An Unlikely Palace

One of my goals each year is to read through the Bible. I try to do it in different ways, however, and this year I am reading the One-Year Bible, which gives a passage each day from the Old Testament, the New Testament, Psalms, and Proverbs. I like using this reading method every few years to help me not “jump ahead” in my mind, like I often do when reading cover-to-cover.

Anyway, yesterday I made a mistake in my reading, but it caused me to do a lot of thinking. I was reading Mark’s account of the crucifixion of Jesus. I try to read slowly and basically “mentally sound-out” the words (if that makes sense). I got to Mark 15:22, and had to do a double-take. What the verse actually says is

And they brought Him to the place Golgotha, which is translated, Place of a Skull. (NASB)

However, I had to re-read the first part of the verse, because what I mentally sounded out to myself was

And they brought Him to the palace Golgotha…

I think you see why I had to do a double-take and go back over that phrase. I  had read “place” but in my mind, I changed it to “palace.”

Upon further reflection, though, it hit me: At that moment, Golgotha was a palace!

After all, the King was there. It is just a handful of verses later that we are told that an inscription was placed over the head of Jesus which stated, “The King of the Jews” (v.26). Other accounts tell us that this was written in the three common languages of that area, and that the Jewish leaders were not pleased in the least with this inscription.

And, whether or not Pilate really meant these words we can debate interminably, but the words he had put above the Man of Nazareth were exactly the truth.

The inscription could have stopped three words earlier, however, and still been utterly true: “The King.”

King Jesus was at His palace.

It was not filled with gold or silver. It was not comfortable. It was not guarded from outside threats. It was not even private.

But the greatest decision ever made by a King was rendered there.

Thank God for the palace of Golgotha.

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Photo credit: Claudio Ungari on Creative Commons

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