God outside the temple

Translated by Lin Minwen

Merriam-Webster Dictionary translates "profanity" as: vulgar or disrespectful words or actions; "profane" is translated as: 1. Not sacred or unrelated to religion, that is, secular, 2. Because there is no To be self-cleansing or to be filthy and unholy, and thirdly, to be vulgar and disrespectful to sacred things, simply put, is to insult God.

When I bring this word up, it immediately brings to mind the curse words that are silenced on television; words that cannot be said in front of sanctimonious people. The King James Version of the Bible explicitly prohibits "blaspheming" God's name, so this word generally refers to vulgar language. However, the word "blasphemy" comes from the Latin pro fano, which means to be excluded from the temple.

Why is it “a god outside the temple”?

Let’s look at the first definition first: not sacred or religious. It is worth noting that people have an irresistible tendency to distinguish between the sacred world and the so-called "profane" secular world.

Let’s give some obvious examples! We've all heard the term "Sunday Christian," which refers to someone who only behaves like a Christian on Sundays or in the presence of other Christians. If they appeared in other situations, you might not be able to tell who is a Christian.

But before we turn our noses up at the thought of who is a Sunday Christian, why not look at ourselves? Like everyone else, I have indeed made the mistake of "dichotomizing life between the sacred and the secular" at some stage. Report due next month: secular. Tuesday Bible Study: Holy. Commute: Secular. Fifteen-minute morning devotional: Holy.

Yet Paul gives us this command in Colossians 3:17:“Whatever you do, in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”

"Whatever you do" is such a scary command. We can accuse Sunday Christians of hypocrisy, but a closer look at any "godly Christian" will reveal that he cannot live up to this standard either. Let us ask ourselves: Do I really remember God in everything? In Deuteronomy 6:6-9, God spoke to the Israelites:“These words that I command you today shall be on your heart; and you shall teach them diligently to your children; and you shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise up. And shall bind them as a sign upon your hand, Wear it on your forehead as a scripture and write it on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”Are we living up to this standard?

In some ways, the dualism between sacred and secular is perfectly natural. In the Old Testament, the distinction between the sacred and the secular is real. The veil separated the Holy of Holies from the rest of the temple. The high priest enters the Holy of Holies once a year, with a bell and a rope tied to his body, just in case he is killed in front of God. If the bell stops ringing, the priest outside drags his body out with a rope.

Also, the moment Jesus died, the temple veil was torn from top to bottom. Jesus Christ is the key. For most of history, God has demonstrated Himself to be completely holy. When the veil of the temple was rent, the boundary between the sacred and the secular was broken; Christ was the one who completely refuted the duality of the sacred and the secular.

Please examine yourself now. Maybe you’re all focused. Maybe you find it boring. In this moment, think about the eternal God who once sat there just like you. Or rub your hands together, or twiddle your thumbs. Feel your breath. The God who is the divine essence, the God who miraculously breathed the breath of life into the first man, breathed in and out of breath just like you and me.

If you think about it this way, what else is unholy? The "Word", the "I AM" God, was so holy that the Israelites did not dare to approach Mount Sinai. Uzzah had to die holding on to the sacred ark, and His name could not even be read or written. However, He had ten fingers and ten toes, walked the earth, and experienced joy, joy, joy, depression, disappointment, loneliness, and betrayal.

Guerric of Igny wrote: "Would you like to see the humbleness of God? Look into the manger, and there He lies. This is indeed our God. Looking at the baby, I realize that He has said "Didn't I fill the heavens and the earth?" I saw the baby in infancy, but He was clothed in unapproachable glory? He cried! This is the One who shook the heavens and gave wings to angels. The lowly one? Yes. But He emptied Himself in order to fill us.” (Note 1)

God loves people outside the temple

Through Christ, we also see God’s love for those who are so called “unclean or defiled.” There are many examples in the Bible: Christ and the Samaritan woman at the well, Christ and Zacchaeus. When the Pharisees questioned Jesus’ disciples:"Why does your husband eat with tax collectors and 'sinners'?" (Matthew 9:11)Interestingly, these unclean people who could not enter the temple were the ones with whom Christ spent the most time. According to the Mosaic law, this group of physically disabled paralyzed, lame, blind, or lepers could not enter the temple. They often beg for a little alms outside the temple. They are indeed "blaspheming", they are indeed pro fano, "not allowed to enter the temple".

