In John 2, Jesus cleans out the Temple. And when he’s questioned,
he says, “Destroy this Temple and I will raise it up in three days.” And the disciples
later realize that he’s talking about his body. But if we are the Body of
Christ, if we are the Temple, how might Jesus want to clean us out? Are we a “house
of prayer” or are we something else? Think about that as you read these
passages.
From the Torah: Leviticus 16:1-34
From
the Former Prophets: 2 Kings 5:1-19
From
the Latter Prophets: Isaiah 4:2-6
From
the Books of Wisdom and Poetry: Psalm
51:1-19
From
the Late Books: 2
Chronicles 7:1-10
From
the Gospels: John
2:13-25
From the Epistles: Hebrews 10:1-18
From the Torah
The Lord spoke to Moses after the death
of the two sons of Aaron who died when they approached the Lord. The Lord said to Moses: “Tell your
brother Aaron that he is not to come whenever he chooses into the Most Holy Place behind the curtain in front of the atonement cover on the ark, or else he will
die. For I will appear in the cloud over the atonement cover.
“This is
how Aaron is to enter the Most Holy Place: He must first bring a young bull for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering. He is
to put on the sacred linen tunic, with linen undergarments next
to his body; he is to tie the linen sash around him and put on the linen turban. These are sacred garments; so he must bathe himself with
water before he puts them on. From
the Israelite community he is to take two male goats for a sin offering and a ram
for a burnt offering.
“Aaron
is to offer the bull for his own sin offering to make atonement for himself and
his household. Then he is to take the two goats and present them before the Lord at the entrance to the tent of
meeting. He is to cast lots for the two goats—one lot for the Lord and the other for the scapegoat. Aaron
shall bring the goat whose lot falls to the Lord and sacrifice it for a sin
offering. But the goat chosen by lot as the scapegoat shall be presented
alive before the Lord to be used for making atonement by sending it into the
wilderness as a scapegoat.
“Aaron
shall bring the bull for his own sin offering to make atonement for himself and
his household, and he is to slaughter the bull for his own sin offering. He is
to take a censer full of burning coals from the altar before the Lord and two handfuls of finely
ground fragrant incense and take them behind the curtain. He is
to put the incense on the fire before the Lord, and
the smoke of the incense will conceal the atonement cover above the tablets of
the covenant law, so that he will not die. He is
to take some of the bull’s blood and with his finger sprinkle it
on the front of the atonement cover; then he shall sprinkle some of it with his
finger seven times before the atonement cover.
“He
shall then slaughter the goat for the sin offering for the people and take its blood behind the
curtain and do with it as he did with the bull’s blood: He shall sprinkle it on the atonement cover and
in front of it. In this way he will make atonement for the Most Holy Place because of the uncleanness and
rebellion of the Israelites, whatever their sins have been. He is to do the
same for the tent of meeting, which is among them in the midst of their uncleanness. No one
is to be in the tent of meeting from the time Aaron goes in to make atonement
in the Most Holy Place until he comes out, having made atonement for himself,
his household and the whole community of Israel.
“Then
he shall come out to the altar that is before the Lord and make atonement for it. He
shall take some of the bull’s blood and some of the goat’s blood and put it on
all the horns of the altar. He shall sprinkle some of the blood on it with his finger seven
times to cleanse it and to consecrate it from the uncleanness of the Israelites.
“When
Aaron has finished making atonement for the Most Holy Place, the tent of
meeting and the altar, he shall bring forward the live goat.He is to lay both hands on the head of the live goat and confess over it all the wickedness and
rebellion of the Israelites—all their sins—and put them on the goat’s head. He
shall send the goat away into the wilderness in the care of someone appointed
for the task. The goat will carry on itself all their sins to a remote place; and the man
shall release it in the wilderness.
“Then
Aaron is to go into the tent of meeting and take off the linen garments he put on before he entered the
Most Holy Place, and he is to leave them there. He
shall bathe himself with water in the sanctuary area and put on his regular garments. Then he shall come out and
sacrifice the burnt offering for himself and the burnt offering for the people, to make atonement for himself
and for the people. He shall also burn the fat of the sin offering on the altar.
“The
man who releases the goat as a scapegoat must wash his clothes and bathe
himself with water; afterward he may come into the camp.The bull and the goat for
the sin offerings, whose blood was brought into the Most Holy Place to make
atonement, must be taken outside the camp; their hides, flesh and
intestines are to be burned up. The man
who burns them must wash his clothes and bathe himself with water; afterward he
may come into the camp.
