The People of God: The Story of the ChurchSample

We have now laid a foundation for what it means to be the people of God and all the ups and downs along the way. As we look in the New Testament at Jesus and the apostle's teaching, and the life of the early church, let's try and see these passages as joining together threads from what we have been reading.

Rather than opening with a narrative about Jesus, John opens his gospel by going back to a Genesis account of creation and re-telling it in light of Jesus. Jesus is the ‘Logos,’ the Word from the beginning of time, made flesh. He came, and ‘tabernacled’ or ‘made his dwelling’ among us. This is important for us to see in light of the fact that before, God’s presence was confined to the ark of the covenant in a tabernacle or Temple. John is telling his readers that this presence is what Jesus carried with Him. He was that presence embodied.

In our second reading for today, John interestingly places the account of Jesus driving out the people buying and selling in the Temple at the very beginning of his gospel. The other accounts of this event take place in the last week before Jesus is crucified at Passover. John does not tell us if this is the same event recorded in the other gospels, but it was during the Jewish Passover. He may well be referring to the same event but has arranged his gospel in a way to have it near the beginning. The significance of this event is the key line when Jesus refers to His body as the Temple rather than the building he was driving people out of. This is the beginning of a key way of looking at the body as a Temple that houses the presence of God. Just as Jesus had come and ‘tabernacled’ amongst us, after Jesus is resurrected, the Spirit will come and tabernacle in us, the church.