"What Remains"
Nov. 15, 2018
And as He came out of the temple, one of His disciples said to Him, "Look, Teacher, what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings!" And Jesus said to him, "Do you see these great buildings? There will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down."
~ Mark 13:1-2 (ESV)
These are the words that Jesus said to His disciples after they had been in the temple. Now the temple was a great and beautiful building. King Herod the Great had spent many years remodeling the one the Jews first built when they returned from exile, and the result was truly breathtaking. There was marble; there was gold; there were huge blocks of limestone weighing between 28 and 100 tons. And after 46 years, the job wasn't even finished yet!
No wonder the disciples were impressed. And what a shock it must have been for them to hear Jesus say shortly: "There will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down."
How terrible! How terrifying! Of course, the disciples wanted to know how this could happen, and when and why and what. Such a disaster was beyond imagination. But Jesus told them, and His words came true in AD 70, when the Roman armies besieging Jerusalem tore down the temple, leaving no stone upon another. Today nothing is left but a foundation support wall, which was never part of the temple and was created to shore up the mountain the temple was built on. It is known as the Western Wall or "Wailing Wall."
The temple was a source of national pride. It was also a source of security. Anyone who was worried could look at it and think, "God is with us. God is with us. His house is right in the middle of us. God must be on our side." People put their trust in the temple, and they had that trust destroyed when the temple itself was destroyed.
Of course, we have things like the temple in our own lives -- things that are long-lasting and beautiful. Or maybe it's something that gives us so much security we feel it will never give way. It's easy to put our trust in such things. As a nation we trust in our laws, in our customs, in our traditions, in our way of life. Surely, these couldn't be taken from us? And what about our families? Surely, they will always be there for us. Surely.
But soon we realize the things we trust in are no stronger or safer than the glorious temple of Jesus' day. Nothing lasts forever -- nothing but the Lord. Nothing is strong enough to trust with all our hearts -- except the Lord.
He is the One who will last forever. He is our help and salvation. He is the One who said through the prophet Malachi, "For I the Lord do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed" (Malachi 3:6). And elsewhere, Jesus said in Mark 12: "The stone that the builders rejected has become the Cornerstone; this was the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes" (Mark 12:10-11).
He is the One who is our refuge, the One who has given His own life to bring us into His safety. Jesus will never fail us.
THE PRAYER: Lord, help me to trust in You above all things. Amen.
This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Kari Vo. Use these devotions in your newsletter and bulletin! Used by permission; all rights reserved by the Int'l LLL (LHM).
These are the words that Jesus said to His disciples after they had been in the temple.
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