THE UNEVEN STEPS TO THE TEMPLE
Recently, I returned back from a trip to the Holy Land. I was able to take in so many of the most important sites in the story of the Bible including the Sea of Galilee, Bethlehem, Jericho and so many others. But I spent most of my time in the city of Jerusalem where I visited many of the same places that the people of the Bible visited.
One of my favorite places is a little known spot called the Southern Steps or the Rabbi Steps. These steps were used by the hundreds of thousands of Jewish pilgrims who would visit God’s temple each year for the various holy days and festivals. As I walked this area and mediated on the structures these 3 spiritual truths jumped out at me.
#1 We must be cleansed.
The Mikva’ot or purification pools: before you walked up the steps to approach the temple it was required that you purified yourself in one of the dozens of Mikvahs or cleansing baths that surround the southern wall. It’s a reminder that we can only approach God when we have been cleansed and purified. The guidelines were clear: you didn’t cleanse one limb at a time, but through full immersion. This is a reminder that we are only clean when we allow God to clean all of who we are: our hands, hearts, and head must be continually and completely cleansed in order for us to approach God with the freedom and confidence that he desires.
#2 God wants our focus.
The uneven steps: the walk up the southern steps to the temple grounds are amazingly uneven. Some steps are 12 feet deep while others are closer to 36 inches. When we read the Bible, God is so precise in his measurements for the temple, the makeup of its furnishings and the rituals associated with its proper usage. Yet here, these steps demand your full attention. The worshippers could not approach the temple distracted by conversation or with their minds elsewhere. If they wanted to avoid tripping or falling down, they had to be intentional about each step and focus their attention on the approach to God’s presence.
#3 God is welcoming.
The wide roads: These were not narrow roads and steps but wide staircases and gates because God’s invitation to his presence is wide. He invites us to come to him and come with our spouses and our children. He wants us to approach him in community and with others. There were Psalms, called the Psalms of Ascent (i.e. Psalm 125) that were sung by these worshippers together as they approached God’s house with joy and expectation. The temple, city and crowds of people all served as a vivid picture of how God surrounded his people even as they surrounded His holy temple.