“I tell you, something greater than the temple is here.” – Matthew 12:6
The religious leaders of the day genuinely struggled to understand and appreciate Jesus. On the one hand they knew that obviously something very unusual and special was happening. On the other hand…He was so very different from what they expected. He turned many of their traditions, habits, and rules upside down. He revealed flaws in their priorities and ways of thinking. Their priority was on doing things they way they always had, on the rules and policies of the religious institutions of the day, on good and predictable religious practice. Jesus said that their priority should have been on the Son of God in their midst, the Kingdom of God He inaugurated, the care for people created in God’s image, and the message of God’s redemption for all the nations, all in perfect alignment with Scripture. Ultimately they hated and crucified Him for it.
Unfortunately, if we aren’t careful, we too can lose sight of the One greater than the temple! As followers of Jesus it can be easier and more appealing to stick with the places, routines, rituals, and ministries we know and the priorities we choose than to truly follow Jesus wherever He might lead. Jesus would often lead us out of the church building and into places full of people who don’t know Him. He would turn our priorities, traditions, habits, standards, and rules upside down, all in perfect alignment with Scripture. And it’s quite easy and natural for us to resist this leading because it’s terribly uncomfortable, uncertain, and unpredictable. Yet Christ is in it.
We must always remember that the institutions, processes, buildings, schedules, traditions, and styles of our churches are far less important than Jesus Christ. We must be about Jesus and the business of Jesus before we are about the church and the business of the church because something greater is here!