Golgotha–the Place of the Skull
Golgotha
Wow! I keep thinking about my dear friends on this blog and I realize I’ve not truly communicated with you for some time. (Unless you want to call a poem and a few pics of a groundhog decent communication!)
I want you to know that I’m not just blogging “at you” but I do actually pray for you. If you’re interested in the cross of Jesus, you’re on the right blog! There is no sweeter commonality than the cross of Jesus!
Let’s talk about the location of the cross today. I’ve often wondered why it’s called by two names—Mount Calvary and Golgotha, a place on a hill outside the walls of Jerusalem. (I’m SO excited to share this with you!)
The place of the crucifixion is one place known in three languages—which is why Pilate wrote “This is Jesus, King of the Jews” in three languages and had it tacked to the top of the cross. There were three main languages in the days of Jesus. So, let’s break this down:
Golgotha—Aramaic (language of the Hebrews)
Κρανιον Kranion 2898 (Strong) is the name in Greek
Calvarius (from where “Calvary” is derived) is the Roman language (Latin)
Interestingly, all three names mean “Skull”.
Whose skull are we talking about here?
There was a discovery in the late 1800s by archeologists who found that one location they believed to be Mount Calvary (or Golgotha, which I’ll use interchangeably here) was a hill with small caves that looked like a skull when you stand back and look at it.
I am still reading (very slowly and meditatively) The Meal that Heals by Perry Stone. Pastor Stone points out that it’s quite possible that it is called “The place of the skull” because David took Goliath’s head to Jerusalem:
David took the Philistine’s head and brought it to Jerusalem; he put the Philistine’s weapons in his own tent (I Samuel 17:54 NIV).Speaking of David . . .
I “accidentally” sat beside a young man yesterday at (of all places) a baby shower. (This is the first baby shower I ever attended where there were about 12 men present!) Anyway, there were few chairs so I sat across from my daughters beside a young man I didn’t know. The young man to my right looked over at me—Michael!! I was thrilled to see my student from first and second grades beside me. He proceeded to tell my daughters that he loved first and second grade and wished he could go back. He said, “Yeah, one year we learned about the armor of God and there was this manikin in the back closet clothed with the armor of God. The next year we studied David all year long . . . I mean all year!”
Michael proceeded to recall the Christmas party, the puppet show, the classroom acting, the movie day, and all the fun things we did back then. And yes, ittook us all year to study the life of David.
David . . . there’s something about the life of David. I even named my son Johnathan DAVID. It’s a name high on Hope’s list. In fact, my parents thought they were going to have a boy and I was to be named DAVID. (Sort of grows on you, eh?)
So . . . I do love to teach on David. I’ll restrain myself as this is getting long. But I do want to stress that King David put the sword in a tent (and later retrieved it to use it as his own weapon) and journeyed the whole way to Jerusalem to bury the head of Goliath. There’s something on that.
Anyone care to jump in? Please do. All you Bible students, please CHIME
- Painting by R. Leinweber–David and Goliath
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