(CFRA broadcast date: Sunday, March 25th, 2012)
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Broadcast Notes:
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‘Do You See These Great Buildings?’
The Bible says: “Then as Jesus went out of the temple, one of His disciples said to Him, Teacher, see what manner of stones and what buildings are here! And Jesus answered and said to him, Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone shall be left upon another, that shall not be thrown down. Now as he sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked Him privately, Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign when all these things will be fulfilled? And Jesus answering them, began to say: Take heed that no one deceives you…” (Mark 13: 1-5).
INTRODUCTION
1. Nothing lasts forever! That is a statement most of us would agree with. Money doesn’t last forever. Neither does power, or influence, or institutions, or machines, or prestige, or health, or good looks. We live in a world in which things don’t last. Things are built or built up. They progress and develop. From small beginnings they grow and increase, often to considerable size and influence. But then, with the passage of time and the changing of circumstances, that which has been great and significant begins to decline. Decay sets in. What has been progressing slows down, comes to a full stop, and then regresses. Whether it holds in a certain state of remission of dissolves and becomes non-existent will depend on both the subject and the circumstances. But, without doubt, its former state is gone.
2. History is littered with the ruins of great civilizations. Empires that once seemed impregnable have crumbled. Alexander’s empire collapsed when he died from fever prematurely, having developed little infrastructure and having appointed no successor. The Roman empire, which lasted for more than four hundred years, which conquered and united a vast territory from Asia Minor to Britain, and whose influence is still felt in law, art and literature, collapsed primarily for internal reasons. These defects were in it probably from the beginning. The ignorance of the nature and the destiny of man. A blindness to human rights and duties. Ethical savagery and political autocracy. Economic weaknesses, especially high military expenditures, The dependence of governments upon military support. The British empire. Probably the greatest of all the empires, owed its origin less to the spirit of pugnacity and acquisitiveness than to developing economics and the need for trade. Its decline has been less cataclysmic, subject only as it has been to the desire of countries for self-determination and the difficulty of defending its vast and diverse territories militarily! In our own time, we have witnessed the rapid collapse of the Soviet Union, the second largest empire today, the prime causes being economic, military and racial.
3. Knowledge also changes. Old theories, once held to be the absolute truth, fall. New theories replace them. These, too, may one day be set aside. The earth, once considered flat, is now known to be round. The earth, once considered to be at the centre of creation, is not just one more planet, in one more solar system, in one more universe. Newton has given way to Einstein. Darwin, Freud and Marx are no longer so dominant as they once were. New discoveries replace old ‘facts’. In ethics absolutes are being challenged by relativities. In society, community is being replaced by individualism.
4. Or, look at the people; they also change. Friendships fail. Marriages are allowed to die. Families are fractured. Society develops new attitudes. Character and integrity give way to indifference and popularity. Confidence is challenged by conflict. Hope is diffused and overwhelmed by catastrophe and circumstance. The seven wonders of the world disappear with the passage of time, civilizations are subverted by their own inadequacies, knowledge becomes obsolete, and people grow fragile. Nothing lasts forever. Only God!
I. THE TEMPLE OF THE LORD
1. Herod’s temple was truly a wonder. Begun in 20-19 B.C., it was not yet completed in Jesus’ time. This amazing structure was built on the top of Mt. Moriah. Instead of levelling off the mountain and building the temple on top, a large platform was raised on piers, enclosing part of the mountain. Walls were built of huge stones, some 40’ long by 12’ high and 18’ wide. A magnificent entrance was constructed at the southwest corner. It consisted of a great bridge that spanned the valley between city and temple, 354’ in length, 50’ wide, and 225’ high. The bridge led directly to the royal porch. The porch consisted of a double row of Corinthian pillars over 37’ high, each cut out of one solid block of marble. We are told that the outward face of the temple at the front lacked nothing that was likely to surprise men’s minds or their eyes, for it was covered with heavy plates of gold, and at sunrise reflected a fiery splendour making people turn their eyes away as though they were looking at the sun itself. But the temple appeared to strangers at a distance like a mountain covered with snow. It was this outstanding splendour that so impressed the disciples of Jesus. They were, after all, from Galilee and looked at the great buildings with the awe familiar to peasants’ eyes. It seemed to them to be the height of human achievements, the epitome of artistic and architectural genius and skill. These buildings were so vast and solid; surely they would stand forever! But Jesus said: All this is going to come down some day!
