Then the Jews demanded of him, "What miraculous sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?"
Jesus answered them, "Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days."
The Jews replied, "It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?" 21 But the temple he had spoken of was his body. 22 After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said. Then they believed the Scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken. John2:18-22
The Jews believed that the physical temple in Jerusalem was God's earthly address. They were sadly mistaken. The Old Testament describes the temple (and sometimes the whole earth) as merely God's foot-stool. Even Solomon, while dedicating the temple, realised that God is much too great to be contained in an earthly building.
In 1Kings 8:27 he says "But will God really dwell on earth? The heavens, even the highest heaven, cannot contain you. How much less this temple I have built!"
But God has another temple in mind: He wants fellowship with us. He wants to live IN us. Paul explains this to the Corinthians: "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body." (1Cor6:19-20)
Jesus' describes His resurrection as "rebuilding the temple." His resurrection is our certainty that NOTHING can separate us from the love of God.
"For I am convinced that neither DEATH nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Rom8:38-39)
Amen!
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Theo Groeneveld theo@emmanuel.org.za
You can see past EmmDevs at http://emmdev.blogspot.com/
