ITW Week 5 Resources.

A collection of resources to help you understand THE TEMPLE & THE PRIESTHOOD.

Hello Friends, and Happy Thursday!

We hope this week’s ITW teaching blessed you as we focused on The Temple and The Royal Priesthood. We have LOTS of resources for you this week. Inside, we have a map of the Temple, articles on the business of buying and selling in the Temple courts, scholarly information about how many times Jesus cleansed the Temple, and some videos on the theme of the Temple and Priesthood in Scripture.

As we always say, don’t try to consume this all at once.
Come back daily and check out the day’s resources so you don’t get too overwhelmed. 🤍

January 29, 2025. John 2:6-7

The six stone water jars were normally used for the ceremonial washing of hands as part of the Jewish purification rites before and after meals (see Matthew 15:1-2). According to the Jews’ ceremonial law, people became symbolically unclean by touching objects of everyday life. Before eating, the Jews would pour water over their hands to cleanse themselves of any bad influences associated with what they had touched. When full, each jar would hold twenty to thirty gallons.

The origin of this ceremonial washing is seen in the laver of the tabernacle, where the priests washed their hands and feet prior to performing their sacred duties (Exodus 30:17-21). That was part of God’s law. Oral tradition extended this law to all Jews to be performed before formal prayers and then before eating. Thus, before each meal, devout Jews would perform a short ceremony, washing their hands and arms in a specific way. This ceremonial washing was not part of God’s law; instead, it was part of the rules and regulations added later. - Bible Commentary