Jesus said, "All that you see here–
the days will come when there will not be left
a stone upon another stone that will not be thrown down."
The beauty of the temple was appropriate, since it was the place where God himself was preeminently present to his people. But the temple was not permanent. The Jewish people had to know this in some measure already, since this was in fact the second time the temple had been built. They clearly loved it, and enjoyed seeing the earthly footstool of the Most High as beautiful and well appointed. Yet there was still something inherently imperfect about such a structure and such beauty. It still existed within the fallen world as a sign of something greater. It was made with human hands and was therefore subject to corruption and decay. But it pointed to a higher reality not made with hands. The temptation was to so enshrine the tangible and temporary as to forget that it was not itself the ultimate reality.
Jesus wanted to prepare people for the day when the role of the temple would be relegated to something of the past, and worship would henceforth take place anywhere in the world, in Spirit and truth. It would not do for nostalgia or misplaced loyalty to a building to prevent people from recognizing the greater temple that would replace it, the risen Body of the Lord Jesus. Similarly, we can't let the transitional and temporary nature of the often beautiful signs that we use cause us to lose focus on the reality to which we now have access. Beautiful churches are a wonderful blessing. But every mass, however humble, is a gateway to heaven itself, and to the true temple.
Then they asked him,
"Teacher, when will this happen?
And what sign will there be when all these things are about to happen?"
When a big change or possible disaster is imminent we want as many details about when and how as we can get. When we have such details we feel more in control, more able to plan for any eventuality. But for the radical transition from physical to spiritual temple there was no way to thus simplify things or mitigate the massive impact it would have. There were going to be signs of all kinds as the very world itself seemed to be shaken by the transformation that was coming. These were, in a way, like birth pangs. But the point was not so much that these signs might help one to prepare, but rather that they could cause one to be deceived, or become terrified, or otherwise incapacitated and unable to respond when necessary.
"See that you not be deceived,
for many will come in my name, saying,
'I am he,' and 'The time has come.'
Do not follow them!
Impending transformation makes us want answers so intensely that we sometimes become willing to accept charlatans whom we would otherwise know better than to trust. The knowledge of our own impermanence tempts us to be more moved by the fear of wars, insurrections, and natural disaster, than we ought. It often seems to us that such things have ultimate power over us and control of our destiny. Everything before the revelation of Jesus, seen in the wrong way and from an earthly perspective, can be a temptation for us to fall away. But if we commit ourselves to trusting his word we can avoid succumbing to deception or fear.
We can't plan our way into obedience in advance. But we can prepare ourselves to be obedient no matter what happens by resolving to trust in Jesus in all circumstances. We need not be shaken, since although all here below can be shaken, we await a Kingdom that cannot be shaken, and a temple that will never be destroyed.
Brian Doerksen - Resting Place
No comments:
Post a Comment