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“The Place of the Skull”
“Then he (Pilate) delivered Him to them to be crucified. Then they took Jesus and led Him away. And He, bearing His cross, went out to a place called the Place of the Skull, which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha, where they crucified Him, and two others with Him, one on either side, and Jesus in the center” (John 19:16-18).
As the Easter Season approaches, I always try to go back and read in my Bible the account of Jesus’ death and resurrection. This scripture stood out to me. I was thinking when I read it, “The Place of the Skull would be a catchy title to draw my reader’s attention.” And it must have worked, because I got you reading so far. But serious, why do you think Jesus was crucified at a place called Golgotha?
Golgotha was a place that was polluted and defiled, where skulls and bones marked the place of public execution. The thief, the murderer and the worst of society were brought here to be put to death. Jesus, the Son of God, left His seat in Heaven to be brought to the lowest place on earth. It was a place that reeked with death, and He would lay His life down for all of us, so that in turn, we might have life.
I want to take you to another place called death. It’s a place called “The Valley of Dry Bones.” The prophet Ezekiel was taken here by God to give him a glimpse of the miracle God was going to perform years later at a place called Calvary.
Ezekiel 37:1-14 reads:
“The hand of the Lord came upon me and brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the midst of the valley; and it was full of bones. Then He caused me to pass by them all around, and behold, there were very many in the open valley; and indeed they were very dry. And He said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?”
So I answered, “O Lord God, You know.”
Again He said to me, “Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, “O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! Thus says the Lord God to these bones: “Surely I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live. I will put sinews on you and bring flesh upon you, cover you with skin and put breath in you; and you shall live. Then you shall know that I am the Lord.”
So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and suddenly a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to bone. Indeed, as I looked, the sinews and the flesh came upon them, and the skin covered them over; but there was no breath in them.
Also He said to me, “Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, “Thus says the Lord God: “Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.” So I prophesied as He commanded me, and breath came into them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, an exceedingly great army.
Then He said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They indeed say, ‘Our bones are dry, our hope is lost, and we ourselves are cut off!’ Therefore prophesy and say to them, Thus says the Lord God: “Behold, O My people, I will open your graves and cause you to come up from your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. Then you shall know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves, O My people, and brought you up from your graves. I will put My Spirit in you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken it and performed it,” says the Lord.”
God had commanded Ezekiel to speak the WORD so that the bones may be brought to life. John 1:1-4 proclaims that, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.”
Ezekiel spoke the WORD and the bones came together. He spoke the WORD and the Breath of Life came into them and they lived. At Golgotha, God sent His Son, the LIVING WORD, Jesus the Christ. He was crucified, but His death symbolizes life being breathed into those dry bones. Those dry bones were us. We were dead, living a life of sin apart from Him. It is only by His blood and only by His grace that we in turn are able to have life.
I look back at “The Place of the Skull” and see my Savior on a cross, brought to death in the cruelest manner known to man. I look back beyond the skulls and bones, the death and shame, and look to 3 days later when death is defeated forever as my Savior rose from the dead and conquered sin once and for all.
In death, Jesus was made the center. It’s only fitting that He was placed in between two criminals, one to the right and one to the left. They placed a sign above Him that said, “JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS.” Even in death, He was glorified.
This is the time of year where even non-believers show up at church on Easter Sunday. Even though the holiday has been somewhat diluted with bunnies and eggs, most every one knows the real reason why we celebrate Easter. Like the two criminals hanging next to Jesus, many are going to have that choice this Sunday to believe whether or not He is truly the King of all kings. What do you believe?
I pray that we all take this season as a time to “Put Him First” and remember what He has done for us.
HE IS RISEN! Have a Great Easter Everyone!!!!!!!!
w/muchluv,
geno
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