Matthew 24:1-2

Matthew 24:1-2

And after Jesus left from the temple, He was going out.  And His disciples drew near to show Him the buildings of the temple.  And the one who answered said to them, “Do you not see all of these?  Amen, I say to you all, a stone upon a stone should surely not be left here that will not be torn down.”

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

I must admit that I am amused as I read through this passage.  The disciples gather around Jesus to show him the places around the temple.  As if the Son of God doesn’t know what the Father’s house and the surrounding area would look like!  On this level, this act seems so silly – as if the disciples are completely focused on the wrong thing.  And while they might be focused on the wrong thing, I also believe there is another perspective that is worth considering.  Many of the disciples were simple men from Galilee.  This may have been their first time in Jerusalem.  In fact, because of the presence of the Lord, it might even have been the first time that they felt brave enough to come to Jerusalem.  I believe the disciples are gathering around Jesus not to show Jesus their surroundings but because of their own amazement at their surroundings.  They are impressed with everything that they see and they want to share their amazement with Jesus.  In this light, this actually shows us an endearing moment of discipleship.  The disciples want to share their experience with their spiritual mentor.  That shows a good and strong relationship of love.

With whom do you share experiences?  When you encounter something new spiritually, with whom do you share it?

Second Thought:

However, Jesus turns this into a teaching moment.  This is a good sign of discipleship, too.  Jesus is always looking to teach His disciples.  Since they are excited about what they are seeing, Jesus takes the moment to build upon that excitement.  This is a good spiritual mentor.  A good spiritual mentor is always looking for taking the experiences that the disciple brings to him and helping the experience grow in depth or breadth – and sometimes even both.

Have you ever experienced a situation where someone showed you more in a situation of interest than you expected?  How does that feel?  Why is this an important skill to learn?

Third Thought:

Finally, Jesus teaches the disciples that the temple will be torn down.  Jesus takes their amazement at the beauty and magnificence and turns it on its head.  He tells them of a time when the whole of the temple will be destroyed.  Of course, we know that the Romans accomplish this feat less than a half of a century after Jesus says these words.  And the temple mount stayed largely unrestored for the next two millennia.  Jesus is playing the role of the prophet in this passage.  But He is also making a point in discipleship.  It is easy to be amazed at the accomplishments of human civilization.  There are many opportunities for us to bask in our own greatness.  But the reality is that nothing that human beings ever build will last forever.  If we allow ourselves to become too impressed with the human achievement around us, we will suddenly find ourselves focusing on the wrong thing.  That’s Jesus point to the disciples.  Yes, the temple area was beautiful and amazing.  But it is not eternal.  It compares in no way to the eternal things of God.

Passage for Tomorrow: Matthew 24:3-8