Carpenter Diem (Because Jesus Was a Carpenter and Is Now Preparing a Home for His People)
The resurrection of God the Son, Jesus Christ, is crucial to the Christian faith. In Luke 24:13-35, we read of the resurrected Savior walking the road to Emmaus. This specific geographical reference reminds us of the absolute accuracy of God’s Word in all areas. In verse 27, Jesus begins to teach from the Old Testament; He not only walked the talk but also talked the walk! This passage does not reveal the exact Scriptures Jesus employed to teach these journeying believers, but we do know that He fulfilled the entire Old Testament (Matthew 5:17,18). Fulfilled prophecy is one of the major reasons that we can be certain that our faith in Jesus is not misplaced. (I will be using this opening paragraph for each of the brief messages in this series. The following material will change daily.)
Haggai 2:7 uses the familiar Messianic term “the desire of all nations” (found in hymns such as “Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus,” “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing,” and “Angels from the Realms of Glory”). Special attention is given to “this house,” which is the temple rebuilt under the leadership of Zerubbubel and later enlarged and refurbished by Herod. This temple was destroyed in A.D. 70 and never contained the Shekinah “glory” of God (His majestic presence). Ezekiel 40-48 specifies that a new temple will be built and that God’s glory will fill it (Ezekiel 43:2, 5). Comparing this lengthy section to Zechariah 14, we find that Jesus Himself will set foot on the Mount of Olives (verse 4) and will enter Jerusalem as King (verse 16). Of course, Jesus entered the temple numerous times during His earthly ministry, including twice – once at the beginning of His teaching and once at the end – to cleanse it of the money-making machine of the religious establishment. The Desire of Nations came once and was mostly rejected; yet, He will come again to fulfill His promises, to reveal His glory, and to draw many to Himself. Our Lord is blessedly consistent and persistent.