Jerusalem Temple 

A temple is not made of brick and mortar but the faith of its people. It is a social gathering of sincere worshipers who express faith in the Father. It is a place one adorns with beauty, like that found in nature. If it loses its true purpose, it will once again become merely brick and mortar.

The magnificent temple in Jerusalem functioned as a political tool. The religious guardians refused a message of peace and were ultimately instrumental in putting Jesus to death. The temple was reduced to rubble forty years later.

Jerusalem is a walled city, and one of its most prominent structures is the temple, called Herod’s Temple due to his refurbishment. An artistic gate made of Corinthian bronze, the "Gate Beautiful," is located on the east side of the temple, facing the Court of the Gentiles. Structurally, the temple consists of a precinct and an edifice.

The precinct includes the Court of the Gentiles, Court of the Women, Court of the Israelites (which was reserved for ritually pure Jewish men), Court of the Priests, and the Temple Court with the Brazen Laver containing a large bronze basin of water just outside the Tabernacle, the Altar of Burnt Offerings, the Altar used for Slaughtering, and the temple building itself.

The temple edifice has three distinct chambers: the vestibule or porch, the sanctuary as the main part of the building, and the Holy of Holies, the innermost chamber holding the blessed bread and the Ark of the Covenant with the Ten Commandments given by God to Moses. Only the high priest and the order of Nazarites, to which John the Baptist belonged, could enter the Holy of Holies.

The temple was the place where offerings, as described by Moses, were carried out, including daily morning and afternoon offerings and special gifts on the Sabbath and Jewish holidays. As part of the daily offering, a prayer service was performed and is still recited to this day. In addition to the sacrifices, the temple was considered a special place for prayer to God.

The existence of a centralized temple kept alive the concept of a single God and provided fertile possibilities for such people to proclaim a God of all nations and a Father of all mortals, making the selection of the incarnation of the Son of God to the Jewish people a top choice.

Jesus was born while Joseph and Mary were away from Nazareth for the census. They went to the temple in nearby Jerusalem to present Jesus to the priests to perform the ceremony to effect Jesus’ redemption and to make the proper sacrifice required for Mary’s purification, to be 'cleansed' after giving birth. When it was Jesus’ turn, the priest Zacharias signaled Simeon, a singer, and Anna, a poetess, and they proclaimed this special birth with their song that is known today as Mary’s Magnificat. Zacharias was the father of John, who became the Baptist and herald of Jesus.

Jesus, during his thirteenth year and a graduate of the synagogue schools, attended his first Passover, which fell this year on Saturday, April 9, 7 CE. Joseph had enthusiastically told stories to Jesus of the wonder of the temple, of its great beauty and grandeur, and when Jesus finally looked over the brink of Mount Olivet and gazed upon the Holy City, the inspiring temple profoundly affected him.

The ideal dream of the majestic temple exceeded his expectations from the outside, but once Jesus entered within, a great disillusionment began. His mother was not able to attend his special ceremony of becoming consecrated as a citizen of Israel, like one initiated as an adult in the church at Confirmation. The temple throngs were disrespectful, and prostitutes were readily available. The actual meaning of the ceremony shocked Jesus, being contrary to the God he knew; Passover was based on doors stained with blood to ‘pass over’ and to not kill those inhabitants. The mass slaughter of animals by priests splattered in blood washing their red-stained hands made Jesus ill, and he was ready to go home.

Jesus enjoyed the temple discussions and became so engaged that he forgot to depart. When found by his parents, Jesus again paused on the brow of Olivet and vowed to release his people from their bondage to tradition and to cleanse the defiled temple. Through the years, Jesus’ love for the Jewish people deepened, but his resentment of the politically appointed priests in control of his Father’s temple grew.

Throughout Jesus’ public ministry, he and his apostles would teach in the temple, sometimes daily. At Passover, the size of the crowds necessitated the apostles to teach outside the sacred precincts. When the Sanhedrin pushed to have Jesus arrested, Jesus would boldly defy them. Their next move was to close all temples to Jesus, an unprecedented and unfair tactic. When Jesus put their main profit center out of business, removing the money changers from the entrance of the temple, Jesus signed his death warrant, and the heads of the temple orchestrated his death.

After Jesus was crucified, the inconceivable happened. The temple was laid to waste, leaving huge stone upon huge stone. It was assumed to be the end of the world, but it only shed light on a new paradigm. Jesus and his Spirit of Truth continued building a spiritual temple of faith, uniting believers in divine sonship as an enduring and transformative testament to God’s love.