Let’s turn to John chapter 9. Picture this: Jesus and his disciples are walking through Jerusalem. The disciples asked questions and He answered them with stories. They passed by a beggar who was born blind. One of the disciples pointed at the beggar and asked, "Rabbi, who sinned? Is it this man or his parents?"

The beggar has long been accustomed to people's comments and ignores his existence; the beggar has long been accustomed to people's silent doubts when they give alms. Is it him or his parents who have done something to make him suffer the punishment of God and prevent him from entering the temple and worshiping with other people? bye?

Jesus looked into the man's dull eyes and said, "No, he was born blind to show the deeds of God." The disciples were as confused as ever, and the beggar was even more so - an deed of God? Manifested in him? In this life, beggars are a symbol of God’s wrath, a symbol of God’s punishment of the wicked, and a symbol of God’s prohibition of uncleanness entering the temple. Jesus then spit on the ground, made mud, put it on the beggar’s eyes, and told him to wash himself in the pool of Siloam. The beggar followed the instructions and regained his sight without even seeing his healer.

Of course, this caused a commotion, people were very surprised at what was happening, and finally the beggar came to the Pharisees (who often had trouble with Jesus being in the company of unclean people). The Pharisees interrogated the beggar for several hours until the beggar, either out of sarcasm or out of innocence, exclaimed: "I've told you already, why do you have to hear it again? Do you also want to be His disciples?" ?”

The Pharisees replied, "You were born in sin and yet you dare teach us!" and they drove him out. Even if the beggar is cured, they still regard him as an outcast, as a man "wholly born in sin." Once again he was an outcast, walking dejectedly, wondering why he had to bear God's curse.

Then, I was struck by this description each time. When Jesus learned that they had "cast out" the beggar, he went to look for him and took a detour to find him. After all the questioning and running back and forth, after the beggar had been questioned and driven out, they met alone. The two men approached each other in the street, and the beggar had a rough guess who the stranger was, even though he had never seen him before.

Jesus asked, "Do you believe in the Son of God?"

Somehow the man already knew he was about to get the answer to his question. "Sir, who is he that I can trust?"

Jesus said, "You are looking at him, you are talking to him."

Thinking about this story in the Gospel of John, it is obvious that God is the God of unclean people; He is the God of unclean people, not only because He is the God of unclean blind beggars, but He is also my God, our God. We are all unclean, and even the most accomplished people have experienced being treated as unclean in some form and being "cast out." Perhaps it was not necessarily the Pharisees, but our peers, co-workers, or even family members who drove us out of the "temple."

Yet Christ comes looking for us, “looking for me like a wandering son who has left the sheepfold of God.” If God allows, we can recognize His voice when He finds us.

"Do you believe in the Son of God?" He asked. Although we have never seen Him, perhaps we are lucky enough to recognize His voice.

"Sir, who is he that I can believe in him?" The beggar's hope is our hope, and his doubts are also our doubts. Hope that Christ will indeed be what we have been seeking to redeem us from the stain of sin; doubt follows hope. For too long, the world has brought us disappointment and abandonment, and our defense mechanisms tell us that we can only be unclean. But the suspicion of humanity that penetrates all remaining hearts is something we are ready to believe, and we must believe. Like a loaded arrow, ready to go; like a hunting tiger, eager to try.

"You're looking at him, you're talking to him." Finally, the face that has been searching for us matches the voice in the dream. Mary Magdalene, for example, was no stranger to filth; Thomas, for example, had doubts like the rest of us. Suddenly, we recognize the speaker, the one who has been looking for us, and like them we exclaim, "My Lord, my God!" or simply worship him like a blind beggar.

Meeting God in the unlikeliest of places

Of course, the final definition of uncleanness has to do with blasphemy: “disrespect toward what is holy.” And God, once again, challenges this definition through Christ. I accidentally read one of the lines in "The Satanic Bible" written by Anton LeVay: "I looked at the godless eyes of your timid Jehovah, grabbed his beard, swung his axe, and His head, which was hollowed out by insects, was split in two!" (Notes 2, 3) My immediate reaction was disgust and anger.

