He Came Into the Temple

My sister-in-law recently made a 3D printed Christmas ornament of the temple closest to us. As I was thinking about the connection between the temple and Christmas yesterday, it struck me that the first place Jesus went after his birth that is recorded in the scriptures is the temple. We know that “when eight days were accomplished for the circumcising of the child, his name was called Jesus, which was so named of the angel before he was conceived in the womb.” And then forty days after his birth “they brought him to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord; (As it is written in the law of the Lord, Every male that openeth the womb shall be called holy to the Lord;) And to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said in the law of the Lord, A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.” They brought Jesus to Jerusalem—presumably they had stayed in Bethlehem (about five miles away) during those first few weeks—and they went to the temple. Luke’s account continues, “There was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him. And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. And he came by the Spirit into the temple: and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him after the custom of the law, Then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God.” The infant Jesus was taken to the temple and there this man named Simeon blessed him. And he wasn’t the only one; after Simeon “there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel…. And she was a widow of about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day. And she coming in that instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem” (Luke 2:21-38). And so these two faithful Saints, led by the Holy Ghost, found Jesus in the temple and blessed Him as a young baby only about six weeks old.

               I think that it is significant that Jesus from the youngest age was at the temple. And His trips to the temple didn’t end there. When He was twelve His years old His family went to Jerusalem and He stayed teaching at the temple: “And it came to pass, that after three days they found him in the temple” (Luke 2:42). Near the beginning of His ministry when He was older He went again to Jerusalem. John recorded, “Jesus went up to Jerusalem, And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting: And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers’ money, and overthrew the tables; And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father’s house an house of merchandise” (John 2:13-16). He cast out those who had turned the temple into a place of merchandise. Throughout His three-year ministry He taught multiple times at the temple. For example, He was there at the Feast of the Tabernacles: “Now about the midst of the feast Jesus went up into the temple, and taught.” He declared unto them there, “If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water” (John 7:14, 37-38). And then at the end of His ministry He went again to the temple: “And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves, And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves. And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple; and he healed them” (Matthew 21:12-14). Once again He sought to purify the temple and then there He healed those who were afflicted.  

Clearly the temple was a focal point of His ministry. Though the purpose of that temple under the law of Moses did differ from how current temples are used now, surely the facts that His life started with a trip to the temple and that He kept going back throughout His ministry is instructive to us about the importance of the House of the Lord. Like Anna and Simeon, as we spend time in the temple we will find Him there. President Nelson said this: “Here is my promise to you: Every sincere seeker of Jesus Christ will find Him in the temple. You will feel His mercy. You will find answers to your most vexing questions. You will better comprehend the joy of His gospel.” At Christmastime we often visit neighbors and friends at their homes, bringing gifts and good cheer. We should not forget to also visit the Savior in His home, bringing the gift of our time to worship Him there.