GOSPEL MESSAGE & RECORDING
In the Bible, we read about building the first Temple, which is described in chapter 6 of 1 Kings. But such a Temple would not last because King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia and his army entered Jerusalem and burned down the Temple. The Temple was in utter ruin, but in God’s time, the Temple was rebuilt with the decree of King Cyrus, under the reign of King Darius 1, as described in Ezra 5: 1-7. But again, in 70 AD, as Our Lord had prophesied (Mark 13: 3-4), the Second Temple was utterly destroyed by the Romans. After that, no attempt was made to rebuild the Temple, and it remains so till the present.
The Temple was essential to the Jewish people because it was supposed to be a place where God Himself would dwell, especially in the place of the Temple called “The Holy of Holies.” But if God were to be limited to the Temple, then God would be dead too, since the Temple is no more. Indeed, God can reside in places, as He does, even here in this church, but he is not limited to time and space and therefore cannot be contained. (2 Chronicles 2:6)
When Jesus Christ came to earth, He was the Temple; because He was God. The Temple was indeed no longer a brick-and-mortar place because Christ was the Temple in bodily form. And us believers who are in Christ, when we come into union with Him through baptism and Communion, He resides in us. St. Paul says, “I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.” (Galatians 2:20). Further, St. Paul teaches that our body is the Temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 6: 19-20)
In the Pauline epistle today, taken from Hebrews 3: 1-13, St. Paul talks about how Christ has built a house, and we as believers live in that house, and even Moses, the greatest among the prophets, lived in a house that Christ built. Here, St. Paul speaks in the spiritual sense and ultimately says, “we are the house of Christ.”
Looking at the Old Testament passages and putting them together with the New Testament, we see that ultimately the Temple and house are the same. God speaks spiritually when he refers to a temple or house, but it is also physically because God resides ultimately in us. So then, if we are indeed the Temple--the house of God--what does that mean?
Building the body up in holiness:
If our bodies are the house/temple of God, we need to treat them that way. Taking care of our bodies both physically, mentally, and emotionally are very important during COVID-19. If we feel overwhelmed or over isolated because of the pandemic, we need to talk to someone or find ways to give ourselves and our families some relief.
Building up our families/children as the house of God:
Our children are the house/temple of God. So, we should invest in them in a way that would yield spiritual fruit. Sports, piano, scouts, activities are all good but only if it is in addition to the church. There is no other place on earth where our children can grow up to be the temples/houses of God than in the church.
Building up our community in the house of God:
Although we are the temple/house of God, we should never forget that others in the community are just like us. Our efforts to maintain the well-being of our house should eventually extend to the community.