Behold! The Resurrection Changes Everything!

In 2022, I was honored to take a class in Israel through Jerusalem University College. I came alive to the Bible in ways I never thought possible. I kept a journal during my time there so I wouldn’t forget the impact. On Day 3, I wrote:

“After waking with stiff joints and a blister on my toe, I strapped on my water bottle, grabbed my bag, and threw on a hat to shield my sunburnt forehead. Our professor, Dr. John “Jack” Beck, lit up when he explained that the JUC building we stood in was part of the original 1st-century Jerusalem city wall. 🤯”

We visited the Upper Room—quiet, rebuilt, but stirring. But I cried when I stepped outside and saw the horizon of Jerusalem. I imagined Jesus looking out across the city just hours before His arrest. What must He have felt, knowing what was to come?

Later, we stood on the exact steps where Pilate may have convicted Jesus. The stones beneath our feet were original. I stood silently, wondering: Was I in the place of the raging crowd? A Roman soldier? Or was this where Jesus stood, silent and surrendered?

Then came the part that undid me. We stopped in what looked like an ordinary alley—lined with dumpsters and small cafés. Our professor told us it had once been a quarry surrounded by tombs. And what do you do with an old quarry surrounded by graves? You turn it into a place of execution.

“The realization hit: Jesus might have been crucified right here.”