By His wounds we are healed

Our trip in Israel was coming to a close, we barely had three days left. Jerusalem was our last stop, everything we'd learned on our journey was leading up to this point. We drove to an overlook of the city and it felt like a dream. Jerusalem. A place I'd heard and read so much about was before my very eyes. It hardly seemed possible to be standing there.

Soon we were in the city; our team of 50 shuffling through the narrow streets in a single file line... past street vendors and young children playing. I'd try to occasionally close my eyes to take everything in: the voices of the people, the city noises, smells... everything.

We visited the wailing wall, walked through "old town", and finished with a visit to St. Annes church. After leaving we gathered before heading back to our hotel.

"Oh, and by the way this road we're walking on is the Via Delorosa... the road Jesus took to the cross," our tour guide said.

Those words hit me more than I'd expected.

"Wow, he was here... walking down this street... he was here," I thought to myself.

 Growing up, historical events in the Bible seemed like ancient history. But standing on that street my perspective began to change. All of a sudden the story didn't seem so ancient and old. Instead, it felt current and almost like it could have happened yesterday.

Jesus' death and resurrection was the climax of history -- everything from creation was leading up to that point. Standing on that street 2,000 years later it dawned on me just how real the story of Jesus was and is. I hope that somehow you get brought to that street this weekend. That you realize this isn't just some ancient story we talk about or celebrate on Easter Sunday. Its very real and very relevant. God sent his one and only Son down that street to die. For me and for you.

"But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed."
Isaiah 53:5