The Farmville herald. [volume] (Farmville, Va.) 1890-1934, 1908-01-24
Jesus Cleanses
the Temple
Sunday School Lesson Tor Jan. rs. 1908
Specially Prepared Tor This Paper
LESSON TEXT JOHN li5-ll Mem


LESSON TExT-John 2ls-lz Mem
DRY verses o. d.
GOLDEN tent Holmes bccomcfh
thine house. % Lord. forever '- Psalm
o5
TiME.-The spring of a. ID. 81 Pass
over was April n-i1.
PLACE.-In the temple af Jerusalem.
PLACE ~ THE HISTORY -Early boo
the nrst year of Jesus ministry The sec-
ond Of his first two "slgns." Illustrating
his work as RedCemer
Comment and Suggestive Thought
The first sign which Jesus gave was
the revelation Of bis glory at Cana Of
Galilee related in the first part OF the
chapter in which our lesson Is found
At the close of our last lesson We left
Jesus and his five or six disciples on
the way from Bethabara 20 Galilee
The disciples had as yet but slight
acquaintance with Jesus. his charac
ter. his powers and his mission They
believed in him, but they needed a
deeper foundation for their faith and
fuller knowledge of his work
Everything about this miracle must
have been a strange and wondrous rev.
citation Of Jesus 10 them. as a light
from within, or as the sunlight shin
ing through dull stained-glass windows
reveals the true nature OF the picture
wrought in them. and they are ablaze
with royal colors such as are the ex-
quisite lamp shades OF Fayrile glass,
that require the electric bulb within
20 bring out their lovely hues. Jesus
was prince IN disguise. and bee threw
on his outward guise and appeared In
his own royal glory.
What Did This Miracle Reveal TO
the Disciples Concerning the True IA
mre Of Jesus?-O It revealed the
miraculous powers residing IN him
which would enable him 20 do the
work the Messiah was 10 DO
90 Il made known 10 them that be
was sent from God as his son with
divine credentials worthy OF bis or
ign and bis mission
The Second Sign" The Cleansing
OF the Temple Not long after the
sign" at the wedding a strange al
most discordant note was heard ir
that anthem OF love and Joy and hope
That experience did not express the
whole Of life. nor the whole OF the mis-
sion OF Jesus. The new "sign" was as
Illuminating and marvellous and 400
expected as was the first DO was The
act Of a hero. a patriot a reformer
and a king
G3) And the Jews passover The
great annual religious feast of the
Jews 20 which all good Jews were OK
pected 20 come Sometimes. according
10 Josephus as many as 100000 sis
itors were present Jesus went up'
from Capernaum (v l2l TO Jerusa.
lem" Jesus was particular 20 attend |
these great feasts. for however much |
they were often perverted and mis- |
lsed by some. they were diylnely ap
pointed services.
Jesus Heroic Act OF Patriotic Re
form When Jesus entered the tenn |
pie. and saw this desecration of DTS |
Fathers house-which he had seen
many a time during his youth-h's |
soul famed with Indignation What |
ne saw was contrary 20 an law. Jew. |
sh. Roman and Divine. and what he |
lid was patriotic toward all three |
kingdoms under which be lived
Q0 lie alone. unaided. unknown. |
made a scourge Of small cords ropes /
made OF rushes like a Roman fla |
gellum or sc0urge with several lashes. |
and drove them an out of the TEN
pie" the court, the sheep and the
oxen" and those who traflicked In |
them. He did not strike the men, most |
probably not even the animals and |
such a scourge would not hurt them /
The owners would naturally follow |
their cattle without the gates Poured |
out the changers money" Upon the |
marble pavement thus stopping their |
traffic.
90 And said unto them that sold |
doves" The doves. being IN cages
could not be driven ont:
Take these things hence"
The boldness of the act may well |
have given a hush 10 the noisy crowd. |
and the voice OF Jesus rang out. |
Make not my Fathers house a house /
Of merchandise"
How Was 10 Possible for Jesus 10 /
Succeed I'm This?-Why did this great
burly crowd Of drovers. and soldiers
and elders in authority yield 10 the sim
gle voice Of an unknown young man. /
Because they knew that they were |
In the wrong Conscience makes /
towards OF us all Because they knew /
that God was on his side and zone |
with God Is a majority
Because Jesus embodied IN himself. |
as prophet. the moral sentiment of /
the nation. "All the true friends Of /
law. who must have been long grieved |
by this disorder, would defend the |
OF his action. thus rem
dering resistance impossible"
What This Sign Revealed as 10 |
the Nature of Jesus and His King
dom.-Let no mistake De made con |
corning what is meant by a Christian /
spirit Let as not. as is too often done. /
take one side of the character Of /
Christ IN forming am estimate of the /
whole
Note how Jesus acted for the reform /
Of the world Tie did not spend DIS /
time IN donunciati0ns of the Roman |
or Jewish authorities before his /