We invite you to encounter more of Christ by reflecting on his marvelous names in Scripture. This page features daily selections from the book, I Want to Know More of Christ, by Steve Hall. As you listen to the audio or read the text versions (which are updated every day) may you become increasingly captivated by the fullness of Christ! You can also receive a free daily email reminder to visit this page by signing up below.
Jesus is…
Something Greater Than the Temple
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SCRIPTURE READING:
Matthew 12:5-12
Or haven’t you read in the Law that the priests on Sabbath duty in the temple desecrate the Sabbath and yet are innocent? I tell you that something greater than the temple is here. If you had known what these words mean, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent. For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”
Going on from that place, he went into their synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there. Looking for a reason to bring charges against Jesus, they asked him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”
He said to them, “If any of you has a sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will you not take hold of it and lift it out? How much more valuable is a person than a sheep! Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.”
SIGNIFICANCE:
The LORD JESUS CHRIST is the ultimate and final place of worship.
Dear Father, I love to see how Jesus instructed the Jewish people (and His followers today) about His divinity. I marvel that in today’s Scripture, Jesus very clearly told His listeners that the laws of the temple sometimes supersede the laws of the Sabbath, but that He is the Something Greater Than the Temple. I exalt Jesus that He knew that the people understood that only God is greater than the temple, so He was emphatically telling them that He is God. I bow before Jesus, as the great Creator and Lord of all justice, love, mercy, compassion, truth, power, righteousness and wisdom. I praise Him that He has no beginning and no end, and He is greater than all of man’s religion, laws and customs. I worship Him that He is the undisputed Head of the Church. I pray that You will help me to hear and obey His commands first and foremost in every area of my life. I also pray that all His people will know Him so well and listen to Him so intently, that we will always follow Him without question. I ask that You will reveal to us any ways we are putting anything or anyone above Him in our lives, and compel us to repent. May we give all devotion, adoration and praise to Something Greater Than the Temple. In His great name I pray these things. Amen.
