By Li Wei
Text: John 2:18-22; Revelation 21:22-27
One temple is torn down, and another is built up. The one torn down is a visible temple, and the newly built one is a spiritual temple. The one torn down is a perishable temple, and the newly built one is an everlasting temple. The one torn down is built of cold brick, and the newly built one is rich with God's unfathomable glory. The gates of the ruined one are barred to deny entry to the Gentiles; the newly built one is one which shall become the glory of the nations, because Scripture says: "The gates of the city shall never be shut by day, nor will there by any night there." The one torn down is a temple built with human hands; the newly built one is the temple "coming down out of heaven from God." Because the old is passing away, the Lord says, “Behold, I make all things new."
The Jews built Yahweh's temple in Jerusalem, a temple in which they took pride. In their hearts, the temple was a symbol that God was with them. When Israel left Egypt and passed Mt. Sinai, God carved the commandments and the law on stone tablets for them, and the Israelites placed these tablets in the Ark of the Covenant. After Solomon's temple was built, the Ark containing the tablets were placed in the temple in the Holy of Holies, so the temple symbolized the tradition of the Israelites' holy law. Additionally, the building of the temple was begun during the height of King Solomon's reign, so the temple also caused the Israelites to remember the grand and glorious history of their ancestors. Thus the temple is also a symbol of Israel's glorious history and the pride of its people.
Considering the above, we can understand why the Jews stress that “the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem." They worshipped the stately temple, even to the point of believing it was the only place where one could meet with God. To maintain the holiness of the temple, they built a strong encircling wall to keep out the Gentiles and prevent them from “defiling" a holy place. Any Gentile who dared to pass that wall was to be executed. In 70 AD Titus led Roman troops in the conquest of Jerusalem and the destruction of the temple. But even having experienced this catastrophe the Jews prayed at the ruins of this wall. After the Jewish Diaspora, even though Jews scattered across Europe lived in Jewish ghettos surrounded by stout walls, in their hearts they still longed for the temple of their ancestors. They were surrounded not only by visible walls, but even more by a wall mental which strictly separated Jews and Gentiles. Jews lived within a temple of their spirit. In the book, Jewish History, Israeli Ex-Minister of Culture, Abba Eban, wrote: “Jews lived defended by these laws and customs, stronger than any wall. They didn't understand the daily lives and views of non-Jewish neighbors, and cared little about their cultural, family, and social life." This clearly demonstrates how Jews lived within a fortress of their own spirits and preserved what they understood as holy.
Within their minds was a wall, and behind that wall was their special status as God's chosen people, their holy law and glorious history. Over-zealously they constructed the wall and protected the temple, and never bothered to discern the voice outside the wall calling, “Blessed are the meek in heart, for the kingdom of God is theirs." With an excess of self-confidence they relied on the temple and the wall, and never heard a voice crying in the wilderness saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand." They fervently worshipped the temple and wall, and nailed the Lord of Life to a cross. And the Lord of Life said: “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do."
The Lord Jesus said to the disciples: “Not one stone will be left on another, they will all be thrown down." What was the crux of the problem? It was that the temple had already become an idol of what the Jews considered righteous. The building of the temple originally signified being with God. But when people attempted to use the temple to restrict God, when the God in people's hearts was only the God in the Holy of Holies, when people worshipped the temple more than God, when the temple thereby became a hindrance to the radiance of God's glory, the temple became an idol. The Law is the commandments of God given to humankind, a covenant with humankind, but the moment people rely on the Law for their righteousness, when they listen to the Law more than they listen to Christ's teachings, the Law becomes an idol. The radiance and glory of history bear witness to God's preservation of His people, but when people emphasize the traditions of history more than God who determines history, history becomes an idol. People earnestly want to build a wall with the intent of protecting that which they consider sacred. But when this wall interferes with the revelation of God's emptying Himself in love, it will be torn down along with the idols. Scripture says: “Not one stone will be left on another." What Jesus refers to here is not only the visible temple and wall, but all idols and walls which would obstruct God's love.
Let us look back at our own lives. How many times, despite the fact that these things are not necessarily bad in and of themselves, have similar idols dominated our spirits or similar walls obstructed our communication with God and with other people? Money, fame, power, prestige, an ideology, an important person?these can all become our idols. These may seem to be holy temples in our hearts, they may seem very noble, but the moment that people worship these more than God, they will become idols. The church can become your idol if it comes to mean a group of people, a building, a kind of familial authority, a complacent and conservative viewpoint?and if the Lord who came in the flesh is not in it. “Salvation" can become our idol if it comes to mean the separation of a small “us" from everyone else, if it comes to mean the elevation of what we consider to be the proper standard for “salvation"?and if the Lord who emptied himself in love and came to be with humankind is not among us. “Spirituality" can become our idol if it comes to mean a self-righteous flaunting of one's self rather than a revealing of God's glory and life. “Offering" can become an idol if we emphasize the grandness of our own offerings more than God's call. “The authority of Scripture"can become an idol if we put aside all knowledge offered by life and become mired in words and doctrines. Please note that I am not questioning the significance of the important practice of faith embodied in the church, salvation, spirituality, and so forth, but if the situation comes to be as that described above these things can become idols.
We may build a wall to protect that which we consider holy, but the result may be to trap ourselves in a narrow cage or spiritual prison, with God and humankind shut out on the other side of the wall. Therefore let us hear God's voice saying, “Cast out all idols among you."
Let us consider God's tearing down and building up, and examine our hearts to see if within us there are any of these idols. If such idols exist, not matter what they are, let God come personally to tear them down and then rebuild. New seminary students, has anyone ever said to you, “Studying theology is dangerous because it will change your faith!" If this danger in fact exists, what we need is not escape but rather courage to let God come and rebuild. If your faith was originally narrow, let the God of all things tear down the wall in your heart and enlighten you, letting you see Him in all things. If your faith was originally shallow, let God lead you into His unfathomable wisdom and grace. God's mystery and richness is a promise to us because He told us that the more we seek the more we shall receive. If originally our faith was rigid, let the fire of God test it, because that fire will test the works of each person. What we need is courage, the courage to accept the truth. I remember being at a sharing meeting last year with some classmates where we discussed ways in which life at seminary had helped us spiritually. What I shared was: “The most important way in which life in seminary has helped me has been through helping me break many idols." This is breaking down, yet at the same time it is renewal. This implies challenge, and it implies to accept such challenges, to let God come and build, to let “the Lord Almighty and the Lamb be the temple."
Finally I would like to close with a passage from Scripture. This verse represents encouragement, promise, challenge, and hope. Revelations 21:5, “He who was seated on the throne said,?Look, I have made all things new."
