It's Not the Rocks

We joined a group of non-denominational pastors from Ohio for our Shabbat-morning visit to the Garden Tomb. Upon learning that we were Mormon, one of the pastors inquired, "So what do these sites mean to you?" It was a good question, and I wish that we could have told him more about what we believe.

Maybe the most appropriate response to his query is an echo of what our tour guide told us. In a lovely British accent, the elderly gentleman led us through the garden and explained the rational for selecting the quiet garden site outside Damascus gate as the likely Garden Tomb where the Savior was buried. At the end of his speech, he stressed that it's not the rocks that matter. "If these things bolster your faith and give you biblical context, then they are worthwhile," he said. "But what matters isn't the place. What matters is that He is risen."

That's how I feel about Jerusalem. Archaelogy is nice. The rocks are old. The ruins and maps and history lessons are intriguing. But what really matters is that He is risen.