"Holy Architecture, Batman!"
"As Jesus came out of the Temple and was going away, his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple. Then he asked them, 'You see all these, do you not? Truly I tell you, not one stone will be left here upon another; all will be thrown down.'"
(Matthew 24:1-2)
My son lives outside of Chicago. He went to college in Elgin, just 45 minutes West of the city. We visited him a number of times, and even made it to downtown Chicago on a couple of occasions. One of the trips we paid to go on a boat tour of the city, specifically looking at the architecture of the surrounding buildings. I'd been told it was worthwhile. And it was! Fascinating history of the various architectural styles that can be found around the city (and I'm not even a big architecture guy). And seeing them from the perspective of the river was very unique.
Humans have always erected buildings of grandeur. From the pyramids in Egypt... to the Taj Mahal in India... to the Parthenon in Greece... to the Sears Tower in Chicago. We humans love our architecture. There are indeed some amazing building in this world!
Jesus and his disciples were in Jerusalem in what would be his last week of life. They'd just left the temple, and the disciples were so impressed with the beautiful architecture around them. "Isn't this amazing, Jesus?!?!" Their master was quick to temper their enthusiasm. Yes, the buildings of the temple were impressive, but buildings don't last. Jesus knew the days were coming when the temple would be destroyed (for the 2nd time in Israel's history). So he was calling them to pay attention, instead, to what REALLY matters - being connected to the Kingdom of God!
What are the things that distract me from the Kingdom? It may not be buildings (though there are some impressive churches around the world!)... but what do I seem to get focused on, as a pastor? Church sizes? Budgets? Worship attendance? I need, instead, to be focused on what's truly important: loving God and others with all I have. And helping others do the same.