Jerusalem
Jerusalem is certainly the single-most significant city in the Bible. Indeed, it is arguably the most important city in the world. We have set aside separate pages for some of the most notable sites in Jerusalem (the Western Wall, the Garden of Gethsemane, the Via Dolorosa, Golgotha, and The Empty Tomb). For our purposes here, however, we want to talk about the city in a more general way.
Jerusalem is located approximately 30 miles west of the Mediterranean Sea and roughly 15 miles east of the Jordan River. It is just over 2500 feet above sea level, and some 3800 feet higher than the nearby Dead Sea. It is situated on a plateau in the central Judean hills. The Hinnom Valley is on the west side of the city and the Kidron Valley on the east. The famous Mount of Olives faces Jerusalem from across the Kidron Valley. This hillside was the location of the Garden of Gethsemane. The view of the city from that vantage (top, right) shows prominently in the foreground the eastern wall of the Old City of Jerusalem and the Dome of the Rock -- a Muslim mosque, which occupies the site of the Temple of biblical times. The modern city of Jerusalem, meanwhile, also includes some iconic structures. The Israel Museum (right) famously houses the Dead Sea Scrolls, with a roof designed to recall the end of a scroll. Meanwhile, from just outside the Museum, one can see the Knesset (below, right), which is the seat of government for the modern state of Israel. Also on the grounds of the Museum, visitors can explore a fabulous, scale model of Jerusalem at the time of Jesus (bottom three pictures). Jerusalem comes into importance in the biblical story about 1,000 years B.C., when the relatively new king, David, conquered the city and made it his capital. Previously, it had been a small Jebusite town. Shortly after making it the nation's political capital, David also made it Israel's spiritual capital by moving the Ark of the Covenant there. A generation later, David's son and successor, Solomon, built the Temple in Jerusalem, solidifying the city as the spiritual center of Israel's life. The Temple and its city remain unrivaled in importance throughout the rest of Old Testament history, and we observe their significance in the reading the Psalms and the Prophets, as well. When we turn the page to the Gospels, the importance of Jerusalem only increases, for the city becomes the home for the events of Holy Week. Jerusalem was the place Jesus began pointing to even before that eventful week, knowing and predicting what it would hold for Him. It was the site of Palm Sunday, the controversies in and cleansing of the Temple, the Last Supper, the arrest, the trials, the crucifixion, and the resurrection. A few weeks later, Jerusalem was the site of Pentecost. And Jesus had identified the city as the epicenter of His disciples' global mission. The church in Jerusalem was recognized as the "headquarters" church. And, as the New Testament story continues to unfold, Jerusalem is the site of the earliest miracles and preaching of the apostles, the stoning of Stephen, the Jerusalem Council, and the arrest of Paul. Finally, and perhaps most significantly of all, when both the Old and New Testaments describe the ultimate, perfect, and eternal reign of God, Jerusalem is at the center. Many other cities can make claims to their important role in world history or current events. No other city, however, can claim such ultimate importance. Let every other place be part of the parade of "rise and fall," but not Jerusalem. It will continue to rise until we see the New Jerusalem, which will have no need for sun or moon, for the Lord Himself will be its light. |