In His Temple
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“After this He
went down to Capernaum, He, and His
mother, and His brethren, and His
disciples: and they continued there
not many days. And the Jews’
Passover was at hand, and Jesus went
up to Jerusalem.”
In
this journey, Jesus joined one of the
large companies that were making
their way to the capital. He had not
yet publicly announced His mission,
and He mingled unnoticed with the
throng. Upon these occasions, the
coming of the Messiah, to which such
prominence had been given by the
ministry of John, was often the
conversation. The hope of national
greatness was dealt upon with
kindling enthusiasm. Jesus knew that
this hope was to be disappointed, for
it was founded on a misinterpretation
of the Scriptures. With deep
earnestness He explained the
prophecies, and tried to arouse the
people to a closer study of
God’s word.
The
Jewish leaders had instructed the
people that at Jerusalem they were to
be taught to worship God. Here during
the Passover week large numbers
assembled, coming from all parts of
Palestine, and even from distant
lands. The temple courts were filled
with a promiscuous throng. Many were
unable to bring with them the
sacrifices that were to be offered up
as typifying the one great Sacrifice.
For the convenience of these, animals
were brought and sold in the outer
court of the temple. Here all classes
of people assembled to purchase their
offerings. Here all foreign money was
exchanged for the coin of the
sanctuary.
Every
Jew was required to pay yearly a half
shekel as “a ransom for his
soul;” and the money thus
collected was used to support of the
temple. Exodus 30:12-16. Besides
this, large sums of money were
brought as free will offerings, to be
deposited in the temple treasury. And
it was required that all foreign coin
should be changed for a coin called
the temple shekel, which was accepted
for the service of the sanctuary. The
money changing gave opportunity for
fraud and extortion, and it had grown
into a disgraceful traffic, which was
the source of revenue to the priests.
The
dealers demanded exorbitant prices
for animals sold, and they shared the
profits with the priests and rulers,
who thus enriched themselves at the
expense of the people. The worshipers
had been taught to believe that if
they did not offer sacrifice, the
blessing of God would not rest on
their children or their lands. Thus a
high price for the animals could be
secured; for after coming so far, the
people would not return to their
homes without performing the act of
devotion for which they had come.
A great
number of sacrifices were offered at
the time of the Passover, and the
sales at the temple were very large.
The consequent confusion indicated a
noisy cattle market than the sacred
temple of God. There could be heard
sharp bargaining, the lowing of
cattle, the bleating of sheep, the
cooing of doves, mingled with the
chinking of coin and angry
disputation. So great was the
confusion that the worshipers were
disturbed, and the words addressed to
the Most High were drowned in the
uproar that invaded the temple. The
Jews were exceedingly proud of their
piety. They rejoiced over their
temple, and regarded a word spoken in
its disfavor as blasphemy; they were
very rigorous in the performance of
ceremonies connected with it; but the
love of money had overruled their
scruples. They were scarcely aware
how far they had wandered from the
original purpose of the service
instituted by God Himself.
When the
Lord descended upon Mount Sinai, the
place was consecrated by His
presence. Moses was commanded to put
bounds around the mount and sanctify
it, and the word of the Lord was
heard in warning: “Take heed to
yourselves, that ye go not up into
the mount, or touch the border of it:
whosoever toucheth the mount shall be
surely put to death: there shall not
an hand touch it, but he shall surely
be stoned, or shot through; whether
it be beast or man, it shall not
live.” Exodus 19:12,13. Thus
was taught the lesson that wherever
God manifests His presence, the place
is holy. The precincts of God’s
temple should have been regarded as
sacred. But in the strife for gain,
all this was lost sight of.
The
priests and rulers were called to be
representatives of God to the nation;
they should have corrected the abuses
of the temple court. They should have
given the people an example of
integrity and compassion. Instead of
studying their own profit, they
should have considered the situation
and needs of the worshipers, and
should have been ready to assist
those who were not able to buy the
required sacrifices. But this they
did not do. Avarice had hardened
their hearts.
There
came to this feast those who were
suffering, those who were in want and
distress. The blind, the lame, the
deaf, were there. Some were brought
on beds. Many came who were too poor
to purchase the humblest offerings
for the Lord; too poor even to buy
food with which to satisfy their
hunger. These were greatly distressed
by the statements of the priests. The
priests boasted of their piety; they
claimed to be the guardians of the
people; but they were without
sympathy or compassion. The poor, the
sick, the dying, made their vain plea
for favor. Their suffering awakened
no pity in the hearts of the priests.
As Jesus
came into the temple, He took in the
whole scene. He saw their unfair
transactions. He saw the distress of
the poor, who thought that without
shedding of blood there would be no
forgiveness for their sins. He saw
the outer court of His temple
converted into a place of unholy
traffic. The sacred enclosure had
become one vast exchange.
Christ
saw that something had to be done.
