Become the Temple
In Luke 21:5-19 people admired temple’s beautiful stones and the gifts dedicated to God, but Jesus looked at it and said, “The days will come when not one stone will be left upon another; all will be thrown down.” Jesus was talking about more than just the physical temple in Jerusalem. He was referring to every ‘temple’ you and I have in our lives. The things we rely on for structure and order.
So, what do we do when our personal temples fall? Sometimes we look for someone or some group to blame – especially those who don’t think, act, or believe like we do. Other times we’re convinced the situation is hopeless, so we just give up and walk away in despair. But other times we become angry and resentful, so we fight back. Or we’ll turn that resentment back on ourselves saying this is just God’s punishment for our own mistakes. Or maybe we’ll look for quick fixes to just prop up our old structures and our old way of doing things.
None of that is how Jesus tells us to respond. Instead, He tells us to be still, be quiet, and don’t be led astray. Don’t allow your life to be controlled or determined by fear. Don’t listen to those voices that entice you to run after them. Endure, He says. Be steadfast and persevere here and now. Jesus is calling us to be present and faithful in whatever circumstances we find ourselves, even if we’re in the middle of our temple ruins.
The place of fallen temples is the place where God, speaking through the prophet Isaiah, declares: “I am about to create new heavens and new earth; the former things shall not be remembered or come to mind. But be glad and rejoice forever in what I am creating; for I am about to create Jerusalem as a joy, and its people as a delight. I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and delight in my people; no more shall the sound of weeping be heard in it or the cry of distress” (Isaiah 65:17-19).
Those promises are fulfilled through our endurance. They’re how we gain our lives and our souls. Jesus is calling us to the virtue of stability. We need to stay strong and persevere no matter how uncomfortable life may become. That’s when we discover that God has always been with us. In the changes, chances, and chaos of life. In the pain, the loss, and the disappointment. Even in the destruction of our temples. Endurance, perseverance, and stability are the ways we offer God the fallen stones of our temples.
Stone by stone God rebuilds our life and restores its original beauty as well as that of the world. Stone by stone a new temple arises from the rubble, and we become the temple of God. We no longer need physical temples. We become the temple. And that’s truly all we need.