May 17, 2025

—For a word that only appears once in Scripture, it packs quite an historical punch, for it’s at Gabbatha where Jewish and Gentile leaders sealed Jesus’ fate. “Pilate … brought Jesus out and sat down in the judgment seat in a place that is called The Pavement, but in Hebrew, Gabbatha” (John 19:13).

—Do you remember what Pilate says next after taking his seat? Not “What is truth?” Not even what for many is his most memorable line, “Behold the Man!” But rather “Behold your King!” (v. 14). Those three words enraged the gathered crowd which then responded with two horrifying words, “Crucify Him!” From there they delivered Jesus to the cross and the rest is His-story.

—King Herod built a first-century palace in Jerusalem that adjoined the western wall of the Old City near its southwest corner. Then he added an outside gate to expedite easy entrance into and out of his palace and to facilitate a quick escape in the event of a local political uprising or any approaching danger. According to the first-century historian Josephus, Herod’s palace complex baffled all description, for “in extravagance and equipment no building surpassed it.” It even contained beds for one hundred quests. Thus, it follows that dignitaries like Pontius Pilate would have chosen the opulence of Herod’s palace during their stays in Jerusalem, and Philo, a contemporaneous Jewish philosopher, notes that Pilate had even dedicated some shields to Herod for his palace. It is evidently here where Pilate stayed during the Passover festivities that preceded Jesus’ crucifixion and just outside this gate where he addressed the chief priests and officers who brought Jesus before him for authorization to move forward with his execution.

—Outside the palace gate archaeologists have made the remarkable discovery of two first-century sections of stone pavement, connected by a staircase. The upper pavement shows evidence of a bema seat, a place of judgment where Pilate or other dignitaries could speak to the crowds gathered outside the palace complex, for Jews in particular would not have dared enter the palace complex of a Gentile ruler, especially one filled with statues of Roman gods (cf. John 18:28). Although tour guides will show you an underground section of stone pavement along the Via Dolorosa inside the Muslim Quarter of the Old City, a consensus of opinion exists among modern scholars that Jesus was condemned to die just outside Herod’s palace gate found in the exterior wall of today’s Armenian quarter.

Life in the Land: The Palestine Viper

—If you don’t like snakes, then might I suggest a move to Hawaii or Ireland (the land of my surname) where you won’t find nearly as many snakes as here in the mainland of the U.S., for example, the 4-foot, gray, rat snake I found not long ago in my laundry room curled around the vent hose of the dryer. You can also find plenty of snakes in the pages of your Bible, including venomous cobras and vipers.

Jesus once referred to the Pharisees as a “brood of vipers” (Matthew 3:7), which they clearly didn’t take too kindly, and the Bible both starts with a snake (Genesis 3:1) and end with one (Revelation 20:2). The word “serpent” and its plural form appear in roughly five dozen verses with even Solomon fascinated by “the way of a serpent on a rock” (Proverbs 30:19).

—The Palestine Viper, as you might imagine from its name, lives only in the region of Palestine, which has historically included parts of Israel, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon. On average they measure between 2½ and 3 feet with a triangular head and large dark blotches along the body. They live in burrows dug by rodents, feeding on the rodents and on fish from ponds. Although highly venomous there is a safe and effective antivenom available, so deaths from their bites are rare. Voted as Israel’s national snake in 2018, they are thought to be the viper mentioned in Isaiah 14:29.

–Daniel McCabe

Life in the Land: My Shofar

—I received it last year as a gift. I always wanted one from Israel, but for some reason I just couldn’t spend the 125 shekels for even an inexpensive one. But now that I have it, I’m quite happy. My first attempt at blowing it, however, confirmed to me that my trombone playing days have passed me by.

—The shofar is a musical instrument, typically made from a ram’s horn, which has been bored out to permit the free flow of air, producing a bugle sound when blown. The shofar first appears in Exodus 19:16 at Mount Sinai where the Lord instructs Moses to make a long, loud blast on a ram’s horn to signal the people to approach the foot of the mountain in order to witness the power of God. Shofars were used to assemble the people for worship or war in ancient times, and today the shofar is blown inside the synagogue on Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year) and Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement).