Third Time’s A Charm.

Proper 28, Year C; Luke 21:5-19

Home is where the heart is. And for Israel, the Temple was home. It was the center of Jewish life—the place of worship, celebration, memory, and identity. No matter where you lived in Israel, no matter how far you traveled, the Temple was where you went to remember who you were and whose you were. It was covered in symbols of God’s saving acts, His faithfulness, His care, His glory. But more than anything, the Temple mattered because it was the House of the Lord—His dwelling place on earth, His presence in the middle of His people. When the disciples walk with Jesus through that Temple, marveling at its stones, its beauty, its seeming permanence, they are standing in what felt like the heartbeat of the world.

But to understand what Jesus says next, we need to remember the story behind that House. The Temple wasn’t just a building—it represented God’s desire from the very beginning: to dwell with His people. We first see this desire in the Garden. Before sin entered the world, God walked with Adam and Eve in close fellowship and friendship. But once sin came, humanity was cast out, and the fellowship was broken. Yet God would not be satisfied with that distance. He began raising up a family through Abraham, a people set apart through whom His Son would one day come and restore the friendship Adam lost.

In the meantime, God provided a temporary solution. While Israel wandered through the wilderness, God came near in a tent—the tabernacle. His presence was so holy that the people couldn’t walk with Him like Adam did, but they could live near Him—close enough to know He was with them, but not so close that they died. His presence came near like visiting hours in prison: there was a veil, a window between them, and God spoke to His people through the “phone” of His prophets and His Word. Still, it was better than being far away.

When God gave Israel a land of their own, they built Him a house—the Temple. A house of glory and gold, a picture of heaven touching earth. God was among His people. His house had rules, of course—you had to be cleaned up to come in; His servants, the priests, handled the cleaning so the people could draw near. Even then, the closest most people could get was the outer courts—the “yard” of the Lord. But even from the yard, they could sing, speak, and feast with their God. The Temple revealed a God whose heart longed to live with His people.

But Israel, like Adam before them, eventually turned away. They chased other gods, adopted the practices of the nations, and forgot the Lord. So God left His house. If His people no longer wanted Him, what good was a home with no fellowship? He allowed their enemies to enter, overtake them, and destroy the Temple—just as Jeremiah warned in Jeremiah 7. Yet even then, God’s mercy did not fail. In exile, the people cried out, repented, and returned. And God brought them home, gave them back their land, and they rebuilt a second Temple.

By the time Jesus shows up, this second Temple is still standing—but spiritually, it had already fallen. Corruption had crept in again. The courts of prayer had become a marketplace of greed. God’s people once more rejected His presence. And this is where Jesus speaks in Luke 21. As the disciples marvel at the stones, Jesus delivers words that echo Jeremiah: this Temple too will be destroyed. The cycle has repeated itself. Israel’s history feels like a never-ending spiral—sin, destruction, repentance, rebuilding… only to end up back where they started.

But Jesus doesn’t just repeat Jeremiah—He finishes Jeremiah. He brings the story to its conclusion and tells something they never expected. Yes, judgment is coming again. Yes, this Temple will fall again. But Jesus has come to end the vicious cycle forever. He tells them the bad news, but He also gives the good news that changes everything: God is building a new Temple, one not made with hands, one that cannot be corrupted or destroyed. Jesus hinted at this earlier when He said, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it up in three days.” They didn’t understand it then, but Jesus was speaking about His own body.

Through His death, Jesus tears down the veil that stood between God and man. Through His resurrection, He raises up a new Temple—His own body—where God and man meet again in full fellowship. No more distance. No more barriers. His presence doesn’t just dwell near His people; it dwells in His people. His own blood cleanses us once and for all, and all who belong to Jesus—united to Him by faith—become living stones in this new and everlasting Temple. And this time, the House of God will never be destroyed. Not Babylon. Not Rome. Not the kingdoms of this world. Not even the gates of Hell. The third Temple—the Church united to Christ—will stand forever. Truly, the third time’s the charm.

So what does this mean for us today? Paul says in Ephesians 2:19–22 that we are no longer strangers or outsiders, but full members of God’s household. Christ is the cornerstone, and we are being fitted together into a holy temple where God dwells by His Spirit. In other words, you are not just attending church—you are part of the house of God. When we gather, the Church becomes active, alive, and full. When our voices, our prayers, our hearts, and our faith come together, Jesus promises to be present among us. Something takes shape that is fuller, richer, deeper than anything you can experience alone. This is why we do not forsake gathering. The Church is built whenever the people of God gather—wherever and whenever we gather.

And Peter adds another layer in 1 Peter 2:5: you are living stones being built into a spiritual house, a holy priesthood. That means that when we gather, we aren’t spectators—we are priests. We offer spiritual sacrifices: praise, prayer, intercession, thanksgiving, generosity. We help build a throne for Jesus with our worship so that He may be seated among us. Our worship becomes a witness to the world that we have no other god but Christ. And when you see the Church this way—as a living temple made of living stones—it changes the way you think about your place within it. When the Church gathers, is your stone missing? When the people of God assemble to pray, are you influenced by so many other things that you deny Jesus His rightful throne? Yes, the prayers of the saints continue, but how much stronger, how much louder, how much more complete would they be if your voice were added?

The history of Israel warns us not to fall back into the old cycle of rejecting God’s presence for lesser things. Jesus has ended the cycle, but if you refuse the gift, you can still drift into it and find yourself overcome by the enemy. The better way—the blessed way—is to be faithful to what Jesus has secured for you: His presence with His people, whenever they gather in His name.

Solomon’s Temple couldn’t last. Herod’s Temple couldn’t last. But the Temple Jesus builds—His body, the Church—will stand forever. And you are part of that story. You are part of that house. So let us draw near, stay faithful, and take our place among the living stones. The third time really is the charm.

Peace be with you,

Pastor Bruce