Reader’s Guide: “The Word for Today” Friday, June 21, 2013 Read – Isaiah 66:1-4 The second passage that Stephen referred to in his speech is a quotation from Isaiah 66:1-2. This time the quotation is much more direct and follows the Septuagint version of the OT exactly. Stephen is not addressing the accusation that he has been saying that Jesus had claimed that he would destroy the Temple and in three days build another. Actually, Jesus had not said that he would destroy the Temple but Jesus did mourn the destruction of the Temple and did predict that it would be destroyed (Luke 21:5; 20-24). The Temple is a good place in Luke’s understanding, as we have noticed before – the Temple is not the enemy and neither Jesus nor his followers are opposed to the Temple. Yet, the Temple can become an “idol” when people are not in a right relationship with God. That is Stephen’s point – and he uses this OT passage to back it up. There are also other places in the OT, particularly in Jeremiah, where a false sense of security based on the Temple is spoken against. Luke may have chosen any of those – but, it appears, Isaiah was his favorite so he turns to that book.