Peter Misselbrook's Blog
Oct 2 2019 - Ezekiel 40:1-5; 40:48-41:4; 43:1-9 – The new temple

A week ago we were looking at Ezekiel chapters 3 and 4 where Ezekiel had been commanded to make a model of the city of Jerusalem and lay siege to it. Ezekiel was warning God's people of the imminent destruction of Jerusalem and its temple. In today's reading, Ezekiel receives a vision of the day when God will visit his people with salvation and restore to them all that they lost when Jerusalem and its temple were destroyed. Indeed, the blessings that God promises to his people in days to come will far exceed anything they have known in the past.

In his vision, Ezekiel sees a "man" who appeared "like bronze". This man was equipped with a measuring rod about 3 metres, or 10 feet, long. He uses this rod first to measure the wall that surrounded the temple area – it was ten feet thick and ten feet high. The narrative then continues with details of measurements of the gates in the wall and of the outer and inner courtyards of the temple. In 40:48, Ezekiel is brought to the portico of the temple itself which is again measured. The inner sanctuary was about 60 feet long and 30 feet wide (40 by 20 cubits). The Most Holy Place was 30 feet by 30 feet. The narrative of the vision goes on to describe the details of the chambers around the temple with their various floors along with their measurements – many Bibles include a plan of Ezekiel's temple to help with your visualisation of it. Our reading skips over much of this detail to pick up the vision again at the beginning of chapter 43.

In Ezekiel chapter 1, the prophet had been granted a memorable vision of the glory of the Lord while he had been by the River Kebar. Now he sees a similar though quite different vision:

The vision I saw was like the vision I had seen when he came to destroy the city and like the visions I had seen by the River Kebar, and I fell face down. The glory of the Lord entered the temple through the gate facing east. Then the Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner court, and the glory of the Lord filled the temple. (43:3-5)

At the beginning of the Book of Ezekiel, the glory of the Lord had left the temple and Ezekiel had seen the God of glory coming in judgment to destroy Jerusalem and its temple. But now the God of glory is returning to his temple: Ezekiel describes the glory of the Lord filling the temple as had been seen by Isaiah in Isaiah 6. God declares that he will now dwell with his people in this new temple; his presence and glory will never again leave them and they will never again defile his holy name.

This prophecy again finds its fulfilment in the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the one in whom God has come to dwell among us and is the one in whom we see God's glory (John 1:14). He is the one who said of himself, "Destroy this temple and I will raise it again in three days" (John 2:19). Through his death and resurrection, Jesus not only displays the glory of God in all his saving mercy and grace, he also saves for himself a people who can never again be separated from him. By his Spirit he makes us to feel and know his love for us (Romans 5:5) and gives us a heart to love him in return. We whom he has purchased with his own blood dare not defile his holy name – we love him and want only to live to please him.

After the destruction of Solomon's temple and the exile in Babylon, the Israelites longed for the day when God would come and dwell with them again; they longed for the time when the glory of the living God would return to his temple. That day came and has come with the arrival of Jesus Christ and will be fully realised in the new creation at Christ's return (see Revelation 21 and the man with a golden measuring rod who measures the New Jerusalem).

Father God, we praise you for the Lord Jesus in whom all your promises receive your resounding "Yes" and our answering "Amen". Help us to see your glory in the face of Christ and to rejoice in his atoning work through which we have been made your people. Enable us to tell others of your glory seen in the Lord Jesus and displayed in the message of the gospel.

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Oct 2 2020 - Matthew 27:15-31 – They … mocked him

Pilate recognised that Jesus had done nothing worthy of death and did all that he could to release Jesus. He offered to release either Barabbas, a violent brigand, or Jesus, the one who had healed the sick and had compassion on the crowds. To him it seemed a no-brainer; it was obvious whom they would choose. But Pilate’s plan backfired. The crowds, stirred up by nationalistic fervour and egged on by the Jewish leaders, called for Barabbas to be released and Jesus to be crucified. Pilate, desperate to avoid a riot, acceded to the demands of the mob. He had Jesus flogged before having him led away.

Now the Roman soldiers had Jesus to themselves for a while – this man who claimed to be King of the Jews. And so Jesus becomes the focus of all their hatred of this perverse nation. Most of the soldiers are probably far from home and family. They have been serving their time in a nation which, generally speaking, looked upon them with hatred and longed to be rid of them. They had probably had stones thrown at them in the street and had been in fear of being stabbed in the back by the Sicarii, the extreme Zealots intent on cleansing the holy land of the Roman infidels. All of their frustration and anger against this godless nation was now directed against Jesus. It did not matter to them that he had been rejected by his own people; he claimed to be their king, their representative. So they would make him stand before them as the king of this despised people and all their hatred for this nation would be poured out against him.

The soldiers dressed Jesus up in the mock regalia of a king. They made a mock crown out of thorn twigs and pressed it down upon his head. They placed a rod of some sort in his hand in mock imitation of a sceptre. Then they made cruel fun of him, spitting upon him and striking him on the head, forcing the thorns more deeply into his flesh. During all of this, Jesus remained silent. At last, having satisfied their malice, they removed the royal regalia and, dressing him again in his own clothes, they led him away to be crucified.

He was despised and rejected by mankind,
a man of suffering, and familiar with pain...
He was oppressed and afflicted,
yet he did not open his mouth;
he was led like a lamb to the slaughter,
and as a sheep before its shearers is silent,
so he did not open his mouth. (Isaiah 53:3a, 7)

The writer of the letter to the Hebrews tells us that Jesus endured all of this "for the joy set before him" (Hebrews 12:2). This joy was not simply the prospect of returning to the Father – he could have done that by summoning the twelve legions of angels we spoke of two days ago. The joy set before him was that of accomplishing the salvation of his people – the joy of bringing many brothers and sisters to glory. It was for the sake of this joy that, "he endured the cross, scorning its shame".

He was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
and by his wounds we are healed. (Isaiah 53:5)

Father God, help me to understand more of what Jesus, the Lord of glory, endured for me that I might share his glory. Help me to find all my joy in following him and helping others to recognise something of who Jesus really is. By your Spirit, use me to bring many others to glory.

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Peter Misselbrook