This week's Gospel moves from what Jesus observed in last week's Gospel (the widow giving the only two coins she has) so what the disciples observe (the large temple stones).
The entire discourse begins the disciples directing the attention of Jesus to the temple:
As he came out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher, what large stones and what large buildings!” Then Jesus asked him, “Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left here upon another; all will be thrown down.”
Today Pastor Ray preached about what the disciples, and we too often, are awed by - spectacle. They also appear to react to the answer Jesus gives them by imbuing it with spectacle as well:
When he was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked him privately, “Tell us, when will this be, and what will be the sign that all these things are about to be accomplished?”
This is a temptation for all of us. Certainly the words of Jesus could be read as prophecy about the destruction of the temple but there are other ways to understand them. One meaning may be that Jesus is observing what is inevitable in the natural world. Nothing, including buildings, lasts forever. Jesus may only be giving the disciples a broader perspective of the power and importance of the physical manifestation of the temple.
His words being about things that must happen physically are reinforced by what he says next:
When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed; this must take place, but the end is still to come. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. This is but the beginning of the birth pangs.
Again, there are multiple threads of ideas in the words of Jesus. There are power brokers of the given society that inflict great harm on a multitude. These words can provide encouragement to the marginalized that the oppressive structures of society will be destroyed. The structures that will collapse might not be physical ones, they might be the stones and walls that have kept and continue to keep the marginalized (by race, life style or social status) from fully realizing their ministerial potentials.
I try to keep in mind these stones represent power. They are, in fact, walls of the temple that is itself a power structure designed to consolidate and affirm the existing power that runs that society. Jesus is more interested in making the bricks that are needs to make and restore God's kingdom on earth than he is in the walls that separate human society.
In my reading of the Bible this year with a group we happen to be in 1 Kings where the temple is being built. I thought I had read that God commanded the building of the temple by Solomon through David but 1 Kings 5:5 has Solomon actually saying "I intend, therefore, to build a temple for the Name of the Lord my God, as the Lord told my father David, when he said, ‘Your son whom I will put on the throne in your place will build the temple for my Name.’". From the beginning the temple is rooted in power. God does not command the temple be built but rather foretells it will be built.
Interestingly Jesus foretells the temple's future to the disciples on the Mount of Olives, the location where the Transfiguration will happen. Traditionally the literal account of the Transfiguration is seen as a pillar of Christian faith and has many elements of spectacle. That this is not an everyday occurrence, in fact, is often offered as another piece of convincing proof that Jesus is our savior and Lord.And this is spectacle that can lead us astray as Jesus warned:
Then Jesus began to say to them, “Beware that no one leads you astray. Many will come in my name and say, ‘I am he!’ and they will lead many astray.
Think about Mark 15, the appearance of spectacle in the crucifixion and the simple events in the account:
When it was noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. At three o’clock Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” When some of the bystanders heard it, they said, “Listen, he is calling for Elijah.” And someone ran, filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a stick, and gave it to him to drink, saying, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to take him down.” Then Jesus gave a loud cry and breathed his last. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. Now when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, “Truly this man was God’s Son!”
Jesus gives a loud cry and breathed his last. The centurion watched Jesus slowly die this humiliating and agonizing death on the cross, and he proclaims, “Surely this man was the Son of God!” The centurion simply watched Jesus breath his last and understood who Jesus was. The account links the last breath to the tearing of the curtain in the temple. There is spectacle for those who want to understand it that way. The impact of the moment must be recognized as well, however the account, being told this way, needs to be read carefully to see the truth and beauty that was perceived by the centurion (he did not see the temple curtain torn).
After all, the only person a loyal Roman would ever call “Son of God” was Caesar–but this man gave the title to Jesus. It is unexpected that the centurion would proclaim Jesus as the Son of God especially having witnessed Jesus dying such a humiliating and gruesome death. In truth, why should any of us believe in Jesus? The Gospel in itself flies in the face of human reason and is counter-intuitive to today’s culture . What makes anyone proclaim that Jesus is the Son of God?. So the question can be what is the best testimony of Jesus being God, the spectacle of the tearing of the temple curtain that happens with his last breath or the unexpected observation of the centurion?
Pastor Ray also brought up the Daniel-like feeling of what Jesus is saying here. The underlying message of apocalyptic prophecy, if we read the answer of Jesus in this way, is that in the great final battle in the cosmic spiritual realm, God will prevail. The effects of that victory will be manifest in our everyday life as evil powers lose momentum and purpose in this world.
Those in our congregations who understand there to be a connection between the cosmic realm (where angels and demons dwell) and the material realm (where we mortals live our lives) will find these promises compelling because this is God in action. A question is whether other Christians will dismiss this apocalyptic understanding as too quaint and mythic.
Perhaps the answer is "Yes, all / or / and"
OS - Not building a wall but making a brick.
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