Ezekiel 42 continues the description of the inner portion of the Temple, and then moves to describing the outer courts. The total Temple area measured 500 cubits square. 500 cubits is 750 feet, so the Temple area was to be 562,500 square feet! Having been to Israel, and seeing the Temple mount area, I know it is the size of seven football fields or 315,000 square feet. While it is most impressive, the future Temple will cover an area more than twice as big. The LORD’s finished work is always greater than anything we can think or imagine.
Ezekiel 43 tells of the LORD’s glory entering the Temple. Ezekiel describes it as being the same as he saw at the very beginning of his prophecy at the Chebar Canal. The LORD spoke to Ezekiel and told him to share this vision with the people and to tell them He would be with them forever, and they would sin no more. After this description, the LORD described the new altar that was to be constructed for sacrifices, and also the types and numbers of sacrifices that would be necessary to consecrate the altar.
Ezekiel 44 tells of the holiness of the East gate leading to the Temple. Because the LORD’s glory entered there, no one shall be permitted to enter the East gate. Only the prince of the nation might sit there and watch the sun as it rose in the east. The LORD also offered another command: The people will be holy. He condemned the priesthood for leading the people astray, but then reestablished the Levitical priests of the line of Zadok as the ones to minister over the people. They had not turned against the LORD in the past, so they would be His servants in this future restored Kingdom.
As we return to Mark 1 for the fifth time, the gospel is becoming familiar to us. We remember it contains only sixteen chapters and is the shortest of the four gospels. It is more “action-packed,” and contains less teaching from Jesus’ mouth than the other gospels. Mark 1 starts with a record of John the Baptist’s ministry. We find no record of Jesus’ birth as in Matthew and Luke. We see Jesus first at His baptism by John. Mark’s record is brief, as is his record of Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness. When Jesus starts His ministry, His message is the same as that of John: Repent! For the Kingdom of God is near. He also adds something: Believe the gospel. Jesus has not only come to call the world to repentance, but also to bring the good news of salvation through His sacrificial death and resurrection. We don’t see that in its fullness in chapter 1, but it will become apparent quickly in Mark’s gospel. We read, too, of Jesus calling the first four disciples: Peter, Andrew, James, and John. Jesus starts His ministry of teaching and healing in a big way, as He enters Capernaum, teaches in a synagogue, casts a demon out of man, and then heals the sick and demon-possessed of the entire town. After that long day of ministry, Jesus gets up in the morning and goes off by Himself to pray. This was Jesus’ pattern: start the day in solitude with His Heavenly Father. When the disciples came to find Him, they had an agenda for Jesus: Let’s go back and have another day of amazing ministry in Capernaum. But Jesus knew His calling. He said they must go throughout Galilee and teach in the synagogues. That is why He came. We are introduced in the closing verses of the chapter to a common theme in Jesus’ life and ministry: As He was going from one place to another, a leper came to Him. As we read Mark’s gospel, and all of the gospels to one degree or another, we find Jesus was often approached by individuals and groups “as he was going….” In those moments, Jesus didn’t say, “I’m too busy for you.” He stopped, listened and helped. In this case, Jesus touched the leper and healed Him. The touch is significant, because in touching the leper Jesus became ceremonially unclean. But we learn an important truth: Before Jesus, when someone touched a leper that person became unclean. When Jesus touched a leper, the leper became clean!