The Montgomery tribune. (Montgomery City, Mo.) 1892-1910, 1908-01-24
Jesus Cleanses
the Temple
Sunday School Lesson for Jan. rs. 1908
Specially Prepared for This Paper

GOLDEN TEXT.-"Hollness becometh
thine house, o Lord, rever."-Psal
1916.
TIME.-The spring Of A. D.. 81. Pass
over was April Hill.
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 Bethabara 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 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 Favrile glass,
that require the electric bulb within
to bring out their lovely hues. Jesus
was a prince in disguise, and he threw
of 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?-O 1t revealed the
miraculous powers residing in him
which would enable him to do the
work the Messiah was to do.
(2) 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 discordant, note wa3 heard in
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 un-
expected as vas the first. 1t was the
act of a hero, a patriot, a reformer,
and a king.
C3) And the Jews passover" the
great annual religious feast Of the
Jews to which all good Jews were ex.
pected to come. Sometimes, according
| IN Tncnphic oc ynonu oc o mn nm vic.
itors were present. Jesus went up
from Capernaum ". 12) ito Jerusa'
lem Jesus was particular to attend
these great ~feasts, for however much
they were 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 seen
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.
Q5) He alone, unaided, unknown
made a scourge Of small cords" ropes
made of rushes like a Roman fla
gellum or scourgo with several lashes
and drove them all out of the ten
ple." the court, "the sheep and the
oxen" and those who traficked II
them. He did not strike the men, mos
probably not even the animals, ant
such a scourge would not hurt them
The owners would naturally follow
their cattle without the gates. POURED
out the changers money" Upon thu
marble pavement, thus stopping theil
traffic.
(16) and said unto them that solt
doves" The doves, being in cages
could not be driven out:
take these things hence"
The boldness of the act may wei
have given a hush to the noisy crowd
and the voice of Jesus rang out
Make not my Fathers house a hous'
Of merchandise.
How Was 1t Possible for Jesus Il
Succeed in This?-Why did this grea
burly crowd of drovers, and soldiers
and elders in authority yield to the sin
gle voice of an unknown young man
Because they knew that they wer
In the wrong. Conscience make
towards of us all" Because they knew
that God was on his side, and ION
with God is a majority"
Because Jesus embodied in himself
as a prophet, the moral sentiment O
she nation. "All the true friends o
law, who must have been long grieve
by this disorder, would defend tn
righteousness of his action, thus rer
dering resistance impossible"
What This Sign" Revealed as t
the Nature of Jesus and His King
dom.-Let no mistake be made cor
corning what is meant by a Christia
spirit. Let us not, as Is too often done
take one side of the character G