The Life of Christ

• It would have clouded the story to have Joseph present, knowing how frequently Jesus referred to His Father.

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Jn. 2:13-14 And the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 And He found in the temple those who were selling oxen and sheep and doves, and the moneychangers seated.

Regarding the temple, Herod began working on this temple in 20 B.C. and completed the majority of construction in ten years. It was totally finished in 63 A.D.

• Herod faced a significant challenge. The biblical precedent set by Solomon’s Temple, a fairly modest structure, would limit the size of the temple.

• However, the pagan temples of the New Testament era were becoming increasingly large, and the Jerusalem temple, if confined to biblical dimensions, would have seemed puny in comparison.

• Herod’s solution was to tear down the existing temple made by Zerubbabel and build a massive

retaining wall (the Wailing Wall), along with three huge courts to expand the temple:

The Court of the Gentiles: this was open to the Jews and God-fearing Gentiles. It contained the merchants and the moneychangers; beggars were allowed entrance, and children could be present.

The Court of the Women: Only Jewish men and women could enter this court, which contained chests to receive tithes and offerings designated for temple expenses.

The Court of Israel: Only ritually clean Jewish men were permitted to proceed into this court.

The Court of the Priests: This area included an altar of uncut stones, the laver, the Porch, and finally the Temple Proper (Holy Place and Most Holy Place). The actual temple within this court was built to the same specifications as Solomon’s earlier counterpart. The Temple Proper: Inside the Holy Place were the Candlestick, Table of Showbread, and the Altar of Incense, all cast in pure gold. Inside the Most Holy Place one would expect to find the Ark of the Covenant, however, it had been missing since the days of Jeremiah. Instead, it contained a single rock, upon which the High Priest annually offered incense and sprinkled blood on the Day of Atonement.

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