The Temple Part 2

Since the destruction of the Second Temple in AD 70, religious Jews have expressed their desire to see the building of a Third Temple on the Temple Mount. Prayer for this cause has been a formal part of the Jewish tradition of thrice daily Jewish prayer services. Though it remains unbuilt, the notion of and desire for a Third Temple is sacred in Judaism, particularly Orthodox Judaism, as an unrealized place of worship.

It may be hard for us, who now gather in a living room for our weekly gatherings, to understand how important this site was and is to the Jewish people. So, when Jesus said that he was going to rebuild this in 3 days, that was a truly unbelievable statement.

Consider this poem from the rabbinic teachings:

"As the navel is set in the centre of the human body,

so is the land of Israel the navel of the world...
situated in the centre of the world,
and Jerusalem in the centre of the land of Israel,
and the sanctuary in the centre of Jerusalem,
and the holy place in the centre of the sanctuary,
and the ark in the centre of the holy place,
and the foundation stone before the holy place,
because from it the world was founded."

Midrash Tanchuma, Qedoshim.