Have you thought where you’ll be buried? The place where someone chooses to get buried is always significant.
But in Israel, a burial place often exposed one’s faith. The tombs beside the Kidron Valley bear witness to this truth.
Each one offers a connection to resurrection.
The closest that most Jerusalem visitors get to the Kidron Valley comes by driving over its bridge near the Garden of Gethsemane. A quick glance north and south—and it’s over.
The valley is best seen, however, with the feet.
After crossing the street in front of the Church of All Nations, the path descends below street level to the valley floor. Suddenly the eastern wall of the Old City looms large and Jerusalem’s military advantage comes into view.
In antiquity, the Kidron Valley—referred to in the Scriptures as a “brook”—would have been even deeper than today, channeling water most of the year (2 Samuel 15:23; 2 Kings 23:6; John 18:1). Even today, the valley still drains all of Jerusalem’s valleys to the Dead Sea.
Walking south along the valley’s pathway with olive trees, strange stone monuments and tombs come into view.
No visitor to the Kidron Valley can miss the innumerable tombs that surround it.
Walking through the Kidron Valley is more than a stroll beside the Old City walls and beautiful olive trees. It’s even more than a lesson in archaeology. The tombs that dot the slopes give each visitor a connection with the temporary lives and the eternal hopes and faith of the thousands of individuals whose remains await the future.
Read Daniel 12:2-3, 13; Revelation 20:11-15.
The question as to why so many graves line the slopes of the Kidron Valley points to a conviction as old as the Hebrew people.
At the top of the hill that slopes into the valley, a sign points to a set of tombs as belonging to Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi. Although archaeology doesn’t connect the first-century kokhim (shaft) tombs with the sixth- and fifth-century B.C. prophets, it is interesting that Zechariah would allegedly rest on the top (and at the bottom) of the Mount of Olives. For here he foresaw Israel’s Messiah coming to judge the world (Zechariah 14:3-12). The New Testament gives further insight to this event at the same location (Acts 1:11-12; Revelation 19:11-21). The Kidron Valley is likely the place the Prophet Joel referred to as the “Valley of Jehoshaphat”—where “the Lord judges”—and “the valley of decision” (Joel 3:2, 12, 14).
The thousands of white Jewish tombs that slope into the Kidron Valley give testimony to the hope that when the Messiah comes, “His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives” (Zechariah 14:4), and those buried there presume they’ll stand first in line for blessing. Jesus ascended to heaven on the Mount of Olives and will one day return to earth there. Of course, faith in the Messiah is the key to salvation—not where you’re buried.
Nevertheless, how you choose to be buried can be a testimony to your faith in Jesus Christ. Here are 3 ideas:
Tell me what you think: Have you considered planning to leave a testimony of faith to those who will attend your funeral and who will see your headstone? To leave a comment, just click here.
The Kidron Valley on the Map:
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