2. There is no question of this being a story concocted by the disciples or by Mark. It has all the marks of an historical occasion. First, there is the vividness of the account, common to the testimony of an eye-witness, with particular attention being drawn as much to the greatness of the stones as to the building itself. Anyone who has actually seen some of the stones still standing in parts of the temple wall in modern Jerusalem will identify with the disciple’s amazement. Second, there is evidence in the text of Jesus’ gesturing at the site: “There will not be left ‘here’ one stone standing upon another…” Third, the disciples are not particularly shown in good light here. Jesus has been instructing them in the things of the Kingdom of God, which are deep inner and eternal matters, and here they seem to be caught up in worldly grandeur. Fourth, the comment of Jesus that the temple would fall is used against Him, though in somewhat garbled form, at His trial (Mark 14:58). Fifth, Jesus stands in line with some of the great prophets of Israel in predicting that the temple would be destroyed (Micah 3:12; Jeremiah 26:5). Sixth, no reference is made in the text as to the actual means by which the temple was destroyed. It was in fact destroyed by fire. One would expect that fact to have been included in the story if the later church had indeed concocted this episode. Nor should we take the history of the interpretation of Mark 13, which has sometimes been assumed to derive from earlier Jewish or later Christian apocalyptic writing. Certain characteristics of true apocalyptic are in fact missing here. The highly figurative language, featuring strange beasts and visions, found in the apocalyptic books of Daniel and Revelation, is absent. Here in Mark 13 there is considerable moral exhortation. Which is usually not found in genuine apocalyptic. Moreover, Matthew and Luke follow Mark closely and place this episode at the same point in our Lord’s ministry. This suggests that the early church recognized and accepted it as part of the original tradition. The whole chapter stands as a unit and rings with the note of authenticity.
3. Jesus said: “These buildings, grand though they are, will not endure. They will be thrown down.” In less than fifty years the prophecy came true. The temple precincts were destroyed by a fire which was set at the command of Titus Caesar, though afterwards he tried to have it put out on more than one occasion. But his soldiers could not be restrained. The cloisters, the gates, the treasury chambers, the holy of holies – all were burnt. Many Jews were killed. Then when the populace was destroyed, Titus gave orders that the entire city and temple should be demolished. The wall with three towers, to be used for a garrison, was left standing. But the rest of the wall was laid even with the ground so as to make those who came from elsewhere think that it had never been inhabited. The point is that the temple was not worn down by the weather, nor brought down by an earthquake or some calamity of nature. Rather it was destroyed by a human hand, by the hand of a Roman emperor. What man can build, man can also destroy. Men can build to the glory of God, and man’s temple can be another man’s object of derision. What one person cherishes another person can revile.
4. The world is full of relics of past glories, not the least sacred sites where people used to gather to sing hymns and read the sacred books, but no more. Lannercost Priory, in the north of England, was built from stones from Hadrian’s Wall, and earlier relic. Now a relic itself, the priory has been reduced to the marks of a foundation and a few standing walls. Sheep bleat as they eat grass that grows in what was once the main aisle of the church as a priest conducts an individualistic communion, himself the only worshipper, his back turned towards both visitors and sheep. He needs to turn, put down his chalice, step forward and preach the gospel. Who knows what lost souls might be saved. But he is more interested in his relics and his traditions. And that is precisely what God has given him. Relics and traditions. “Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone shall be left upon another, that shall not be thrown down.” The question needed to be put to the high priest of the temple in Jerusalem. “When was the last time someone was saved in this magnificent place of worship? When was the last time someone saw the light here? When was the last time someone was healed?” Surely there is nothing else that really matters.
