The missiological implications of Jesus’s final departure from the Temple for Western Christendom

Abstract

This article analyses the final departure of Jesus Christ from the Temple in Jerusalem during his last days on earth, signifying a critical juncture in God’s interaction and engagement with his chosen people and consequently establishing the foundation for the spread of Christianity. By examining this event and contextualising it within the framework of God’s prior actions concerning the Temple, this article aims to clarify the underlying rationale for this transformation in his relationship with his chosen people. Using a missiological perspective, the study extracts fundamental biblical principles that may serve as criteria for evaluating modern Christendom and the Western Church’s current existential crisis, which urgently highlights its failure to fulfil God’s mission in today’s dynamic world. Through understanding the factors that contributed to this historical shift in God’s engagement, valuable insights can be gained to urge the Western Church to promptly reassess its contemporary missiological disposition.

Contribution: The article contributes significantly to the journal’s mission of advancing Reformed Theology by examining Jesus Christ’s final departure from the Temple, identifying it as a pivotal event in God’s interaction with his people and the foundation for Christianity’s dissemination. Additionally, it offers a missiological viewpoint to assess present challenges confronting the Western Church, prompting a re-evaluation of its mission strategy within contemporary contexts, thereby enriching the discourse on Reformed Theology and its relevance in today’s world.