A city in the story of God
Jerusalem
Jerusalem is the city at the center of the biblical story, the place of the temple, the throne of David, and the cross. It is called the city of the great King, and it is the city that killed the prophets and wept for by the Lord Himself.
“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee.”Psalm 122:6
The city in Scripture
The city in Scripture. Jerusalem enters the story quietly as Salem, whose king Melchizedek blessed Abraham (Gen 14:18), and as the Jebusite stronghold that David captured and made his capital (2 Sam 5:6-9). There David set the ark, and there his son Solomon built the temple, so that the Lord chose to put His name in that place (1 Kings 8; 2 Chron 6:6). The Psalms sing of it: Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, in the mountain of his holiness (Ps 48:1-2). Its history is one of glory and ruin. Babylon destroyed the city and burned the temple in about 586 BC (2 Kings 25), the exiles returned and rebuilt under Ezra and Nehemiah, and the second temple stood in Jesus' day. He taught in its courts, cleansed it, was crucified outside its wall, and rose nearby (Luke 19-24). Standing over it He wept, saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace (Luke 19:41-42). He foretold its fall, which came when Rome destroyed it in AD 70.
What it came to mean
What it came to mean. Jerusalem came to mean the meeting place of God and His people, the address of worship on earth. For Israel it was the city of the temple, the destination of pilgrimage, the place the exiles longed for: If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning (Ps 137:5). It stood for God's chosen dwelling, His name set among men. Yet the same city became a warning. The prophets rebuked its injustice and idolatry, and Jesus mourned the city that stones the prophets and would not be gathered (Matt 23:37). So Jerusalem holds both meanings at once: the beloved city and the city that resists its God. This double face is why Scripture finally speaks of two Jerusalems, one below and one above (Gal 4:25-26). The earthly city, for all its holiness, could not be the final home, because the people in it, like all people, needed a righteousness they could not build. Jerusalem teaches that even the holiest place on earth points beyond itself.
How it points to Christ
How it points to Christ. Jerusalem points to Christ because it is where He gave Himself. He was crucified outside its gate (Heb 13:12), and there is now no other sacrifice to bring. He wept over the city that did not know the time of its visitation (Luke 19:41-44), the King coming in peace to the city of peace. Paul teaches that the Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all (Gal 4:26), the city believers already belong to. Hebrews says that we are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem (Heb 12:22). And the story ends with John seeing the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven (Rev 21:2). The earthly city held the cross for a day; the heavenly city holds the Lamb forever. Through Christ the longing of every pilgrim is answered, not in stones but in the presence of God with His people.
Questions people ask
Why did Jesus weep over Jerusalem?
Luke 19:41-44 shows Him weeping because the city did not recognize the time of its visitation, the day its King came in peace, and He foresaw the destruction that unbelief would bring.
Is the New Jerusalem the same as the earthly city?
No. Scripture distinguishes the earthly Jerusalem from the Jerusalem which is above (Gal 4:25-26) and the new Jerusalem that comes down from God (Rev 21:2). One pointed forward; the other is the fulfillment.
What does the name Jerusalem mean?
It is traditionally connected with peace, and the older name Salem (Gen 14:18) carries that sense, though the exact origin is debated. Scripture plays on this, calling it the city of peace whose King brings true peace.