Read: Mark 13:1-2
What is the most impressive building you have ever seen? Maybe it is one of the monuments in Washington D.C., or a skyscraper in the downtown of a city, or a hotel in the mountains or on the beach. In the first century in Israel, the most impressive building that anyone had seen was the Temple in Jerusalem. King Herod the Great had worked to expand upon the Temple over a number of years and make it a regional wonder. Fancy stones, large structures, and gold coating all made the Jewish Temple a sight to behold. In fact, the Temple even sat up on top of a giant manmade platform (called the Temple Mount) to make it even more impressive. The Temple area would have been a source of great national and religious pride for Jewish people in Jesus’ day. However, Jesus knew that this building was short lived. In Mark 13:1-2, Jesus prophesied that the Temple would be torn down . . . something that would happen less than 40 years later when the Romans would destroy the Temple area under the direction of General Titus. As Jesus spoke of the Temple building, He wanted to point His disciples eyes away from human pride (that would be torn down and fade) and toward the spiritual Temple God was going to build through Jesus that would never fall.
Question of the Day: What are some things in this world that we want to trust in (our strength, our intellect, our money, our job, etc.)? Do you see evidence that (like the physical Temple in Jerusalem) these things might one day be “torn down”?