SECTION XVI.

THE CLEANSING OF THE TEMPLE; THE DECISIVE STRUGGLE; AND THE FAREWELL TO THE TEMPLE.

(Cheap, xi. 12-xiii. 2.)

"When the Lord on the following morning returned with His disciples from Bethany into the city, He distinctly intimated the impression which the Israelitish people had made upon Him the previous evening, when He looked around Him in the temple. On the way He felt hunger; and seeing from the distance a fig-tree, having leaves, He went to see, if He might find anything thereon; and when He came to it. He found nothing but leaves, for the time of figs was not yet. Thus had the tree deceived with the inviting richness of its foliage. On this Jesus gave forth judgment against it: 'No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever.' And his disciples heard it.

And now they proceeded farther to Jerusalem. And Jesus, as soon as He came into the temple, began to cast out them that sold and bought in it. And, further, He overthrew the tables of the money-changers, and the seats of them that sold doves; and suffered not even that any man should carry a vessel through the temple. And He taught them, saying unto them, 'Is it not written, My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations? But ye have made it a den of thieves.' When the chief priests and scribes heard of this act of Christ, they were excited anew to resume consideration of the question, how they might most conveniently destroy Him. For they feared Him — they found it exceedingly difficult to get Him into their hands — because all the people were greatly moved, and full of astonishment at His doctrine. And when even was come. He went again out of the city.

On the following morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig-tree dried up from the roots. This awoke the recollection of Peter; and he said to the Lord, 'Master, behold, the fig-tree which Thou cursedst, is withered away.' Jesus answered, and said unto them, 'Have faith in God! For verily I say unto you. Whosoever shall say to this mountain. Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea, and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that it shall come to pass according to his word, it shall be unto him according as he saith. Therefore I say unto you, In all things which ye ask in prayer, believe that ye shall receive them, and they shall be done unto you. And when ye stand and pray, forgive, if ye have ought against any; that your Father also, which is in heaven, may forgive you your trespasses.'

So they came again to Jerusalem. And as He was walking in the temple, there came to Him the chief priests, and the scribes and elders, and said unto Him, 'By what authority doest thou these things? and who gave thee this authority, that thou doest such things?' — Whence hast thou the authority or commission? and whence the warrant and credentials? Jesus returned them for answer: 'I also will ask you one (single) thing: answer Me it, and then will I tell you by what authority I do these things. The baptism of John, what think ye of it? — was it from heaven, or of men? answer Me.' And they reasoned with themselves, If we shall say, From heaven. He will say, why then did ye not believe him? Shall we however say, Of men?¹ — to this thought they would not further give utterance. They feared the people² — that is to say; for all men accounted of John, that he was a prophet indeed. And so they answered Jesus, * We cannot tell.' And Jesus, answering, said unto them, 'Neither do I tell you by what authority I do these things.'

Although, however, He now refused to give them an open declaration regarding His Messianic authority, He gave them a representation of it, nevertheless, in parables, in which He, at the same time, depicted their own evil conduct towards Him, the Messiah.

'A certain man planted a vineyard, and set an hedge about it, digged a trough for the wine-press, built a tower — in the same, — then let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country. And at the appointed season — for the delivery of the fruit — he despatched a message to the husbandmen — from the distance — by sending to them a servant, who should receive from them a part of the fruit of the vineyard. But they caught him, beat him, and sent him away empty. And again he sent unto them another servant. At him they cast stones, wounded him in the head, and sent him away with contumely. And again he sent another. Him they slew. And so it went with many others; some they beat, others they killed. As now he had still an only son, who was dear to him — to whom his heart clave, he sent him also last unto them, saying, They will reverence my son. But those husbandmen said among themselves. This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance shall be ours! And they took hold of him, and killed him, and cast him outside of the vineyard. What shall therefore the lord of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the husbandmen, and will give the vineyard unto others.'

To this parable the Lord added these words: 'Have ye not read this scripture: The stone which the builders rejected is become the head of the corner: This is the Lord's doing, and it is an event marvellous in our eyes?' And they sought to lay hold on Him, but were afraid of the people. For they understood well that He had spoken this parable against them. They left Him therefore, and went their way.

