Teaching & Comments by Father Martyn

Meaning of the Temple

Because the Jewish Temple is 2000-year-old ruin, we lack an appreciation that it was centre of Jewish faith and identity. When the Emperor Vespasian and his son Titus suppressed a revolt of the Jews, they did a thorough job. Titus utterly destroyed the Temple in 70 AD except for its massive foundation, which is now known as the Wailing Wall, where Jews still go to pray and lament the loss of the Temple. So devastating was a loss that the Pharisees had to create new ways of being Jewish, which is now called Rabbinic Judaism. The centre of Jewish spirituality shifted to observing the Law of Moses – the Torah.

In the time of Jesus, the Temple was the centre of Jewish life. Under the direction of the High Priestly families, 7,500 village priests led the worship of the Temple. Twice a year a priestly clan would come for five days duty at the Temple. Lay people would also come to form the official “Congregation of Israel”. Apart from the official twice-daily sacrifices to cover the sins of Israel there were a continuous stream of personal sacrifices and offerings. So great was the stream of pilgrims that the life of the city and the surrounding district was geared to serve the Temple. The Temple was huge and was continually being enlarged and rebuilt by King Herod and was considered a wonder of the ancient world.

This is the context of today’s Gospel reading as two ordinary people, Mary and Joseph, come to the Temple to present their Child: just two poor people amongst a vast concourse of people in a huge complex. Yet something was different! The Child being presented is the new Temple. This is revealed to Simeon, an old priest in semi-retirement – he sees in a tiny child a new beginning for his nation and for the people of the world.

The adult Jesus indeed declared that he was the new Temple and uttered the words, “Destroy this Temple (meaning his body) and three days I will rebuild it”. Treasonous words, for to say such a thing meant the end of the nation, this was used against him in trial. Yet his words were misrepresented, he rightly predicted that they, not he, would destroy the Temple (of his body). In AD 70, the revolt led by the young clergy against Rome did end the Temple. For us, Christ our Temple did rise in three days and it is his life and being that is the centre of our worship today.