The Presence of the Lord Fills His Temple

Today’s Reading: Ezekiel 43:1–9

Ezekiel writes his prophecy during the time of the Babylonian exile.
* He has already had a vision of the glory of the Lord leaving Jerusalem (10:18–22; 11:22–24).
* Here, he has a vision of a restored temple, and he witnesses the return of the Glory.

There’s a lot going on here, but the message is clear.
* The temple is a symbol of the presence of the Lord.
* The people have sinned (prostitution is a reference to idolatry), and the Lord is calling them to repent.
* If they do, they will enjoy the presence of the Lord dwelling among them.

Now, if we can make the connection between the temple of the Old Testament and references to the “temple” in the New Testament, we can put this all together.

First, Jesus is the living temple.
* “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (Jn 1:13).
* Jesus presence among us was the presence of the glory of the Lord among us: “We have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” (Jn 1:14).
* Jesus said, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up” (Jn 2:19); he was talking about his death and resurrection.

Second, we are now the temple of God (1Cor 6:19).
* If Jesus’ body was the temple when he walked among us, and now we are identified as the body of Christ, that means that we are now the temple ourselves.
* If we are believers, the glorious presence of the Lord, the Holy Spirit, is dwelling in us!

The glory of the Lord has come to the earth in Jesus.
* And just as the Israelites were called to repent from their idolatry, we too must turn away from ours.
* Then, we will enjoy the presence of the Lord in the temple.
* Otherwise, we will be left exiled from our God, separated from the joy of fellowship with our Creator, even consumed by his anger.

Immediately after this passage in Ezekiel, God tells Ezekiel to share the vision with the people and to see if they are ashamed of their sin.
* If they are, then he is to give them the plans and commandments for the temple.
* Otherwise, they are unworthy to receive the law of the Lord.

So, the question remains:
* Are you ashamed of your sin? Do you mourn over your selfishness?
* Do you hunger and thirst for a righteousness that you cannot provide for yourself?
* Blessed are those who mourn and who hunger and thirst for righteousness…

What Kind of People Did Jesus Come to Save?

Today’s Reading: Luke 19:1–10; Ezekiel 34:11–16; Mark 2:17

In Luke 19, Jesus visits Zacchaeus, who is not only rich (like the ruler in Luke 18), but is also the chief tax collector.
* That means he is rich because he has taken money away from other people.
* Tax collectors at that time took more “taxes" than the government asked for, and they paid themselves with the difference.
* Not a popular guy.

Remember back in Luke 18 (just one chapter back, so close in context), when people looked at the rich ruler, they figured, if anyone was getting into heaven, it was that guy.
* Here, when people look at the tax collector, they think the opposite—he is lost; he is too far gone; he can’t be saved.
* They think Jesus is wasting his time and, worse, Jesus is maybe even making himself unclean by merely visiting such a low-life.

But what does Jesus think?
* Well, he tells us: “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
* Isn’t it nice that he keeps answering our questions so directly?

The passage in Ezekiel 34:11–16 is a beautiful expression of this same idea: God’s seeking, gathering, and rescuing the lost sheep.
* Take note, especially, the emphasis on what God will do.
* It’s all about God. He himself will search. He will seek. He will rescue. He will bring and gather. He will feed. And he will be the shepherd.
* And Jesus is the fulfillment of this passage. (Now, if you find multiple passages teaching you the same thing about God, you’re probably on to something.)

Back to Luke 19. Jesus is at Zacchaeus’s house because Zacchaeus is a sinner—and knows it.
* Now, Jesus is in the business of saving that kind of person: the lost, the broken, the dirty, the sinful.
* And we read how, unlike the ruler in the previous chapter, Zacchaeus doesn’t lack the one thing: he gives away his possessions because he values Christ more.
* The point is not that he gave a bunch of treasure away, but that he treasured Christ.
* He was interested in pleasing the one he called Lord (19:8), not in flattering the Teacher and trying to prove his own goodness.

In everybody’s mind, the ruler in chapter 18 would have been voted most likely to go to heaven.
* And as for the the tax collector? He wouldn’t have gotten any votes.
* But in the end, the ruler walked away sad, and Zacchaeus received salvation (19:9) with gladness.

Now, that we are thinking about things from that perspective, does Mark 2:17 make more sense? (Because we want to use Scripture to interpret Scripture, right?)
* The ruler sees himself as righteous, so he walks away from Jesus, the only one who can save him.
* Zacchaeus knows he is a sinner, so he receives Jesus into his home and gladly gives away his stuff.
* Why? Because he considers it rubbish compared to the worthiness of Jesus (Philippians 3:8–9).
* And in the end, it is the one who knows he’s lost who finds salvation.

And Mark 2:17 states this point so simply.
* If you are well, you don’t need a doctor—meaning, if you are righteous, you don’t need the Savior.
* But who is righteous? Who is good? No one, except God alone. We’re putting all the pieces together now.

