In His Temple
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for He says, “I will dwell in them, and walk in them; ... and they shall
[162]
be My people.” “He will subdue our iniquities; and Thou wilt cast all
their sins into the depths of the sea.”
2 Corinthians 6:16
;
Micah 7:19
.
His presence will cleanse and sanctify the soul, so that it may be a holy
temple unto the Lord, and “an habitation of God through the Spirit.”
Ephesians 2:21, 22
.
Overpowered with terror, the priests and rulers had fled from the
temple court, and from the searching glance that read their hearts.
In their flight they met others on their way to the temple, and bade
them turn back, telling them what they had seen and heard. Christ
looked upon the fleeing men with yearning pity for their fear, and
their ignorance of what constituted true worship. In this scene He
saw symbolized the dispersion of the whole Jewish nation for their
wickedness and impenitence.
And why did the priests flee from the temple? Why did they not
stand their ground? He who commanded them to go was a carpenter’s
son, a poor Galilean, without earthly rank or power. Why did they not
resist Him? Why did they leave the gain so ill acquired, and flee at the
command of One whose outward appearance was so humble?
Christ spoke with the authority of a king, and in His appearance,
and in the tones of His voice, there was that which they had no power
to resist. At the word of command they realized, as they had never
realized before, their true position as hypocrites and robbers. When
divinity flashed through humanity, not only did they see indignation on
Christ’s countenance; they realized the import of His words. They felt
as if before the throne of the eternal Judge, with their sentence passed
on them for time and for eternity. For a time they were convinced
that Christ was a prophet; and many believed Him to be the Messiah.
The Holy Spirit flashed into their minds the utterances of the prophets
concerning Christ. Would they yield to this conviction?
Repent they would not. They knew that Christ’s sympathy for
the poor had been aroused. They knew that they had been guilty of
extortion in their dealings with the people. Because Christ discerned
their thoughts they hated Him. His public rebuke was humiliating to
their pride, and they were jealous of His growing influence with the
people. They determined to challenge Him as to the power by which
He had driven them forth, and who gave Him this power.