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Christ Spoke as a Judge, November 19
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them
which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children
together even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would
not!
Matthew 23:37
.
Christ spoke as a judge to those before Him. His voice, that had so often been
heard in gentleness and entreaty, was now heard in rebuke and condemnation. The
listeners shuddered. Never was the impression made by His words and His look to
be effaced.
Christ’s indignation was directed against the hypocrisy, the gross sins, by which
men were destroying their own souls, deceiving the people and dishonoring God. In
the specious deceptive reasoning of the priests and rulers He discerned the working
of satanic agencies. Keen and searching had been His denunciation of sin; but He
spoke no words of retaliation. He had a holy wrath against the prince of darkness;
but He manifested no irritated temper. So the Christian who lives in harmony
with God, possessing the sweet attributes of love and mercy, will feel a righteous
indignation against sin; but he will not be roused by passion to revile those who
revile him. Even in meeting those who are moved by a power from beneath to
maintain falsehood, in Christ he will still preserve calmness and self-possession.
Divine pity marked the countenance of the Son of God as He cast one lingering
look upon the Temple and then upon His hearers. In a voice choked by deep anguish
of heart and bitter tears He exclaimed, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest
the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often I would I have
gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings,
and ye would not!” This is the separation struggle. In the lamentation of Christ the
very heart of God is pouring itself forth....
Pharisees and Sadducees were alike silenced. Jesus summoned His disciples,
and prepared to leave the Temple, not as one defeated and forced from the presence
of His adversaries, but as one whose work was accomplished. He retired a victor
from the contest.
The gems of truth that fell from Christ’s lips on that eventful day were treasured
in many hearts. For them new thoughts started into life, new aspirations were
awakened, and a new history began. After the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ,
these persons came to the front, and fulfilled their divine commission with a wisdom
and zeal corresponding to the greatness of the work. They bore a message that
appealed to the hearts of men, weakening the old superstitions that had long dwarfed
the lives of thousands. Before their testimony human theories and philosophies
became as idle fables. Mighty were the results flowing from the words of the Saviour
to that wondering, awestruck crowd in the Temple at Jerusalem (
The Desire of Ages,
619, 620
).
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