Jerusalem was the religious, political, and social capital of the Jewish people during Jesus' lifetime. With the imposing Temple Mount, its very presence symbolized the relationship that the nation had with the God of the Bible. 

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The city itself was conquered by King David (2 Samuel 5:5-10), who reigned from 1010-970 B.C., and it became the national capital. It became the spiritual capital when King Solomon, David's son, built the temple in the city about 960 B.C. (1 Kings 5-8) and fully transferred the center of Israelite worship from the temporary sites at Shiloh and elsewhere to the Jerusalem temple. The temple, destroyed in 586 B.C. by Babylonian forces, was rebuilt in 516 B.C. Herod the Great (73-4 B.C.) would later expand the temple grounds significantly.

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Jerusalem remained the epicenter of Jewish activity in the centuries leading into the lifetime of Jesus. Jewish males were required to visit the city for three holidays: Passover, Pentecost, and the Feast of Tabernacles. At these times, the population of the city would swell significantly as Jews came to worship and sacrifice.