Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1894-09-01
s'HE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
LESSON x, THIRD QUARTER, INTER-
RATIONAL SERIES. SEPT. 2.

rext Of the Lesson. John ii. 1925 Mem
DRY Verses, 1916 = Golden Text John
Ii. fG- Commentary BY the Rev. ID. NJ.
sfearns.
Is And the Jews passover was at
hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem
After the miracle at Cana, He. with His
mother and brethren and disciples, spent
some days at Capernaum (vcrsc 1sl, but we
have no further record OF that visit. This
is as far as we know, His second visit to
Jerusalem, nd the first since, at the age
of II, He went up with Joseph and Mary
to the passover Luke ii, Al, ~. In Wow
Of the fact that His brethren did not be-
lieye in Him (John vii, 81 we wonder that
they went to Capcrnaum with Him. 1t is
not likely THAI they went to Jerusalem
The proper name OF this feast WAS The
Lords Passover lex. Xii. III, but like
other feasts had degenerated into mere
fossts of the Jews (John V, -
IL ssAnd found in the temple those that
sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the
changers of money sitting So He found
it again 1T the close OF His ministry {Math.
xxi, i2). According TO the law, the peo-
rlowere to bring to the Lord to Jerusalem
the 1.-THE Of corn. wine, oil and the first
lings of herds and nocks, but il they wcro
living too far from Jerusalem to 10 this
they were permitted oturn the tithcs into
noRcy and purchase at Jerusalem what
they wanted (Deut. xiv, 22-26) This ar
rangement, however, did not neccssitate
making a market Of the temple.
Is "And when He had made a sceurgc
Of small cords He drove them all out Of
the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen,
and poured out the changers money and
overthrow the tables " Ii He were today
to drive thus ont OF an ordinary place of
worship on His holy day all in whose
hearts He sees business or pleasure instead
Of thoughts of Himself, what thinning
out Of many congregation there would
bel
l6. And said unto them that sold
doves, Take these things hence; make not
my Fathers house an house of merchsn-
disc. When He again cleanscd the tenn
pie at the close of His ministry, He told
them that instead of its being house OF
prayer, as God intended, they had made 1t
den of thieves (dath. xxi, l8l At the
age of u Jesus had said in this very tenn
pie that He must be about His Fathers
business (I.uke Ii, 49) or Or. W in His
Fathers house, and now one of the first
acts OF His public ministry Is to cleanse
that house.
II. "And His disciples remembered that
it was written, the zeal Of Thine house hath
eaten me Up This is written in that
psalm (lxix) so full Of His suiferings, which,
IL we laid to heass more, we would be
more full Of zeal for His house. His church,
instead Of possessing 50 much misguided
and wasted zeal for cur ewn houses or
churches or societies
is. Then answered the Jews and said
unto Him, What sign showest thou unto
us, seeing that thou doest these thingsy"
A similar question Is asked in John vi, 30,
and Meth xii, 3S, and In the latter place
Jesus told them that the sign would be
the typical death and resurrection OF
Jonah illustrated in His own ease, and
now lie viii tell them the same thing un.
der another figure Death and resurrection
is the great secret of power on earth for
God.
10. "Jesus answered and said unto
them, Destroy this temple, and IN three
days | will raise il up" This Is tho ear
lest intimation from His own lips Of His
death and resurrection. He was the anti
type of tabernacle and temple, buildings
erected that God might dwell on earth
among men, and in Him God was mani
fest In the flesh. 1t is interesting TO no
tice that tho temple Of Solomon was plum
dcrcd by Shishak in tho thirty-fourth year
of its existence. See / Kings vi, IS, and
IL Chron. xii, 2, 8.
20. 'Thcn said the jews Forty and six
years was this temple in building, and
wilt thou rear it up in three daysl" Be
ing only natural men, they understood
nothing of spiritual things q Cor. Ii, l4).
81. But He spako Of tho temple Of His
body See how they perverted His words
ard flung them at Him in His agony on
the cross mark xiv, SO, and XIV, 2g). II
we have become temples of the Holy Spirit,
in whom Father, Son and Spirit have
como to dwell I Cor. vi, 10, 20; John xiv,
II, 23), we must not think it strange to
have our words perverted and thrown at
us in our trials. This Is a fellowship with
Christ which should mako us greatly TO
joice.
%. when therefore He was risen from
the dead His disciples remembered that lie
had said thisunto them, and they believed
the Scripture, and the word which Jesus
had said. " Tho whole OF this gospel was
written with the special object cf proving
that Jesus is the son Of God (ehapter Xxx,
az, and as it was by the resurrection that
He was with power declared to be the Son
OF God (Rom. /, a. this may account for
its carly mention and emphasis IN this gos
pei. 1t is only when we are risen from the
dead or translated to meet our Lord that
it shall fully appear that we are sons Of
God q John iii, p.
23 Now when He was in JerusalcI1 at
the passover, in the feast day, many be
IN If- trl,, Z k..
miracles which He did. This Is the great
gospel of believing, tits found more times
IN this gospel than III tho other three and
in the Acts all put together. The true
meaning Of believing IS seen in chapter j,
IL, to be the receiving Of Him as our own
Saviour. To believe about Him is Of 10
avail unless we become fully identified
with Him in His death and resurrection
one with Him at Gods right hand and one
with Him III present service here.
"a. but jesus did not commit himself
unto thcn, because He knew all men"
The word commit is the same word
which is translated ''bclieye" In the pre-
ceding verse. The r. " las It trust -
Jesus, knowing ali men, knew whom He
could trust or believe and was never dc
ceived In any. He treated them upon thCir
profession as if they meant all they said
and gave them every possible opportunity
and help to prove themselves sincere, but
He thoroughly knew them all the time.
25: And needed not that any should
testify Of man, for lie knew what was in
man" He, being God, could REED peo
pies thoughts He is the Lord who
searches heart and reins der. xvii, To-
Rev ii, 23). For interesting instances Of
His mind reading see Luke v, y; Vi, q,
TX, A.; ri, II; xiv, 49, and remember
Eek xi, 5, For ] know the thines that
rome into yoiiT mind, every enc Of them. "
have often been glad that He knew all
that was IN me before lie ever let HIo know
that He loved me, for If lie hadn't known
all my possibilitics Tor evil before He stayt
ed with me Re might have been tempted
to give me up many time. Bat whom
H las.as III. l.-.s n. tic LIN. In Il