A few years ago, a friend returned from a trip to Israel and said it was the most spiritual experience of his life.
He stood at the Sea of Galilee. He walked the narrow streets of the Old City. He sat quietly at the Garden Tomb.
He came back different. More rooted in Scripture. More moved when he read the Gospels.
I was genuinely glad for him.
But I also had another friend who had never left her country and would never be able to.
She prayed every morning before the sun came up, served her neighbors faithfully, and walked in a depth of faith that was unmistakable.
Both of them were clearly following God.
That tension raises a real question.
Is a Christian pilgrimage to holy sites something God requires?
And if not, what does the Bible actually say about pilgrimage in the life of a believer?
The answer has two layers.
One addresses physical travel to sacred sites. The other touches the whole orientation of every Christian life.
Pilgrimage in the Old Testament: What Was Required
In the Old Testament, pilgrimage to Jerusalem was a genuine requirement, but it was not a Christian requirement.
Deuteronomy 16:16 commanded all Israelite males to appear before God three times each year, at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks, and the Feast of Tabernacles.
These gatherings drew the whole nation to Jerusalem, where sacrifices were offered.
This was specific, mandatory, and covenant-bound.
It belonged to Israel’s national worship under the Mosaic Law.
Jesus participated in these pilgrimages as a devout Jewish man.
Luke 2:41-42 records that his parents went to Jerusalem every year for Passover and that Jesus went with them.
But the New Testament is clear that the Mosaic covenant has been fulfilled in Christ.
Hebrews 10:1 describes the Old Testament system as a shadow of things to come, with the substance belonging to Christ.
The mandatory pilgrimage feasts were part of that shadow, not a pattern binding on the church.
What the New Testament Says About Physical Pilgrimage
The New Testament nowhere commands Christians to travel to Jerusalem, Rome, or any other sacred site.
This silence is significant, especially in contrast to the detailed travel instructions of the Mosaic Law.
GotQuestions.org states this plainly: visiting Jerusalem need never be considered a religious pilgrimage.
If a trip is financially wise, the reasons are sound, and idolatry is not an issue, it can be enriching.
But it holds no special merit before God.
The early church understood its relationship to place quite differently from Israel’s.
As the University of York’s pilgrimage project documents, during the first three centuries after Christ, the church focused primarily on the teaching that God is present everywhere through the Holy Spirit, rather than in special places.
This came directly from Jesus’s own words in John 4:21-24, where he told the Samaritan woman that location would no longer define worship.
Gregory of Nyssa stated directly that Jesus never commanded his followers to go on pilgrimage, and that change of place does not affect any drawing nearer unto God.
What Does the Bible Say About Being a Pilgrim on Earth?
Here is where the conversation shifts entirely.
While the Bible does not command physical pilgrimage to holy sites, it describes every Christian’s entire life as a kind of pilgrimage toward a heavenly homeland.
Hebrews 11:13 provides the foundation:
“These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.” (Hebrews 11:13, ESV)
The heroes of faith listed in Hebrews 11, including Abraham, Sarah, Moses, and others, did not cling to this world as their permanent home.
They confessed themselves to be strangers passing through it.
Abraham is the defining model.
He left everything in obedience to God and lived as a wanderer, because he was looking, as Hebrews 11:10 says, for a city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.
He already had wealth and could have settled.
He chose not to, because settling here would have meant losing sight of there.
Peter carries this directly into Christian life:
“Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.” (1 Peter 2:11, ESV)
The Greek word translated as strangers in this passage refers to those who live in a place but hold citizenship elsewhere.
They are present but not permanent.
Peter’s point is ethical, not geographical. Because your true home is not here, do not let the values of here determine how you live.
This is what it means to be a pilgrim on earth—not packing a bag for Jerusalem, but refusing to build your identity or deepest loyalty around what this world offers.
Philippians 3:20 makes the same point from a different angle:
“But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 3:20, ESV)
The Christian is not a citizen of this world temporarily visiting another.
The Christian is a citizen of heaven, temporarily present in this world, moving toward the moment when what is promised will be received.
Physical Pilgrimage: Neither Commanded nor Forbidden
None of this makes physical pilgrimage wrong.
Visiting the Holy Land can deepen your reading of Scripture in ways that are genuinely valuable.
