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LESSON X.—SABBATH, MARCH 11, 1899

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Pacific Press Publishing Company · OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA · Feb 22, 1899

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 25, No. 8.

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LESSON X.—SABBATH, MARCH 11, 1899.

CLEANSING OF THE TEMPLE.

Jerusalem, Spring of A.D. 28.
13 "And the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 And He found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting; 15 and He made a scourge of cords, and cast all out of the temple, both the sheep and the oxen; and He poured out the changers' money, and overthrew their tables; 16 and to them that sold the doves He said, Take these things hence; make not My Father's house a house of merchandise. 17 His disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of thine house shall eat me up. 18 The Jews therefore answered and said unto Him, What sign showest Thou unto us, seeing that Thou doest these 19 things? Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this 20 temple, and in three days I will raise it up. The Jews therefore said, Forty and six years was this temple in building, 21 and wilt Thou raise it up in three days? But He spake of the 22 temple of His body. When therefore He was raised from the dead, His disciples remembered that He spake this; and they believed the scripture, and the word which Jesus had said. 23 "Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed on His name, beholding His signs 24 which He did. But Jesus did not trust Himself unto them, 25 for that He knew all men, and because He needed not that any one should bear witness concerning man; for He Himself knew what was in man."
1 "Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, 2 a ruler of the Jews; the same came unto Him by night, and said to Him, Rabbi, we know that Thou art a teacher come from God; for no man can do these signs that Thou doest, 3 except God be with Him. Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born anew, 4 he can not see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus saith unto Him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter a second time into his mother's womb, and be born? 5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and the Spirit, he can not enter into the kingdom 6 of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that 7 which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said 8 unto thee, Ye must be born anew. The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the voice thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth; so is every one that is born of the Spirit."
NOTE.—The texts inclosed in marks of parentheses, while not essential to the lesson study, will be found to throw much light upon the lesson, and are suggested for those who wish to study further.

SUGGESTIVE QUESTIONS.

  1. After leaving Capernaum, where does the record show the Saviour to have next gone? and why? John 2: 13. Note 1. (Ex. 12: 2-14; Deut. 16: 1-6.)
  2. Arriving at the temple, what did the Saviour find there? Verse 14.
  3. What did He immediately do? Verse 15. Note 2. (Matt. 21: 12.)
  4. With what words did He accompany His threatening demonstration? Verse 16. (Isa. 56: 7.)
  5. Upon seeing the Saviour's effort, what scripture came to the disciples' minds? Verse 17. Note 3. (Ps. 69: 8, 9.)
  6. Seeing the Saviour's display of authority, what did the Jews demand of Him as evidence of His right to do as He had done? Verse 18.
  7. What answer did the Saviour give? Verse 19.
  8. How did the Jews reply to this? Verse 20.
  9. But to what did the Lord have reference? Verses 21, 22.
  10. Upon seeing the many miracles of Jesus, how were many of the people at the Passover affected? Verse 23.
  11. But did Jesus trust these men? and if not, why not? Verses 23-25. Note 4. (1 Sam. 16: 7.)
  12. What man of note at Jerusalem came by night to talk with Jesus? John 3: 1, 2. (John 7: 50; 19: 39.)
  13. What was the first thing that the Saviour tried to impress upon him? Verse 3. (Gal. 6: 15.)
  14. By what question did Nicodemus express his surprise at this statement? Verse 4. (Matt. 3: 9.)
  15. How did Jesus explain this matter to Nicodemus? Verses 5-8. (1 Peter 1: 23; 1 John 3: 9.)
Side Lights.—"Desire of Ages," pp. 154-166; "Spirit of Prophecy," vol. 2, pp. 113-124.

NOTES.

1. The Passover.—The Jews recognized two forms of the Passover. The first was observed in the wilderness, on the journey from Egypt to Palestine, and for some time later. After the building of the temple, however, the form of celebration was materially changed. By comparing Deut. 16: 1-6 and Num. 28: 16-25 with Exodus, chapters 12, 13, it will be seen that injunctions regarding it were added in the later scriptures which were not in the former, and which were hardly possible to be carried out in the wilderness. In the later observances of the ordinances wine was used, but it was not enjoined in the Pentateuch. It is, however, mentioned in the New Testament. Luke 22: 17-20; 1 Cor. 10: 16. The song with which the Saviour closed the last Passover service was not required by original instructions. The song, called the Hallel, was comprised of Psalms 113-118, the first two being sung at the beginning of the meal, and the others at the close.
2. Cast all out of the temple.—This was the first cleansing of the temple, in the early part of Christ's ministry. The cleansing of the temple was repeated at the last Passover which He attended, three years later.
3. The zeal of Thine house, etc.—At each Passover every male, whether rich or poor, must bring his half sheckel to the sanctuary, as a sacred tribute to be applied to the expenses of the tabernacle service. Ex. 30: 11-16. But the money of the various countries, of brass or copper, bearing heathen symbols and inscriptions, was not available at the temple. The worshipers coming from these countries were obliged to exchange their heathen coin for the usual silver piece of the sanctuary, and these money-changers did this service for them, charging a heavy rate per cent. for the favor. This caused much haggling over money values, and with the bleating of sheep and the lowing of cattle, the babel of voices made the temple court a scene of much confusion. The disciples had before witnessed this profanation of the house of prayer, but probably had not before stopped to think it wrong, since this arrangement had been the custom for many years. But seeing in Christ's act a fulfilment of prophecy, their faith in Him was greatly strengthened. See "Desire of Ages," p. 155.
4. Trust Himself unto them.—That is to say, Jesus received none of these into the circle of His personal followers. No one from about Jerusalem, in fact, was to be thus privileged. He chose no scribes, no rabbis, no men of high standing from that region. On the other hand, His disciples, to whom He committed Himself to the end of His life, with the single exception of Judas, were Galileans. Knowing what was in all men, He knew whom to choose for the successful issue of His earthly work.