Woe unto you, ye blind guides, which say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor!
Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold?
We’re quick to jump on the faults of others while overlooking or being completely blind to our own. So, it’s not surprising we get so critical of the Pharisees, Sadducees, and Scribes of Jesus’ day. The Bible doesn’t paint a good picture of them, Jesus called them whites sepulchers; and we can point fingers at them without impugning ourselves. Or can we?
The most basic accusation leveled against them by our Saviour in this passage is that they placed more importance on money than on the Temple, the house of God. Is that not a problem each of us can have?
The Temple was already constructed, funded by Herod. The coffers, however, they indicated the Temple’s ability to function, including supporting those who had dedicated themselves to it. On the day-to-day practical level, the gold in the bank could seem more important.
From the perspective of the preacher, I believe the church of the living God to be the priority of my physical life. I have dedicated myself to serving the Lord through it. But on the practical level, the offerings given to the church, the budget, and the financial resources of the church play such a vital role, it’s difficult to divorce oneself from it.
From the perspective of a church member, we all understand and appreciate our church. We clearly see the teaching in the Bible of our responsibility to support our church through tithes and offerings. But practically, we also know we must pay our bills, feed our family, and have a little bit of extra to enjoy life too.
Either way, we can become confused which is greater, “the gold or the temple that sanctifieth the gold.”
Here’s the answer. The Temple (church for our day) is greater not because it is a building but because it is representative of our relationship with Christ.
· It’s not the building
· It’s not even the people in the building
It’s the LORD who ordained the church as His house who is greater.
Keep that in front of us and we will be far less likely to be confused.
#PrioritiesInFaith #ChurchStewardship #HeartOverGold #TempleOfTheLord #SpiritualPerspective
Gold or Glory: Weighing Spiritual Values over Material Wealth
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