Awed by the Work of Human Hands

 

Scripture:

Luke 21:5   When some were speaking about the temple, how it was adorned with beautiful stones and gifts dedicated to God, he said, ⁶ “As for these things that you see, the days will come when not one stone will be left upon another; all will be thrown down.”

Luke 21:7   They asked him, “Teacher, when will this be, and what will be the sign that this is about to take place?” ⁸ And he said, “Beware that you are not led astray; for many will come in my name and say, ‘I am he!’ and, ‘The time is near!’ Do not go after them.

Observation:

Trying to follow what is happening in the minds of the disciples is not always easy. Jesus desperately wants his inner circle to understand the mysterious depths of the faith he is entrusting to them. The problem is that they are awed by what they see in front of them. 

Joel Green tells us about the awe-inspiring beauty of this temple:

The Jerusalem temple admired by those with Jesus was the project of Herod the Great, who in 20/19 B.C.E. began a reconstruction of the temple that essentially doubled its size and otherwise reflected his own aggrandizing character. Pilgrims pouring into the city from the rustic environs of Palestine and the wider diaspora could not help but be impressed, even overwhelmed, by its sheer size and magnificence, by the brilliance of the gold plates that covered its façade, and by the white marble that adorned its upper reaches. What is more, its splendor as an architectural feat would have been for the faithful more than matched by the awe it inspired as the abode of God and socio-religio-political center of the Jewish universe. Jesus’ emphatic prediction of total annihilation (leaving no “stone upon stone”), echoing his earlier words in 19:44 as well as prophetic oracles of judgment in the OT, must have been stunning on both accounts. (NICNT)

For Jesus to say that this temple would be thrown down and destroyed was shocking. They wanted to know the details of the upcoming event, but instead Jesus told them not to be led astray. He warned them of people who would come in the name of the Lord, but who would try and lead them away from his truth. Nothing was to distract them from the mission given them by Jesus.  

Application:

The Western world is filled with beautiful cathedrals and monuments to the Christian faith. However, many of them have fallen on hard economic times. We visit the great cathedrals of Europe, and instead of being centers of theological and religious fervor, they are museums, or simply monuments to the past. Even in the United States we have buildings such as the Chrystal Cathedral who have seen their time come and go. 

This last week my husband and I were driving home from Florida and so we took the time to listen to the Christianity Today podcast, “The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill.” Let me say, this podcast is not for the faint of heart. It filled nearly the entire 20 hour journey as we were left with a myriad of emotions, but the most sobering was that so many people had become awed by the work of human hands. Over and over again the commentator warned about charisma without character. I think it’s the same thing that Jesus was warning his disciples about so many years ago. 

It’s easy to become awestruck by the latest fad in Christianity. However, if there’s anything that the pandemic has taught us is that the works of humans can be brought down quickly. What we are left with is a realization that everything we do must be centered or focused on Jesus Christ. The only foundation that will stand the test of time is that which is built upon the cornerstone of our Lord. This may be a season in which we are to strip away anything that distracts from truly knowing, and becoming like Christ. 

Prayer:

Lord, help me to continually turn toward you. Please, help me not to be distracted from knowing you more every day. Amen.