The Jerusalem bazaars are narrow and crowded, and if you don’t quickly master the art of Middle Eastern haggling, you will run out of money fast.


Within the walls of old Jerusalem, archeologists have stripped away the layers of centuries, confirming the accuracy of biblical accounts. I remember walking through passageways and down endless steps to the actual pavement of the Roman Praetorium where Jesus was taken after His meeting with Pilate. There was an etching of a grid still visible in the stone. It was part of a dice game the soldiers would play called “The King’s Game.” The prisoner was the “king” (crowned with thorns). If the dice went against him, he was scourged and eventually would “lose” and be taken away to be crucified. Perhaps Jesus stood in this very spot. Apparently, many had been forced to play the game.


Seeing that stone, I realized that life and death are no game. Jesus knew what He was doing when He came to lose. He didn’t have to die; He chose to die to give us life.