Time with Jesus - 19
Nov 2013
Hi all,
Today, I’d like to consider for a few minutes a slightly
different scenario. Let’s take an imaginary walk round Christianity in Jo’burg.
Assume for a few moments, Jesus decided to take a pre-return visit. Let’s think
of what He might see and say if He visited our places of worship, in much the
same way as in chapters 2 and 3 of Revelation; like the way the 12 spies reconnoitred
the land; later like the spies who visited Jericho for Joshua.
What do you
think He would see and what do you think He would say? Of course, He is God, so
He is already knows exactly what is going on everywhere. But, for the sake of
the exercise, let’s think what He might say and do, if He laid His deity aside and
limited Himself to being purely human. If He came to Johannesburg, what do you
think He would see?
No doubt He would immediately spot our racial ghettoes.
The barriers are coming down but after almost 20 years of our young democracy,
the progress toward integration is very slow. To some extent this is a result
of cultural differences and family location. To move elsewhere is expensive,
even if it’s in and around the same town. This is exacerbated by the high cost
of buying and moving into the new home.
By the time buying and selling costs, bond
costs, registration costs, lawyer’s fees, curtains and decorating costs, along
with deposits are all included, there’s not much change out of R100 000 – if any.
Jesus referred to this obliquely in Luke’s gospel. 28 "But don't begin until
you count the cost. For who would begin
construction of a building without first
calculating the cost to see if there is enough money to finish it? 29 Otherwise, you might complete only the foundation before
running out of money, and then everyone would laugh at you. 30 They would say, 'There's
the person who started that building and couldn't afford to finish it!' Luke 14:28-30 NLT
I’m sure Jesus would be shocked by the number of churches
and their buildings He would see. In His day, the Jews had only one temple. It
was Herod’s temple, built on the site of Solomon’s Temple. Solomon’s Temple was
destroyed in 586 BC by the Babylonians.
Zerubbabel rebuilt a much smaller one
on the same site in about 515BC, (±70 years later) Herod’s Temple was still under
construction during Jesus’ day. It was finished in ±64AD. In 70AD the Romans destroyed
it. We must bear in mind; part of the Temple’s daily ritual included animal sacrifice
and only took place there. There was no animal sacrifice in the Jewish
synagogues.
Various pagan temples were scattered throughout the
Roman Empire. There were also temples and shrines where the people could
worship Caesar. Jesus was acquainted with this. There were also amphitheatres and
places where sports events and other entertainments, including places where gladiators,
fought each other to the death.
Jesus would not be surprised at finding similar places
in Johannesburg. He may not have been acquainted with the events put on today.
However, Ellis Park, Wanderers and the FNB Stadium would not surprise Him. He
might be surprised to find that the competitors were in teams; 15 per side fighting
over an oblong ball; 11per side kicking a round ball. It would take all His
ability as God to comprehend what was taking place between two teams, clad in
white, trying to thrash a little red ball out of the stadium!
However, if you
mentioned to Him that the sport originated in England He would probably give
you a kind and understanding nod, while wondering what other form of madness the
tribe from Angle-land had foisted upon us. (Say nothing about “golf” from the
land of the Picts and Scots.)
His visits to various buildings of various sizes on Sundays,
would have Him somewhat puzzled. His immediate question would be, “Why are
there so many of them?”
When you replied, “cars, convenience and competition”,
it’s possible He would appear to be somewhat irritated. Your remark that cars
enable people to travel over 100km to be present for the weekly speech by their
favourite orator, might perplex Him somewhat. When you added that in some cases
the building needed to be on a taxi-route, He would be nonplussed.
When you mentioned
that orators and their musical accompaniment were constantly in competition between
themselves and the leaders in the various buildings, perhaps He might go a
bright shade of red. Fortunately, He is sin-free, so expletives and the loud denunciations
we are so accustomed to hearing from each other, would not take place.
Of
course, if you wish to test His resistance to sin, take Him to the Church Book
Store. It’s strongly recommended that first you make sure He doesn’t have a
whip!
If you can arrange it, disguise yourself when it comes
to the time the leaders “receive the morning offering”. Don’t be surprised if
His reaction is not appreciated by the Pastor and his leaders. Be even less
surprised if you find He has been thrown out of the building by “bouncers”, temple
guards dressed in smart suits.
After all this, you would find Him ether in Tara, or would
be informed He has returned home and is waiting for a better time to come for
His Church.
Shalom
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Matt 10:8
Freely you received, Freely give |
Time with Jesus – 19 Nov 2013
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Matt 10:8
Freely you received, Freely give |
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©
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These
devotionals are the intellectual property of Jim Strickland and copyright
protected. You are welcome to copy and distribute them to anyone provided it
is for non-commercial Christian purposes
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©
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INTRODUCTION
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DAILY
LIGHT EVENING SCRIPTURES
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THE
GLORY OF THE TEMPLE
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Phyllida
and I love walking round old buildings. The castles and churches of UK have a
certain fascination for us and for many others. Buckingham Palace, Windsor
Palace, the Tower of London. Such attractions we find irresistible. Of course
the historical background helps. Westminster Cathedral and others at places
like York and Durham appeal to us greatly. I think much has to do with the
fact that here in South Africa there is not much in the way of great
historical value prior to 1600AD. We do have the Zimbabwe ruins, located in
the ruins of Zimbabwe – courtesy Bob and his mob!
