11/28

Matthew 12:6

⁶I tell you, something greater than the temple is here.

The Temple was the one place of worship where God dwelt in the midst of His people. When Jesus declared Himself to be greater than the Temple, He was defending the right of His disciples to pick grain on the Sabbath. He said that the priests work in the temple on the Sabbath and are blameless. Because Jesus is greater than the Temple, certainly His disciples can work on His behalf and be blameless as well. But there is more to the statement. To be greater than the Temple would mean that the residence of God in their midst had moved from the Holy of Holies to the body of Jesus!

In this same chapter, Jesus will declare that someone greater than Jonah and greater than Solomon is present (Matthew 12:41-42). Jonah was perhaps the best example of a successful prophet to the Gentiles. Jesus was declaring that He would have greater success bringing Gentiles to God. That would fulfill prophecies about the coming Messiah (Isaiah 49:6). He is declaring He is the Savior of the world.

To be "greater than Solomon" would mean to have the greatest wisdom without compromising morality. Together these three declarations tell us that Jesus is the new temple where God dwells among us. He is the Messiah that will draw the world to God. His wisdom is the greatest wisdom ever expressed on earth. Once again we are confronted with statements that declare such greatness that we must come to the conclusion that He was insane or is uniquely the very Son of God.

Consider: Who do you say He is? Our eternal destiny depends on our answer.