Mark and Luke only say that Jesus was handed over to Pilate, without saying where. Matthew and Mark do say that after Pilate issued the execution order, his soldiers moved Jesus to the "praetorium" (see Matthew 27:27 and Mark 15:16 in the NIV), a Latin term for a general's tent, but it's not clear that the trial took place there. John's gospel, however, tells that while at least part of the trial took place in the praetorium (John 18:33; 19:9, translated "headquarters" in NRSV and "palace" in NIV), the final judgment was issued "at a place called The Stone Pavement" (John 19:13), a detail that fits with archaeological findings near the prison.
So in visiting this site, pilgrims may be standing where Jesus briefly was before being sent off for crucifixion.
Rev. David Pileggi, minister of Christ Church, an Anglican congregation near the museum, believes that the discovery inside the prison confirms "what everyone expected all along, that the trial took place near the Tower of David." But will the opening of the site cause visitors to deem it holy? Will it change the path of the Via Dolorosa -- the route traditionally considered to be Jesus' journey through Jerusalem to Calvary, which many visitors to Jerusalem today follow?
"I don't think that will happen anytime soon," Pileggi said. "What makes a place holy is the fact that people have gone there for hundreds of years, prayed, cried and even celebrated there, so I don't think there will be changes to the route anytime soon."
More on this story can be found at these links:
Archaeologists Find Possible Site of Jesus' Trial in Jerusalem. Washington Post
Archaeologists Say They've Located the Possible Site of Trial of Jesus. Fox News
Thin Places: A Biblical Investigation. Patheos
The Big Questions
1. How do you define "holy"? What is the primary characteristic of holiness?
2. Are there places you consider holy? If so, what causes you to think of them that way?
3. In the news story, Rev. Pileggi said, "What makes a place holy is the fact that people have gone there for hundreds of years, prayed, cried and even celebrated there." Do you agree or disagree, and why? Apply the definition(s) of "holy" from the first question in explaining your answer.
4. In terms of hearing from God, we don't consider a congregation that worships in a gym to be at any disadvantage to a church that worships in a traditional sanctuary. But is there any way in which a traditional sanctuary enhances the worship experience? Is there any way in which a gym enhances the worship experience?
5. How is our relationship with God affected by the things we consider holy? How is our relationship with others affected by the things we consider holy?
Confronting the News With Scripture and Hope
Here are some Bible verses to guide your discussion:
John 19:13
When Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus outside and sat [or "seated him"] on the judge's bench at a place called The Stone Pavement, or in Hebrew Gabbatha. (For context, read 19:12-16.)
This verse contains the primary clue that causes some Bible scholars to conclude that part of Jesus' trial was conducted in Herod's palace. The underlying Greek word translated "The Stone Pavement" is lithostrotos, which means the tessellated or mosaic pavement where the judgment-seat stood. The word Gabbatha is an Aramaic (though called "Hebrew" in the verse) term derived from a root meaning "back" or "elevation," which refers not to the kind of pavement but to the elevation of the place. Thus the two names refer to different characteristics of the spot where Pilate condemned Jesus to death, and could refer to a location in Herod's palace.
Though the verse above from the NRSV makes it sound like Pilate sat on the judge's bench, the Greek can also be read to say that Pilate sat Jesus down on the bench (indeed, the NRSV notes that in a footnote, which we've inserted above), and there's reason to think that could be the accurate meaning. It is fully in keeping with John's narration for Pilate to taunt the Jews at this point by seating Jesus, still dressed in the purple robe and crown of thorns, on the judge's seat. Doing so lends a profound irony to the account: Pilate unknowingly places Jesus in his rightful place as the true judge.
Questions: Did Pilate unknowingly make his own seat holy by having Jesus sit in it as mockery? Or is holiness not a quality that a "thing" can possess?
Imagine yourself standing in the spot where Jesus faced Pilate when both Jesus and Pilate were there. What would you have done? What would you have said?
Genesis 28:16-17
Then Jacob woke from his sleep and said, "Surely the LORD is in this place -- and I did not know it!" And he was afraid, and said, "How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven." (For context, read 28:10-22.)
