The True Temple
Devotion In Motion
Monday Inspiration
Mark 13:1-2
“Then as He went out of the temple, one of His disciples said to Him, “Teacher, see what manner of stones and what buildings are here!” “Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone shall be left upon another, that shall not be thrown down.”
Jesus had been debating in the Temple. Pharisees and Sadducees tried to trap Jesus in their theological snares. But when you try to match wits with the Master you end up the dimwit. Jesus outfoxed the trappers, and the Jews were left wiping egg off their faces… The nation’s leaders had formally rejected Jesus. The fig tree – the ancient symbol of Judaism – had been cursed and withered away. Jesus predicted that God’s vineyard would be taken from the Jews and given to the Church. Since the Jewish leaders rejected Jesus as Messiah, the future of Judaism looked bleak. Yet the disciples were not ready to give up on their Jewish heritage. They still saw a lot of good left in Judaism. That’s their thinking as they exit the Temple… Verse 1, “Then as He went out of the temple, one of His disciples said to Him, “Teacher, see what manner of stones and what buildings are here!” Jesus and His disciples are east of the Temple, headed up the Mount of Olives, back to Bethany. The top of the mountain is 150 feet above the city. From its peak you get this jaw-dropping, panoramic view. And the scenic centerpiece would’ve been the Temple sparkling in the sunshine.
The first Temple was demolished by the Babylonians in 586 BC. The second Temple was rebuilt seventy years later by the Jews who returned from Babel, Nehimiah and Zerubbabel. And then years later refurbished by King Herod. In 40 BC Herod came to power, and to appease the Jews he started a massive expansion and renovation to the Temple. By the time of Jesus, construction had been going on for 46 years. Herod invested vast wealth to transform the Temple into one of the wonders of the ancient world. Josephus, the Jewish historian, wrote this of the Temple, “The exterior of the building lacked nothing. It astounded both mind and eye. For, being covered on all sides with massive plates of gold, the sun was no sooner up than it radiated so fiery a flash that persons straining to look at it were compelled to avert their eyes, as from the solar rays. To approaching strangers it appeared from a distance like a snow-clad mountain; for all that was not overlaid with gold was purest white.”
Today, you can still see the huge stones used to construct the retaining wall around the Temple Mount. Some of them are the size of a railroad boxcar measuring about forty feet long and twenty feet thick The construction of the Temple was an engineering marvel. The size of the temple is beyond our imagination. Even the Wailing Wall, which today was simply the foundation stones of the temple, dwarfs all who stand near it. Herod’s Temple was a source of pride and patriotism for all Jews. And now as the disciples leave Jerusalem, they look back on this magnificent structure – and essentially say to Jesus, “Cheer up Lord, all is not wrong with Judaism, just look at its incredible Temple.”
“Jesus answered and said to him, “Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone shall be left upon another, that shall not be thrown down.” What a shocking response This would have been to the disciples. Jesus is saying, “The source of your pride is about to be pulled-down and pillaged.” And that’s what happened. Forty years after Jesus uttered these words the Roman General Titus brought his legions into Jerusalem to end the Jewish revolt. When he captured Jerusalem the remaining Jewish dissidents held out in the Temple. Titus didn’t want to destroy the structure, so he ordered his troops to wait until starvation forced their surrender. But one of the soldiers disobeyed the general’s command, and threw a torch into the Temple. The heat from the fire was so intense, the Temple’s golden plates melted, and liquid gold ran into the crevasses between the stones. The greedy Romans toppled the stones to get to the gold which fulfilled Jesus’ prophecy perfectly, “not one stone shall be left upon another.”
Judaism had become spiritually bankrupt, and God instituted the foreclosure. The source of Judaism’s pride would be torn down.
The disciples are not unlike a lot of people today. They say well I know there are a lot of wrong things with the religion I believe in but there are some good things too. And sooner than later they find themselves compromising the truth of God to fit in. They begin to value their religion because of where they worship. Some like the disciples might even take pride in the building. Wow look at the steeple, it is so massive and awesome. We can have concerts and retreats here and they put so much stock in where they worship. But Jesus was telling the disciples that its not about legalism, legalism is taking the truth of God and like the jews did, add onto it , to make it mean what they want it to mean. They also Thought that Judaism was in a thing, in a building but both are being rejected by Jesus. He was saying guys, You aren’t listening, Its not about religion which places its hopes on the do’s and dont’s and the place or the name that is on the building.
It’s always been about relationships. The relationship with the Father through me, God the Son. In John 2:18-21 –the 1st time Jesus cleansed the temple he told the religious leaders “Destroy this Temple and in 3 days I will raise it up, speaking about his resurrection. The Jews listening to Jesus were scratching their heads, only because they didn’t have the right Temple! John explains in verse 21, “But He was speaking of the temple of His body.” The Temple was God’s residence on Earth, but if the Jews had been perceptive, they would’ve realized God had never revealed His presence in Herod’s Temple. He’d waited on a new Temple. Jesus is where God’s presence rested – in flesh and blood, not in brick and mortar. The word that Jesus uses for Temple is (Naos) which is used to describe the Holiest of Holies)
The one place in the Temple where only the high priest could go to sprinkle blood on the Altar and only once a year. Jesus is saying that you don’t build a relationship on compromise, being legalistic or even on a building or name. The reality is, You build a relationship with a person, the person of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the Holiest of Holies and it is realizing that that we can come into his presence like the High priest to offer the sacrifice of praise, And get this! not only once a year but every day. Why do we come every day because colossians 2:3 says says “that in him (Jesus) are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” So it’s not about religion, it’s about relationship with a person and the reality is that person is Jesus Christ and when you realize that you offer ourselves to him and all your doubts, and sins on the Altar and become a living sacrifice. Amen
“There was a little old cleaning woman that went to the local church. When the invitation was given at the end of the service, she went forward wanting to become a member. The pastor listened as she told him how she had accepted Jesus and wanted to be baptized and become a member of the church.
The pastor thought to himself, “oh my, she is so unkempt, even smells a little, and her fingernails are not clean. She picks up garbage, cleans toilets – what would the members think of her.” He told her that she needed to go home and pray about it and then decide.
The following week, here she came again. She told the pastor that she had prayed about it and still wanted to be baptized. “I have passed this church for so long. It is so beautiful, and I truly want to become a member.”
Again the pastor told her to go home and pray some more. A few weeks later while out eating at the restaurant, the pastor saw the little old lady. He did not want her to think that he was ignoring her so he approached her and said, “I have not seen you for a while. Is everything all right?”
“Oh, yes,” she said. “I talked with Jesus, and he told me not to worry about becoming a member of your church.” “He did?” said the pastor. “Oh, yes” she replied. “He said even He hasn’t been able to get into your church yet, and He’s been trying for years.” It’s about relationships, not religion.
Victor Tafoya
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