“This
is to be a lasting ordinance for you: On the tenth day of the seventh month you must deny yourselves and not do any work—whether
native-born or a foreigner residing among you— because
on this day atonement will be made for you, to cleanse you. Then,
before the Lord, you
will be clean from all your sins. It is a
day of sabbath rest, and you must deny yourselves; it is a lasting ordinance. The
priest who is anointed and ordained to succeed his father as high
priest is to make atonement. He is to put on the sacred linen garments and
make atonement for the Most Holy Place, for the tent of meeting and the altar,
and for the priests and all the members of the community.
“This
is to be a lasting ordinance for you: Atonement is to be made once a year for all the sins of the
Israelites.”
And it was done, as the Lord commanded Moses.
Leviticus 16:1-34
From the Former Prophets
Now Naaman was commander of the army of the king of Aram. He was a great man in the sight
of his master and highly regarded, because through him the Lord had given victory to Aram. He
was a valiant soldier, but he had leprosy.
Now
bands of raiders from Aram had gone out and had taken captive a young girl from
Israel, and she served Naaman’s wife. She
said to her mistress, “If only my master would see the prophet who is in Samaria! He would
cure him of his leprosy.”
Naaman
went to his master and told him what the girl from Israel had said. “By all
means, go,” the king of Aram replied. “I will send a letter to the king of
Israel.” So Naaman left, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold and ten sets of
clothing. The letter that he took to the king of Israel read: “With this
letter I am sending my servant Naaman to you so that you may cure him of his
leprosy.”
As soon
as the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his robes and said, “Am
I God? Can I kill and bring back to life? Why does this fellow send
someone to me to be cured of his leprosy? See how he is trying to pick a quarrel with me!”
When
Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his robes, he sent
him this message: “Why have you torn your robes? Have the man come to me and he
will know that there is a prophet in Israel.”So Naaman went with his horses and chariots and stopped at the
door of Elisha’s house. Elisha sent a messenger to say to him, “Go, washyourself seven
times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be
cleansed.”
But
Naaman went away angry and said, “I thought that he would surely come out to me
and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my
leprosy. Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all
the waters of Israel? Couldn’t I wash in them and be cleansed?” So he turned
and went off in a rage.
Naaman’s
servants went to him and said, “My father, if the prophet had told you to
do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he
tells you, ‘Wash and be cleansed’!” So he
went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, as the man of God had told him,
and his flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young boy.
Then
Naaman and all his attendants went back to the man of God. He stood before him
and said, “Now I know that there is no God in all the world except in Israel. So please
accept a gift from your servant.”
The
prophet answered, “As surely as the Lord lives, whom I serve, I will not
accept a thing.” And even though Naaman urged him, he refused.
“If you
will not,” said Naaman, “please let me, your servant, be given as much earth as a pair of mules can carry,
for your servant will never again make burnt offerings and sacrifices to any
other god but the Lord.But may the Lord forgive your servant for this
one thing: When my master enters the temple of Rimmon to bow down and he is
leaning on my arm and I have to bow there also—when I bow down in the
temple of Rimmon, may the Lord forgive your servant for this.”
“Go in
peace,” Elisha said.
2
Kings 5:1-19
From the Latter Prophets
In that day the Branch of the Lord will be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the land will be the pride and glory of the survivors in Israel. Those who are
left in Zion, who
remain in Jerusalem, will be called holy, all who are recorded among the living in Jerusalem. The Lord will wash away the filth of the women of Zion; he will cleanse the bloodstains from Jerusalem by a spirit of judgment and a
spirit of fire. Then the Lord will create over
all of Mount Zion and
over those who assemble there a cloud of smoke by day and a glow of flaming
fire by night; over
everything the glory will be
a canopy. It will be a shelter and shade from the heat of the day, and a refuge and hiding place from the storm and rain.
Isaiah 4:2-6
From the
Books of Wisdom and Poetry
For the director of music.
A psalm of David. When the prophet Nathan came to him after David had committed
adultery with Bathsheba.
Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your unfailing
love;
according to your great compassion
blot out my
transgressions.
Wash away all my iniquity
and cleanse me from my
sin.
For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is always before
me.
Against you, you only, have I sinned
and done what is evil in your
sight;
so you are right in your verdict
and justified when you
judge.
