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Page 589
Chapter 65
The Temple Cleansed Again
At the beginning of His ministry, Christ had driven from the
temple those who defiled it by their unholy traffic; and His stern
and godlike demeanor had struck terror to the hearts of the scheming
traders. At the close of His mission He came again to the temple, and
found it still desecrated as before. The condition of things was even
worse than before. The outer court of the temple was like a vast cattle
yard. With the cries of the animals and the sharp chinking of coin was
mingled the sound of angry altercation between traffickers, and among
them were heard the voices of men in sacred office. The dignitaries of
the temple were themselves engaged in buying and selling and the
exchange of money. So completely were they controlled by their greed
of gain that in the sight of God they were no better than thieves.
Little did the priests and rulers realize the solemnity of the work
which it was theirs to perform. At every Passover and Feast of Tabernacles,
thousands of animals were slain, and their blood was caught by
the priests and poured upon the altar. The Jews had become familiar
with the offering of blood, and had almost lost sight of the fact that it
was sin which made necessary all this shedding of the blood of beasts.
They did not discern that it prefigured the blood of God’s dear Son,
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which was to be shed for the life of the world, and that by the offering
of sacrifices men were to be directed to a crucified Redeemer.
Jesus looked upon the innocent victims of sacrifice, and saw how
the Jews had made these great convocations scenes of bloodshed and
cruelty. In place of humble repentance of sin, they had multiplied the
sacrifice of beasts, as if God could be honored by a heartless service.
The priests and rulers had hardened their hearts through selfishness
and avarice. The very symbols pointing to the Lamb of God they had
made a means of getting gain. Thus in the eyes of the people the
sacredness of the sacrificial service had been in a great measure destroyed.
The indignation of Jesus was stirred; He knew that His blood,
so soon to be shed for the sins of the world, would be as little appreciated
by the priests and elders as was the blood of beasts which they
kept incessantly flowing.
Against these practices Christ had spoken through the prophets.
Samuel had said, “Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and
sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better
than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.” And Isaiah, seeing
in prophetic vision the apostasy of the Jews, addressed them as rulers
of Sodom and Gomorrah: “Hear the word of the Lord, ye rulers of
Sodom; give ear unto the law of our God, ye people of Gomorrah. To
what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto Me? saith the Lord:
I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I
delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he-goats. When
ye come to appear before Me, who hath required this at your hand, to
tread My courts?” “Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of
your doings from before Mine eyes; cease to do evil; learn to do well; seek
judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the
widow.” 1 Sam. 15:22; Isa. 1:10-12, 16,17.
He who had Himself given these prophecies now for the last time
repeated the warning. In fulfillment of prophecy the people had proclaimed
Jesus king of Israel. He had received their homage, and accepted
the office of king. In this character He must act. He knew that His efforts
to reform a corrupt priesthood would be in vain; nevertheless His work
must be done; to an unbelieving people the evidence of His divine
mission must be given.
Again the piercing look of Jesus swept over the desecrated court of
the temple. All eyes were turned toward Him. Priest and ruler, Pharisee
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and Gentile, looked with astonishment and awe upon Him who stood
before them with the majesty of heaven’s King. Divinity flashed through
humanity, investing Christ with a dignity and glory He had never
manifested before. Those standing nearest Him drew as far away as
the crowd would permit. Except for a few of His disciples, the Saviour
stood alone. Every sound was hushed. The deep silence seemed unbearable.
Christ spoke with a power that swayed the people like a
mighty tempest: “It is written, My house shall be called the house of
prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.” His voice sounded like a
trumpet through the temple. The displeasure of His countenance seemed
like consuming fire. With authority He commanded, “Take these things
hence.” John 2:16.
Three years before, the rulers of the temple had been ashamed of
their flight before the command of Jesus. They had since wondered
at their own fears, and their unquestioning obedience to a single humble
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Man. They had felt that it was impossible for their undignified surrender
to be repeated. Yet they were now more terrified than before, and in
greater haste to obey His command. There were none who dared question
His authority. Priests and traders fled from His presence, driving
their cattle before them.
On the way from the temple they were met by a throng who came
with their sick inquiring for the Great Healer. The report given by the
fleeing people caused some of these to turn back. They feared to meet
One so powerful, whose very look had driven the priests and rulers from
His presence. But a large number pressed through the hurrying crowd,
eager to reach Him who was their only hope. When the multitude fled
from the temple, many had remained behind. These were now joined
by the newcomers. Again the temple court was filled by the sick and
the dying, and once more Jesus ministered to them.
