The Temptation of the Temple
5 min. read– client resource
Hi, my name is Jasmine, & I’m a Pharisee.
No… none of my closest friends call me “Rabbi”.
No…I don’t tithe mint, dill or cumin to my local church.
No…I don’t even wear prayer-boxes on my forehead and arms.
So…what do I mean? This is the first of a two-part series that I have written for my fellow Pharisee, and for myself. By “Pharisee”, I mean less of an official, technical definition, and more of who Jesus revealed them to be. Who did Jesus say the Pharisees were?
One of the most prominent passages pertaining to the Pharisees is Matthew 23. Jesus criticized the Pharisees & the teachers of the law on several points. He mentions that they force heavy burdens (e.g. the law) on the Israelites yet do nothing to help bear the commandments’ weight (v. 4). Jesus also draws attention to their obsessive focus on personal reputation and maintaining the seat of honor (v. 23-24). Instead of drawing individuals closer to God, Jesus accuses them of drawing them further away (v. 5-7). They split hairs regarding oaths over the temple and are excessively fastidious on tithing herbs, all while failing to follow the commands of love to one’s neighbor (v. 23-24). Comparing them to whitewashed tombs, Jesus proclaims how inside “they are full of the bones of the dead” (v. 27-28). Even more so, they have the audacity to spout judgement against the sins of others, revealing they are wholly oblivious to their own sin (v. 29-36).
Nevertheless, what I noticed most while reading through Matthew 23 and its surrounding passages was the repetition of the word–and theme –of “temple”. Most of Jesus’ interactions are within the Temple of Jerusalem. There are also subtle reminders within the text that allude to the temple– repeated references to “stoning” and a crucial comparison that Jesus makes to himself being the “cornerstone”:
“‘The stone the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;
the Lord has done this,
and it is marvelous in our eyes’?”
-Matt 21:42
When Jesus compares himself to the cornerstone, he is doing this intentionally. The cornerstone is part of the foundation of a building. He wants the teachers of the law and the Pharisees to know that in their veneration of the Temple, they have missed Who the Temple was built upon. For, “something greater than the temple is here” (Matthew 12:6).
In short, the Pharisees do not have the right priorities. They are people-pleasers, self-righteous, making-mountains-out-of-molehill-type people, neglectful of God’s command to love, & hypocrites. Even more so, they have made much of the Temple and made little of Jesus.
Friend, do you have the same tendencies?
What temple are you tempted to make much of?
Your answers need not drive you to sorrow or condemnation, for “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance” (Luke 5:31) If you are a sinner, you’re in good company. There are other siblings in Christ who struggle just as you do. Even more so, there is true, lasting hope in Christ!