 63 of the Desire of Ages by Ellen G. White—Thy King Cometh Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion, shout, O daughter of Jerusalem, Behold thy King Cometh unto thee, he is just, and having salvation, lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt, the foal of an ass. Zechariah 9.9. Five hundred years before the birth of Christ, the Prophet Zechariah thus foretold the coming of the King of Israel. His prophecy is now to be fulfilled. He who has so long refused royal honors now comes to Jerusalem as the promised heir to David's throne. It was on the first day of the week that Christ made his triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Multitudes who had flocked to see him at Bethany now accompanied him, eager to witness his reception. Many people were on their way to the city to keep the Passover, and these joined the multitude attending Jesus. All nature seemed to rejoice. The trees were clothed with verger, and their blossoms shed a delicate fragrance on the air. A new life and joy animated the people. The hope of the new kingdom was again springing up. Proposing to ride into Jerusalem, Jesus had sent two of his disciples to bring to him an ass, and its colt. At his birth, the Saviour was dependent upon the hospitality of strangers. The manger in which he lay was a borrowed resting place. Now, although the cattle on a thousand hills are his, he is dependent on a stranger's kindness for an animal on which to enter Jerusalem as its king. But again his divinity is revealed, even in the minute directions given his disciples for this errand, as he foretold the plea the Lord hath need of them, was readily granted. Jesus chose for his use the colt on which never man had set. The disciples, with glad enthusiasm, spread their garments on the beast and seated their master upon it. Here to fore, Jesus had always travelled on foot, and the disciples had at first wondered that he should now choose to ride. But hope brightened in their hearts with the joyous thought that he was about to enter the capitol, proclaim himself king, and assert his royal power. While on their errand, they communicated their glowing expectations to the friends of Jesus, and the excitement spread far and near, raising the expectations of the people to the highest pitch. Christ was following the Jewish custom for a royal entry. The animal on which he rode was at-ridden by the kings of Israel, and prophecy had foretold that thus the Messiah should come to his kingdom. No sooner was he seated upon the colt than a loud shout of triumph front the air. The multitude hailed him as Messiah, their king. Jesus now accepted the homage which he had never before permitted, and the disciples received this as proof that their glad hopes were to be realized by seeing him established on the throne. The multitude were convinced that the hour of their emancipation was at hand. In imagination they saw the Roman armies driven from Jerusalem, and Israel once more an independent nation. All were happy and excited. The people vied with one another in paying him homage. They could not display outward pomp and splendor, but they gave him the worship of happy hearts. They were unable to present him with costly gifts, but they spread their outer garments as a carpet in his path, and they also strewed the leafy branches of the olive and the palm in the way. They could lead the triumphal procession with no royal standards, but they cut down the spreading palm-bows, nature's emblem of victory, and waved them aloft with loud acclamations in Hosannas. As they proceeded, the multitude was continually increased by those who had heard of the coming of Jesus and hastened to join the procession. Spectators were constantly mingling with the throng and asking, Who is this? What does all this commotion signify? They had all heard of Jesus and expected him to go to Jerusalem, but they knew that he had here too far discouraged all effort to place him on the throne, and they were greatly astonished to learn that this was he. They wondered what could have wrought this change in him who had declared that his kingdom was not of this world. Their questionings are silenced by a shout of triumph. Again and again it is repeated by the eager throng. It is taken up by the people afar off and echoed from the surrounding hills and valleys, and now the procession is joined by crowds from Jerusalem. From the multitudes gathered to attend the Passover, thousands go forth to welcome Jesus. They greet him with the waving of palm branches and a burst of sacred song. The priests of the temple sound the trumpet for evening service, but there are few to respond, and the rulers say to one another in alarm, the world is gone after him. Never before in his earthly life had Jesus permitted such a demonstration, he clearly foresaw the result. It would bring him to the cross. But it was his purpose, thus publicly, to present himself as the Redeemer. He desired to call attention to the sacrifice that was to crown his mission to a fallen world. While the people were assembling at Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover, he, the antitypical lamb, by a voluntary act set himself apart as an oblation. It would be needful for his church, in all succeeding ages, to make his death for the sins of the world a subject of deep thought and study. Every fact connected with it should be verified beyond a doubt. It was necessary, then, that the