After a season the priests and rulers ventured back to the temple.
When the panic had abated, they were seized with anxiety to know what
would be the next movement of Jesus. They expected Him to take the
throne of David. Quietly returning to the temple, they heard the voices
of men, women, and children praising God. Upon entering, they stood
transfixed before the wonderful scene. They saw the sick healed, the
blind restored to sight, and deaf receive their hearing, and the crippled
leap for joy. The children were foremost in the rejoicing. Jesus had
healed their maladies; He had clasped them in His arms, received their
kisses of grateful affection, and some of them had fallen asleep upon
His breast as He was teaching the people. Now with glad voices the
children sounded His praise. They repeated the hosannas of the day
before, and waved palm branches triumphantly before the Saviour. The
temple echoed and re-echoed with their acclamations, “Blessed be He
that cometh in the name of the Lord!” “Behold, thy King cometh unto
thee; He is just, and having salvation!” Ps. 118:26; Zech. 9:9. “Hosanna to the Son of David!”
The sound of these happy, unrestrained voices was an offense to the
rulers of the temple. They set about putting a stop to such demonstrations.
They represented to the people that the house of God was desecrated
by the feet of the children and the shouts of rejoicing. Finding
that their words made no impression on the people, the rulers appealed
to Christ: “Hearest Thou what these say? And Jesus saith unto them,
Yea; have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings
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Thou hast perfected praise?” Prophecy had foretold that Christ should
be proclaimed as king, and that word must be fulfilled. The priests
and rulers of Israel refused to herald His glory, and God moved upon
the children to be His witnesses. Had the voices of the children been
silent, the very pillars of the temple would have sounded the Saviour’s
praise.
The Pharisees were utterly perplexed and disconcerted. One whom
they could not intimidate was in command. Jesus had taken His position
as guardian of the temple. Never before had He assumed such
kingly authority. Never before had His words and works possessed
so great power. He had done marvelous works throughout Jerusalem,
but never before in a manner so solemn and impressive. In presence
of the people who had witnessed His wonderful works, the priests and
rulers dared not show Him open hostility. Though enraged and confounded
by His answer, they were unable to accomplish anything further that day.
The next morning the Sanhedrin again considered what course to
pursue toward Jesus. Three years before, they had demanded a sign of
His Messiahship. Since that time He had wrought mighty works
throughout the land. He had healed the sick, miraculously fed thousands
of people, walked upon the waves, and spoken peace to the troubled sea.
He had repeatedly read the hearts of men as an open book; He had cast
out demons, and raised the dead. The rulers had before them the evidences
of His Messiahship. They now decided to demand no sign of
His authority, but to draw out some admission or declaration by which
He might be condemned.
Repairing to the temple where He was teaching, they proceeded to
question Him: “By what authority doest Thou these things? and who
gave Thee this authority?” They expected Him to claim that His
authority was from God. Such an assertion they intended to deny. But
Jesus met them with a question apparently pertaining to another subject,
and He made His reply to them conditional on their answering this
question. “The baptism of John,” He said, “whence was it? from heaven,
or of men?”
The priests saw that they were in a dilemma from which no sophistry
could extricate them. If they said that John’s baptism was from heaven,
their inconsistency would be made apparent. Christ would say, Why
have ye not then believed on him? John had testified of Christ, “Behold
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the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” John 1:29.
If the priests believed John’s testimony, how could they deny the Messiahship
of Christ? If they declared their real belief, that John’s ministry was
of men, they would bring upon themselves a storm of indignation; for
the people believed John to be a prophet.
With intense interest the multitude awaited the decision. They knew
that the priests had professed to accept the ministry of John, and they
expected them to acknowledge without a question that he was sent from
God. But after conferring secretly together, the priests decided not to
commit themselves. Hypocritically professing ignorance, they said, “We
cannot tell.” “Neither tell I you,” said Christ, “by what authority I do
these things.”
Scribes, priests, and rulers were all silenced. Baffled and disappointed,
they stood with lowering brows, not daring to press further questions
upon Christ. By their cowardice and indecision they had in a great
measure forfeited the respect of the people, who now stood by, amused
to see these proud, self-righteous men defeated.