On this they send unto Him some of the Pharisees and Herodians, to catch Him in His words. And when they were come, they said unto Him, 'Master, we know that Thou art true, and carest for no man; for Thou regardest not the person of men, but according to the truth teachest Thou the way of God. Is it permitted to give tribute to Caesar, or not? Shall we give, or shall we not give? 'But He, knowing their hypocrisy, said unto them, 'Why tempt ye Me? bring Me a denarius — the current penny — and let Me see it.' And they brought Him one. And He said unto them, 'Whose is this image and superscription? 'They said unto Him, 'Caesar's.' Then Jesus, answering, said unto them, 'Render to Ca3sar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.' And they marvelled at Him.

Then came unto Him the Sadducees, which say there is no resurrection, and proposed to Him the following question: 'Master, Moses gave us the precept, li a man's brother die, and leave a wife behind him, and leave no children, his brother shall take his wife, and shall raise up seed unto his brother — so to speak, raise up an after-growth from his grave. Now there were seven brethren. The first took a wife and died, without leaving seed. And the second took her and died, and he also left no seed. In like manner the third. And so all seven took her, and left no seed. Last of all the woman died also. Now in the resurrection, when they shall arise, whose life among them shall she then be? for the seven had her to wife.' Jesus, answering, said unto them, 'Do ye not therefore err, because ye know not the Scriptures, nor the power of God? When they shall rise again from the dead, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but they are like to the angels in heaven. And as touching the dead, that they rise, have ye not read in the book of Moses, in the passage concerning the bush, how God spake unto him: I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living. Ye, therefore, do greatly err.'

On this came one of the scribes who had heard them reasoning together, and had perceived that He had answered them well, and proposed to Him the question, 'Which is the first commandment of all? 'And Jesus answered him, 'That is the first of all the commandments: Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord. And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, with all thy mind, and with all thy strength. This is the first of the commandments. And the second is like unto it: Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.' And the scribe said unto Him, 'Well, Master, Thou hast said the truth; for God is one, and there is none other but He: and to love Him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighhour as himself, that is more than all burnt-offerings and sacrifices.' And Jesus, when He saw that he answered discreetly, said unto him, 'Thou art not far from the kingdom of God.'

After that durst no one ask Him any question. On the other hand, Jesus now submitted to them as an answer — to all that had been said — the counter-question, whilst He taught in the temple, 'How say the scribes — how can they say — that Christ is the son of David? for David himself said by the Holy Ghost, The Lord said to my Lord, Sit Thou on my right hand, till I make Thine enemies Thy footstool. David therefore himself calleth Him Lord; how is He then his son?'

And a great part of the people heard Him gladly; and in His discourse He now spoke unto them as follows: 'Beware of the scribes, who love to go about in long garments, and love salutations in the market-places, and the chief seats in the synagogues, and the uppermost seats at feasts: they who devour widows' houses, and for appearance make long prayers — these shall receive the greater damnation.'

Then Jesus set Himself over against the chest for the offerings, and beheld how the people cast money into it. And many that were rich cast in much. And there came a poor widow and threw in two mites, which make a quadrans (farthing³). Jesus called His disciples unto Him, and said, 'Verily I say unto you. This poor woman hath cast in more than all they which have cast into the treasury. For they all cast in of their abundance; but she of her poverty hath cast in all that she had, her whole living.'

When the Lord now went out of the temple, one of His disciples said unto Him, 'Master, behold what stones and what buildings!' Jesus answered him, 'Seest thou these great buildings? there shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.'

These were the two last days which Jesus spent in the temple. They had pre-eminently the character of judgment. This judgment was anticipated by the solemn silent inspection of the temple, which Jesus had made the day previously. It was introduced by the curse pronounced on the fig-tree, and by the stern character of the cleansing of the temple by Jesus. It then unfolded itself immediately, on the second morning, in the great contest of the whole Sanhedrim with the Lord. Yet even in this contest was one nobler character among the scribes to be found, the scribe who had the last conversation with the Lord. Before taking farewell of the temple, the Lord depicts the character of His enemies. Its worst feature is, that they devour widows' houses, whilst, for the sake of good appearance, they make long prayers. The verdict of Jesus, however, regarding the widow's mite shows that He takes leave of the temple in the spirit of perfect peace, although the judgment that must fall on it already stands so sure before His soul, that it is as if the beautiful buildings of the temple were even now only like a dream of the night before His eyes, and the eyes of His disciples; and He can ask him who shows them to Him, Seest thou them indeed, these great buildings?

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