Judica

The temple is the place where God ordained that sacrifices would be made. For without the shedding of blood, there can be no forgiveness of sins. At this time of the year, the Jewish nation was preparing for Passover. One lamb per household would be slaughtered and its blood placed upon the doorposts of their homes. Scholars estimate the city of Jerusalem alone required 10,000 lambs. Historians record that the stream at the base of the temple mount ran red with blood for days after the Passover sacrifices were made. But the blood of 10,000 lambs offered once a year was still not enough to wash away our sins. These sacrifices were a sign pointing to the one great sacrifice made once for all time: the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

In John chapter 8 we find Jesus in a heated argument with the religious leaders. The Pharisees, the scribes, and the priests claim to speak for God. The Pharisees hold religious authority over the people. The scribes interpret sacred Scripture. The priests offer the sacrifices necessary to remove sin. Together all these groups claim to be the representatives of God on earth, speaking with His authority and by His command. But when God appears in human flesh, they call Jesus a demon. “Do we not say rightly that You are a Samaritan and have a demon?” (Jn 8:48).

The leaders have all the earthly authority and power. They have the beautiful temple. They have the loyalty of the vast majority of God’s people. They have the money, the membership, and the weight of long-established tradition. But what value are these things to the church if we have no room for Jesus. When God appears in the His own temple, in the one place on earth He has chosen for His own dwelling, the religious leaders call the Holy God a demon. They take up stones to kill Jesus, their Lord and Creator. And so, Jesus hides Himself and walks out of that temple, never to return. The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world will offer Himself as the great sacrifice, but the sacrifice will not be made in the temple, where it ought to be done. Instead, Jesus will suffer and die outside the camp, outside the holy city.

As Jesus walks out of the beautiful temple built on mount Zion, it is the very moment that this building ceases to be the temple of God. It is the moment in which the false religion of Judaism is born. It is the moment in which the establishment church ceases to be God’s church at all and becomes the synagogue of Satan. And now the people of God are left with a choice: either to follow their rejected Savior out of the temple, or to remain behind, clinging to a dead tradition. Where Jesus is, there is forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation. Where Jesus is not, there is nothing but the husk of an empty religion that cannot save and cannot offer any true comfort.

Make no mistake here. This is not about the Jews who lived during the earthly ministry of Jesus. For good or for ill, their fate has already been sealed. But the same wicked spirit that would reject Jesus, driving Him out of His own temple, is still present in this world. The devil was at work at that time. He was at work during the days of the Reformation, persecuting those who sought to restore and preserve the true teachings of Christ. And he is at work today, regardless of the name or affiliation a congregation carries. Every Christian feels the pull of the world, the sinful nature, and the devil. Pastors are tempted to prioritize numerical growth over faithfulness. The members of the congregation naturally prefer a message that feels good over the truth. Contending for the faith can be painful and lonely work. No one enjoys being hated, and yet, Jesus said, “Unless you pick up your cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:27).

Cultural Christianity will tell you that you can have your cake and eat it too, that you can serve Christ and also court the love of this world. But that is a lie. Those who chase after the world’s approval cannot also hold on to Jesus. Our Lord Himself tells us, “You cannot serve two masters. You will hate one or love the other” (Mt 6:24). When Christians choose to hold on to something other than Jesus and His Word, they soon find that no matter how beautiful their temple may be, Jesus has departed from it. In some churches, no one has seen or heard Jesus in many years.

Could this happen to us here at St. Paul? Yes, it could, and so we must be vigilant. How easily the Church of Christ can turn away from her Savior to any number of other things—even good and noble causes. This doesn’t happen overnight. The Pharisees didn’t wake up one morning and decide that they hated God and His Word. But little by little they replaced the Word of God with manmade traditions, until there was no longer any room or need for Jesus.

This has happened time and time again. The Salvation Army used to be a denomination that zealously preached Christ to the lost. Now they’re a second-hand store. The YMCA used to be a place for young Christian men to be strengthened in the faith. Now it’s a gym. And what about us? Today, the Word of God is preached in its truth and purity and the Sacraments are rightly administered. Because of this, we can be called the true church. But will that be so a generation from now? Only if, with the help of God, we continue today to contend for the faith.

But if we’re are afraid to do this, or too lazy, or too eager to blend in with the world, then the church will soon become just another social club, or another food bank, or another non-profit dedicated to this cause or to that cause. But what will that matter? The devil doesn’t care what the church becomes or what it calls itself. He cares only that Jesus has gone out of the temple.

When our Lord walks out, leaving behind the glory and prestige that this world values so highly, we must follow. Our allegiance is not to an organization, to a building, to church leaders, not even to centuries of tradition. These things only serve as tools and vehicles for the Gospel. But the moment our traditions takes the place of Christ, they must be abandoned. If our pastors teach anything other than the words of Jesus, they must be removed from office. If our building serves to promote any gospel other than Christ crucified for sinners, it has ceased to be the house of God.

The Church of Jesus Christ is built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets, that is, the Old and New Testaments, with Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone. Our allegiance is to Him and Him alone. Apart from Jesus we have nothing. Apart from His sacrifice for sins outside the holy city, we have no salvation. Apart from His blood, poured out without measure, there is no forgiveness of sins.

“Therefore let us go forth to Him, outside the camp, bearing His reproach” (Heb 13:13). So writes the author of Hebrews. Our Lord Jesus was not crucified in Jerusalem. The Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world was not offered upon the brazen altar of the temple. Instead, Jesus hid Himself and went out of that temple. He poured out His life as a sacrifice for sin outside the camp. The unbelieving crowd mocked Him as He died, seeing only a pitiful and weak man, a failed messiah and a false prophet. But what do we see? In faith we look upon that cross, that bloody and gory spectacle, and we see the Son of God. Veiled from mortal eyes, we see the Word made flesh, who dwelt among us. We have beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth(Jn 1:14). Outside the camp, where the broken body of Jesus is lifted up, we find the true temple, the dwelling place of God on earth. Here is the promised Savior of the world, the Seed of the woman who crushes the serpent’s head, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, the one and only sacrifice for all sin. Here is our God, lifted up in glory.

Therefore let us go forth to meet Him, outside the camp, bearing His reproach. For our Lord goes before us to Calvary, through death’s portal, and into the glory of Paradise. Most gladly will we follow him. Most gladly will we bear the scorn and ridicule of this world, counting it joy to suffer in this small way for the One who has suffered all for us. Most gladly will we cling to Him alone, abandoning every fading treasure and fleeting pleasure of this broken world so that we may possess Christ. And as we receive Him, as we gather with joy to hear His gospel proclaimed, as His holy Body and precious Blood is placed into our mouths for the forgiveness of sins, there, outside the camp, we find the true Church, gathered around our crucified Lord. For where Jesus is, where His Word is preached in its truth and purity, where His Sacraments are rightly administered, there is the true temple, and there also is forgiveness, life, and salvation. Amen.