Where is the Temple? Or even better, what is the Temple?
In Jesus’ time the question was easy. The Temple was in Jerusalem, and it was where interactions between God and humanity occurred. It was the center of Jewish religious practice. Yet the author of John’s Gospel tells us that Jesus said his body was the Temple, not the stone building that was later destroyed by the Romans. “[You] destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” Jesus’ body was killed, and in three days God did indeed raise him up.
Jesus later ascended to be with his Father, thankfully leaving us the amazing gift of the Holy Spirit, but Jesus’ physical body is not longer with us. So where does that leave us today? Is there a Temple?
Good and reasonable Christians have disagreed for centuries about how we should think of the Temple today. Is it the Church, the universal community of the faithful, or is it the presence of the Holy Spirit in individual persons? We don’t have a clear answer. And it doesn’t matter. The Temple exists wherever and whenever God interacts with humanity. This happens individually, as God works within us through the Holy Spirit, and within our communities of faith, as God uses us to minister to and with each other. God is within us and surrounding us everywhere, and in every situation, we may find ourselves. And therefore so is the Temple. Thanks be to God.
Please pray with me: Lord, fill me anew with your Holy Spirit. Make me a living temple, that in me others might see you. Amen.