Numerous ceremonies were enjoined
upon the people without proper
instruction as to their import. The
worshipers offered their sacrifices
without understanding that they were
typical of the only perfect
Sacrifice. And among them,
unrecognized and unhonored, stood the
One symbolized by all their service.
He had given directions in regard to
the offerings. He understood their
symbolical value, and He saw that
they were now perverted and
misunderstood. Spiritual worship was
fat disappearing. No link bound the
priests and rulers to their God.
Christ’s work was to establish
an altogether different worship.
With
searching glance, Christ takes in the
scene before Him as He stands upon
the steps of the temple court. With
prophetic eye He looks into futurity,
and sees not only years, but
centuries and ages. He sees how
priests and rulers will turn the
needy from the right, and forbid that
the gospel shall be preached to the
poor. He sees how the love of God
will be concealed from sinners, and
men will make merchandise of His
grace. As He beholds the scene,
indignation, authority, and power are
expressed in His countenance. The
attention of the people is attracted
to Him. The eyes of those engaged in
their unholy traffic are riveted upon
His face. They cannot withdraw their
gaze. They feel that this Man reads
their innermost thoughts, and
discovers their hidden motives. Some
attempt to conceal their faces, as if
they’re evil deeds were written
upon their countenances, to be
scanned by those searching eyes.
The
confusion is hushed. The sound of
traffic and bargaining has ceased.
The silence becomes painful. A sense
of awe overpowers the assembly. It is
if they were arraigned before the
tribunal of God to answer for their
deeds. Looking upon Christ, they
behold divinity flash through the
garb of humanity. The Majesty of
heaven stands as the Judge will stand
at the last day, not now encircled
with the glory that will then attend
Him, but with the same power to read
the soul. His eye sweeps over the
multitude, taking in every
individual. His form seems to rise
above them in commanding dignity, and
a divine light illuminates His
countenance. He speaks, and His
clear, ringing voice – the same
that upon Mount Sinai proclaimed the
law that priests and rulers are
transgressing – is heard echoing
through the arches of the temple:
“Take these things hence; make
not My Father’s house an house
of merchandise."
Slowly
descending the steps, and raising the
scourge of cords gathered up on
entering the enclosure, He bids the
bargaining company depart from the
precincts of the temple. With a zeal
and severity He has never before
manifested, He overthrows the tables
of the moneychangers. The coins fall,
ringing sharply upon the marble
pavement. None presume to question
His authority. None dare stop to
gather up their ill-gotten gain.
Jesus does not smite them with the
whop of cords, but in His hand that
simple scourge seems terrible as a
flaming sword. Officers of the
temple, speculating priests, brokers
and cattle traders, with their sheep
and oxen, rush from the place, with
the one thought of escaping from the
condemnation of His presence.
A panic
sweeps over the multitude, which feel
the overshadowing of His divinity.
Cries of terror from hundreds of
blanched lips. Even the disciples
tremble. They are awestruck by the
words and manner of Jesus, so unlike
His usual demeanor. They remember
that is written of Him, “ The
zeal of Thine house hath eaten Me
up.” Psalm 69:9. Soon the
tumultuous throng with their
merchandise is far removed from the
temple of the Lord. The courts are
free from unholy traffic, and a deep
silence and solemnity settles upon
the scene of confusion.
The
presence of the Lord, that of old
sanctified the mount, has now made
sacred the temple reared in His
honor.
In the
cleansing of the temple, Jesus
announcing His mission as the
Messiah, and entering upon His work
could see down through ages to the
end of time and the judgment of
mankind. That temple, erected for the
abode of the divine Presence, was
designed to be an object lesson for
Israel and the world. From eternal
ages it was God’s purpose that
every created being, from the bright
and holy seraph to man, should be a
temple for the indwelling of the
Creator. Because of sin, humanity
ceased to be a temple for God.
Darkened and defiled by evil, the
heart of man no longer revealed the
glory of the Divine One. But by the
incarnation of the Son of God, the
purpose of Heaven is fulfilled. God
dwells in humanity, and through
saving grace the heart of man becomes
again His temple. God designed that
the temple in Jerusalem should be a
continual witness to the high destiny
open to every soul. But the Jews had
not understood the significance of
the building they regarded with so
much pride. They did not yield
themselves as holy temples for the
Divine Spirit. The courts of the
temple at Jerusalem, filled with the
tumult of unholy traffic, represented
all too truly the temple of the
heart, defiled by the presence of
sensual passions and unholy thoughts.
In cleansing the temple from the
world’s buyers and sellers,
Jesus announced His mission to
cleanse the heart from the defilement
of sin, from earthy desires, selfish
lusts, and the evil habits that
corrupt the soul. “The Lord,
whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to
His temple, even the Messenger of the
covenant, whom ye delight in: behold,
He shall come, saith the Lord of
hosts. But who may abide the day of
His coming? And who shall stand when
He appeareth? For He is like a
refiner’s fire, and like
fuller’s soap: and He shall sit
as a refiner and purifier of silver:
and He shall purify the sons of Levi,
and purge them as gold and
silver.” Malachi 3:1-3.
