Some of his disciples began talking about the majestic stonework of the Temple and the memorial decorations on the walls. But Jesus said, “The time is coming when all these things will be completely demolished. Not one stone will be left on top of another!” – Luke 21:5-6 (NLT)
Prior to the fire that nearly destroyed it back in 2019, I had the privilege of visiting the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris several years earlier. Aside from the wonderment of being in a place that held so much historical significance, I remember being awestruck at the gothic architecture that dated back to the 1100’s. The flying buttresses, clerestory windows, stained-glass, painted artworks and gothic sculptures… even the very Crown of Thorns that were placed on Jesus’ head during his crucifixion were believed to have been safely kept there (at least according to many historians). It was more than merely impressionable. The place held a certain majesty about it.
And yet God reminds us that these places are but temporary constructs of man that will never endure.
That day when the disciples felt a similar sense of wonderment and awe as they admired the stonework of the temple and the many memorials on its walls, Jesus reminded them that the day was coming when it too would perish. Unlike his disciples, Jesus wasn’t moved by the majesty of the temple. He was moved by something much more precious and symbolic that had gone completely unnoticed by them while they were inside.
Just a few verses earlier in the beginning of chapter 21, Luke says, “While Jesus was in the Temple, he watched the rich people dropping their gifts in the collection box. Then a poor widow came by and dropped in two small coins. “I tell you the truth,” Jesus said, “this poor widow has given more than all the rest of them. For they have given a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she has” (Vv.1-4).
Imagine Jesus’ frustration just minutes later as his own disciples had thought so little of this poor woman’s act of true sacrificial worship, but instead were completely awestruck by something far more meaningless; a structure that Jesus reminded them would be totally demolished.
Aren’t there times when we, like the disciples, become so distracted by outward aesthetics that we completely overlook the most important things? It’s as though we forget what the Lord told Samuel that day as Jesse paraded his sons before him in hopes of identifying a replacement for King Saul.
But the Lord said to Samuel, “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” – 1 Samuel 16:7
As we enter into Holy Week and work our way to Resurrection Sunday in the coming days, let us begin removing all of the superficial fluff in our lives that we tend to spend much of our time thinking about. Let us make room in our hearts for the one and only thing that lasts forever, that should leave the greatest lasting impression with us: God’s love.
Former Blackout Artist 