eyes of all people should now be directed to him. The events which preceded his great sacrifice must be such as to call attention to the sacrifice itself. After such a demonstration as that attending his entry into Jerusalem, all eyes would follow his rapid progress to the final scene. The events connected with this triumphal ride would be the talk of every tongue and would bring Jesus before every mind. After his crucifixion many would recall these events in their connection with his trial and death. They would be led to search the prophecies and would be convinced that Jesus was the Messiah, and in all lands converts to the faith would be multiplied. In this one triumphant scene of his earthly life the Savior might have appeared escorted by heavenly angels and heralded by the trump of God. But such a demonstration would have been contrary to the purpose of his mission, contrary to the law which had governed his life. He remained true to the humble lot he had accepted, the burden of humanity he must bear until his life was given for the life of the world. This day, which seemed to the disciples the crowning day of their lives, would have been shadowed with gloomy clouds had they known that this scene of rejoicing was but a prelude to the suffering and death of their master. Although he had repeatedly told them of his certain sacrifice, yet in the glad triumph of the present they forgot his sorrowful words and looked forward to his prosperous reign on David's throne. New assessions were made continually to the procession, and with few exceptions all who joined it caught the inspiration of the hour and helped to swell the Hosannas that echoed and re-echoed from hill to hill and from valley to valley. The shouts went up continually. Hosanna to the son of David, blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord, Hosanna in the highest. Never before had the world seen such a triumphal procession. It was not like that of the earth's famous conquerors. No train of mourning captives as trophies of Kingly Valor made a feature of that scene. But about the Saviour were the glorious trophies of his labours of love for sinful man. There were captives whom he had rescued from Satan's power, praising God for their deliverance, the blind whom he had restored to sight were leading the way, the dumb whose tongues he had loosed shouted the loudest Hosannas, the cripples whom he had healed bounded with joy, and were the most active in breaking the palm branches and waving them before the Saviour. The lepers and orphans were exalting the name of Jesus for his works of mercy to them. The lepers whom he had cleansed spread their untainted garments in his path, and hailed him as the King of Glory. Those whom his voice had awakened from the sleep of death were in that throng, Lazarus, whose body had seen corruption in the grave, but who now rejoiced in the strength of glorious manhood led the beast on which the Saviour rode. Many Pharisees witnessed the scene, and burning with enviant malice sought to turn the current of popular feeling. With all their authority they tried to silence the people, but their appeals and threats only increased the enthusiasm. They feared that this multitude and the strength of their numbers would make Jesus King. As a last resort they pressed through the crowd to where the Saviour was, and accosted him with reproving and threatening words. Master, rebuke thy disciples! They declared that such noisy demonstrations were unlawful and would not be permitted by the authorities, but they were silenced by the reply of Jesus. I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out. That scene of triumph was of God's own appointing. It had been foretold by the Prophet, and man was powerless to turn aside God's purpose. Had men failed to carry out his plan, he would have given a voice to the inanimate stones, and they would have hailed his son with acclamations of praise. As a silence Pharisees drew back, the words of Zechariah were taken up by hundreds of voices. Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, thy King cometh unto thee! He is just, and having salvation, lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt, the foal of an ass. When the procession reached the brow of the hill, and was about to descend into the city, Jesus halted, and all the multitude with him, before them laid Jerusalem in its glory, now bathed in the light of the declining sun. The temple attracted all eyes, in stately grandeur, towered above all else, seeming to point towards heaven as if directing the people to the only true and living God. The temple had long been the pride and glory of the Jewish nation. The Romans also prided themselves in its magnificence. A king appointed by the Romans had united with the Jews to rebuild and embellish it, and the Emperor of Rome had enriched it with his gifts. Its strength, richness, and magnificence had made it one of the wonders of the world. While the westering sun was tinting and gilding the heavens, its resplendent glory lighted up the pure white marble of the temple walls, and sparkled on its gold-capped pillars. From the crest of the hill where Jesus and his followers stood, it had the appearance of a massive structure of snow set with golden pinnacles. At the entrance to the temple was a vine of gold and silver, with green leaves and massive clusters of grapes executed by the most skillful artist. This design represented Israel