In John Chapter Four, Jesus speaks with a Samaritan woman who brings up the age old conflict between Jew and Samaritan regarding the proper place of worship. In those days, even under the Romans, Jews were worshiping God at the temple in Jerusalem. Samaritans were worshiping at Bethel in the tradition of the ancient broken off Kingdom of Israel, which parted from Judah and was guilty of much idol worship.
Jesus said to the woman, “The time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain, nor Jerusalem…True worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth.”
I have always embraced this teaching. Jesus, acting as both our High Priest and our sacrifice, has opened the way to God’s throne. For this reason, we can pray to Him anywhere. On the other hand, we do not always focus as well in any location. Can somebody pray to God while on the road? Yes, but they should be concentrating on driving. Can somebody pray to God in the shower? Yes, but the primary purpose of a shower is to get clean.
Prayer cathedrals were built for people to reflect more easily upon God. For myself, I prefer the surroundings of nature. I find it majestic to stand under the stars at night, look up at the sky and speak with God. I have also written about my annual journey to the Santa Cruz Mountains where I take a long walk and have a kind of inventory review of the year in God presence. Yes, I can pray anywhere, but my time with God in the mountains is a special time. I feel like He is there waiting for me.
With this in mind, I found my first visit to the Jerusalem temple site quite exciting, both as a Jew and as a Christian. I looked forward to standing by the Western Wall and having a time of prayer with the God of Israel. My brother accompanied me. Either the word “tourist” or “American” must have been plastered on my face. I was approached almost immediately by a gentleman dressed in Orthodox garb. I had difficulty understanding him but Paul explained. “They want to pray a special blessing over you.”
Well, shoot. What’s wrong with a blessing? Who couldn’t use an extra blessing or two? After the blessing, they asked for a donation. I didn’t mind. In fact, I found the whole thing rather charming. I’m not against people asking for money if they are up front about it and perhaps the only reason they didn’t seem upfront, was because of the language barrier.
When we were finished, I told Paul that I would meet up with him later. I was really looking forward to some alone time with God by the wall. No sooner did I approach the wall than another gentleman came alongside me.
“What is your name?” he asked.
“Bob.”
He laid hands on my shoulder. “I will pray a blessing for you.”
“Really, that’s all right. I just want to pray.”
But he was so excited and so insistent, I finally gave in, receiving my second blessing of the day.
When we were finished, he opened up his hand, revealing some rolled up dollar bills. “You can pay me, because I am a rabbi.”
This time, I was not so charmed. “Sorry. I have no money for you.”
The man looked quite disappointed. I headed off to another part of the wall, determined to have that time of prayer. Within in seconds I was approached by a third fellow. “What is your name?” he asked.
I wasn’t falling for it again. I made a gesture with the back of my hand as if to say “Find someone else.”
Now, here I was again by the wall, a different part of the wall, but the beloved Western Wall nevertheless.
“What is your name?”
Unbelievable. UNFREAKING BELIEVABLE! I turned to the 4th prospector, “I’m just here to pray.”
Finally, I prayed but by now I was so annoyed and so distracted, the moment was soured. In time, I did enjoy some solitude with God but the experience was brief as I was scheduled to reconnect with my brother. Paul expressed concern and sympathy when I told him what happened. “There are laws against asking people for money by the Western Wall,” he said.
Oh well, not much of a prayer time, but I did get a couple of blessings, not as many as I might have, but then, I did want to leave the wall with at least a little money remaining in my pocket.
As we walk away from the Western Wall, I am grateful to have experienced what many Jews in the world can only dream about. I am also grateful for Jesus’ words, “The day is coming when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth.”
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