All these sayings and doings of Christ were important, and their
influence was to be felt in an ever-increasing degree after His crucifixion
and ascension. Many of those who had anxiously awaited the result of
the questioning of Jesus were finally to become His disciples, first drawn
toward Him by His words on that eventful day. The scene in the temple
court was never to fade from their minds. The contrast between Jesus
and the high priest as they talked together was marked. The proud
dignitary of the temple was clothed in rich and costly garments. Upon
his head was a glittering tiara. His bearing was majestic, his hair and his
long flowing beard were silvered by age. His appearance awed the
beholders. Before this august personage stood the Majesty of heaven,
without adornment or display. His garments were travel stained; His
face was pale, and expressed a patient sadness; yet written there were
dignity and benevolence that contrasted strangely with the proud,
self-confident, and angry air of the high priest. Many of those who witnessed
the words and deeds of Jesus in the temple from that time enshrined
Him in their hearts as a prophet of God. But as the popular feeling
turned in His favor, the hatred of the priests toward Jesus increased.
The wisdom by which He escaped the snares set for His feet, being a
new evidence of His divinity, added fuel to their wrath.
In His contest with the rabbis, it was not Christ’s purpose to humiliate
His opponents. He was not glad to see them in a hard place. He had
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an important lesson to teach. He had mortified His enemies by allowing
them to be entangled in the net they had spread for Him. Their acknowledged
ignorance in regard to the character of John’s baptism gave Him
an opportunity to speak, and He improved the opportunity by presenting
before them their real position, adding another warning to the many
already given.
“What think ye?” He said. “A certain man had two sons; and he
came to the first, and said, Son, go work today in my vineyard. He
answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went. And
he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I
go, sir: and went not. Whether of them twain did the will of his father?”
This abrupt question threw His hearers off their guard. They had
followed the parable closely, and now immediately answered, “The first.”
Fixing His steady eye upon them, Jesus responded in stern and solemn
tones: “Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into
the kingdom of God before you. For John came unto you in the way of
righteousness, and ye believed him not: but the publicans and the harlots
believed him: and ye, when ye had seen it, repented not afterward, that
ye might believe him.”
The priests and rulers could not but give a correct answer to Christ’s
question, and thus He obtained their opinion in favor of the first son.
This son represented the publicans, those who were despised and hated
by the Pharisees. The publicans had been grossly immoral. They had
indeed been transgressors of the law of God, showing in their lives an
absolute resistance to His requirements. They had been unthankful and
unholy; when told to go and work in the Lord’s vineyard, they had given
a contemptuous refusal. But when John came, preaching repentance and
baptism, the publicans received his message and were baptized.
The second son represented the leading men of the Jewish nation.
Some of the Pharisees had repented and received the baptism of John;
but the leaders would not acknowledge that he came from God. His
warnings and denunciations did not lead them to reformation. They
“rejected the counsel of God against themselves, being not baptized of
him.” Luke 7:30. They treated his message with disdain. Like the second
son, who, when called, said, “I go, sir,” but went not, the priests and rulers
professed obedience, but acted disobedience. They made great professions
of piety, they claimed to be obeying the law of God, but they rendered
only a false obedience. The publicans were denounced and cursed by
the Pharisees as infidels; but they showed by their faith and works that
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they were going into the kingdom of heaven before those self-righteous
men who had been given great light, but whose works did not correspond
to their profession of godliness.
The priests and rulers were unwilling to bear these searching truths;
they remained silent, however, hoping that Jesus would say something which
they could turn against Him; but they had still more to bear.
“Hear another parable,” Christ said: “There was a certain householder,
which planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and digged
a wine press in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and
went into a far country: and when the time of the fruit drew near, he
sent his servants to the husbandmen, that they might receive the fruits
of it. And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed
another, and stoned another. Again, he sent other servants more than
the first: and they did unto them likewise. But last of all he sent unto
them his son, saying, They will reverence my son. But when the husbandmen
saw the son, they said among themselves, This is the heir; come,
let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance. And they caught him,
and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him. When the lord therefore
of the vineyard cometh, what will he do unto those husbandmen?”
