He is Risen!

The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre. (John 20:1)

Truth be told, most of us are thinking anew about Resurrection Sunday. The pandemic has caused that. Bible sales are spiking (as they did after 9/11).

That’s just how us humans are.

But it’s good to be reminded—even the hard way—that we are different from the world because our Savior is truly unique.

Many are frustrated that our civil liberties are being taken and in some cases, by unelected bureaucrats. I’m as frustrated as anyone. This weekend, millions are barred from their churches and places of worship, due to Washington’s seeming fear of the Coronavirus.

And that makes this the perfect time to think on something else, something pure and majestic and eternal.

I remember the first time I visited the Garden Tomb in Jerusalem. Not the one in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre—thought by Catholics to be the location of Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection. I mean the one known as “Gordon’s Calvary,” located just north of the Old City. The “Place of the Skull,” Golgotha, is a small rock hill and only yards from it is an ancient tomb cut out of solid rock. The tomb itself fits the descriptions in the Gospels.

A lush garden has been planted around these spots. Birds sing and the fragrance and color of the plants and flowers are breathtaking. A truly peaceful place to spend an afternoon.

But that tomb…

Inside, it’s small. One has to stoop down to get inside the door. A gap between the entrance and a “curb” running along the front would easily have held in place a large stone. One can’t help but be drawn to a stone bench inside; iron bars have been placed there so that pilgrims don’t chip the whole thing away.

In your mind’s eye, you can see Him sit up on that bench that morning so long ago. The sun would have shined through the door. One fascinating aspect of the location for me is the stone winepress just up the hill, uncovered only recently by archaeologists. Jesus would have walked over it on his way out of the garden. A forerunner of the coming judgment at the end of history, when we are told He will crush His enemies, like one pressing grapes.

I mention all this to say: it is there. The place exists. It is the most written-about event in all of history. A dead man came back to life. It is our great hope for the future.

Most of us will not meet each other in this life. But we will in the next! And we will live forever with our Creator.

I cannot fix the problems in my own hometown, much less world issues. I cannot gain justice for the myriad injustices in our world. Tonight, I am praying and I am meditating on the power of Jesus Christ. He alone has all power, and He is preparing to stand on the stage of History again. He is preparing a place for us.

God the Father raised Him from the dead, just as the prophets foretold. We are going on to glory. We are going on to other things.

We know where we’re going.

I hope it is soon.

Happy Resurrection Day!

Jim1fletcher@yahoo.com

Israel and the Plague

As of this writing, Israel has 7,500 cases of Coronavirus, and 44 people have died. These numbers don’t seem particularly high, but we must remember that this is a small country, with only several million citizens.

(I do find it moving and amazing that this week, the very secular city of Tel Aviv “boasted” one tower building illuminated at night by the famous “Hear O Israel” verse. I think soon and very soon the Israelis will return to their God.)

Evidently several haredi communities are being watched closely, with even IDF paratroopers deployed to Bnei Brak.

Jerusalem, with one million residents, has 1,132 cases.

On a side note, having been in the Old City many times, I’m struck by the fact that China is taking severe (and deserved) criticism for its “wet markets,” where people buy animals to eat. Jerusalem’s Old City has several vendors in the Arab sections that sell meat hanging on hooks, with flies all over it. Gross liquids run down the narrow alleyways and streets. I’m sure the Israelis are locking-down the Old City.

But I digress.

To me, the weirdest aspect of this virus pandemic is that the projected numbers seem way off, so far. In the U.S., a week ago we heard that catastrophic deaths were coming. We’ve had this week a few thousand added deaths. Each death is tragic of course, but something seems off.

Israel is well-equipped to deal with this crisis, and I’m confident they will weather the health storm. Other cities, like Tel Aviv and Petah Tikvah, have a few hundred cases at most.

To me, the larger issue is how this will damage economies. There seems to be an agenda to do that, frankly. No one knows how this will pan out, but if the deaths are drastically less than have been predicted, many more people will distrust their governments and media.

Meanwhile, the scare tactics continue. From a Jerusalem Post report:

“Speaking at a press briefing Friday, WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom called on all countries ‘to ensure core public health measures are fully funded, including case-finding, testing, contact tracing, collecting data and communication and information campaigns.’

“He acknowledged that the world is ‘in a shared struggle to protect both lives and livelihoods,’ but confirmed that ‘the best way for countries to end restrictions and ease their economic effects is to attack the virus, with the aggressive and comprehensive package of measures that we have spoken about many times before: find, test, isolate and treat every case and trace every contact.’

“’If countries rush to lift restrictions too quickly,’ he cautioned, ‘the virus could resurge, and the economic impact could be even more severe and prolonged.’”

We are being controlled by the powers-that-be on an unprecedented scale. Individuals are less able to make their own decisions due to this outbreak. In any event, as with other global issues, I expect that Israel will come out of this ahead of the game, ahead of other countries. More from the Post:

“Today, European countries, the US, and Russia are using Israel as a barometer of what to do and how to manage the crisis. Even the UK, which dangerously toyed with the idea of herd immunity, had to abandon their initial response when it became apparent that the National Health Service were going to have to be making life or death decisions and face hundreds of thousands of deaths. While cynics in Israel were still touting the notion that Netanyahu was creating directives to serve his political interests, close friends from abroad were flying in as soon as they could, before the country closed its doors to noncitizens, as they knew they were safer here.”

I look forward to visiting that wonderful place again.

Jim1fletcher@yahoo.com