Temple Run

Opening our hearts to old ends and new beginnings  

Luke 21:5-19  

          While some people were speaking about how the temple was adorned with costly stones and votive offerings, Jesus said, “All that you see here-- the days will come when there will not be left a stone upon another stone that will not be thrown down.”   

          I had a very intriguing conversation with a parishioner last week. The person asked me a question that I’d never heard before. He asked: “Why did Christianity break off from Judaism? Why did it not simply continue the Jewish tradition since Jesus and the apostles were all Jews? Why did we break off?” Do you know the answer to that question? Well, don’t worry, I didn’t either! So, I said a prayer to the Holy Spirit and started shooting from the hip.   

          I said: “Actually, in the year 70 AD the Jewish religion of the Old Testament came to a climactic conclusion; it essentially ended. How? Well, Old Testament Judaism revolved around the Temple in Jerusalem: Jewish identity as the Chosen People, Jewish national pride, and all Jewish traditions found their source and summit in Temple worship. The great Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel said that the Sabbath is in time what the Temple is in space. That basically means the Jerusalem Temple was as important and indispensable as the weekly Sabbath. Try to imagine Judaism without the Sabbath day of rest (impossible, right?), and that gives you an idea what it would feel like for a Jew without the Temple. Well, in the year 70 AD, the Roman General Titus marched into Jerusalem with his Roman legions and leveled the Temple, never to be rebuilt again. For all practical purposes, the Old Testament ended in 70 AD.  The Judaism that emerged afterwards was very different: revolving around the synagogue, rather than around the Temple.” Basically, my answer to my friend was that Christianity is the continuation of the Old Testament, kind of like the “second-half” of the same football game, the second-half is the “New Testament.” In other words, Christianity never really broke off from Judaism; it is the true development of Judaism (with all due respect to our Jewish friends). But my point is that the Old Testament religion really did end in 70 AD and Christianity took its place, or rather continued where it left off. The Old had to end for the New to begin.    

          In the gospel today, Jesus is preparing his followers for that fateful day in 70 AD, predicting the future. Of course, Jesus was speaking before that happened, around 30 AD, 40 years prior. Listen to what St. Luke records: “While some people were speaking about how the Temple was adorned with costly stones and votive offerings, Jesus said, ‘All that you see here – the days will come when there will not be a stone upon another stone that will not be thrown down.” Now, you have to appreciate how audacious and apocalyptic that sounded to first century Jewish ears. It was equivalent to Jesus saying that there would no longer be a Sabbath day of rest but it would be erased from the weekly calendar. Remember that for the Jews the Temple and the Sabbath were equivalent in importance. Indeed, the Christians would adopt a new Sabbath, namely, Sunday (not Saturday). And the Christian Temple would also be new: built out of “living stones” (1 Pet. 2:5) of individual Christians themselves, not brick and masonry. You see, the old dispensation of Temple worship came to an end in 70 AD, and the new dispensation of sacramental worship took its place. The end of the old ushered in the new.   

          You know, all this talk of the ends of things can be rather sobering and serious, so let’s lightening things up a bit. A Bible study group was discussing the unforeseen possibility of sudden death. The leader of the discussion asked, “What if you knew you only had 4 weeks to live, how would you spend that time?” One person answered: “I would take to the streets and spread the Good News to everyone who hasn’t heard about Jesus yet!” Everyone in the group nodded their approval of that answer. Another lady spoke up saying: “I would spend my time with my family and make amends for my mistakes.” Again, all praised the wisdom of that answer. But one gentleman in the back spoke up loudly and said: “I would go to my mother-in-law’s house for the 4 weeks.” Everyone was puzzled, and the leader asked: “Why your mother-in-law’s home?” The man said: “Because that will make it the longest 4 weeks of my life!” So, not everyone wants the old to end and the new to begin.   

          My friends, coming to the end of anything can be scary and intimidating and might even make you run your mother-in-law’s house for four weeks! When we come to the end of high school or college, we’re not sure what the future holds for us, and we want to stay safely where we are. How hard it is to move to a new home and say goodbye to your memories and your history and your neighbors. If you lose a job, we feel the pain and grief of loss, maybe even failure. Those who retire always look forward to it, until they spend a few days at home. Then, their spouse wants them to get a new job! Those who’ve suffered a devastating divorce know how bitterly a marriage can end. And of course, the one “end” we must all face is our own death, and transition to eternal life.

          In all these moments of old endings and new beginnings, remember the great transition from the Old Testament to the New Testament: the old had to end for the new to begin; and the new was better and brighter and more beautiful. Sometimes we stand around admiring the “costly stones and votive offerings” of our Old Testament temples – our old homes, our old jobs, our old earthly life – when Jesus predicts that General Titus will demolish it and not leave one stone on top of another – that is, these things will one day end. But the end of the first-half only means a brief break before we begin the second-half. And, as everyone knows, the second-half of the game is always more fun and exciting; unless, of course, you’re watching the game at your mother-in-law’s house.   

          Praised be Jesus Christ!