Some thoughts on the temple then and now

It is significant to note that the early Christians who were Jews worshiped in the temple of Jerusalem till it’s destruction in 70 AD. There has been a much greater appreciation of the 'Jewishness' of Christian origins lately, but I wouldn't go into that here. Looking back at how the temple system came about, we go back to the Israelites in the wilderness. Following YHWH’s instruction, Moses built the tabernacle and God dwelt in it. (Actually we can go back till abraham as the Temple was built on Mt. Moriah where Isaac was almost sacrificed)

“Then the cloud covered the Tent of Meeting and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle... So the cloud of the Lord was over the tabernacle by day and fire was in the cloud by night in the sight of all the house of Israel during all their travels” Exo. 40:34, 38.

Fast forward, at the dedication of the temple, “when Solomon finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burned offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the Lord filled the temple. The priests could not enter the temple of the Lord because the glory of the Lord filled it” 2 Chron. 7:1,2

The temple was destroyed in 587 BC by the Babylonians and the Jews were taken captives.
“By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept when we remember Zion. How can we sing the songs of the Lord while in a foreign land? If I forget you, O Jerusalem may my right hand forget its skill may my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth…if I do not remember you if I do not consider Jerusalem my highest joy” Ps.137: 1-6

The temple was where God dwells and to these Jews, the temple was their very identity. When the temple was destroyed, their identity was lost. Temple, Zion or Jerusalem (where the temple was located) was often used synonymously. Jeremiah 7:4 mentions that the temple has become a Talisman, they believed the building guaranteed their security "This is the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord".

When the temple was rebuilt by Zerubbabel in 515 BC, the splendor of the glory of God was missing; it was 'nothing' compared to the one Solomon built (Haggai 2:3). The longing of the Jews was that one day YHWH will come again and dwell among them. "The Lord you are seeking will come to his temple", Mal. 3:1.

The Samaritan woman in John 4 was expressing a common expectation: when the messiah comes, he will drive out the enemies (even after return from exile, they have always been under foreign rule) and restore the temple and YHWH will return to Zion. “Jesus declared, ‘believe me woman, a time is coming when you will worship neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem” Jn. 4: 21

Many theologians agree that the gospel of John is simple and also very deep: like a pond where children can play and elephants can swim. Isn’t Jesus supposed to be sharing this profound teaching with his disciples? When we say something very important, we want a credible audience. Jesus is saying here that from now on, God’s dwelling place is not going to be a building or a mountain; it’s going to be something different. He came to fulfil the expectations of the people fulfilling the law and the prophets, and so much more- beyond expectations and in ways unimagined. "One greater than the temple is here", Mat. 12:6
This message gets full blown in 1 Cor. 3:16 where Paul was giving a nice scolding to the Corinthians for divisions in the church. “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you?” Of all the churches, Paul was saying to the most unlikely church where worship is chaotic, morality is low and the gospel gotten wrong in many ways, ‘you are the temple of the living God’.

Through Jesus talking to the Samaritan woman with loose morals and Paul to a bunch of confused believers, God declares that we are the body of Christ, in us believers, He has chosen to ‘tabernacle’, to dwell in us.

"Temple of the living God, me?" "Yes".

JNU, 2008