“Know ye not that ye are the
temple of God, and that the Spirit of
God dwelleth in you? If any man
defile the temple of God, him shall
God destroy; for the temple of God is
holy, which temple ye are.” 1
Corinthians 3:16,17. No man can of
himself cast out the evil throng that
has taken possession of the heart.
Only Christ can cleanse the soul
temple. But He will not force an
entrance. He comes not into the heart
as to the temple of old: but He says,
“Behold, I stand at the door,
and knock: if any man hear My voice,
and open the door, I will come in to
him.” Revelation 3:20. He will
come, not for one day merely; for He
says, “I dwell in them, and walk
in them; … and they shall be My
people.” He will subdue our
iniquities; and Thou wilt cast all
their sins into the depths of the
sea.” 2 Corinthians 6:16; Micah
7:19. His presence will cleanse and
sanctify the soul, so that it may be
a holy temple unto the Lord, and
“an habitation of God through
the Spirit.” Ephesians
2:21,22.
Overpowered with terror, the priests
and rulers had fled from the temple
court, and from the searching glance
that read their hearts. In their
flight they met others on their way
to the temple, and bade them turn
back, telling them what they had seen
and herd. Christ looked upon the
fleeing men with yearning pity for
their fear, and their ignorance of
what constituted true worship. In
this scene He saw symbolized the
dispersion of the whole Jewish nation
for their wickedness and impenitence.
And why
did the priests flee from the temple?
Why did they not stand their ground?
He who commanded them to go was a
carpenter’s son, a poor
Galilean, without earthy rank or
power. Why did thy not resist Him?
Why did they leave the gain so ill
required, and flee at the command of
One whose outward appearance was so
humble?
Christ
spoke with the authority of a king,
and in His appearance, and in the
tones of His voice, there was that
which they had no power to resist. At
the word of command they realized, as
they had never realized before, their
true position as hypocrites and
robbers. When divinity flashed
through humanity, not only did they
see indignation on Christ’s
countenance, they realized the import
of His words. They felt as if before
the throne of the eternal Judge, with
their sentence passed on them for
time and for eternity. For a time
they were convinced that Christ was a
prophet; and many believed Him to be
the Messiah. The Holy Spirit flashed
into their minds the utterances of
the prophets concerning Christ. Would
they yield to this conviction?
Repent
they would not. They knew that
Christ’s sympathy for the poor
had been aroused. They knew they had
been guilty of extortion in their
dealings with the people. Because
Christ discerned their thoughts they
hated Him. His public rebuke was
humiliating to their pride, and they
were jealous of His growing influence
with the people. They determined to
challenge Him as to the power by
which He had driven them forth, and
who gave Him this power.
Slowly
and thoughtfully, but with hate in
their hearts, they returned to the
temple. But what a change had taken
place during their absence! When they
fled, the poor remained behind; and
these were now looking to Jesus,
whose countenance expressed love and
sympathy. With tears in His eyes, He
said to the trembling ones around
Him: Fear not; I will deliver thee,
and thou shalt glorify Me. For this
cause came I into the world.
The
people pressed into Christ’s
presence with urgent, pitiful
appeals: Master, bless me. His ear
heard every cry. With pity exceeding
that of a tender mother He bent over
the suffering little ones. All
received attention. Everyone was
healed of whatever disease he had.
The dumb opened their lips in praise;
the blind beheld the face of the
Restorer. The hearts of the sufferers
were made glad.
As the
priests and temple officials
witnessed this great work, what a
revelation to them were the sounds
that fell on their ears! The people
were relating the story of the pain
they had suffered, of their
disappointed hopes, of painful days
and sleepless nights. When the last
spark of hope seemed to be dead,
Christ had healed them. The burden
was so heavy, one said; but I have
found a helper. He is the Christ of
God, and I will devote my life to His
service. Parents said to their
children, He has saved your life;
lift up your voice and praise Him.
The voices of children and youth,
fathers and mothers, friends and
spectators blended in thanksgiving
and praise. Hope and gladness filled
their hearts. Peace came to their
minds. They were restored souls and
body, and they returned home,
proclaiming everywhere the matchless
love of Jesus.
At the
crucifixion of Christ, those who had
thus been healed did not join with
the rabble throng in crying,
“Crucify Him, crucify Him.”
Their sympathies were with Jesus; for
they had felt His great sympathy and
wonderful power. They knew Him to be
their Savior; for He had given them
health of body and soul. They had
listened to the preaching of the
apostles, and the entrance of
God’s word into their hearts
gave them understanding. They became
agents of God’s mercy, and
instruments of His salvation.
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