So, we learn how God responds to two kinds of people.
* There are those people who put faith in their own goodness and possessions; they think they are righteous, or maybe just good enough, but they are wrong.
* Then, there are those who stop putting faith in themselves and their stuff; they become aware of their own sinfulness, their own sickness.
* Basically, they see themselves as sinners, and they are right!

And those are the kind of people Jesus came to save.

Bonus reading: Luke 7:36–47
* Now, how does this passage relate to today’s topic?

The Context of the Most Famous Summary of the Gospel

Today’s Reading: John 3:1–16

John 3:16 is likely the most recognizable verse reference in the word.
* It’s probably one of the first verses on many a Scripture memorization list. (If you can’t recite John 3:16 from memory, you seriously need to reevaluate your familiarity with the Bible.)
* But how many people would be able to identify the context of that most famous verse, namely, the story of Nicodemus?

But how does the context inform our reading of John 3:16?
* I don’t intend my remarks to be anything approaching a definitive treatment.
* But I do want to encourage the habit (in myself!) of contextual reading—even of the most familiar of verses.

For the first 15 verses of John 3, Jesus is talking with Nicodemus.
* Nic is a Pharisee, a “teacher of Israel.”
* And Jesus is explaining a fundamental requirement for entering the Kingdom of God—that is, being born “of the Spirit.”

Jesus, somewhat mildly, rebukes Nic for not immediately understanding.
* Perhaps he is even criticizing Nic for not having previously understood these things!
* As a teacher, he should already be teaching the very things Jesus is explaining to him. (Consider Ezekiel 36 and 37, especially 36:25–27. We could go on about the total picture of human nature in the Scriptures…)

If Nic doesn’t understand and believe earthly teachings, he won’t be able to do much with heavenly ones.
* Jesus seems to indicate then that the essential nature of the second, spiritual birth for entry into the Kingdom is a simple truth.
* If that is not clear to Nic, how can he possibly understand the higher issues of the Kingdom? The implication is: he can’t.

And then Jesus makes two statements:
* First, in verse 13, he addresses the divine origin and unique authority of the “Son of Man.”
* Then, in vv. 14–15, he refers to being “lifted up” like Moses’ snake so believers may have eternal life.
* So, verse 13 shows Jesus to be the authority on heavenly things, and then Jesus shares some heavenly things with Nic in vv.14–15.

Now, if Nicodemus doesn’t understand the necessity of the new birth Jesus is talking about, it’s not likely he will understand the truth about Jesus’ nature, authority, and purpose. [Note: we don’t actually get to see Nic’s response, but he shows up as a follower of Christ later in John (7:50; 19:39).]

Then comes John 3:16.
* When I began, I intended merely to mention how the force of God’s love for “the world” is made all the more significant in the context of a story about a Pharisee needing new birth.
* But having forced myself to process the preceding verses, especially vv. 12–15, I’m struck by yet another point.

In short, verse 16 is a “heavenly” thing.
* It cannot be understood fully, much less believed, if the more elementary truths of the Kingdom are not accepted.
* Yes, John 3:16 is a profound summary of the Gospel, and it is a shocking statement about the way God has revealed his love for the world.
* And, of course, we should commit it to memory and share it with people.
* But we cannot forget that even the Gospel comes in the context of the whole revelation of God.

John 3:16 is, after all, a sort of summary, one that cannot be understood—rather, one that does not even make sense—if we don’t first grasp (or simply admit) the more basic principles of human and divine nature.
* And one of the most fundamental principles is the need for new, spiritual life to enter God’s Kingdom.
* And we are teachers of the Kingdom. Do we understand these things?

Dead and Dry Bones

Today’s Reading: Ezekiel 37:1–14

We can get so accustomed to hearing about life—new life, abundant life, eternal life—that we lose our perspective.
* If so, then the image of Ezekiel 37 is a strong corrective.
* This is what death looks like; this is what new life looks like.

When we think about ourselves apart from Christ, what do we see?
* Ephesians 2 comes to my mind: “And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked” (2:1–2a).
* Is that how you see yourself apart from Christ? Dead, dry bones.

If we think of ourselves as merely weak, lost, even foolish, without God’s grace, we don’t get it.
* Yes, we are all those things, but many who are weak can at least walk.
* Someone who is lost may stumble upon the right path.
* And the most senseless fools will make some sound choices.
* But the dead?

The more we understand our dead-ness apart from Christ, the more we rejoice in the life we’ve found only in Christ.
* “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved” (Eph 2:4–5).

Note: in Hebrew, the word for “breath” is the same word as “spirit.”
* Consider how the Holy Spirit is the equivalent to spiritual breath?
* Without the Spirit, even bones covered in flesh are lifeless.