For Reading and Meditation:
Matthew 12:1-14
We continue reflecting on the thought that Jesus Christ is not like anyone else who has ever lived. Take the claim which He made in our text today: "One greater than the temple is here." Jesus in effect compared Himself with the temple's grandeur and significance as the center of Jewish life and said: "I am greater than all this." It seemed preposterous. And yet the ages have vindicated Him. The temple is gone; all that is left is the Wailing Wall. Yet Christ lives on - and is the most potent power in human affairs. A man looking at some pictures in a famous art gallery commented to a friend: "I don't think much of these pictures." "Excuse me, Sir," said an attendant who overheard him, "the pictures are not on trial." He meant, of course, that the pictures had been approved by the highest authorities. It was not the pictures that were on trial but the people who viewed them. Some people think Jesus is on trial now, but in truth He is not. We judge ourselves by our judgment of Him. One greater than the temple was there in that first century and is still here today. Jesus is bigger than every system whether it be religious, political, or economic. They are related to Him, not He to them. They must all stand before the judgment bar of His Person. If they accord with Him, reflect His mind and Spirit, then they are valid. If not, they are invalid. Jesus is not just the greatest the world has ever seen; He is the greatest it will ever see.
Lord Jesus, You are my center and my circumference. I begin with You and end with You. If I don't begin with You, then I end in disillusionment. Help me to begin every thought, every project with You. For Your own dear Name's sake. Amen.