June 20 Devotion: The Teaching in the Temple

Mark 14:49 “I was daily with you in the temple teaching, and you took me not: but the scriptures must be fulfilled.”

 These words are Christ’s answer to crowd that came in the night to garden of Gethsemane to take Jesus into custody for trial. His rebuke towards them (beginning in Verse 48), that they came as thieves in the night, makes note of the fact that they were going to put Jesus on trial before the high priest of Israel during the night. That alone was against the law, the very law that these captors would falsely accuse our Savior of breaking. But, alas, Jesus suffered the trial, and later the crucifixion, because of the later part of this verse. All He did, and all that befell Him, was for one purpose: to accomplish the will of the Father by the fulfilling of the scriptures.

 This verse (and its companion from Matthew’s gospel in Chapter 26:55) came to mind while I was meditating upon the Pastor’s message from Sunday Night. In said message, if you’ll recall, he preached that spirituality (just like the manna in the wilderness) must be sought daily. It will not keep until tomorrow. Further, if I neglect my daily task of maintaining my spirituality, the untended condition of my heart will breed worms and spread the odor of rot throughout my life.

 In our verse, Jesus tells His soon to be accusers that He sat daily with them in the temple teaching. The same is true of born again believers. I have been made the tabernacle of God through my salvation. God Himself dwells in my heart. Just as Jesus sat in a physical temple and taught daily during His earthly ministry, He takes up residence in each believer and daily offers to impart what they need to grow their spirituality.

 Yet, instead of taking advantage of what the Savior offers, many respond to His presence in their life as these captors did. They listened not to what He taught; they were offended at his presence because they had taken God’s House and turned it into a temple that glorified men; and, they sought to rid themselves of the very one that had the words of life.

 As a believer, you’ll either take heed of what the Lord teaches you and consecrate your temple to God or you will attempt to cast Him out of your heart as a thief in the night. Daily He sits in your heart and extends His hand inviting you to fellowship with Him and grow stronger in the faith, but how do we respond?

Your fellowservant in Christ,

Bro. Jordan Foster