Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-01-27
SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON.

and defllement of the cattle and the
extortion of the money changers re-
vealed to the Master the spiritual de-
pravity of the priests and rulers who
would allow even the courts of the
gentiles to be desecrated by such a
sacrilegious use of Gods house. His
first public manifestation of His mes
sianic mission called for Him to make
that had crept into the temple. the
heart of the nations religious life. His
patriotism that knew that righteous
ness alone exalteth a nation" and His
passion for the supremacy of the
spiritual demanded that He make an
end to the abuses of the centuries by
cleansing the temple.
Filled with zeal for the preservati ton
OF spiritual religion. Jesus gathered
some rushes from the litter on the
floor. and. binding them into a scourge
not so much for whip as for an en-
blem of authority. He cleared the tenn
pie of all the sheep and oxen. He over
threw the tables of the money changers
to take their property out of the tenn
pie area. The heroic Christ, by the
power of His personality that was seen
IN the indignant flush of his face, freed
the temple from being place of mer-
chandise. The cowardly owners of the
cattle and coin fed before His words
OF condemnation. No wild words or
deeds impaired the vigor of His acts
Wnlch demonstrated the power OF the
spiritual over the natural
The reverence of Jesus for the tenn
pie was due to His Sonship. Every
Christian should have the same spirit
OF reverence for the house of God.
that ought to be house of prayer. a
and service. Modern life has many
who profess the religion of Jesus. but
who allow the calls of club and party.
professional and business engagements
to supersede the call to worship. Many
have frequently pointed out how 1.-The
multitudes of worldly festivals. fairs
and fetes" have found their way into
the meeting places erected for the wor-
ship of God with disastrous results to
the spiritual 8ife and service of the
The effect of the Masters cleansing
recalled to the disciples the words OF
the psalmists. Zeal for thy house shall
eat me up prophetic of His death. yet
it may be questioned if they. at that
hour. realized it's full significance. The
Jews, whose most sensitive nerve had
been touched. challenged His authority
to institute this reform. which any Jew
would have had a clear right to dc
under the law. although none before
had >the courage to attack the selfish
interests that had turned the require
ments of their religion into source
og revenue. The secret Of the opposi-
ton that started with Christ making
His claims to be the Son Of God, the
Messiah. was due to the fact that
Jesus interfered with the financial
profits of the Jewish religious authori-
ties.
Their question of the Masters right
to assume the authority of the son o.
God may have been due to their recall
ing the words of the prophet Zechariah
who had declared that in tie days OF
the Messiah trade would no more he il
the house of the Lord" Malachi ha6
also told the nation how the Lord
whom We seek shall enter into His tenn
nile. - He shall purify the sons OF
Levi" That prophecy. -Godet has point
ed out said to Israel that her king
would announce Himself, not by a mir
acle of power. but by an act of holt
ness. They challenged the right of the
Lord Jesus to assume the authority OF
the Messiah and opened up the battle
that was destined to end with Christs
death upon the cross.
Jesus answer revealed the certainty
of his knowledge concerning the out
come of His life. In the reply the Mas
ter dropped the first hint of the great
est miracle of His life-His own resur-
rection. His reply was of a threefold
meaning, that His disciples did not
comprehend until after His victory ovei
the grave. when they recalled how. ir
answer to the demand of the Jews fol
sign, Jesus had given a reply thai
served to strengthen their faith in the
hour of its fulf1llment One is not sur.
prised that the Jews made nothing out
of it, Jesus planned that they should
not understand. because they did no,
deserve any special sign. Others saw
in His acts the evidence that He had q
divine commission. He knew that nc
miracle could ever make it clear to
them that He was the Messiah. He un-
derstood that the temple would have to
be cleansed again, because His reform
had failed to reach the conscience OF
the nation, so that they would make
His Fathers house a house of prayer
praise and power through spiritual
service.