A couple of days after we arrived in Jerusalem we went to the Western Wall… or the Wailing Wall, as it is often called in North American circles. 

This wall is a place surrounded by confusion and conflict.

As the holiest Jewish site in Jerusalem, as well as an important part of the historical city built by Herod, the wall today finds itself in a position tightly edged between religion and tourism. 

Taking into account both the pilgrims praying and tourists taking selfies (admittedly I did both), I found I felt quite conflicted about the site.  I understood of course the significance of the wall in Jewish tradition – but at the same time I internally felt more “the tourist” than I would normally expect of myself and I couldn’t help but wonder why that was…

But I think the reason was not because the significance of the place was lost on me (on the contrary, I understood for the first time the true significance of the wall for the Jews), but rather it was because of my own tradition, my belief in Christ and my trust in the message of the New Testament.

For the Jewish people, this wall is the closest thing that they have to a Temple (even though in reality it is merely a retaining wall built by Herod).   For them it is the holiest of sites and to pray at the Western Wall is to pray a prayer that WILL be heard by God.  (The wall’s holiness acts as a direct connection to God). 

But for us as Christians, the idea of a holy temple or a “holy wall” such as this does not hold a whole lot of significance (especially in the context of the New Testament through which we have come to understand that WE as believers are God’s temple).  We do not need to go to a particular place to communicate with God, because He is always with us.  (As Paul states in Acts 17:24, “[God] does not live in temples built by human hands”).

For this reason I felt more “the tourist” than anything else – and thus the selfies.

However, lest you think I found the site completely devoid of significance – think again!  The place was swarming (literally!) with significance for me.  This, however, was not because I felt particularly close to God in that place or that I was more keenly aware of his presence than I am elsewhere.  Rather, it was the connection with the history of the place – centuries and centuries of Jewish and Christian pilgrims who have travelled and still travel to Jerusalem to pray at the Western Wall.  To be in a place where millions of people have come in order to seek God’s presence and hear His voice is nothing less than an amazing experience. 

And so I took time to pray at the Western Wall.  I even wrote out a prayer to God and left it in a crack in the wall (thus joining a tradition that has long been practiced).  While perhaps I did not feel any significant change in the level of holiness surrounding me, I did feel a connection with the history of my faith.  …and that in itself for me was deeply significant.

But this wall is still a place surrounded by confusion and conflict.  And this is but a taste of the tensions I felt while in this city.

As I walked away from the wall I could hear, wafting eerily down from the mosque above, the Muslim’s call to prayer and, mixing with the murmured prayers of the Jews from below, together they faded away, blending into the noise and conflict of Jerusalem’s winding streets.

Kathryn Bennallack is a full time student at Ambrose, heading into her 5^th and final year of the Christian Studies program with a focus on Spirituality and a double minor in English Literature and Business Administration.  Kathryn has enjoyed her studies at Ambrose over the last few years and has been inspired by her professors to dig deeper into her faith and to continually seek out learning opportunities.  Kathryn loves reading, photography, spending time with her family and friends and exploring new places wherever and whenever she can!  Having grown up on the west coast of Canada in Victoria BC, Kathryn has a deep love for the ocean and legitimately does enjoy long walks on the beach!  Kathryn is passionate about travel and one of her life goals is to travel to every country in the world.  Another goal?  to grow in relationship with her Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ at every opportunity.