Being
Christians, we had a desire to visit the Holy Land, since before we even met.
To walk where Jesus walked and see something of what He saw has been like a magnet
drawing us to Israel. We managed to get there in 2009. Apart from the
over-commercialisation, we loved it. After all, tourists can’t really
complain about tourists! But we did get to see places we had only dreamed of
seeing. To see the Temple of God in Jerusalem would have been wonderful. It
no longer exists. It was destroyed by the Romans in 70AD. All that remains is
a “table” of land on which it had been located. One of the walls of this
table is the Western Wall, sometimes called the Wailing Wall. On this spot,
Moslems have built their grand “Dome of the Rock” mosque, sacred to Mohammed.
Originally,
Solomon’s Temple was built on land David bought. It was the threshing floor
of Araunah the Jebusite, (2 Sam 24:16)
located on Mt Moriah. This magnificent temple is said to have been the most
expensive building ever built by man! It fell into a state of disrepair and
was stripped of many of its valuables and decorations. Finally it was destroyed
by the Babylonians in 586BC. Zerubbabel built another in the same place in
about 516BC. This one was thought by some to be a sort of “poor relation” of
the previous one! God did not agree. He said that the glory of this temple
would exceed the glory of the former. Much later, King Herod refurbished the
temple and extended its precincts to cover that which we now identify as the
huge “table” referred to above.
The
question we must ask is what was there about Zerubbabel’s temple that could
be more glorious than Solomon’s temple? Certainly not its expensive claddings
or other trappings we so love to admire. It was more glorious because this
was the temple in which Jesus ministered. This is the one He cleansed by
throwing out the traders. This was the temple from which He was condemned.
From this place He was taken to Pilate for the series of mock trials before
the Roman authorities. (Pilate and Herod) This is where His glory shone forth
with a dazzling brilliance man will never see again, until He returns. Even
so, come Lord Jesus!
Jim &
Phyllida
Strickland
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13 The glory of Lebanon shall come to you, the cypress, the plane, and
the pine, to beautify the place of my sanctuary, and
I will make the place of my feet glorious.
Isaiah 60:13 ESV
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There are so many buildings throughout the world today.
Places of magnificence where people go to pray.
Churches and cathedrals built by the toil of man.
Some are very beautiful. Today few people can
Afford to build a palace in which God will reside.
For nothing that a man can build, is where God will abide.
Heaven is God’s mighty throne. The earth is His footstool.
This planet’s hardly big enough from which the Lord would
rule.
And yet He’s made us worshippers. We fall down at His feet.
We hunger for His presence; we need His Mercy Seat,
To cry out for forgiveness, for all that we have done.
And come in reverential awe to Christ the Holy One!
We know the former temple which Solomon had built
Was so ornate and fabulous our minds would all go “Tilt”.
For it was indescribable. It’s glory so divine,
That it exceeds what I can state, in these poor words of mine.
We understand that over time a state of disrepair
Came upon the temple; God was no longer there.
And then Nebuchadnezzar came in and pulled it down.
He took the people captive to a Babylonian town.
Some seventy years later, Zerubbabel and Co.
Came back and built another one. For some this was a blow.
For some of them remembered the glory that had been.
They wept and said, “It’s not a patch on what our eyes have
seen!
They were not very happy. The Lord then said, “Indeed,
The glory of the latter house, will certainly exceed,
Anything that you have known. I’ll shake the sea and sky.
I will shake all the nations and all the land that’s dry.
The silver and the gold are Mine. Great glory shall be seen
This “house” you have completed, will witness what I mean.
For here, within this temple, Messiah will appear.
And He is far more glorious than anything seen here.
This isn’t cheap and nasty. It may look very plain.
Don’t go by its appearance for you will look in vain!
But when you see the Prince of Peace within these very walls,
Know the Glory of the Lord upon My people falls.
That’s when Solomon’s temple will be considered cheap.
For every promise I have made, Emanuel shall keep.”
Jim Strickland
Written
19th November 2012
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1 This is what the LORD says: "Heaven
is My throne, and the earth is My footstool. Could you build Me a
temple as good as that? Could you build Me such a resting place?
Isaiah 66:1 NLT
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18 "But will God really dwell on earth
with human beings? The heavens, even the highest heavens, cannot contain you.
How much less this temple I have built!
2 Chronicles 6:18 TNIV
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6 For thus says the LORD of hosts: Yet once
more, in a little while, I will shake the heavens and the earth and the sea
and the dry land. 7 And I will
shake all nations, so that the treasures of all nations shall come in, and I
will fill this house with glory, says the LORD of hosts. 8 The
silver is mine, and the gold is mine, declares the LORD of hosts. 9
The latter glory of this house shall be greater
than the former, says the LORD of hosts. And in this place I will give peace,
declares the LORD of hosts.'"
Haggai 2:6-9 ESV
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1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth,
for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no
more. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down
out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3
And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying,
"Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them,
and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.
Revelation 21:1-3 ESV
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