The Tupelo journal., 1908-01-24
Jesus Cleanses
the Temple
Specially Prepared for This Paper

thine house. o Lord, forever."-Psalm
1876.
TIME.-The spring of A. d. q. Pass
over was April 11-17.
PLACE.-In the temple at Jerusalem.
PLACE IN THE HISTORY.-Early in
the first year of Jesus ministry. The sec
ond of his first two signs" illustrating
his work as Redeemer.
Comment and Suggestive Thought.
The first sign which Jesus gave was
the revelation of his 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 B~ethabara to 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 a
fuller knowledge of his work.
Everything about this miracle. must
have been a strange and wondrous rev.
citation of Jesus to them, as a light
from within, or as the sunlight shin
ing through dull st~ained.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 Favrile glass,
that require the electric bulb within
to bring out their lovely hues. Jesus
was a prince in disguise, and he threw
off his outward guise and appeared in
his W royal glory.
What Did This Miracle Reveal to
the Disciples Concerning the True Ma
ture of Jesus?-G) 1t revealed the
miraculous powers residing in him
which would enable him to do the
work the Messiah was to do.
CD 1t made known to them that he
was sent from God as his son with
divine credentials worthy of his or
igin and his mission.
The Second Sign" The Cleansing
OF the Temple.-Not long after the
Sign" at the wedding, a strange, al
most d~iscordant, note was heard in
that anthem of love and joy and hope.
That experience did not express the
whole of life, o the whole of the mis-
sion of Jesus. The new sign" was as
Illuminating and marvellous and I'M
expected as was the first. 1t was the
act of a hero, a patriot, a reformer,
and a king.
(13) And the Jews passover" the
great annual religious feast of the
Jews to which all good Jews were ex-
pected to come. Sometimes, according
to Josephus, as many as 1000, 900 Wis
itors were present. Jesus went up"
from Capernaum ". 12) ito Jerusa-
lem" Jesus was particular to attend
these great feasts, for however much
they We're often perverted and mis-
used by some, they were divinely ap-
pointed services.
Jesus Heroic Act of Patriotic Re-
form.-When Jesus entered the tenn
pie, and saw this dissertation of his
Fathers house-which he had seer
many a time during his youth-his
soul famed with indignation. What
he saw was contrary to all law, Jew
ish, Roman and Divine, and what he
did was patriotic toward all three
kingdoms under which he lived.
(15) He alone, unaided, unknown,
made a scourge of small cords" ropes
made of rushes like a Roman fla
gellum or scourge with several lashes,
and drove them all out of the tenn
pie" the court, 1.-The sheep and the
oxen," and those who traficked in
them. He did not strike the men, most
probably not even the animals, and
such a scourge would not hurt them.
The owner would naturally follow
their cattle without the gates. Poured
out the changers money" Upon the
marble pavement, thus stopping their
traffic.
(16) And said unto them that sold
doves" The doves, being in cages,
could not be driven out:
take these things hence"
The bOldness of the act may well
have given a hush to the noisy crowd,
and the voice of Jesus rang out:
Make not my Fathers house a house
Of merchandise"
How Was 1t Possible for Jesus to
Succeed in This?-Why did this great
burly crowd of drovers, and soldiers.
and elders in authority yield to the sim
gle voice of an unknown young man?
Because they knew that they we're
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 a prophet, the moral sentiment OF
the nation sAU tho tr,a fr,opdc re
law, who must have been long grieved
by this disorder, would defend the
righteousness of his action, thus rem
dering resistance impossible
What This Sign" Revealed as to
the Nature of Jesus and His King
dom.-Let no mistake be made con-
corning what is meant by a Christian
spirit. Let us not, as is too often done.
take n side of the character of
Christ in forming an estimate of the
whole.
Note how Jesus acted for the reform
CT the world. He did not spend his
time in denunciations of the Roman
or Jewish authorities before his
disciples. He sometimes uttered
Wees" but it was to the face of evil
doors. When he could reform a wrong.
he reformed it. When he saw sick
ness. he cured 1t.
We are to be reformers. We are to
be courageous and heroic in reform, In
cleansing the world from sin. /,
But our first work is where we are.
In our hearts, in our principles. in the