Archive for the ‘Temple’ tag
January 3, 2009: The Boy Jesus in the Temple
The text for this lesson is Luke 2:41–52.
Key Points
- As a boy, Jesus was found in His Father’s house. In God’s house, I hear His Word, see that Jesus is my Savior, and receive His gifts of forgiveness and salvation.
- Law: Because of sin, I, like Jesus’ parents, do not understand what God says to me.
- Gospel: God makes His Word clear to me through the power of the Holy Spirit.
September 27, 2009: Solomon Builds the Temple
The text for this lesson is 1 Kings 5:1–6:38.
Key Points
- Though He was hidden, God resided within the Old Testament temple; Jesus is the unveiled, human Most Holy Place and is truly accessible to all, enfolding believers in the arms of His Word and Sacraments.
- Law: In my sin, I want to keep God at a distance; I don’t want Him to see who I really am.
- Gospel: God, in His love, draws me near to Him; in Jesus, He tabernacles (dwells) among all believers through Word and Sacrament.
Context
David desired to build a “house of cedar” for God, to replace the tent in which his Lord had been residing (2 Samuel 7:1–29). But the Lord declared it would be Solomon who would build such a house. Work on the temple was begun 480 years after Israel left Egypt, around 967 BC (1 Kings 6:1), and was completed seven years later (1 Kings 6:38). It consisted of two main parts: the Most Holy Place (Holy of Holies) and the Holy Place. It was a sight so dazzlingly beautiful that it was deemed an “exalted house” for the King of kings (1 Kings8:13). Yet it was only temporary. The Babylonians bulldozed it in 587 BC.
July 19, 2009: Joash Repairs the Temple
The text for this lesson is 2 Kings 12:1–16.
Key Points
- Because the temple was the place of God’s faithful dealings with His people, Joash, his workers, and their donors dealt faithfully in repairing it.
- Law: We often allow God’s house and worship to be a low priority in our lives.
- Gospel: Being with His people by Word and Sacrament is always God’s highest priority.
- Law: Too often we fail to bring God the first and best of our treasure—sometimes because we disagree with how it is being used.
- Gospel: God did not withhold His own Son, but freely gave Him up for us.
Context
Lesson 5 described the building of the Lord’s temple (1 Kings 5–6). There He dwelled in the midst of Israel to hear prayers, receive sacrifices, and bless His people. By the time of Joash, the temple had fallen into a state of disrepair on account of aging, neglect, and abuse.
Joash (also known as Jehoash) ascended the throne of Judah at the age of seven and reigned forty years (2 Kings 11:21–2:1). Prior to this, the wicked queen mother Athaliah sought to wipe out all of King David’s lineage (the Messianic line) so that she could control the throne, but the Lord rescued Joash from her hand (2 Kings 11:1–3). The godly high priest Jehoiada anointed Joash and secured the throne for him.
Joash reigned well as long as his counselor Jehoiada lived, but later the king backslid into idolatry (2 Chronicles 24:15–27). Joash’s life reminds us to live each day in repentant trust in the grace which God delivers in His Word and Sacrament, knowing that we can lose our salvation by leaving the church or living in persistent, intentional sin (Hebrews 10:23–27).
July 5, 2009: Workers Build the Temple
The text for this lesson is 1 Kings 5:1–6:28.
Key Points
- The temple was a magnificent structure that symbolized God’s even more magnificent dwelling with His people: Christ Jesus.
- Law: The temple was a constant reminder of God’s presence with Israel, but we often forget that God is with us.
- Gospel: In Holy Communion, Christ is with us personally in His body and blood.
- Law: We take for granted that God is with us when we avoid coming to His house.
- Gospel: Each time His Word speaks to us and His Sacraments are given to us, He forgives us for our indifference.
Context
Solomon succeeded David as king of Israel (1 Kings 1:1–2:46) and continued the Messianic line (Matthew 1:6–7). He asked for and received a special gift of wisdom from God and Israel prospered in unprecedented ways (1 Kings 3:1–4:34). Solomon’s glory provided a point of comparison for Jesus’ teaching on God’s generous provision for His creatures, which offers Christians a life without anxiety (Matthew 6:25–34). Solomon’s proverbial wisdom set the stage for “something greater than Solomon” (Matthew 12:42), namely, Jesus, “whom God made our wisdom and our righteousness and sanctification and redemption” (1 Corinthians 1:30).
Though Solomon’s reign was initially characterized by peace and prosperity, his personal sins later cast a dark cloud over his reign. His decadence and intermarriages with pagans brought outright idolatry into Israel and invoked God’s anger and judgment (1 Kings 11:1-43).
March 15, 2009: Jesus Clears the Temple
The text for this lesson is John 2:13–22.
Key Points
- Jesus’ cleansing of the temple carries a twofold message for the Jews and for us: first, that the true Lord of the temple was here in the flesh and, second and more important, that Jesus is the true temple, who houses and perfects us, raising our bodies to be like His.
- Law: I sin when I turn God’s house into a place of business, soiling His sanctuary.
- Gospel: Jesus is my holy temple who, by His sacrifice on the altar of the cross, purged my sin and made me a member of His Body.
January 4, 2009: The Boy Jesus in the Temple
The text for this lesson is Luke 2:41–52.
Key Points
- Jesus is always about His Father’s business—and that business is always earning our salvation! No thing and no one can stand in His way.
- Law: God doesn’t act the way we want Him to act. He acts in harmony with His will, not ours. But we try to cage Him, tame Him, force Him to be a circus deity. In our hearts, if not even in our prayers, we list conditions for Him to meet. We are in a vain—oh, so vain—power struggle with heaven.
- Gospel: The Lion of the tribe of Judah is no tame lion. He won’t roar on our cue or jump through our hoops. Even at the age of twelve, the boy Jesus shows that He is no ordinary boy. The Son of Mary, yes, and the “Son” of his foster father, Joseph, yes, but also their Lord. He is about His Father’s business. And that business is always earning our salvation.
