When Jesus and his disciples entered the Holy City of Jerusalem during the Passover, it was surely a splendid city for its time. In his 33-year reign, King Herod had transformed the city, with his ambitious building projects, into a modern mecca. The city had palaces, an outdoor theater, bridges, and public monuments. Even though some of these projects weren’t completely finished until after his death, Herod had a single-minded campaign to impress the Roman Empire.
Because of Israel’s sin, in the 6th century B.C., the Lord allowed King Nebuchadnezzar’s army to level Jerusalem and its temple. The King’s army carried away just about all of Israel’s Jewish people into exile in Babylon. After being exiled for over seventy years, some of the Jews were allowed to return to their homeland. One of the first things they did was to start rebuilding the holy temple.
As time went by, the temple, a cornerstone in Jewish religion, was completed and stood high above the city on a great white stone platform. It was in such a place that it could be seen for miles.
As Jesus made his last trip to Jerusalem, he and his disciples made the long difficult ascent from Jericho to the Holy City. As they rounded the Mount of Olives, there before them, across the Kidron Valley, lay the beautiful city of Jerusalem. The city had been described in the book of Lamentations as “The perfection of beauty” and “The joy of all the world.”
To the south of the temple was the Lower City, a group of limestone yellowish houses, with narrow unpaved streets and alleyways. This is where the poor and underclass lived.
Rising up west of the temple was the Upper City, or Zion. That is where the rich people lived in their white marble villas and large arched passageways.
In Jesus’ day, Jerusalem’s population averaged about 25,000 people. During a festival or Jewish holiday, the population could be four or five times higher.
A high gray stone wall surrounded the city for its protection. Along the wall were massive gateways allowing people to pass through. It seems strange, but at each gate was a customs station where publicans or tax collectors collected taxes on all goods entering or leaving the city.
As you walked through a gate leading to the Lower City, you would encounter small shops and markets. Their venders would be craftsmen, like tailors, carpenters, and weavers. Farther down the narrow street would be the bazaars, where you would meet your local bakers, farmers, and other merchants selling fruit, breads, dried fish, sacrificial animals and birds, clothes, perfumes and jewelry.
Mondays and Thursdays were the main market days. Perishable goods were on sale every day except on the Sabbath, when everything shut down.
In the Upper City, the streets and houses were laid out in an orderly pattern like the cities of Greece and Rome. People who lived there had their own shops and bazaars which carried the best of luxury items. Along with the freshest food, things like ivory, incense, expensive imported foods, and things made of gold and silver could be purchased.
Like I’ve touched on before, the Upper City was home to the rich and powerful Jewish families and to Roman officials. In fact, this was where the Jewish high priest, Caiaphas, had his palace. It was probably in one of the great halls of Caiaphas’ palaces that Jesus was first put on trial.
Herod The Great had built a large open-air theater in the Upper City. Jewish and Roman officials sat in rows of seats in a semi-circle and watched the great Greek and Roman dramas. However, most traditional Jews scorned this along with other types of Roman culture as immoral.
During Jewish religious holidays and feasts, a lot of pilgrims from other parts of the east made their journey to Jerusalem to worship. Some stayed within the city walls with relatives or friends, but the majority stayed in tents just outside the city. Some, like Jesus and his disciples, stayed in nearby villages, like Bethany.
It was during these large gatherings, like the Passover Feast, that outbreaks of violence and anti-Roman rebellions were at their peak. The Romans, knowing this, posted extra garrisons within the walls of the city and outside of it as well.
At the trial and crucifixion of Christ, Romans feared an uprising from the Jews. Extra guards were posted at every gate and along the streets. Along the route to Golgotha, “Place of the Skull,” Jesus was in agony from the beating He had endured, but was made to carry His own cross, was spit upon, and people yelled “Crucify him! Crucify him!” all while the guards watched.
So where am I going with this history lesson? I’d like for us all to pause and reflect upon a few things: do you think we as a people have changed in two thousand years or do we reject Christ in our day just as the early Jews did? Do we think we are better than other people? Did Jesus die on the cross for the sins of all, or just a few?
During this Holy Week, I wonder how many of us have taken the time to pray and thank God for the blessings He has bestowed upon us, but most of all, for His death on the cross that we might have eternal life with Him. Even during this pandemic, we should thank Him for his sacrifice and ask Him to please heal our land.
Remember, the ground is level for all of us at the foot of the cross.
J.A. Bolton is author of “Just Passing Time,” co-author of “Just Passing Time Together” and author of his newly released book “Southern Fried.” Contact him at ja@jabolton.com.
