The Mountains of God: Golgotha

“While the Gospels merely identify Golgotha as a “place”, Christian tradition has described the location as a hill or mountain since at least the 6th century. It has thus often been referenced as Mount Calvary in English hymns and literature.” (Wikipedia)

They came to a place called Golgotha (which means “the place of the skull”). (Matthew 27:33)

They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means “the place of the skull”). (Mark 15:22)

When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him there, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left. (Luke 23:33)

Carrying his own cross, he went out to the place of the Skull (which in Aramaic is called Golgotha). (John 19:17)

It was outside the city walls of Jerusalem (Hebrews 13:12), where passersby could witness his excruciating death (Matthew 27:39; Mark 15:29), at a place called Skull, in Latin “Calvary.” Of course it was basically on Mount Zion, God’s holy mountain, and what took place there could be viewed either as an unholy act or a holy one.

²³ This man was handed over to you by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. ²⁴ But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him. (Acts 2:23,24, NIV)

God the Son came to his holy mountain to rescue his people from the ravages of sin, only to be treated as a sinner and ravaged on a cross. But his death was actually a sacrifice, the Lamb of God taking away the sins of the world by this selfless act. The holy one died for us unholy ones, taking the death we deserved and he did not that we might have life.

⁴ Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted.
⁵ 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.
⁶ We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and Yahweh has laid on him the iniquity of us all. (Isaiah 53:4-6)

Oh mountain of both shame and glory, we owe you a debt of gratitude that can only be paid by living our lives for Jesus, even if it means we suffer too, as he did.

¹² So also Jesus suffered and died outside the city gates to make his people holy by means of his own blood. ¹³ So let us go out to him, outside the camp, and bear the disgrace he bore. ¹⁴ For this world is not our permanent home; we are looking forward to a home yet to come. (Hebrews 13:12-14, NIV)