The splendor of the temple, the beauty of the Savior

By Elizabeth Prata

In my church we are going through Mark. We are up to Mark 13, the much anticipated (by me) the Olivet Discourse. This is the time that Jesus spent answering a series of questions the disciples asked, and Jesus sat down and taught them while they were on the Mount of Olives (hence the name of the discourse).

Mark 13:1-2 says,

As He was going out of the temple, one of His disciples said to Him, “Teacher, look! What wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings!” And Jesus said to him, “Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left upon another, which will not be torn down.”

The disciples must have been shocked. When we see a great building and its sturdiness, the huge blocks from which it is built, its towering presence, we think that it will last forever. The Twin Towers in New York fell after the terrorists’ planes crashed into them. I remember seeing that in wonder and amazement. How could such a strongly built building fall? But it did. Here, my pastor begins preaching and teaching in this verse by showing how massive and strong the Temple was:

One of the 12 disciples, we don’t know who, turned around and looked back toward the temple.

Whoever this was marveled at what he saw. And according to verse 1, he called out to Jesus, look teacher, what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings. What caught the eye of this disciple was the grandeur of the temple. in all of its magnificent adornment and scale. Viewed broadside, it would have been impressive. It was the largest of all the temples in the Roman Empire, and surely the wealthiest as well.

In fact, someone has remarked that if it hadn’t been a Jewish temple, it would have been considered one of the wonders of the world during its time. Nevertheless, anyone who saw it would have been awestruck. The first century Jewish historian Josephus said that it lacked nothing that could astound either mind or eye. No one had seen anything like it. One reason for its impressiveness was its sheer scale. It was massive.

The temple complex encompassed over 1.5 million square feet, equivalent to 35 football fields in size, and covering one-sixth of the area of Jerusalem. The perimeter of the complex, if you walked around it, stretched nearly a mile in total length. The cornerstones of the complex weighed more than 100 tons, and a stone along one side has been found to weigh over a million pounds. viewed from the Mount of Olives across the valley. The temple complex rose 160 feet above the Kidron Valley below, and the temple itself rose another 150 feet from the center of the complex.

The magnitude of the temple complex far exceeded any other temple in the ancient world. Another reason for its impressiveness was its sheer beauty. One contemporary Roman historian called it immensely opulent. Much of the complex was constructed with polished white marble so that it gleamed in the sun. It was said that from afar the temple complex looked like a snow-covered mountain. The temple itself was adorned with much gold. The front exterior walls were covered in thick plates of gold that reflected the sun’s rays so brightly at sunrise that onlookers had to look away.” —end of sermon excerpt

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Nothing on this earth will remain. Not Mount Everest, not the biggest buildings, not the most powerful person. The earth will melt away and be remade. With that in mind, rejoice we have Jesus to cling to! He transcends all earthly strength, power, majesty, and splendor.