as a prosperous vine. The gold, silver, and living green were combined with rare taste and exquisite workmanship, as it twined gracefully about the white and glistening pillars, clinging with shining tendrils to their golden ornaments. It caught the splendor of the setting sun, shining as if with a glory borrowed from heaven. Jesus gazes upon the scene, and the vast multitude hush their shouts, spellbound by the sudden vision of beauty. All eyes turn upon the Saviour, expecting to see in his countenance the admiration they themselves feel. But instead of this, they behold a cloud of sorrow. They are surprised and disappointed to see his eyes fill with tears, and his body rocked to and fro like a tree before the tempest, while a wail of anguish burst from his quivering lips, as if from the depths of a broken heart. What a sight was this for angels to behold! Their loved commander in an agony of tears. What a sight was this for the glad throng that with shouts of triumph in the waving of palm branches were escorting him to the glorious city, where they fondly hoped he was about to reign. Jesus had wept at the grave of Lazarus, but it was in a godlike grief and sympathy with human woe. But this sudden sorrow was like a note of wailing in a grand triumphal chorus. In the midst of a scene of rejoicing, where all were paying him homage, Israel's king was in tears, not silent tears of gladness, but tears and groans of insuppressable agony. The multitude were struck with a sudden gloom. Their acclamations were silenced. Many wept in sympathy with a grief they could not comprehend. The tears of Jesus were not in anticipation of his own suffering. Just before him was Gysimony, where soon the whore of a great darkness would overshadow him. The sheep-gate also was in sight, through which for centuries the beast for sacrificial offerings had been led. This gate was soon to open for him, the great anti-type, toward whose sacrifice for the sins of the world all these offerings had pointed. Nearby was Calvary, the scene of his approaching agony. Yet it was not because of these reminders of his cruel death that the Redeemer wept and groaned in anguish of spirit. His was no selfish sorrow. The thought of his own agony did not intimidate that noble, self-sacrificing soul. It was the sight of Jerusalem that pierced the heart of Jesus. Jerusalem that had rejected the Son of God and scorned his love, that refused to be convinced by his mighty miracles, and was about to take his life. He saw what she was in her guilt of rejecting her Redeemer, and what she might have been had she accepted him who alone could heal her wound. He had come to save her. How could he give her up? People had been a favored people. God had made their temple his habitation. It was beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth, psalms forty-eight, too. The record of more than a thousand years of Christ-guardian care and tender love, such as a father bears his only child, was there. In that temple the prophets had uttered their solemn warnings. There had the burning censors waved, while incense mingled with the prayers of the worshipers had ascended to God. There the blood of beasts had flowed, typical of the blood of Christ. There Jehovah had manifested his glory above the mercy seat. There the priest had officiated, and the pomp of symbol and ceremony had gone on for ages. But all this must have an end. Jesus raised his hand, that it so often blessed the sick and suffering, and waving it towards a doomed city, in broken utterances of grief exclaimed, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace. Here the Saviour paused, and left unsaid what might have been the condition of Jerusalem had she accepted the help that God desired to give her, the gift of his beloved son. If Jerusalem had known what it was her privilege to know, and had heeded the light which heaven had sent her, she might have stood forth in the pride of prosperity, the queen of kingdoms, free in the strength of her God-given power. There would have been no armed soldiers standing at her gates, no Roman banners waving from her walls. The glorious destiny that might have blessed Jerusalem had she accepted her Redeemer, rose before the Son of God. He saw that she might, through him, have been healed of her grievous malady, liberated from bondage, and established as the mighty metropolis of the earth. From her walls the dove of peace would have gone forth to all nations. She would have been the world's diadem of glory. But the bright picture of what Jerusalem might have been fades from the Saviour's sight. He realizes what she now is under the Roman yoke, bearing the frown of God, doomed to his retributive judgment. He takes up the broken thread of his lamentation. But now they are hid from thine eyes. For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, encompass thee round, and keep thee in on every side, and shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee. And they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another, because thou newest not the time of thy visitation. Christ came to save Jerusalem with her children. But pharisaical pride, hypocrisy, jealousy, and malice had prevented him from accomplishing his purpose. Jesus knew the terrible retribution which would be visited upon the doomed city. He saw Jerusalem encompassed with armies. The besieged inhabitants driven to starvation and death, mothers feeding upon