128
The Desire of Ages
against Him. At His trial they would be brought as an accusation, and
on Calvary they would be flung at Him as a taunt. But to explain them
now would give His disciples a knowledge of His sufferings, and bring
[165]
upon them sorrow which as yet they were not able to bear. And an
explanation would prematurely disclose to the Jews the result of their
prejudice and unbelief. Already they had entered upon a path which
they would steadily pursue until He should be led as a lamb to the
slaughter.
It was for the sake of those who should believe on Him that these
words of Christ were spoken. He knew that they would be repeated.
Being spoken at the Passover, they would come to the ears of thou-
sands, and be carried to all parts of the world. After He had risen from
the dead, their meaning would be made plain. To many they would be
conclusive evidence of His divinity.
Because of their spiritual darkness, even the disciples of Jesus
often failed of comprehending His lessons. But many of these lessons
were made plain to them by subsequent events. When He walked no
more with them, His words were a stay to their hearts.
As referring to the temple at Jerusalem, the Saviour’s words, “De-
stroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up,” had a deeper
meaning than the hearers perceived. Christ was the foundation and
life of the temple. Its services were typical of the sacrifice of the Son
of God. The priesthood was established to represent the mediatorial
character and work of Christ. The entire plan of sacrificial worship was
a foreshadowing of the Saviour’s death to redeem the world. There
would be no efficacy in these offerings when the great event toward
which they had pointed for ages was consummated.
Since the whole ritual economy was symbolical of Christ, it had no
value apart from Him. When the Jews sealed their rejection of Christ
by delivering Him to death, they rejected all that gave significance
to the temple and its services. Its sacredness had departed. It was
doomed to destruction. From that day sacrificial offerings and the
service connected with them were meaningless. Like the offering of
Cain, they did not express faith in the Saviour. In putting Christ to
death, the Jews virtually destroyed their temple. When Christ was
crucified, the inner veil of the temple was rent in twain from top to
bottom, signifying that the great final sacrifice had been made, and
that the system of sacrificial offerings was forever at an end.