If we ever need a reason to get a new luggage and winter clothing, then now is the time to get it. Because there are sales and sales at every shopping mall and every other shop.
But there is a reason behind the sales of luggage and winter-clothing. And that’s because the school holidays have begun, and it is like an exodus from the country to some exotic place, where it is cold and with snow, that is why the winter clothing and luggage.
Even going to a usually dry and hot place like the Holy Land would require some warm clothing, especially during this time of the year.
And if we have not made any holiday plans yet, then we can consider going there. It is not that far, not that very expensive, quite safe, and we can end up being quite holy as well.
And while we are there, we can also check out some of the holy sites. One of the holy sites that the tour guide will bring us to will be the site where the Temple of Jerusalem was.
There we will see for ourselves what Jesus meant by “not a single stone will be left on another: everything will be destroyed.”
There was nothing significant left of the Temple. There is not a trace of the fine stonework and votive offering that the people in the gospel were admiring.
Furthermore, on that very site is another building, so that Temple of Jerusalem, and what it was like, is left to our imagination.
However, there is something of the Temple that is still existing, and survived the destruction and the test of time.
As we ponder on what that is, when it comes to destruction, and the test of time, usually it is not one stone left on another, as Jesus would put it.
And Jesus said more than that in the gospel. He talked about turmoil and distress, persecution and revolutions, disasters and tragedies.
It is certainly something that is dark to hear on a bright sunny day.
But in spite of the rather dark overtones, there is an underlying message of hope. Because Jesus tells us this, and we have to keep it carefully in mind:
You are not to prepare your defence, because I myself shall give you an eloquence and a wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to resist or contradict.
So in the face of devastation, there is consolation. What seems to be hopeless, there is hope. It is a consolation and a hope in the assurance and promise of Jesus.
Coming back to the site of the Temple of Jerusalem. Virtually nothing much is left of it. Nothing much except for one thing, and that is, a wall.
It’s called the Western Wall, aka the Wailing Wall. Jews and Christians, as well as others, go there to pray and slip in a prayer written on pieces of paper. That is no ordinary wall and there is a story to it.
When the Temple was being built, the work was divided among the different sections of the population. The building of the Western Wall was given to the poor and it was considered the least significant part of the Temple. To put it simply, it was just a retaining wall, to prevent soil erosion, among other things.
The poor worked hard to construct it, as they could not hire labourers to do the work. Also all the labourers were hired by the rich. So stone by stone, the poor constructed the Western Wall.
When the Roman army was destroying the Temple in 70 AD, God said that the work of the poor, shall not be destroyed, and the angels descended from on high and spread their wings to protect the Wall.
The Temple was the symbol of the Divine Presence among the people. So even when the Temple was destroyed, the Divine Presence did not leave that Wall and it still stands to this present day.
That Western Wall, that Wailing Wall, is deemed as holy. That is the symbol of the Divine Presence.
So the Wall is a symbol of the Divine Presence for the Jewish people. That Wall, although it is a reminder of devastation, it is also the symbol of hope.
That Wall, the work of the poor is also the symbol of the promises of God. It has endured to this day and hence it has a message for us.
Jesus promised us that He will defend us and be our protection. Jesus is the Wall that surrounds us and keeps us safe.
So whether we are going for our holidays, or preparing for the festive season, let us always ask Jesus to surround us with His love and keep us humble and dependent on Him.
In our trials and difficulties, let us turn to Jesus and ask Him to be our strength and to stand firm like that Western Wall.
Let us stand firm in our faith and endurance, so that like the Western Wall, we can be a symbol of the Divine Presence in the world.