the dead bodies of their own children, and both parents and children snatching the last morsel of food from one another, natural affection being destroyed by the gnawing pangs of hunger. He saw that the stubbornness of the Jews, as evinced in their rejection of his salvation, would also lead them to refuse submission to the invading armies. He beheld Calvary, on which he was to be lifted up, set with crosses as thickly as forest trees. He saw the wretched inhabitants suffering torture on the rack, and by crucifixion. The beautiful palaces destroyed, the temple and ruins, and of its massive walls not one stone left upon another, while the city was plowed like a field. Well might the Saviour weep in agony, in view of that fearful scene. Jerusalem had been the child of his care, and as a tender father mourns over a wayward son, so Jesus wept over the beloved city. How can I give thee up? How can I see thee devoted to destruction? Must I let thee go to fill up the cup of thine iniquity? One soul is of such value that, in comparison with it, world sink into insignificance, but here was a whole nation to be lost. When the fast, westering sun should pass from sight in the heavens, Jerusalem's day of grace would be ended. While the procession was halting on the brow of Olivet, it was not yet too late for Jerusalem to repent. The angel of mercy was then folding her wings to step down from the golden throne, to give place to justice and swift coming judgment. But Christ's great heart of love still pleaded for Jerusalem, that had scorned his mercies, despised his warnings, and was about to imbrew her hands in his blood. If Jerusalem would but repent, it was not yet too late, while the last rays of the setting sun were lingering on temple, tower, and pinnacle, would not some good angel lead her to the Saviour's love and avert her doom? Beautiful an unholy city that had stoned the prophets that had rejected the Son of God that was locking herself by her impendence and fetters of bondage, her day of mercy was almost spent. Yet again the Spirit of God speaks to Jerusalem. Before the day is done another testimony is born to Christ. The voice of witnesses lifted up, responding to the call from a prophetic past. If Jerusalem will hear the call, if she will receive the Saviour who is entering her gates, she may yet be saved. The prophets have reached the rulers in Jerusalem that Jesus is approaching the city with a great concourse of people, but they have no welcome for the Son of God. In fear they go out to meet him, hoping to disperse the throng. As the procession is about to descend the Mount of Olives, it is intercepted by the rulers. They inquire the cause of tumultuous rejoicing. As they question, who is this? The disciples, filled with the Spirit of Inspiration, answer this question. In eloquent strains they repeat the prophecies concerning Christ. Adam will tell you, it is the seed of the woman that shall bruise the serpent's head. Ask Abraham, he will tell you, it is Melchizedek, King of Salem, King of Peace, Genesis 14, 18. Jacob will tell you, he is Shiloh of the tribe of Judah. Isaiah will tell you, Immanuel, wonderful counselor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. Isaiah 7, 14, 9, 6. Jeremiah will tell you, the branch of David, the Lord our righteousness. Jeremiah 23, 6. Daniel will tell you, he is the Messiah. Hosea will tell you, he is the Lord God of Host. The Lord is his memorial. Hosea 12, 5. John the Baptist will tell you, he is the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. John 1.29. The great Jehovah has proclaimed from his throne, this is my beloved Son. Matthew 3.17. We, his disciples, declare, this is Jesus, the Messiah, the Prince of Life, the Redeemer of the world. And the Prince of the powers of darkness acknowledges him, saying, I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God. Mark 1.24. End of Chapter 63. Read by Donald Hines. Avaloretta, Texas. Chapter 64 of the Desire of Ages by Ellen G. White. This Lubivock's recording is in the public domain. A doomed people. The triumphal ride of Christ into Jerusalem was the dim foreshadowing of his coming in the clouds of heaven with power and glory amid the triumph of angels and the rejoicing of the saints, then will be fulfilled the words of Christ to the priests and Pharisees. He shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. Matthew 23.39. In prophetic vision, Zechariah was shown that day of final triumph, and he beheld also the doom of those who at the first advent had rejected Christ. They shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only Son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn. Zechariah 12.10. This scene Christ foresaw when he beheld the city and wept over it. In the temporal ruin of Jerusalem he saw the final destruction of that people who were guilty of the blood of the Son of God. The disciples saw the hatred of the Jews to Christ, but they did not yet see to what it would lead. They did not yet understand the true condition of Israel, nor comprehend the retribution that was to fall upon Jerusalem. This Christ opened to them by a significant object lesson. The last appeal to Jerusalem had been in vain. The priests and rulers had heard the prophetic voice of the past echoed by the multitude in answer to the question, Who is this? But they did not accept it as the voice of inspiration. In anger and amazement they tried to silence the