“Jesus also embodied the sacred structures and institutions that defined Judaism: Temple worship, Sabbath, Passover, and Torah. Pause for a moment and let that sink in. He is not merely the embodiment of Israel’ heroes; he is the fulfillment of all their elements of worship. . . . This would be a hilarious skit on SNL if Jesus hadn’t declared it with divine authority and backed it up with his own death and resurrection.:- Kyle Idleman and Mark E. Moore
Then [Jesus] said to [the Pharisees], “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”: Mark 2:27 [NIV]
Kyle Idleman and Mark E. Moore continue Chapter 7 of The Missing Messiah with the second stunning surprise about the Messiah Jesus.
Surprise #2: Messiah Jesus embodies the symbols of Judaism. God’s people regarded the sacred Temple as the center of God’s presence on earth. In addition, the Temple — site for the annual pilgrimage served as the symbolic hub of God’s people. Above all, in Jesus’ day, anyone who threatened the Temple faced:
- a beating.
- possible execution.
- being labeled as an enemy of the state.
Most significantly, during the Feast of Atonement, the high priest sprinkled blood on the lid of the Ark of the Covenant — aka the mercy seat. And that same word, translated into Greek, is used in Romans 3:25 to describe Jesus.
After Jesus rose from the dead, His followers, the church, became the body of Christ. Furthermore, when the apostle Paul described the church as the temple, he used the word for temple proper. Thus, Paul referred particularly to the Holy of Holies. Rather than the entire temple complex. Hence, the people of the Messiah = the place where God dwells on earth.
Today’s question: How do you respond to people who view the Christian faith as a big joke, a hilarious skit on SNL? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “Focused upward, not inward”