Jesus addressed all the people present; but the priests and rulers
answered. “He will miserably destroy those wicked men,” they said,
“and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall
render him the fruits in their seasons.” The speakers had not at first
perceived the application of the parable, but they now saw that they
had pronounced their own condemnation. In the parable the householder
represented God, the vineyard the Jewish nation, and the hedge the
divine law which was their protection. The tower was a symbol of the
temple. The lord of the vineyard had done everything needful for its
prosperity. “What could have been done more to my vineyard,” he says,
“that I have not done in it.” Isa. 5:4. Thus was represented God’s
unwearied care for Israel. And as the husbandmen were to return to the
lord a due proportion of the fruits of the vineyard, so God’s people were
to honor Him by a life corresponding to their sacred privileges. But as the
husbandmen had killed the servants whom the master sent to them for
fruit, so the Jews had put to death the prophets whom God sent to call
them to repentance. Messenger after messenger had been slain. Thus
far the application of the parable could not be questioned, and in what
followed it was not less evident. In the beloved son whom the lord of
the vineyard finally sent to his disobedient servants, and whom they
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seized and slew, the priests and rulers saw a distinct picture of Jesus and
His impending fate. Already they were planning to slay Him whom the
Father had sent to them as a last appeal. In the retribution inflicted upon
the ungrateful husbandmen was portrayed the doom of those who
should put Christ to death.
Looking with pity upon them, the Saviour continued, “Did ye never
read in the Scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same
is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord’s doing, and it is
marvelous in our eyes? Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God
shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits
thereof. And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on
whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.”
This prophecy the Jews had often repeated in the synagogues,
applying it to the coming Messiah. Christ was the cornerstone of the
Jewish economy, and of the whole plan of salvation. This foundation
stone the Jewish builders, the priests and rulers of Israel, were now
rejecting. The Saviour called their attention to the prophecies that would
show them their danger. By every means in His power He sought to
make plain to them the nature of the deed they were about to do.
And His words had another purpose. In asking the question, “When
the lord therefore of the vineyard cometh, what will he do unto those
husbandmen?” Christ designed that the Pharisees should answer as
they did. He designed that they should condemn themselves. His
warnings, failing to arouse them to repentance, would seal their doom,
and He wished them to see that they had brought ruin on themselves.
He designed to show them the justice of God in the withdrawal of their
national privileges, which had already begun, and which would end, not
only in the destruction of their temple and their city, but in the dispersion
of the nation.
The hearers recognized the warning. But notwithstanding the sentence
they themselves had pronounced, the priests and rulers were ready
to fill out the picture by saying, “This is the heir; come, let us kill him.”
“But when they sought to lay hands on Him, they feared the multitude,”
for the public sentiment was in Christ’s favor.
In quoting the prophecy of the rejected stone, Christ referred to an
actual occurrence in the history of Israel. The incident was connected
with the building of the first temple. While it had a special application
at the time of Christ’s first advent, and should have appealed with special
force to the Jews, it has also a lesson for us. When the temple of Solomon
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was erected, the immense stones for the walls and the foundation were
entirely prepared at the quarry; after they were brought to the place of
building, not an instrument was to be used upon them; the workmen
had only to place them in position. For use in the foundation, one stone
of unusual size and peculiar shape had been brought; but the workmen
could find no place for it, and would not accept it. It was an annoyance
to them as it lay unused in their way. Long it remained a rejected stone.
But when the builders came to the laying of the corner, they searched
for a long time to find a stone of sufficient size and strength, and of the
proper shape, to take that particular place, and bear the great weight
which would rest upon it. Should they make an unwise choice for this
important place, the safety of the entire building would be endangered.
They must find a stone capable of resisting the influence of the sun, of
frost, and of tempest. Several stones had at different times been chosen,
but under the pressure of immense weights they had crumbled to pieces.
Others could not bear the test of the sudden atmospheric changes. But
at last attention was called to the stone so long rejected. It had been
exposed to the air, to sun and storm, without revealing the slightest
crack. The builders examined this stone. It had borne every test but
one. If it could bear the test of severe pressure, they decided to accept
it for the cornerstone. The trial was made. The stone was accepted,
brought to its assigned position, and found to be an exact fit. In prophetic
vision, Isaiah was shown that this stone was a symbol of Christ. He says:
“Sanctify the Lord of hosts Himself; and let Him be your fear, and
let Him be your dread. And He shall be for a sanctuary; but for a stone
of stumbling and for a rock of offense to both the houses of Israel, for
a gin and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And many among
them shall stumble, and fall, and be broken, and be snared, and be taken.”
Carried down in prophetic vision to the first advent, the prophet is shown
that Christ is to bear trials and tests of which the treatment of the chief
cornerstone in the temple of Solomon was symbolic. “Therefore thus
saith the Lord God, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried
stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall
not make haste.” Isa. 8:13-15; 28:16.