people. There were Roman officers in the throng, and to them his enemies denounced Jesus as the leader of a rebellion. They represented that he was about to take possession of the temple, and reign as king in Jerusalem. But the calm voice of Jesus hushed for a moment, the clamorous throng, as he again declared that he had not come to establish a temporal rule. He should soon ascend to his father, and his accusers would see him no more until he should come again in glory. Then too late for their salvation they would acknowledge him. These words Jesus spoke with sadness and with singular power. The Roman officers were silenced and subdued. Their hearts, though strangers to divine influence, were moved as they had never been moved before. In the calm, solemn face of Jesus they read love, benevolence, and quiet dignity. They were stirred by a sympathy they could not understand. Instead of arresting Jesus they were more inclined to pay him homage. Turning upon the priests and rulers they charged them with creating the disturbance. These leaders, chagrined and defeated, turned to the people with their complaints, and disputed angrily among themselves. Meanwhile Jesus passed unnoticed to the temple. All was quiet there, for the scene upon Olivet had called away the people. For a short time Jesus remained at the temple, looking upon it with sorrowful eyes. Then he withdrew his disciples, and returned to Bethany. When the people sought for him to place him on the throne, he was not to be found. The entire night Jesus spent in prayer, and in the morning he came again to the temple. On the way he passed a fig orchard. He was hungry, and seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, he came. If happily he might find anything thereon, and when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for the time of figs was not yet. It was not the season for ripe figs, except in certain localities, and on the highlands about Jerusalem it might truly be said the time of figs was not yet, but in the orchard to which Jesus came, one tree appeared to be in advance of all the others. It was already covered with leaves. It is the nature of the fig tree that before the leaves open the growing fruit appears. Therefore this tree in full leaf gave promise of well-developed fruit, but its appearance was deceptive. Upon searching its branches, from the lowest bow to the topmost twig, Jesus found nothing but leaves. It was a mass of pretentious foliage, nothing more. Christ uttered against it a withering curse. No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever, he said. The next morning, as the Saviour and his disciples were again on their way to the city, the blasted branches and drooping leaves attracted their attention. Master, said Peter, behold the fig tree which thou cursest, is withered away. Christ act in cursing the fig tree at astonish the disciples. It seemed to them, unlike his ways and works, often they had heard him declare that he came not to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved. They remembered his words. The Son of Man has not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them. His wonderful works had been done to restore, never to destroy. The disciples had known him only as the restore, the healer. This axed it alone. What was its purpose, they questioned. God delighted themersy. As I live, said the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked. Micah 7.18, Ezekiel 33.11. To him the work of destruction and the denunciation of judgment is a strange work, Isaiah 28, 21. But it is in mercy and love that he lifts the veil from the future, and reveals to men the results of a course of sin. The cursing of the fig tree was an acted parable. That barren tree, flaunting its pretentious foliage in the very face of Christ, was a symbol of the Jewish nation, the Savior desired to make plain to his disciples the cause and the certainty of Israel's doom. For this purpose he invested the tree with moral qualities, and made it the expository of divine truth. The Jews stood forth distinct from all other nations, professing allegiance to God. They had been specially favoured by him, and they laid claim to righteousness above every other people, but they were corrupted by the love of the world and the greed of gain. They boasted of their knowledge, but they were ignorant of the requirements of God, and were full of hypocrisy. But the barren tree, they spread their pretentious branches aloft, luxuriant in appearance, and beautiful to the eye, but they yielded nothing but leaves. The Jewish religion, with its magnificent temple, its sacred altars, its mitred priests, and impressive ceremonies, was indeed fair and outward appearance, but humility, love, and benevolence were lacking. All the trees in the fig orchard were destitute of fruit, but the leafless trees raised no expectation, and caused no disappointment. By these trees the Gentiles were represented. They were as destitute as were the Jews of godliness, but they had not professed to serve God. They made no boastful pretentions to goodness. They were blind to the works and ways of God. With them the time of figs was not yet. They were still waiting for a day which would bring them light and hope. The Jews, who had received greater blessings from God, were held accountable for their abuse of these gifts, the privileges of which they boasted, only increased their guilt. Jesus had come to the fig tree