Today we walked on the roman road that sits on the west side of the temple mount near the place where the stairs to ascend stood during the time of the second temple.
A quick history of the second temple for those of ya’ll who are a little fuzzy on the details – it was first erected at the urging of Ezra and Nehemiah in the 500s BC after the Israelis came out of exile back to the holy land and Jerusalem. (their first temple, built by Solomon, had been destroyed by the Babylonians hundreds of years earlier) During his reign in the first century BC Herod the Great decided to spruce up this temple and build an incredible structure that struck awe in the eyes of all who saw it. It stood 10 meters high and was adorned with beautiful coloured tiles on the walkways and while Herod built it mostly as a testament mostly to himself, it reality it was an incredible picture of the glory and majesty of God.
During Jesus’ ministry he spent a lot of time in and around the temple and there is every reason to believe that he walked on the road, he passed by the shops that changed money and sold animals to sacrifice, he looked up and was impressed by the sheer size of the structure – all just like I did today.
I don’t know where to begin describing what I’m feeling and the extreme reverence and awe this anchors me in, but I know that words could never do it justice so I won’t even try.
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