Friday March 15, 2024

Today is Friday, March 15 and we are reading through the second chapter of the Gospel of John.

Holy and loving God, I come here to listen for your voice speaking to me from the sacred words of the Holy Bible. Remind me of the truth of your Son, my Savior, Jesus Christ the Lord. As I read from the Gospel of John, let me hear the message you have for me today. Amen.

The Jews then responded to him, “What 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.” They replied, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?” But the temple he had spoken of was his body. 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. John 2:18-22

Jesus’ action of cleansing of the Temple incited the Jewish authorities to question him. Who do you think you are? Who has given you authority to do such a thing? They ask for a supernatural sign and he gives them an ambiguous, confusing and brilliant answer. “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.” Three days. Light bulbs are going off for us. But the questioning authorities have no clue. They assume Jesus was referring to the destruction of the building in which they are standing – that temple. But he is speaking of the temple of his body.

He is pointing forward to his suffering and death on a cross which will occur through their actions and at their hands. At a future Passover festival, Jesus will become the sacrificial Passover Lamb meeting the fate of the poor animals he just drove out of God’s holy temple along with the moneychangers and animal sellers. He not only points forward to his own destruction, but he also points to his resurrection. In three days. He will be raised from the dead. Prophecy and truth.

Jesus also points forward to a time when the worship of God will no longer need to be in a physical temple, but the temple of the heart. The New Testament tells us that each of us is a living temple (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). A temple in which the Holy Spirit resides. A temple called to be holy and kept pure as a place for God to dwell. This truth invites me to consider where my temple might need cleansing. I am to honor God with my physical body and love him with all my heart, soul, mind and strength. Perhaps the temple Jesus has zeal for is the temple of my heart corrupted by the things of this world. Maybe the temple Jesus wants to cleanse is the throne of my soul which allows other things to take priority over God. Perhaps the temple Jesus wants to purify is the dwelling place of the living God that is inside of me.

Ask: Do I realize that my body is a living temple for God’s Holy Spirit? What might Jesus want to remove, cast out, cleanse and purify within me?

Pause and Pray

Come, Holy Spirit, reside in the temple of my heart. Come, Lord Jesus, purify me and prepare my soul to be a place where your glory can dwell. Come, Father God, abide with me and guide me into perfect love and holiness. Amen