In infinite wisdom, God chose the foundation stone, and laid it Himself.
He called it “a sure foundation.” The entire world may lay upon it
their burdens and griefs; it can endure them all. With perfect safety they
may build upon it. Christ is a “tried stone.” Those who trust in Him, He
never disappoints. He has borne every test. He has endured the pressure
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of Adam’s guilt, and the guilt of his posterity, and has come off more
than conqueror of the powers of evil. He has borne the burdens cast
upon Him by every repenting sinner. In Christ the guilty heart has
found relief. He is the sure foundation. All who make Him their dependence
rest in perfect security.
In Isaiah’s prophecy, Christ is declared to be both a sure foundation
and a stone of stumbling. The apostle Peter, writing by inspiration of
the Holy Spirit, clearly shows to whom Christ is a foundation stone, and
to whom a rock of offense:
“If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious. To whom coming,
as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God,
and precious, ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an
holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by
Jesus Christ. Wherefore also it is contained in the Scripture, Behold,
I lay in Sion a chief cornerstone, elect, precious: and he that believeth
on Him shall not be confounded. Unto you therefore which believe
He is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the
builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, and a stone
of stumbling, and a rock of offense, even to them which stumble at the
word, being disobedient.” 1 Peter 2:3-8.
To those who believe, Christ is the sure foundation. These are they
who fall upon the Rock and are broken. Submission to Christ and faith
in Him are here represented. To fall upon the Rock and be broken is to
give up our self-righteousness and to go to Christ with the humility
of a child, repenting of our transgressions, and believing in His forgiving
love. And so also it is by faith and obedience that we build on Christ
as our foundation.
Upon this living stone, Jews and Gentiles alike may build. This is
the only foundation upon which we may securely build. It is broad
enough for all, and strong enough to sustain the weight and burden of
the whole world. And by connection with Christ, the living stone, all
who build upon this foundation become living stones. Many persons
are by their own endeavors hewn, polished, and beautified; but they
cannot become “living stones,” because they are not connected with
Christ. Without this connection, no man can be saved. Without the
life of Christ in us, we cannot withstand the storms of temptation. Our
eternal safety depends upon our building upon the sure foundation.
Multitudes are today building upon foundations that have not been
tested. When the rain falls, and the tempest rages, and the floods come,
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their house will fall, because it is not founded upon the eternal Rock, the
chief cornerstone Christ Jesus.
“To them which stumble at the word, being disobedient,” Christ is
a rock of offense. But “the stone which the builders disallowed, the
same is made the head of the corner.” Like the rejected stone, Christ in
His earthly mission had borne neglect and abuse. He was “despised and
rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: . . . He
was despised, and we esteemed Him not.” Isa. 53:3. But the time was
near when He would be glorified. By the resurrection from the dead
He would be declared “the Son of God with power.” Rom. 1:4. At His
second coming He would be revealed as Lord of heaven and earth.
Those who were now about to crucify Him would recognize His greatness.
Before the universe the rejected stone would become the head of
the corner.
And on “whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.” The
people who rejected Christ were soon to see their city and their nation
destroyed. Their glory would be broken, and scattered as the dust
before the wind. And what was it that destroyed the Jews? It was the
rock which, had they built upon it, would have been their security. It
was the goodness of God despised, the righteousness spurned, the mercy
slighted. Men set themselves in opposition to God, and all that would
have been their salvation was turned to their destruction. All that God
ordained unto life they found to be unto death. In the Jews’ crucifixion
of Christ was involved the destruction of Jerusalem. The blood shed
upon Calvary was the weight that sank them to ruin for this world and
for the world to come. So it will be in the great final day, when judgment
shall fall upon the rejecters of God’s grace. Christ, their rock of offense,
will then appear to them as an avenging mountain. The glory of His
countenance, which to the righteous is life, will be to the wicked a consuming
fire. Because of love rejected, grace despised, the sinner will
be destroyed.
By many illustrations and repeated warnings, Jesus showed what
would be the result to the Jews of rejecting the Son of God. In these
words He was addressing all in every age who refuse to receive Him
as their Redeemer. Every warning is for them. The desecrated temple,
the disobedient son, the false husbandmen, the contemptuous builders,
have their counterpart in the experience of every sinner. Unless he
repent, the doom which they foreshadowed will be his.
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