By: Dale Weckbacher
Mark 14:58
“We heard him
say, ‘I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and in
three days I will build another, not made with hands.’”
(ESV)
During this time of crisis, it is
good to have connectivity with others and access to news keeping us updated on events
and the status of those we love that we cannot see face-to-face. I thank God for the technology to still have
worship of God and teaching from the Word of God from my pastor via a computer
screen allowing us to comply with recommendations of social distancing while
maintaining a connection with God. I
also thank God for connection via social media, email, texting, and even the
phone to check up on friends and family.
However, I do miss the face-to-face connectivity and look forward to and
will be much more appreciative of it when it returns.
There have also been many
lifestyle changes due to this crisis. In
addition to churches now meeting online, sporting events are not occurring with
sports channels now showing reruns of past games or showing virtual competitions. Music artists who cannot tour due to
restrictions on large gatherings now perform online. It is also no longer possible to go out and
eat in a nice restaurant with patrons relegated to ordering online and having
it delivered or driving to pick it up if permitted to do so. Finally, the most important office supply in a
business is no longer paperclips or paper but hand sanitizer and soap.
As the angry mob leads Jesus to
the high priest, Peter follows at a distance (Mark
14:53-54). Unlike us today, Peter
was not practicing social distancing due to the threat of some illness but is
distancing himself from Jesus out of fear of suffering the same betrayal that
just happened to Jesus. This is the same
Peter who boldly stated he would never leave Jesus even if everyone else did (Mark
14:29). Besides lifestyle changes, the
current global crisis concerning coronavirus has illustrated the power fear can
have over someone’s life, causing them to do things they would never have
thought of doing just a few months ago. Most
of us took for granted the convenience of going to the store whenever we wanted
and finding most of what we needed. As
2020 began in the United States, the economic outlook was better than it had
been at any time in most of our lives with almost full employment but now many have
already lost their jobs, and many fear they will lose theirs as this crisis drags
on. The booming market meant many were
building a retirement nest egg that would enable them to retire comfortably,
only to see that nest egg fall apart, leaving them with the prospect of having
to scale down retirement plans or continue working instead of retiring.
One of the accusations the court
assembled in Mark
14:53-65 tried unsuccessfully to place on Jesus was his mention of
destroying the Temple made with hands and replacing it with one not made with
hands (Mark
14:58). They erroneously believed
Jesus meant destroying the temple building when Jesus was speaking of His body
which was the temple of the Holy Spirit (John
1:32-33; 2:18-21). The angry mob
consisting of the high priests, scribes, and elders in Jerusalem would regularly
gather in the Temple to pray, teach, and meditate on Scripture (Mark
14:49). However, when confronted
with Jesus, the Messiah, instead of worshipping him, they accuse Him of
blasphemy and sentence him to death, turning Jesus over to the Roman
guards. Instead of a faith in God who
was standing before them, the high priests, scribes, and elders had faith in
the routine of religious rituals performed in the Temple building with Jesus
representing a threat by his claims of destroying it.
I encourage those reading this
whose life is on pause by the coronavirus to use their free time to reflect on
the object of their faith. Was your
faith in God’s provision through the ability to go to a store and purchase
whatever we needed or attend church in the comfort of a climate-controlled building
with others face-to-face, or God as provider as we give in faith (Luke
6:38)? Was your faith in God’s
provision through a good-paying and secure job that is now either gone away in
under a threat of going away or God himself (Philippians
4:19)? Was your faith in a nest egg
built through the abundant provision of God or trust in God’s daily provision (Matthew
6:11).
While the temples of shopping
convenience, gathering together to worship God in comfort, having a good-paying
and secure job, and saving money to build a nest egg is not evil, they can
become false temples in our lives when they replace faith in God. As God destroys these false temples, we must
replace them with the temple not made with hands, faith in Jesus Christ as our
savior, provider, and the Prince of Peace when overcome with fear. This begins with one accepting Jesus as his
or her savior. If you have never done
so, I invite you to pray to accept Jesus as your savior by praying with me now,
Dear Lord Jesus, I know I have sinned (Romans
3:23) and know that the penalty for my sin is death (Romans
6:23). I ask you to forgive me of my
sin and cleanse me as you promise in your Word (1
John 1:9). I believe you died, spent
three days in the grave, and resurrected from the dead and now declare you Lord
of my life.
Instead of a time of fear, my
prayer is that this unprecedented time of crisis becomes a time of building
faith in God, finding peace and security in a relationship with God through
prayer, the study, and meditation on God’s Word, and growing closer and more
supportive as a family. While we as a
church may not be able to meet in person together, shelter-at-home orders to
not restrict God for His home is in our hearts.
It is crucial during this time to invest in more facetime with God. May God bless everyone reading this
post.
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