After this, when Jesus knew that all was now finished, he said (in order to
fulfill the scripture), "I am thirsty." A jar full of sour wine was standing
there. So they put a sponge full of the wine on a branch of hyssop and
held it to his mouth. When Jesus had received the wine, he said, "It is
finished." Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. (John 19:28-30)
The place - the place of the skull. Golgotha. So aptly named. The scene bleak and ugly. Dying
criminals outside the city. And yet today, we see a majestic church and an ornate altar, and by a
quirk of history we find ourselves inside the city. And ever since the very first century, this spot
has been a place of pilgrimage. We shall never know for sure, but I wonder if we could ever
forget the spot where a loved one of our own had to die. And though the scene of Jesus' death
must have been terrible, for us it has become a place of its own ironic beauty.
