Matthew 23:37-24:2 (please open your Bibles as we read this passage)
Here Jesus is prophesying the destruction of the second temple.
(Temple timeline)
First temple built 960 BC – destroyed by Babylonians 856 BC
- Materials gathered by King David
- Constructed by King Solomon
- Idolatry enters into Israel even before the end of Solomon’s reign
- Babylonian exile – why?
- Israel had abandoned their God and were committing spiritual adultery with idols
Second temple built 516 BC
- Nehemiah
- This temple was smaller than the first temple
- This temple was alternately used by the Jews and pagan conquerors depending on who was in control at the time
Herod’s Temple
- Herod’s temple could either be considered a refurbishing of the second temple constructed under Nehemiah or a third temple
- The reason it could be considered a third temple is because Herod tore down much of the second temple before he rebuilt it
- He did this in order to restore it to the original specifications
- Herod was not interested in being a good Jew
- Herod was interested in building a monument to Himself
- Herod was interested in keeping the Jews pacified – (Behave or I’ll take away your temple!)
- Herod’s temple was not completed until AD 63 – just seven years before it was torn down
There was something very important about the Temple … it contained an inner chamber called the Holy of Holies or the Most Holy Place and was supposed to be where the Lord would reside and meet with Moses, Aaron and Joshua in the beginning and with the High Priest later on.
In Exodus 25 the LORD Himself describes the form and the function of the cover to go over the Ark of the Covenant
Exodus 25:18-22 HCSB
“Make two cherubim of gold; make them of hammered work at the two ends of the mercy seat. Make one cherub at one end and one cherub at the other end. At its two ends, make the cherubim of one piece with the mercy seat.
“The cherubim are to have wings spread out above, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and are to face one another. The faces of the cherubim should be toward the mercy seat. Set the mercy seat on top of the ark and put the testimony that I will give you into the ark.
“I will meet with you there above the mercy seat, between the two cherubim that are over the ark of the testimony; I will speak with you from there about all that I command you regarding the Israelites.”
Now we know that Moses met with the Lord often before the Mercy Seat and that later on the meeting was reduced to just once a year and then only by the High Priest.
Hebrews 9:3-7 HCSB
“Behind the second curtain, the tabernacle was called the most holy place. It contained the gold altar of incense and the ark of the covenant, covered with gold on all sides, in which there was a gold jar containing the manna, Aaron’s staff that budded, and the tablets of the covenant. The cherubim of glory were above it overshadowing the mercy seat. It is not possible to speak about these things in detail right now.
“With these things set up this way, the priests enter the first room repeatedly, performing their ministry. But the high priest alone enters the second room, and he does that only once a year, and never without blood, which he offers for himself and for the sins of the people committed in ignorance.”
This Most Holy Place was so holy that if any maintenance needed to be done in there, workers would be lowered by ropes from above in order to do the work but would never be allowed to touch the floor.
Now, just try to imagine with me what it must have been like to be the High Priest and to enter into the Most Holy Place with the blood of the atonement knowing that the Ark of the Covenant isn’t even there! It hasn’t been there since the Babylonians destroyed the first temple!
I never even thought about that until this past week. They were going through the motions but the Ark of the Covenant and the Atonement Covering with the Mercy Seat were gone! That was supposed to be where the Lord would meet with the representative High Priest of Israel!
That was a shocking thought to me, but, Jesus says something very curious in:
Matthew 12:6 NIV
“I tell you that something greater than the temple is here.”
We know from many Biblical texts that Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.
However, from reading many Bible and historical scholars it is clear that there is a difference of opinion as to whether Jesus was sacrificed at the same time as the Passover Lamb would be sacrificed or at the time of the perpetual sacrifices. Either way there are some amazing things we can observe.
Once again according to Hebrews there were three things in the Ark of the Covenant; The tablets of the Ten Commandments, a jar of manna and the budding rod of Aaron.
When the High Priest would go into the Most Holy Place once a year he would stand before the Ark of the Covenant containing the jar of manna which had kept the Israelites alive for forty years in the desert.
However, when Jesus was crucified there was no Ark in the Most Holy Place yet outside the city on a hill called Golgotha, Jesus, the Bread of Life, the Living Bread that came down from heaven was being sacrificed as an atoning sacrifice for the sin of the world.
When the High Priest would go into the Most Holy Place once a year he would stand before the Ark of the Covenant containing the rod of Aaron which had been dead but had miraculously come back to life again.
However, when Jesus was crucified there was no Ark in the Most Holy Place yet outside the city on a hill called the skull, Jesus, the resurrection and the Life was being sacrificed for your sin and for mine.
When the High Priest would go into the Most Holy Place once a year he would stand before the Ark of the Covenant containing the tablets of the Ten Commandments.
However, when Jesus was crucified there was no Ark in the Most Holy Place yet outside the city on a hill call Mount Calvary, Jesus, the Living Word was gasping out the words, “It is finished”.
In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning and now the Word was dead.
The jar of manna from the Ark had been replaced by the Bread of Life.
The resurrected staff of Aaron had been replaced by the Giver of Life.
The Ten Commandments had been replaced by the Word of God.
The vale in the temple that had kept out everyone but the High Priest had been torn from top to bottom opening up the Most Holy Place to all who would enter in by the Blood of the Lamb of God.
The greatest and most costly transaction that would ever take place had taken place.
There is a fountain filled with blood, drawn from Emmanuel’s veins …
(Sing this song as communion is served ...)
