A city in the story of God
Jericho
Jericho, the city of palm trees, guarded the entrance to the promised land and fell when Israel marched around its walls. Centuries later its road and its streets saw some of the most memorable encounters in the gospels.
“So the people shouted when the priests blew with the trumpets: and it came to pass, when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city.”Joshua 6:20
The city in Scripture
The city in Scripture. Jericho sat in the Jordan valley near the river, an ancient oasis city called the city of palm trees (Deut 34:3). It was the first stronghold Israel faced after crossing the Jordan under Joshua. Two spies were hidden by Rahab, who confessed that the LORD your God, he is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath (Josh 2:11), and her house was spared. At God's command Israel marched around the city for seven days, and on the seventh the walls fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him (Josh 6:20). Joshua pronounced a curse on any who would rebuild it (Josh 6:26), which was later fulfilled (1 Kings 16:34). Near Jericho Elijah was taken up and Elisha healed its bitter spring (2 Kings 2). In the gospels Jesus passed through Jericho, healing blind Bartimaeus who cried, Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me (Mark 10:46-52), and calling the tax collector Zacchaeus down from a sycamore tree (Luke 19:1-10). The parable of the good Samaritan is set on the dangerous road that goes down from Jerusalem to Jericho (Luke 10:30).
What it came to mean
What it came to mean. Jericho came to mean the barrier that God brings down, the first and seemingly impossible obstacle overcome not by force of arms but by faith and obedience. Hebrews remembers it: By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they were compassed about seven days (Heb 11:30). The victory belonged to the Lord, and Israel's part was to trust and to march. Jericho teaches that the strongholds standing between God's people and their inheritance fall by His power when His people obey, even when the method looks like foolishness. It is also a city of surprising mercy. Rahab, a Canaanite and a harlot, is spared and honored, appearing in the ancestry of Christ (Matt 1:5) and among the faithful (Heb 11:31). So Jericho holds both judgment and grace, the walls that fall in ruin and the woman who is saved. It stands for God making a way in, and for grace reaching the outsider who believes.
How it points to Christ
How it points to Christ. Jericho points to Christ in its people even more than its walls. Rahab, saved by the scarlet cord and grafted into Israel, is a picture of grace to the outsider and appears in the genealogy of Jesus (Matt 1:5). Blind Bartimaeus, calling Jesus the son of David and receiving his sight, shows faith that sees the Messiah when others only see a beggar's noise (Mark 10:46-52). Zacchaeus, a hated tax collector, is sought and found, and Jesus declares, This day is salvation come to this house, for the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost (Luke 19:9-10). Jericho thus gathers the very heart of the gospel, that Christ seeks the outsider, the blind, and the despised, and brings them in. The city whose walls fell to Israel becomes the city where the walls around lost hearts fall to the mercy of Jesus. Where Joshua brought judgment, the greater Joshua brings salvation.
Questions people ask
How did the walls of Jericho fall?
Joshua 6 records that at God's command Israel marched around the city for seven days, and on the seventh the walls fell down flat. Hebrews 11:30 credits this to faith, not to siege.
Who was Rahab of Jericho?
Rahab hid the Israelite spies and confessed faith in the God of Israel (Josh 2). She was spared, is praised in Hebrews 11:31 and James 2:25, and appears in the genealogy of Christ in Matthew 1:5.
What happened when Jesus went through Jericho?
Jesus healed blind Bartimaeus (Mark 10:46-52) and called Zacchaeus the tax collector, declaring salvation had come to his house (Luke 19:1-10). The road to Jericho is also the setting of the good Samaritan parable.