The New Covenent Temple

“Tear down this temple, and I will rebuild it in three days” (John 2:19)

Back in the 1960s through the late 1970s, the American world lived in constant anticipation of automobile manufacturers releasing their latest models. It was a religion all its own—a constant state of change for the sake of excitement and the planned obsolescence of previous models.

The religious leaders in the Temple in Jerusalem could never have imagined they were beholding the ‘new model’ of God’s tabernacle: a living one with God Himself residing inside. When Jesus stood among them and declared, "Tear down this temple, and I will rebuild it in three days," He was not speaking of architecture. He was the prototype of a new Temple of God—a "sports car," if you will—designed for life in the now-open Kingdom of God. He was the first of an endless chain of such temples to follow off the spiritual assembly line. This prophecy, in the process of fulfillment, literally zinged over the heads of the self-righteous men confronting Him, and the greatest part—His resurrection—was yet to come.

The Old Testament provides the foundational blueprints for this transition: from a tabernacle of fabric, wood, and gold to a stone temple, and finally to Jesus, the perfect human tabernacle.

God’s desire for intimacy was first revealed in the wilderness: "And let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell in their midst" (Exodus 25:8). This was the shakan—God settling down to abide with His people. Before the structure was built, the pre-incarnate Christ led them as a pillar of fire and smoke, a visual anchor of His guidance and presence. Within the Tabernacle lay the Holy of Holies, a space so sacred that no one dared enter without divine permission and strict purification, lest they face the terrifying weight of God's unapproachable holiness.

When King David wished to build a permanent house for the Lord—noting that he lived in a cedar palace while the Ark of God remained in a tent—the Lord told the prophet Nathan: "Go and tell my servant David, 'Thus says the Lord: Would you build me a house to dwell in? I have not lived in a house since the day I brought up the people of Israel from Egypt to this day, but I have been moving about in a tent for my dwelling.'" God assured David that he would not be the one to build the temple; instead, He promised to establish David's own house—his lineage and kingdom—forever, declaring that David's offspring would build the house for His name.

The Lord’s Temple was eventually built by Solomon, who was acutely aware of the theological irony between the need for a physical house for the Name of the Lord and the reality of His omnipresence. He admitted in his dedication prayer, "But will God really dwell on earth? The heavens, even the highest heaven, cannot contain you. How much less this temple I have built!" (1 Kings 8:27).

John’s Gospel declared that the Word became flesh and "tabernacled" among us (John 1:14)—the final model of The Temple of the Lord had arrived. Jesus was that living, walking intersection of heaven and earth. When He cleansed the Jerusalem Temple, He redefined it entirely, pointing to His own body as the true Temple that would be raised up (John 2:19-21). The migration of God’s presence had begun: moving from stone to a Person.

Jesus further promised His disciples He would not leave them as orphans. He declared that after His departure, He would be with them and in them through the Holy Spirit: "the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you" (John 14:17). In His high priestly prayer, Jesus petitioned that we would be one with God and one another, just as He is one with the Father—a unity made possible only by that same indwelling presence.

Ultimately, the veil was torn at the cross, ending the barrier of the Holy of Holies. Paul clarifies that we are now the temple of the Holy Spirit. We are being "built together" into a holy dwelling. We do not "go to church"—we are the church, the mobile sanctuary of the living God (1 Corinthians 3:16; 6:19-20; Ephesians 2:22).

Today, we gaze upon cathedrals all over the world—architectural marvels of stone and glass that leave us breathless. Yet, they often harbor a subtle irony: their grandeur can cause us to forget that these buildings are not God’s dwelling place; we are. The true sanctuary is not found in these awesome vaulted ceilings, but in the believer, where the Spirit of the Living God now resides.

You and I, who believe in Jesus Christ as our Redeemer, Shepherd, and Lord, are the continuation of that very same model, still in production for over 2,000 years. The evil one strives constantly to convince us that we are vastly different from the original model, but that is one of his more effective lies. We are the very same "sports car" that Jesus was, with one exception: Jesus was the true Son of God, perfect in every way—we are not. But everything else remains the same. Fortunately, because Jesus was perfect and our trust is in His perfection, we don’t need to concentrate on our own perfection. Instead, we focus on learning how to be as loving as He was.

Father, thank You for taking up residence in our hearts. Forgive us for the times we treat our bodies as common ground rather than sacred space. May we carry Your presence with such reverence that our lives become a visible testimony of the Gospel, drawing others to You. For Your glory, Amen.

mgb