Focus On the Temples that Will Last (Mark 13:1-2)

Mark 13: Warnings for the Future

As he went out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Teacher, see what kind of stones and what kind of buildings!” Jesus said to him, “Do you see these great buildings? There will not be left here one stone on another, which will not be thrown down.” (13:1-2)

I had just challenged the appearance of respect and of authority that so many exhibited without real submission to God, like many of the scribes, the Pharisees or the Sadducees. I had emphasized the importance of the intentions of the heart, as in the example of the widow’s offering. Yet, my disciples were still impressed by big buildings like the temple. Man looks at the appearance, but God looks at the heart. In this case, the foundation of the temple had become corrupt. The purpose of the temple, to become a house of prayer for all the nations, had not been fulfilled. This is why the Father was going to bring judgment and destroy this impressive structure, not letting one stone on another. 

At a deeper level, the Father never desired a temple of stone, but always sought for men to be a temple of His spirit. This was true from the first day of the creation to today. When the Father spoke to David, he said that he would establish his house (See 2 Samuel 7:4-13). It was not a house of wood and stone, but a house of descendants. I, the Messiah, the son of David, and the Son of God, became the perfect temple of the Spirit of the Father through my incarnation, preparing the way for all my disciples to become living temples of the Holy Spirit. The temple of my body was going to be destroyed, I was going to be crucified, yet this destruction would last only three days and now my body has become an eternal temple to the glory of the Father. The impressive temple of Jerusalem, that looked so much stronger than my body, would be destroyed a few decades after me and would not be rebuilt. 

The Father has never been very interested in impressive buildings, but we have always been interested in people who open their hearts to our love and who let us reign in them and through them. Do not focus on whatever stone or iron building you see in this world, they will all be destroyed at one point. Focus on the one building that has the potential to become eternal, your very being. You are called to become a temple of the Holy Spirit. 

A temple is not supposed to welcome the presence of God once in a while, but to remain continually filled with God’s presence. In the same way, I want to remain in you and for you to remain in me, by the power of our grace. As you learn through the obedience of faith to maintain an intimate relationship with the Holy Spirit, with the Father and with me, you then experience in you the eternal life - this fellowship with us that will lead you beyond physical death, this salvation from sin and death that was promised, the good news that I brought to the world. 

It is only in me and through me that you will be able to build something that will last, to build a real love that brings real and eternal fruits of peace and joy. Don’t focus on what is doomed to be destroyed, don’t put your heart in seeking human objects or positions that don’t last. Let your heart grasp the depth of our love, the tenderness of our presence. Let the Holy Spirit flow in you and through you like a mighty river. Let us bring, through you, the living water of our love to this world thirsty for goodness and peace.