Surely I was sinful at birth,
sinful from the time my
mother conceived me.
Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb;
you taught me wisdom in
that secret place.
Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
wash me, and I will be
whiter than snow.
Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones you have
crushed rejoice.
Hide your face from my sins
and blot out all my
iniquity.
Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast
spirit within me.
Do not cast me from your presence
or take your Holy Spirit from
me.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation
and grant me a willing
spirit, to sustain me.
Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
so that sinners will
turn back to you.
Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God,
you who are God my Savior,
and my tongue will sing of
your righteousness.
Open my lips, Lord,
and my mouth will declare
your praise.
You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it;
you do not take pleasure in
burnt offerings.
My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart
you, God, will not despise.
May it please you to prosper Zion,
to build up the walls of
Jerusalem.
Then you will delight in the sacrifices of the righteous,
in burnt offerings offered
whole;
then bulls will be
offered on your altar.
Psalm
51:1-19
From the Late Books
When Solomon finished praying, fire came down from heaven and
consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the Lord filled the temple. The
priests could not enter the temple of the Lord because
the glory of the Lord filled it. When
all the Israelites saw the fire coming down and the glory of the Lord above the temple, they knelt on
the pavement with their faces to the ground, and they worshiped and gave thanks
to the Lord,
saying,
“He is good;
his love endures forever.”
Then the king and all the people offered
sacrifices before the Lord. And
King Solomon offered a sacrifice of twenty-two thousand head of cattle and a
hundred and twenty thousand sheep and goats. So the king and all the people
dedicated the temple of God. The
priests took their positions, as did the Levites with the Lord’s
musical instruments, which King David had made for praising the Lord and which were used when he
gave thanks, saying, “His love endures forever.” Opposite the Levites, the
priests blew their trumpets, and all the Israelites were standing.
Solomon
consecrated the middle part of the courtyard in front of the temple of the Lord, and
there he offered burnt offerings and the fat of the fellowship offerings,
because the bronze altar he had made could not hold the burnt offerings, the
grain offerings and the fat portions.
So
Solomon observed the festival at that time for seven days, and all Israel with him—a vast assembly,
people from Lebo Hamath to the Wadi of Egypt. On the
eighth day they held an assembly, for they had celebrated the dedication of the altar for
seven days and the festival for seven days more. On the
twenty-third day of the seventh month he sent the people to their homes, joyful
and glad in heart for the good things the Lord had done for David and Solomon
and for his people Israel.
2
Chronicles 7:1-10
From
the Gospels
When it
was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the
temple courts he found people selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables
exchanging money. So he made a whip out of cords, and drove
all from the temple courts, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of
the money changers and overturned their tables. To
those who sold doves he said, “Get these out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a market!” His
disciples remembered that it is written: “Zeal for your house will consume me.”
The Jews then responded to him, “What
sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?”
Jesus
answered them, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.”
They
replied, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going
to raise it in three days?” But the
temple he had spoken of was his body. After
he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said. Then they believed the scripture and the words that Jesus had
spoken.
Now
while he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Festival, many people saw the signs he was performing and believed in his name. But
Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all people. He did
not need any testimony about mankind, for he knew what was in each
person.
John
2:13-25
From the
Epistles
The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming—not the
realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated
endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship. Otherwise,
would they not have stopped being offered? For the worshipers would have been
cleansed once for all, and would no longer have felt guilty for their sins. But
those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins. It is
impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.
Therefore,
when Christ came into the world, he said:
“Sacrifice and offering you did not desire,
but a body you prepared for me;
with burnt offerings and sin offerings
you were not pleased.
Then I said, ‘Here I am—it is written about me in the scroll—
I have come to do your will, my God.’”
First he said, “Sacrifices and offerings,
burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with
them”—though they were offered in accordance with the law. Then he
said, “Here I am, I have come to do your will.” He sets aside the first to
establish the second.And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the
body of Jesus Christ once for all.
Day
after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and
again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But
when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand
of God, and since that time he waits for his
enemies to be made his footstool. For by
one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being
made holy.
The
Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this. First he says:
“This is the covenant I will make with them
after that time, says the Lord.
I
will put my laws in their hearts,
and I will write them on their minds.”
Then he adds:
“Their sins and lawless acts
I will remember no more.”
And where these have been forgiven,
sacrifice for sin is no longer necessary.
Hebrews
10:1-18
_-_James_Tissot.jpg){kind=link}