Men have long erected great temples and cathedrals to their gods, to propitiate them, to sacrifice to them, to lay claim to them as their gods, to make them to dwell with them.
The buildings are often gilded with gold and precious stones, and are things of great beauty.
But sooner or later, the buildings become idols, the things worshipped, in place of their gods.
Temples are also used to "box God in," and thereby exclude Him in some sense from everyday life. We think we are safe from God so long as we are not in "His presence" in "His temple."
King David wished to build God an house, but by the time Jesus came along, the temple had been made an idol, and was corrupted with money and commerce and thievery.
The Jews were so fixated on the glories of their temple, that they couldn't see the glories of Christ. Well said Isaiah, "when we shall see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him!"
When they demanded a sign of Jesus, He replied, "destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up."
They confused their temple, in which they falsely believed that God dwelt, with the body of the Lord Jesus, wherein dwells all the fulness of the Godhead bodily!
They would have guarded their temple, but they destroyed Christ.
They tried to bring charges against Jesus at His trial that He had threatened to destroy their precious temple.
They confused the true temple of God, which is not their building, but the Savior Himself.
He is the promised Messiah! He is God incarnate in human flesh!
Yet they denied Him, insulted Him, degraded Him, and put Him to death on the cross.
It seems nothing about Jesus could compare to their great temple. |
