Two thousand years ago, as the "King of the Jews",
Jesus Christ, hung dying on a rough wooden cross, the
"man-on-the-street" reaction ranged from mocking and
ridicule to sheer indifference — with some probably
carrying on with their daily activities, impassive to
yet another Roman crucifixion.
Many evangelical Bible scholars believe the bloody execution site was set between a busy street just outside old Jerusalem and the base of an ugly limestone cliff featuring a unique "skull" profile, which led to its name — "Golgotha" (Place of the Skull).
As Jesus' few disciples mourned His suffering, no doubt their sorrow was intensified by the negative reactions of passersby, particularly those who strolled past, enroute to who-knows where, ignoring the great significance of the whole scene...
Now, centuries later, the crosses which once lined the street at the base of that hideous rock outcropping have long since disappeared. However, the limestone profile retains its "skull" shape. Most remarkably, more people pass by the site daily than ever did two millennia ago. The area in front of Golgotha/Calvary is still filled with humanity going to and fro, partly because of a modern touch that has been added. The place where Christ hung on a tree is now a bus station parking lot and staging area!
Local residents of Jerusalem (mostly Arabic in this part of town), don't overtly mock, scoff and spit at the "Place of the Skull". However, they DO apparently IGNORE it!
Think of it — the place where God incarnate in the Son, Jesus Christ, died for your sins and mine, at the bottom of that grim and weathered cliff, is today being ignored by most of the local population.
Now, dear reader, if you have read this far, how about YOU?
You've probably heard about Jesus Christ and his Gospel of Eternal Life many times over the years. Maybe you haven't been to Jerusalem. Maybe you haven't stood next to the Place of the Skull cliff and the Arab bus station. But maybe, just maybe, you've been IGNORING the claims of Jesus Christ all these years.
Don't be like the Jerusalem residents, past and present, who pass by Golgotha/Calvary every day, ignoring what happened there so many centuries ago. Turn now, before it's too late. Accept what Christ did for YOU on Calvary. Repent of your sin; confess Him as Lord of your life. Tell Him now that you believe in His death and Resurrection as well.
It will make an eternal difference in your life. You'll be spiritually re-born in Jesus Christ, and you won't pass by Calvary — ignoring His great sacrifice — ever again...
"...if thou shalt confess with
thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine
heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt
be saved." Romans 10:9
"... And they took Jesus, and led him away. And
he bearing his cross went forth into a place called
the place of a skull, which is called in the Hebrew
Golgotha; where they crucified him, and two other with
him, on either side one, and Jesus in the midst. And
Pilate wrote a title, and put it on the cross. And the
writing was, JESUS OF NAZARETH THE KING OF THE JEWS.
This title then read many of the Jews; for the place
where Jesus was crucified was nigh to the city..."
John 19:16-19
"And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him,... Then said Jesus, 'Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.'... And the people stood beholding. And the rulers also with them derided him, saying, 'He saved others; let him save himself, if he be Christ, the chosen of God.' And the soldiers also mocked him..."
Luke 23:33-36
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