When Jacob was fleeing from home because of his brother's anger at him, he eventually had to stop to sleep. As he slept, he dreamt of a ladder reaching from earth to the heavens, on which angels of God were ascending and descending. And he heard God's promise to him, extending the Abrahamic covenant to him. Thus, when Jacob woke, he declared, "Surely the LORD is in this place -- and I did not know it!"
When Jacob fell asleep, his location was just another spot in the wilderness (the text calls it "a certain place" [v. 11]). But when he woke, it was a holy place because Jacob had encountered God there.
TWW team member Micah Holland comments: "The word 'holy' is rarely defined and is often contextual for people. I know a lady who reads her Bible each morning on her sun porch, and she considers this place a holy place."
Questions: In what unlikely place have you encountered the Lord? Sometimes people refer to specific locations as "thin places," which are usually defined as places where the boundary between heaven and earth is especially thin, places where we can sense the divine more readily." What do you make of the idea of "thin places"?
The Celtic Christians of Europe that Paul wrote to in his letter to the Galatians (Galats is the Latin word for Celts) also believed there was a thin line between the divine realm and human existence, and for this reason probably found it easy to accept Christianity after the healing of Paul's eyes. Do you have a sense that God is near or distant, depending on where you stand? What and where was your clearest experience of God's presence? Was it a surprising place? Do you experience the same thing when you return, or is God's presence more of a "movable feast"?
Jacob was fleeing his brother's (justifiable) wrath. Have you experienced God's presence more in harried or peaceful circumstances?
1 Kings 2:29
When it was told King Solomon, "Joab has fled to the tent of the LORD and now is beside the altar," Solomon sent Benaiah ... saying, "Go, strike him down." (For context, read 2:26-35.)
When King David died, there was contention over which of his sons, Adonijah or Solomon, would succeed him. Solomon emerged the victor, and after he got the throne, he had Adonijah put to death. Solomon then set out to purge his kingdom of those who had supported his brother. One supporter, Joab, surmised that Solomon would not be satisfied merely to banish him. Therefore Joab fled to the tabernacle and took hold of the horns of the altar.
This action, in accordance with long-standing Hebrew law and custom, was an appeal for asylum. It was considered desecration for anyone claiming such sanctuary to be killed. Benaiah, the military man Solomon sent to slay Joab, knew this, and he was reluctant to violate the sanctuary. But finally, in obedience to his king, Benaiah killed Joab, even as the man clutched the horns of the altar. When Solomon felt his authority was threatened, nothing was sacred to him -- not even the tabernacle of God Almighty.
Questions: When nothing is considered sacred or holy, what do we have left to make peaceful community life possible? Does what is left work as well as a sense of sacred obligation? Is a murder or mass murder worse when it takes place in a church, mosque or synagogue, or are all murders equally desecrations of God's holy image in humanity?
Exodus 3:3-5
Then Moses said, "I must turn aside and look at this great sight, and see why the bush is not burned up." When the LORD saw that he had turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, "Moses, Moses!" And he said, "Here I am." Then he said, "Come no closer! Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground." (For context, read 3:1-12.)
This is from the account of God speaking to Moses from the burning bush that the flames did not consume. Moses moved toward the bush to see what was going on. But before he got to it, God spoke to him out of the bush, saying, "Come no closer! Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground."
TWW team member Stan Purdum comments, "That's the point at which this story starts to make me queasy, for if I had been in Moses' sandals, I'm not sure that I would have obeyed. Rather, my reaction more likely would have been to think, 'Yeah, right, this is holy ground. Who's kidding who here? This is just the surface of Mt. Horeb. And whatever is going on with the bush, it's liable to start throwing off burning embers at any moment, so I'm not taking my sandals off!' And if I had responded like that, there's a good chance I might have missed an encounter with God."
A few lines from a poem by Elizabeth Barrett Browning recall the burning bush story and indicate the possibility of failing to notice that one is on holy ground:
Earth's crammed with heaven
And every common bush afire with God;
And only he who sees takes off his shoes --
The rest sit round it and pluck blackberries.
Failing to recognize that we are on holy ground is not necessarily a sin, but it is a blockage on the spiritual journey.
Questions: When have you recognized only in hindsight that you had been in a place where God was speaking to you? What lesson about God do you hear in Browning's poem? Have you been tempted to raise a memorial at a site where you realized God was present? Is a healthy skepticism more or less of a guarantee that one has experienced the holy? Do we see or hear what we want to? How has God best been able to get your attention?
