Why does the Western Wall still matter today?

A thousand years before Jesus came to earth, King David’s son Solomon built a glorious temple in Jerusalem as the spiritual center of Jewish life. The presence of God Himself dwelled there with His people.

When Israel was invaded in 586 BCE by the Babylonians, they destroyed the temple and captured the Jewish people as prisoners of war. Decades later when they could return home, they rebuilt a smaller, less grand temple and once again, Jerusalem was the heart of a nation.

Like a sad song on repeat, the Second Temple was destroyed by Roman forces in 70 CE.  The Western Wall, part of the original complex’s retaining wall, is all that’s left. It stands today as an enduring symbol of faith, as Jews remember the place where God’s presence once dwelled.

Ezekiel 6:8

“Yet I will leave a remnant, so that you may have some who escape the sword among the nations, when you are scattered through the countries."

Isaiah 11:11-12

“In that day the Lord will reach out his hand a second time to reclaim the surviving remnant of his people... He will assemble the scattered people of Judah from the four quarters of the earth."