However, I now realize that no matter how hard those who seek to shock with blasphemy try to pluck God from His divine presence, God has experienced it. He has been willing to experience the deepest darkness that man can muster. As the poet said:"If I ascend to heaven, you are there. If I make my bed in hell, you are there." (Psalm 139:8)

If you reflect carefully, the death of God is obviously disturbing and even blasphemous!

Yes, Jehovah God, the Lord of all things in the universe, was betrayed, mocked, humiliated, and beaten by his own people. Forced to carry his torture instrument on his back, he came to a hill that looked like a skull. There He was lifted up and nailed to a tree. The sign hanging above the head reads: "Jesus of unknown origin, leader of the Jews." Even worse, as stated in the "Apostles' Creed": "He descended into Hades."

I see. Blasphemers, Satanists, anyone who seeks to dishonor God will eventually find that God allows Him to be dishonored. Try to put God to death, only to find that He has given Himself over to death; try to belittle Him, but as the psalmist finds, "He is there too."

The heretical Gnostic school of early Christianity found it difficult to accept the fact of crucifixion, so they recorded in their gospels that Christ was not crucified, but found a way to escape and find someone else to replace him. Muslims regard Jesus as a prophet and believe that Jesus' body was taken up to heaven and that Judas, or Simon of Cyrene, was crucified in his place.

In fact, it was not until the cross was no longer used as a torture device that it became a symbol of Christianity. In this way, the cross is also redeemed from blasphemy. This hideous instrument of torture, the most evil instrument of torture that the human mind can devise, became a sign of victory.

The torture and crucifixion of Jesus Christ only make sense when we understand God's presence in the midst of filth."He who descended is the one who ascended far up into the heavens to fill all things." (Ephesians 4:10)

God is the God who ascends far into the heavens, and He is also the God who descended into the depths and humbled himself from his throne to a filthy manger.When you enter the world, please remember that filthy God. Please remember the God who gives meaning to the most ordinary things, such as getting up in the morning, breathing, and walking.It is meaningful because He himself got up, breathed, and walked, and faced the uncertain world just like us.

Please remember that God is the God who remembers the unclean people in the world, the people who have been kicked out of the temple by society. Not only that, He was the God who humbled himself and entered into filth in order to redeem them.

Please remember that God is the God who inflicts the most serious blasphemy upon Himself. Webster's Dictionary says: "Disrespect for things holy." As Paul wrote in Philippians 2:7-8, Jesus"But he emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross."

Wherever I go from Your Spirit, there I go from Your presence.
If I ascend to heaven, you will be there.
If I make my bed in Hades, you will be there too.
If I spread my morning wings, I would fly to the ends of the sea to live.
Even there your hand will guide me, and your right hand will uphold me.
If I say, Darkness will cover me, and the light around me will become night.
The darkness cannot hide me from you, but the night shines like the day.
Darkness and light are the same in your eyes.

(Psalm 139:7∼12)

Notes:

1. Richard Gao, "Christmas: Heartwarming Sayings," Christianity Today, December 19, 2005.
2. The editorial team suggested that I add a note here: I have not actually read The Book of Satan, so I cannot and will not recommend this book. My fellow editors need to make sure that if anyone is led astray by this and goes to the Barnes and Noble bookstore to buy "Satan's Book", I am not responsible. This passage was read from Barber Liao's book "Satanism: The Temptation of America's Teenagers". I also don’t recommend Liao Barber’s book. This book is actually the product of deliberate alarmism by some people in the 1980s out of fear of Christianity. As far as I understand, "Satan's Manual" is not a witchcraft manual, but rather Luo Anton's use of Jewish/Christian imagery as a starting point as a declaration of his personal philosophy. Furthermore, those who are disturbed by my quoting this passage may not have grasped all that I have said so far. 3. Barber Liao, "Satanism: The Temptation of America's Teenagers."

Author profile

Yang Junan is currently a sophomore at Temple University in Philadelphia, USA, majoring in English and Psychology. My mind is devoted to complex topics such as "appropriation" and "soteriology". In addition to theology, he also likes to play the violin to earn a few copper coins, manages to publish novels, and falls asleep in front of the TV.