Imagine
By JOE MILLER JR.

Joe Miller

J u s t i m a g i n e that you had lived in Newton all of your life, and you were taken to New York City in the heart of the Manhattan financial district. What a culture shock that would be for anyone.

Can you imagine a place so congested that you would be afraid to even drive a car? The "big" courthouse has three stories, and you find yourself in a skyscraper that is so tall that it sways in the wind. The culture shock for the disciples had to be as great.

They came from Galilee, a rural area in the northern part of Israel, far removed from the big city of Jerusalem. Jerusalem must have appeared to them as the Emerald City did to Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz.

The Temple was the biggest and grandest structure of any temple in the ancient world, including the pagan temples in Rome. Stones have been excavated from the outer wall that weigh a million pounds. The outer wall of the temple surrounded an area with a circumference of a mile and had room for 10 football fields. The sanctuary was also elaborately appointed inside. It short; it was awesome to behold.

We can sympathize with the unknown disciple that commented on the temple grandeur; yet, his excitement illustrates that the disciples are still clueless regarding the mission that Jesus has undertaken.

These earthly things, built by man, are alien to the message that Jesus has been trying to teach them. From this scripture many people develop a prejudice against Judaism. They internalize the criticism of the temple that Jesus makes. He turns over the money changers' tables, calls them a bunch of brigands, lambastes the scribes in their long robes, notes the widow who is the generous giver, and finally calls for the destruction of the temple.

The religious system of the day was truly corrupt. However, the gospel is miraculous in that it is just as valid today as it was then.

What would Jesus say about our religious system today? Sure, we are Christians and the church was instituted by Christ and is constituted by the Holy Spirit. But, are we so pure in our worship of God, or have we placed our trust in the manmade structures of our culture?

The building in which we meet is not the church. We are the church. The word church comes from the Greek that means the assembly that is called together by God. The building in which we meet is manmade, but we are called by God. It is tempting to become so nostalgic about the building in which our parents and grandparents worshipped that we come to adore the building rather than God.

Hence, when the carpet wears out and needs to be replaced, we conflict over what color the new one should be. Have our church buildings become idols? "Not one stone will be left here upon another; all will be thrown down." Worship God not buildings! Email me at HYPERLINK "mailto:newtonumc@ valornet.com" newtonumc@ valornet.com with your thoughts.