Jesus and the disciples are leaving the temple and one of them remarks what a magnificent edifice it is. This was the third go-round for the Jerusalem temple: The first had been planned by King David and constructed by his son, Solomon, and was exquisite in every way. Sadly, that structure had been leveled by Nebuchadnezzar when the nation was carried off into exile in Babylon.

Once God's people were allowed to return to their homeland, a second temple was built, but it paled in comparison to the original, and folks were embarrassed by it. Even so, for 500 years, that had been the center of Jewish worship.

Along came the Romans and, at the pleasure of Caesar, Herod the Great as king in Israel. Herod knew that the temple was not all the Jews wished it were, so, in an effort to curry favor…