But he was speaking about the temple of his body.
As we study the different elements of the Tabernacle (Exodus 25) we learn so much about the role of Yeshua in our lives. The Tabernacle was nothing less than a portable Temple, a temporary dwelling place for the Shekinah until such a time when King David would plan the first Jerusalem temple to be built by his son, Solomon. Reminding us of the words spoken by Isaiah the prophet, Yeshua Himself called the Temple ‘a House of Prayer’ (Isaiah 56:7; Matthew 21:13).
By definition God is thrice Holy meaning He is set-apart and cannot be approached by a human which is by definition sinful and common. God wants to live among us but as the Holy King that He is, there is a protocol to be respected. There is death penalty for breaking it (Leviticus 10:1-2). The Tabernacle and its protocol was the means by which God was to be approached. This is reflected in the way we have learned to approach the Almighty God through the Agency of Yeshua. The Tabernacle therefore was kept holy in order to house the Shekinah, just as Yeshua kept Himself holy and without sin so He could house the Spirit of God in Him (Hebrews 4:15).
As Yeshua debated Temple use (or misuse) with Judean leaders, He compared it with His own body or His own self (John 2:13-21). Learning therefore about Tabernacle/Temple protocol is learning about our own relationship with God through Messiah and as we do so, we realize in this that there is nothing casual about our relationship with God. We may call Him ‘Father’ but the term is not used in the casual manner that certain fathers play their role today. It is used with a sense of awe and respect. The relationship is not as one between peers.
The role of Messiah is to clean (sanctify) us with His Words so that through His agency we can approach the Holy Father (John 15:3). We are cleaned not only by listening and reading His Words but also as we set ourselves apart to obey God in the manner which Messiah shows us. May we therefore learn to serve an obey; to let our lives be transformed by Yeshua that He may testify of us to the Father as those who have cleaned themselves, washed their robes and set themselves apart from the impurities of the world to be presented unto Him (Revelations 7:14).