YEMI OLAKITAN
Today, many
Christians have made pilgrimages to Jerusalem a part of Christian religious
exercise. In 2013, even President Goodluck Jonathan was on a Christian
Pilgrimage to Israel. He was among many other pilgrims at the Wailing walls in
Israel. However, some have argued that the Bible does not prescribe a holy
pilgrimage for Christians; hence the practice is not biblical. Senior
Correspondent, Yemi Olakitan, examines the subject.
Not long ago, President of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN),
Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, while
on a visit to President Goodluck Jonathan asked the President to make pilgrimage to
Jerusalem an annual duty to enable him continue to seek for spiritual guidance
in the governance of the country.
According to him, “Mr. President should make the Presidential pilgrimage
and "A Day with Jesus in Jerusalem" an annual event as the spiritual
benefits of that exercise to our dear nation and its people are immeasurable”.
The Encyclopedia Britannica, describes pilgrimage as a
journey undertaken for a religious purpose. A Christian
pilgrimage is described as a pilgrimage or journey made
by Christians to
places which have moral or spiritual significance.
The question
that then arises is: What is the significance of holy pilgrimage to the
Christian faith? Does it have any spiritual relevance in the Scripture or is it
merely another tourist exercise?
In a chat with Deaconess Shola Abimbola of the Global Church
of the Living God, Ajah, Lagos, she said: ‘‘Christians undertake pilgrimages to
Jerusalem because most events in the life of Jesus Christ happened in and
around the city. These places include the Garden of Gethsemane, Golgotha, the
Upper room where he appeared after resurrection to His disciples and His tomb”.
She however said the practice of pilgrimage is not mandatory in Christianity.
According to her, Jesus Christ did not recommend pilgrimage for Christians;
instead he said the kingdom of God is within us and that our body is the temple
of the Holy Spirit.
“This clearly shows that a Christian does not have to go on
pilgrimage before he can have spiritual rejuvenation unless he wants to go on
tourism. We do not have to go on a pilgrimage because the other religion goes
on pilgrimage. I personally do not consider it a necessary part of my Christian
experience unless I want to go on vacation and I want to visit some Christian
tourist centers. I do not attach any spiritual attachment to it. What is
recommended by the Bible is that we should be born again, be baptized by water
and the Holy Spirit. Jesus also commanded us to love our neighbours as
ourselves. If we do these, we would have done all that Jesus commanded while he
was on earth and the world would be a better place to live. Do you know that
some Nigerians abscond when they get to Israel? They use the opportunity for
illegal immigration. That is very shameful,’’ she said.
In another
chat with Pastor Emmanuel Onoja of Hope of Life Evangelical Church, Lagos, he
said, “for a Christian to see the
places where Jesus walked, talked and performed his miracles is an experience
in spirituality and to behold the beautiful ancient churches, the garden of
Gethsemane, the pool of Siloam, (Pilate's Court), the empty tomb of Jesus is a
deepening of one’s faith in God”.
He added: “Many Christians have come back with numerous
testimonies when they visit the holy land. It is something that we Christians
should encourage. I believe that it is something that will increase someone’s
faith in God. We read all these places in the Bible; a pilgrimage will enable
Christians to see them face to face, that to me is more than just tourism, it
is spiritually uplifting’’.
According to him, though the Bible does not instruct
Christians to go on holy pilgrimage to anywhere, he said he is convinced that
pilgrimage to Jerusalem and other places mentioned in the Bible would be a
humbling spiritual experience.
However, Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Pilgrims
Commission, John Kennedy Opara disagrees with those criticizing pilgrimage to
Israel by Christians.
He said: ‘‘Contrary to the misconception in some quarters that
pilgrimage is not commanded by the scriptures, it is a serious spiritual
business which is clearly spelt out in Psalm 122 verse 6 “that those who love
Israel, I will secure.
“Also in Zechariah 8 verse 22, ‘many people and powerful
nations will come to Jerusalem to worship the Lord Almighty, and pray for his
blessing. Others could be found in Zechariah 14: 16 -17.
“This is why on our own part, at NCPC and indeed the
states’ Christian Pilgrim Welfare Boards, we are driving pilgrimage as a tool
for moral transformation and spiritual rebirth. Pilgrimage is not the same as
tourism in several ways. It is a spiritual journey to which the pilgrim tends
to benefit tremendously. It is a journey to holy, sacred places to usher the
pilgrims into the presence of God. Pilgrims embark on this journey with joyful
hearts in anticipation and expectation of encountering God and are transformed,
renewed and restored”.
Speaking further, Opara said ‘‘No fewer than 30,000 Nigerians perform
Christian pilgrimage to Israel annually. “Pilgrimage is a tool for moral and
spiritual upliftment and not a jamboree.It is a journey to the very source of Christianity, to the very place
where "the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us. Visiting this
pre-eminent spiritual destination is truly an experience of a lifetime and
something not to be missed”.
Speaking
further, the NCPC boss said: “We have widened the scope of the pilgrimage. Before now,
our national pilgrimage ends only in Israel and Sinai but we have extended it
to Rome, Greece, Corinth, Thessalonica and the Philippi and other places where
Apostle Paul worked. If you are going on pilgrimage, you must have prepared
your mind spiritually. If you prepare your mind spiritually, then you would be
able to appreciate the visit and profit from it. The whole essence is to make
people to be spiritually and morally transformed. When they come back, they
will help the system and help the government to move forward. The Bible says
faith cometh by hearing the word. When Christians go on pilgrimage, they do not
hear alone, they see that which is preached physically and the effects is
always awesome. They come back renewed. While in Israel, they see things the
way it truly is that Jesus worked there; there is no fortress, and there are no
hectare of land that they say belonged to Jesus and the message is clear to the
people. Christ did everything without attributing or acquiring any wealth for
himself, so it helps a lot.
“I want more than one hundred thousand Nigerians to go to
Israel annually that is my dream; that more people should go to Israel annually.
If I am able to get hundreds of thousands of Nigerians to go to Israel, every
one of them will be able to affect lives. So, the multiplier effect will be
much and over millions of lives will be transformed and we will live in peace
and harmony. Pilgrimage is a tool for spiritual transformation. Pilgrimage is
an act ordained by God almighty in the Bible.’’
In a testimony from the Nigerian Christian Pilgrimage
Commission, NCPC, a woman pilgrim, name withheld, narrated her experience.
“I waited for the fruit of the womb for 18 years after
marriage. There was no name people did not call me, even my in-laws did not
spare me. Somebody told me about going on pilgrimage to seek the face of God.
After much persuasion, I conceded to it. We travelled in 2009 to the State of
Israel. At every site, I made it a point of duty to pray and when we got to the
Wailing Wall (Solomon's Temple) in Jerusalem, I wrote out my prayer request,
inserted it in the wall. Two months into our arrival in Nigeria, to the glory
of God Almighty, I got pregnant and thereafter delivered a bouncing baby boy.
After the arrival of my baby, the devil struck again, the baby was not
crawling, talk-less of walking. After one year, I went back to the Wailing Wall
to remind God of His promises. All glory to God, my son is not only walking but
can talk fluently.’’
Attesting to its powerful impact on the visitor; William
Johnston, author of a handbook on the Holy Land, says: "Here, the pilgrim
who is open to God's grace will be deeply enriched in the Faith, for the mind
will be filled with the awesome wonder of so many sacred shrines and this will
be cemented in the heart never to fade".
According
to Pope Francis of the Catholic Church, a pilgrimage to the Holy land should be
a time of prayer and close relationship with God.
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