II. THE FALSE IMPRESSIONS OF GREATNESS
1. The pen is mightier than the sword. Words make men and women greater than do bullets than does conquering might. Persuasion is more effective than gunpowder and coercion. Anger begets anger, but a soft word turns away wrath. Integrity overcomes where insolence fails. Which is more impressive, the Eiffel Tower or a new-born infant? Which is greater, a great man or a man who is able to make other men great? What is our measuring-stick? Why are we so confused about what true greatness is? I knew a simple man, once. He was a farmer, with limited education. Yet he was full of contentment. He enjoyed people. He asked for little by way of reward. He had a deep but quick sense of humour. God was honoured in and by his life. He was always ready to help others where and when he could. There was a serenity about his life that caught one’s attention. I have throughout my life met many learned and influential men, but none greater than this man as a man. There was a mark of greatness about him for all his simplicity. We need to rethink our definition of greatness.
2. Jesus was interested in true greatness. He believed in quality of life, not quality of material possessions or personal influence. He weighed the temple system on the balance of spirituality and ethics and found it wanting. Because it would not serve people’s spiritual needs, Jesus pronounced its doom. So with the wonders of the modern world. Greatness is not measured by size, but by genuineness. In the U.S.A. a 1993 poll of most respected people put Billy Graham and Mother Teresa on top. What have they got? Graham has a Bible and a few solid convictions, and he has been used by God to change the direction of thousands of people’s lives. Mother Teresa has loving hands and an overflowing heart, and she was used to bring comfort and hopes to thousands of outcasts.
3. Jeremiah warned Israel: “Don’t put your hope in great buildings, not even the temple of God. Don’t say that we have the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord. Rather, amend your ways and your doings. Live honest and just lives. Keep the commandments of God. Walk not after other gods. Do not turn the temple of the Lord into a house of thieves!” (Jeremiah 7: 1-11). So, when was the last time someone’s life was turned around? When was the last time a new life was begun? “Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone shall be left upon another, that shall not be thrown down.”
III. THE LOCUS OF TRUE GREATNESS
1. As Jesus came up to Jerusalem that last time, he declared by the dramatic act or living parable that the King had come (Mark 11: 1-11). And, we are told, he went into the temple and looked around. In other words, He surveyed it with all His divine authority. The Messiah was laying claim to the worship of Israel. He was to be its focus. “For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgement to the Son, that all should honour the Son just as they Honour the Father” (John 5:22f). The temple is not greater than He who reveals the Father. No church, however elaborate or costly, however illustrious its historical traditions, can lay claim to a greatness greater than He who gave it its only meaning and significance. Our allegiance must be to the Messiah not the minister, to the Master not the masonry!
2. Then, secondly, Jesus cleansed the temple. He drove out the money changers who were committing extortion, charging exorbitant prices and defrauding pilgrims, especially among the Gentiles. “My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations” (Mark 11: 15-19). Here is the Messiah making sure that there is a place for everyone in His church. No church deserves to exist unless it is open to all. It is not for the select few, but for all. All nations are welcome (Isaiah 56:7; Jeremiah 7:11).
3. Thirdly, Jesus commended the poor widow who gave sacrificially to the temple treasury (Mark 12: 41-44). The temple is not greater than the devotion and sacrifice of its humblest member. The Messiah, who gave His all for the sins of the world, sets the standards for every church that bears His name. No church deserves to stand that is unprepared to give itself completely in service for others.
CONCLUSION
“Do you see these great buildings?” Do they deserve to stand, because they promote genuine faith and righteousness? Or should they fall, because they represent a sham? Because they are not bearing a clear witness to Jesus Christ.
Will you pray with me? “Heavenly Father, give us the insight to grasp the meaning of true greatness. Point us to the locus of true greatness. To find greatness especially in those who have found in your wisdom the meaning of truth and honesty, of trust and what is honourable. We all need to go to the depths of true meaning and purpose. Point the way out to us. And, Father, make sure that we know the wonder of your love in the person and work of Jesus Christ. Amen”
Dr. Allen Churchill
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To listen to the above broadcast, click on the following link:
http://proxy.autopod.ca/podcasts/chum/6/6328/good_news_5_mar25.mp3
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