Matthew 21:12-13
Then Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who were selling and buying in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. He said to them, "It is written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer'; but you are making it a den of robbers." (No context necessary.)
For Jesus, the activity of money changers and the animal sellers in the temple subtracted from the holiness of that place, causing him to take dramatic action.
Question: What are some things that hinder your experiencing a place as holy?
Revelation 21:22
I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. (For context, read 21:1-2, 9-27.)
When John of Patmos had his vision of God's kingdom to come, he saw there was "no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb." In the full presence of God, no special place is needed for holiness, and every place is holy.
Questions: Do we need holy places only because we are not fully tuned to God's omnipresence in our world? Do you think you will miss your favorite Bible, holy place or worship center when you are at last in the presence of the Lamb?
For Further Discussion
1. The word "sacred" derives from a Latin word meaning "set apart" for a god's use, while the word "holy" comes from an Old English word meaning "whole," in the sense of complete, entire or healthy. These words have mainly merged into one meaning in today's English. Discuss how the two original concepts are similar and how they are different, and the different nuances an understanding of the etymology provides.
2. It's often said that anyplace can be holy depending on what happens there. One pastor suggests that all of the following "places" could be holy ground. Look at each item in this list and tell why you might or might not consider it holy.
•You are taking a walk when an idea occurs to you about some change you need to make in your life.
•You are going through your daily devotions when something you have read suddenly comes alive for you.
•You are in the midst of an argument with a family member and are quite angry when something clicks inside your head and you remember that you love this person you are so angry at. That realization causes the ground to shift under you, and there is suddenly a special opportunity regarding your relationship with that person.
•You are snowed in and unable to get to your workplace. You are frustrated because you've got so much you need to accomplish, but then it suddenly dawns on you that you have been given a gift -- a day to find yourself again.
•You are busy with the responsibilities of the day when your child -- or your grandchild -- asks you to read her a story.
•You are in the midst of trouble or are depressed over the course of life, and receive one of those "I'm thinking of you" cards from a friend.
3. Comment on this, from TWW team member Mary Sells: "If we [consider holy] only those places where masses of people return over time to pray, that only scratches the surface. ... It is we who move from the holiness of God, while God remains steadfast within us and around us.
"When I was in Israel, I knew it was a very special place, and indeed the area where so much of our Christian history happened. However, I had to remind myself that it is also dependent upon claiming specific places as holy to drive the economy, and I told myself, it doesn't matter if the stated place is true; it is the events that happened somewhere in that region that are true. We like our shrines and churches as houses of God and as places to pray and feel near to God. But isn't the real goal of a faith path to realize that God doesn't live in a house, but in the spirit he breathed into us?"
4. Respond to this from TWW team member and Church of the Brethren pastor Frank Ramirez: "We Brethren have no connection to the place of our founding. First baptism in Eder River, Schwarzenau, Germany. People go there, especially at our tercentennial, but it is not a holy place. We were refugees there and within three decades we all moved to America. For us, the people are holy, not places or things. Discoveries like Herod's palace are fascinating, but what do they have to do with faith? The tomb is empty. No artifacts. The first Christians did not save souvenirs, nor did they put up historical markers."
5. What special benefits do you think one receives from traveling to a "holy" place? Does this make one a better Christian? If you have traveled to holy places, describe the experience. Did it make you a better Christian? Did you believe everything the guide told you? How much money did you spend to get to the holy place? Would you recommend going to holy places?
Responding to the News
One of the signs that we are treading on holy ground is when we are operating under the grace of someone else's sacrifice. For example, few young people who go off to college these days are self-supporting. Most are able to be there at least in part because of financial sacrifices made by their parents. We may simply call that opportunity, but in truth, they are also on holy ground because their parents, and even those other persons who have set up scholarship funds, have helped make their presence there on campus possible.
This is a good time time to recall and thank those whose sacrifices make our good circumstances possible. It's also a good time to think of how Christ's sacrifice enables our lives to be holy places.
You might contemplate these questions: How does a sacrifice help a place become holy? What sacrifices have been given to you by family members, friends, church members, etc. that have been holy?
Closing Prayer
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