In the last days before Jesus went to the cross he had journeyed south from the hill country of Galilee to the city of Jerusalem. Jerusalem was the capital city of the Jewish people, the center of Jewish life and Jewish faith. It was their pilgrims came to worship and offering their sacrifices as the temple. The temple was not simply a house for worship, it was a place of sacrifice, a place of atonement, the place where heaven met earth, men encountered God, and sins found forgiveness.