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b'In his Pentecost 24 sermon Glynn Cardy looks at how we seem to wall in God like our special pet.\\xa0 He suggests that they don\'t work.\\xa0 God is about freedom."Walls surrounded the Temple that Jesus knew, the 2nd Temple in Jerusalem.\\xa0Inside were an Outer Courtyard, then more walls and an Inner Courtyard.\\xa0Within that was the Holy Place, and within that \\u2013 separated by a thick curtain \\u2013 was the Holy of Holies.\\xa0This was where God was said to dwell.\\xa0There were lots of walls protecting God.\\xa0There were lots of priests and guards protecting the walls.\\xa0And there were lots of rules and regulations protecting the priests and guards.\\xa0God was safe and secure.\\n\\u201cDo you see these great buildings?\\u201d said Jesus.\\xa0\\u201cNot one stone will be left here upon another, all will be thrown down.\\u201d\\n"Jesus, like other reform-oriented Jews, was critical of the Temple.\\xa0The Temple was the dominant symbol of ecclesiastical power and authority.\\xa0This was where the pious and their pet God ruled.\\xa0This was where the chosen, those who had wealth and influence, could appease and please God.\\xa0The Temple symbolized spiritual stability and protection.\\xa0It was indeed an imposing and beautiful structure.\\xa0\\n"Yet for Jesus it symbolized the imprisonment of God and the spiritual impoverishment of the common people."\\nFull text and video links at www.stmatthews.org.nz.'