Mark 13:1–2 (ESV)
Jesus Foretells Destruction of the Temple
13 And as he came out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher, what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings!” 2 And
Jesus said to him, “Do you see these great buildings? There will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.”
Jesus
begins to talk about the fall of Jerusalem and the end of the world with a prediction of the temple’s destruction. What makes a house of worship worthy is not its outward appearance but the Word of God in it. The temple in Jerusalem had been the “embassy”
of heaven on earth. With the birth of Jesus, this temple would no longer serve that purpose. Now, in Jesus Christ, the fullness of the Godhead dwells bodily among us (cf Col 2:9).
I
pray: “To this temple, where we call You, Come, O Lord of hosts, and stay; Come with all Your loving-kindness, Hear Your people as they pray.” Amen. (LSB 909:2)
Edward A. Engelbrecht, The Lutheran Study Bible
(St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House, 2009), 1686.