SHARING BREAD
1 Jesus left the temple and was walking away when his
disciples came up to him to call his attention to its buildings. 2 “Do you see all these things?”
he asked. “I tell you the truth, not one stone here
will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.”
Matt
24:1-2 (NIV)
Christ here departs from the temple area walking away
leaving their house desolate – deserted, remote, solitary – just as He had said. Unlike mere flesh, Jesus does what He says –
you can count on it. I am reminded of
the words penned by Ezekiel:
25 But I the LORD will speak what I will, and it shall be
fulfilled without delay. For in your days, you rebellious house, I will fulfill
whatever I say, declares the Sovereign LORD.
Ezek 12:25 (NIV)
Jesus had prior denounced the nation and therefore He would leave
them empty – void of His peace and presence.
Our Lord never again returns to it and in our verses for today, He
predicts its ruin. Indeed, our houses
are left desolate if Jesus is not there.
We open up our lives as Pandora’s Box for all sorts of evil when His
presence is not present. Furthermore,
Christ did not reject them until they first rejected Him. He draws and if we are willing, He is willing
as well. You will never find Him forcing Himself on any – He is far too much of
a gentleman. He is a wooer not a
dictator. His call to all earlier in
Matthew comes to mind:
28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and
burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take
my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and
you will find rest for your souls. 30 For
my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Matt 11:28-30 (NIV)
“It
pleases the Father that all fullness should be in Christ; therefore, there is
nothing but emptiness anywhere else.” William Gadsby
“The Holy Spirit is the Comforter, the
Helper, the Guide, the very presence of God living in you. The great promise of
God in prayer is this: We ask God for the gift - He gives us the Giver. We ask
God for the supply and He gives us the Source. We ask God for the money and He
doesn't give us cash; instead, so to speak, He gives us the bank...He delights
in giving us Himself....The resources of heaven are ready and waiting for the
people of God who desire to make much of him in this world.” David
Platt
In our verses for today we also see our Lord’s guys being
enamored by the buildings of the temple area bringing them to Jesus’ attention
(as if He needed notice). The temple and
its buildings were stately, generously furnished with gifts and offerings. The disciples were in awe and admiration of
the massive stones and structures. Even
good men are prone to be overly enamored with outward pomp and to over value
it.
“The shallow nature lives in its impulses, its impressions,
its intuitions, its instincts, and very largely its surroundings. The profound character looks beyond all
these, and moves steadily on, sailing past all storms and clouds into the clear
sunshine which is always on the other side, and waiting for the afterwards
which always brings the reversion of sorrow, seeming defeat and failure. When God has deepened us, then He can give us
His deeper truths, His profoundest secrets, and His mightier trusts.” A. B.
Simpson
All the temple area with its various porches, colonnades,
balconies and courts apparently was a sight to behold. Built with large white stones that were
polished and generously decorated with gold it shined in the sun. It was a formidable sight. In fact, Mark’s account tells us they thought
the buildings magnificent:
1 As
he was leaving the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher!
What massive stones! What magnificent buildings!” 2 “Do you see all these great buildings?” replied Jesus.
“Not one stone here will be left on another; every one
will be thrown down.” Mark
13:1-2 (NIV)
Yet the glory of the temple was
sullied and stained by the sin of the priests and people. Interestingly, Christ had wept for the
precious souls of the people whereas here His guys are concerned more for the
pompous and glorious buildings and was ready to weep for them. As in most things, Jesus actions, thoughts
and Words are not as ours – they are infinitely higher. Christ foretells the utter ruin and destruction
coming upon the place. The temple would
not only be stripped, plundered and defaced but laid waste as well. A believing foresight that all will
eventually be burned up will keep us from overvaluing worldly glory in whatever
form it takes. Peter addresses this:
10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The
heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and
the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. 11 Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what
kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives 12 as you look forward to the day of God and speed its
coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and
the elements will melt in the heat. 13 But
in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new
earth, the home of righteousness. 2
Peter 3:10-13 (NIV)
What I glean from this:
· God does
what He says – I can count on it.
· There is
no true peace when Jesus’ presence is not present.
· God is a
Gentleman. He is a wooer not a dictator.
