Jerusalem’s Business District— On one of our last days in the Middle East we walked through the business district of Jerusalem, a part of which you can see in this video.  This “street” is very narrow, obviously, with shops on either side.  Above it there could either be open air or a covering of some kind.  In any case, the scale of this setting is very similar to one that Jesus would have encountered as he made his way from the Antonia Fortress to Calvary, on his way to crucifixion.  We were encouraged to try to picture Jesus trying to carry a cross through streets like these— exhausted, bearing many injuries to his body, careening into the shops and merchandise along the way.  The site of Calvary was most likely an old quarry on a busy street.  The Romans liked sites like it because many of their subjects would pass by and get the message:  “This is what happens to all who get in the way of Pax Romana— the Roman peace that is the setting for all of the trade, commerce, and industry that feed the city of Rome.”  Crucifixion was about more than killing criminals, in other words.  It was also about sending a message to the living:  Don’t mess with Rome! 

Notes

  1. davedenhaan posted this