Seeing the landscape of the Gospels and engaging the land of the Bible firsthand can make the text come alive.
Jerome, who spent decades in the Holy Land as a Bible scholar and translator, wrote that seeing Judea made him understand Scripture better.
What the Bible does not support is the idea that physical pilgrimage earns spiritual merit, brings a believer closer to salvation, or constitutes an obligation for those who follow Christ.
ExploreChristianity.info notes that Christianity teaches it is not necessary to go on a special trip to discover God and experience his love, care, and forgiveness.
The real pilgrimage required of every Christian is not one that a passport can complete.
A Prayer for the Pilgrim Life
Father, remind me that I am passing through this world, not building my home in it. When I am tempted to settle my heart in what is temporary, turn my eyes toward what is eternal. Let me hold loosely what this world offers, and hold firmly to the promises You have made. Give me the faith of Abraham, who saw what he could not yet touch, and kept walking. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Christian pilgrimage to Jerusalem or the Holy Land required by the Bible?
No. The New Testament contains no command for Christians to travel to Jerusalem or any other sacred site. GotQuestions.org confirms that visiting the Holy Land need never be considered a religious pilgrimage. The mandatory pilgrimage feasts of Israel belonged to the Mosaic covenant, which has been fulfilled in Christ. Christians may find a trip to the Holy Land enriching, but it carries no spiritual obligation or special merit before God.
Did Jesus or the apostles command Christians to go on pilgrimage?
No. As church father Gregory of Nyssa stated, Jesus never commanded his followers to go on pilgrimage. The New Testament records no such instruction. The apostolic letters address how Christians are to live in their communities, not mandating travel to sacred sites. Worship, according to Jesus in John 4:23-24, is no longer tied to geography but to spirit and truth, accessible to every believer wherever they are.
What does the Bible mean when it calls Christians pilgrims and strangers?
It describes the spiritual identity and ethical posture of every believer on earth. Hebrews 11:13 applies this language to the heroes of faith, and 1 Peter 2:11 addresses Christians directly as sojourners and exiles. This means our true citizenship is in heaven, not this world. BibleRef.com notes that those who truly trust in God view life on earth through an eternal lens. The implication is a different set of loyalties and a different way of living.
Is it spiritually beneficial to visit the Holy Land even if it is not required?
Yes, visiting biblical sites can enrich your faith and deepen your reading of Scripture. Jerome, who spent decades in the Holy Land, wrote that seeing Judea made him understand Scripture better. Walking where Jesus walked, observing the geography of the Gospels, and engaging the land of the Bible firsthand can make the text come alive. The key is approaching such a trip as a learning experience rather than as a merit-earning act of religious devotion.
How should a Christian understand their life as a pilgrimage?
As a journey toward a heavenly homeland, not a physical destination. Philippians 3:20 states that our citizenship is in heaven and we await a Savior from there. Bible.org, reflecting on 1 Peter 2:11, notes that the Christian life is a pilgrim life in that our sense of identity must not come from this world but from our relationship to God and our destination in heaven. This means holding earthly things loosely and letting eternal realities shape daily decisions.
References
Peterson, E. H. (1993). The message: The New Testament in contemporary language. NavPress.
Bunyan, J. (2008). The pilgrim’s progress. Oxford University Press. (Original work published 1678)
Wilken, R. L. (1992). The land called holy: Palestine in Christian history and thought. Yale University Press.
GotQuestions.org. (2016). Should Christians go on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem? GotQuestions.org. Got Questions Ministries.
Van Belkum, A. (n.d.). Christians: Strangers and pilgrims on the earth. LifeHopeAndTruth.com. Life, Hope & Truth.
Johnson, S. C. (2021). Strangers and pilgrims. ChurchOfChristTucson.org. Country Club Road Church of Christ.
ExploreChristianity.info. (n.d.). Exploring pilgrimage. ExploreChristianity.info.
Cedar Ministry. (n.d.). Living as strangers and pilgrims on the earth. CedarMinistry.org.
York University Pilgrimage Project. (n.d.). Pilgrimage in the Bible. York.ac.uk. University of York.
Cole, S. J. (n.d.). Lesson 10: The pilgrim life (1 Peter 2:11-12). Bible.org. Bible.org Scholars Crossing.
