Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Christ the Temple

Here is an article I wrote for the Christian Chronicle, my church's monthly newsletter.

Christ the Temple

One of the most puzzling claims Christ made was "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up" (John 2:19). Two verses later, John inserts this editorial statement, "But he was speaking about the temple of his body." At first glance, it appears that Christ is eradicating the Jewish understanding of the temple. When dealing with this passage, we must ask two questions. First, is Christ trying to redefine the temple; and secondly, why does Christ refer to himself as the temple?

In reality, these questions are interlinked and inseparable. Christ never intended to shift the heart of worship from impersonal, law-abiding sacrifice to a personal, individualistic service. Christ isn't redefining anything; he is clarifying worship.

While Moses was atop Mount Sinai receiving the Law, God commanded him to build a tabernacle - a place of worship. Tabernacle/temple worship was not centered on sacrifice and impersonal relationships. God designed a means for His people to have a personal relationship with Him; He allowed His Glory to descend upon His people (Exodus 40:34-38). Even the various elements of worship within tabernacle/temple illustrated God's intent for a personal relationship with his people.

Three extremely important elements for Old Testament worship were gold, incense, and anointing oil. The altars of sacrifice were built out of wood and gilded in gold. Incense was made from frankincense (Exodus 30:34-35), and when burnt, it represented the prayers of the people (Psalm 141:2; Revelation 5:8). The anointing oil consisted of several perfumes blended together, including myrrh (Exodus 30:22-24). The oil consecrated objects and people (Exodus 30:29). Anointing oil was used to bless priests (Exodus 30:30), kings (1 Samuel 10:1), and the sick (Mark 6:13). If you haven't noticed the significance of these things, let me make them clear.

From Christ's birth, it was obvious that He represented the temple. Consider the gifts of the magi. One brought gold, one brought frankincense, and one brought myrrh. They brought before Christ the elements of tabernacle/temple worship. With these gifts they were declaring Christ as the sacrifice, the priest, the king, the healer, and the intercessor of our prayers. In Matthew 1:23 an angel of the Lord calls Christ "Immanuel," God with us. Just as God's Glory descended upon his people through the tabernacle, God descended, once again, among his people through humanity.

Back to the two questions: is Christ trying to redefine the temple or worship; and secondly, why does Christ refer to himself as the temple? As stated before, these questions are really one and the same. Christ is not redefining worship. He is revealing himself as the "object of worship" throughout Jewish tradition. In a sense, He is saying, "You have been worshiping me for thousands of years, here I am." As John states in verse 22, it isn't until Christ's death that the disciples understand this important connection. And for those who really didn't recognize the connection, God tore the curtain separating the Most Holy place from the rest of the temple (Matthew 27:51). With the torn curtain God was ultimately saying, "I am with you." Why is this important? Since the beginning of time, worship begins and ends with Jesus Christ and a personal relationship with God.


With much love,
Christian Eriksson