08/04/2025
Tisha B’Av means the 9th day of the Jewish month of Av, and on this day some 2000 years ago, the temple in Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans. Remarkably, it happened on exactly the same date in the Jewish calendar as Solomon’s temple was destroyed by the Babylonians some 650 years before. The ground was levelled, sown with salt, and rendered desolate.
The Jewish people no longer had access to the sacrificial system of atonement and encountering God that once was theirs. They were utterly banished from holy place where God had chosen to dwell and meet them, and from the city of Jerusalem itself. The holy menorah and articles of the temple were hauled off to Rome, and many Jews were slaughtered.
Tisha B’Av is a solemn time of mourning among the Jewish people to this day. But what is weird is that the first temple was also destroyed on the 9th day of Av, and many other tragedies happened to the Jewish people on the same date. Is there anything we can understand from this unhappy coincidence? And is there anything Christians can do to bring comfort?
According to the Bible, the reason the two temples were destroyed was because of God’s punishment. The first was at the hands of the Babylonians for Israel’s idolatry, indifference to the poor, and failing to trust God by letting the ground rest every seventh year, just as was promised in Jeremiah 26:28. The second time was at the hands of the Romans, because we did not recognize or accept our Messiah (Luke 19:43-44).
Jesus said that He would destroy the temple and raise it up in three days, because after that mighty weekend, all those who accept His forgiveness can be clean from sin and become His dwelling place. Today, he lives in us who believe.
Many Christians who enjoy a direct and personal relationship with God without need for the temple might struggle to empathise with the devastation felt by the Jewish people at this time.
In the past, the church has been quite callous about the destruction of Jersualem, at times even rubbing salt in the wound as the Romans did. Relations between the Christians and the Jewish people quickly turned sour after the first century, and there was a lot of hostility in both directions. It is said that the reason the temples were destroyed by the lack of brotherly love, and groundless hatred. None of us are perfect in loving others, but lack of love can have catastrophic consequences.
Click here to read more: https://www.oneforisrael.org/holidays/tisha-bav/
