When Your Temple Is Destroyed

In Matthew 17 a man brought Jesus his son who was demon possessed and asked him to heal him because the disciples weren’t able to do it.

Matthew says that Jesus then looked at the disciples and called them an “unbelieving and perverse generation” and asked “how long shall I stay with you, how long must I put up with you?” 

Yikes.

He then healed the boy and told the disciples that they couldn’t do it because they didn’t have enough faith and that if they would have just a small amount of faith (like a mustard seed) they could pretty much do anything.

Usually we look at this story as a lesson on faith and announce that if we have faith even as small as a mustard seed, nothing will get in our way.  

Nothing can stop us.

Nothing can get in our way.

No mountain is too big.

No obstacle too large.

It’s typically used as a rally cry to bolster our confidence and faith and encourage us to press on amidst hard times.

All true and good things, I suppose.

But I wonder what the Jewish Christians (that Matthew was writing to) who were living at Antioch in the wake of the destruction of the temple ... I wonder how they would have read these words and this story in Matthew’s Gospel?

Because, remember - the early church wasn’t really so much interested in questions like “did this really happen?” or “did Jesus really say this?” or “did Jesus really do this?”, but “what do these words mean?” and “what does this story mean for us?”

SO.

Maybe they looked at this story and thought …

“Hm.”

... Maybe they said ...

“The disciples didn’t know that Jesus would be with them forever, but we do.  

Right, guys?  

Jesus said to them, ‘you unbelieving and perverse generation, how long shall I stay with you?’  

Maybe they thought he would leave them at some point.  

Maybe they thought he would get fed up with them and their lack of faith and go somewhere else.  

BUT.

We have the ability to look back on this story and know that he’ll always be with us.  He was crucified and he rose again!  And so even though our faith has taken a hit as a result of the temple being destroyed and even though we often wonder where God is and what’s next  and even though we often struggle to come to grips with all that’s happened ... we can always be certain and remember that he is here and that our faith in and and trust in that will help us climb this mountain of change that we’re faced with.”

I wonder what temple has been destroyed in your life recently?  

Remember, for the Jews the temple was everything - it was the very place, they believed, where God dwelled, it was the center of the universe for them.  It was a gathering place for families and communities, it was a place where memories were made and paths were forged for future generations.  And so its destruction literally rocked their world.

What has rocked your world recently?

A death?

An illness?

A loss?

Something unexpected?  

Has the center of your universe been knocked off kilter?

May you know today that Christ shall always be with you, he shall always put up with you, and he’s not going anywhere.  

Not now.

Not ever.

The mountain ahead of you may be trying and big and frightening and looming large and there may have been moments over the last week or month or even year where you (like those disciples) haven’t been able to overcome the demons that feel to be lurking around it, but today I pray that your mustard seed of faith in the presence of the Spirit of Christ empowers you to keep climbing.

Much love,