hungry to find food, so he had come to Israel, hungering to find in them the fruits of righteousness. He had lavished on them his gifts, that they might bear fruit for the blessing of the world. Every opportunity and privilege had been granted them, and in return he sought their sympathy and cooperation in his work of grace. Long to see in them self-sacrifice and compassion zeal for God and a deep yearning of soul for the salvation of their fellow men. Had they kept the law of God they would have done the same unselfish work that Christ did, but love to God and man was eclipsed by pride and self-sufficiency. They brought ruin upon themselves by refusing to minister to others. The treasures of truth which God had committed to them they did not give to the world. In the barren tree they might read both their sin and its punishment. Withered beneath the Saviour's curse, standing forth seer and blasted, dried up by the roots, the fig tree showed what the Jewish people would be when the grace of God was removed from them, refusing to impart blessing they would no longer receive it. Oh, Israel, the Lord says, Thou hast destroyed thyself. Hosea 13.9. The warning is for all time. Christ act in cursing the tree, which his own power had created, stands as a warning to all churches and to all Christians. No one can live the law of God without ministering to others, but there are many who do not live out Christ's merciful unselfish life. Some who think themselves excellent Christians do not understand what constitutes service for God. They plan and steady to please themselves. They act only in reference to self. Time is of value to them only as they can gather for themselves. In all the affairs of life this is their object, not for others, but for themselves do they minister. God created them to live in a world where unselfish service must be performed. He designed them to help their fellow men in every possible way, but self is so large that they cannot see anything else. They are not in touch with humanity. Those who thus live for self are like the fig tree, which made every pretension, but was fruitless. They observe the forms of worship, but without repentance or faith. In profession they honor the law of God, but obedience is lacking. They say, but do not. In the sentence pronounced on the fig tree Christ demonstrates how hateful in his eyes is this feign pretense. He declares that the open sinner is less guilty than is he who professes to serve God, but who bears no fruit to his glory. The parable of the fig tree, spoken before Christ's visit to Jerusalem, had a direct connection with the lesson he taught in cursing the fruitless tree. For the barren tree of the parable the gardener pleaded, let it alone this year, until I shall dig about it and dress it, and if it bear fruit well, but if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down. Increased care was to be given the unfruitful tree. It was to have every advantage, but if it remained fruitless nothing could save it from destruction. In the parable the result of the gardener's work was not foretold. It depended upon that people to whom Christ's words were spoken. They were represented by the fruitless tree, and it rested with them to decide their own destiny. Every advantage that heaven could bestow was given them, but they did not profit by their increased blessings. By Christ's act in cursing the barren fig tree the result was shown. They had determined their own destruction. For more than a thousand years the Jewish nation had abused God's mercy and invited his judgments. They had rejected his warnings and slain his prophets. For these sins the people of Christ's day made themselves responsible by following the same course. In the rejection of their present mercies and warnings lay the guilt of that generation. The fetters which the nation had for centuries been forging, but people of Christ's day were fastening upon themselves. In every age there is given to men their day of light and privilege, a probationary time in which they may become reconciled to God, but there is a limit to this grace. Mercy may plead for years and be slighted and rejected, but there comes a time when mercy makes her last plea. The heart becomes so hardened that it ceases to respond to the Spirit of God, then the sweet-winning voice entreats the sinner no longer, and reproofs and warnings cease. That day had come to Jerusalem. Jesus wept in anguish over the doomed city, but he could not deliver her. He had exhausted every resource. In rejecting the warnings of God's Spirit Israel had rejected the only means of help. There was no other power by which they could be delivered. The Jewish nation was a symbol of the people of all ages who scorn the pleadings of infinite love. The tears of Christ when he wept over Jerusalem were for the sins of all time. In the judgments pronounced upon Israel, those who reject the reproofs and warnings of God's Holy Spirit may read their own condemnation. In this generation there are many who are treading on the same ground as were the unbelieving Jews. They have witnessed the manifestation of the power of God. The Holy Spirit has spoken to their hearts, but they cling to their unbelief and resistance. God sends them warnings and reproof, but they are not willing to confess their errors, and they reject his message and his messenger. The very means he uses for their recovery becomes to them a stone of stumbling. The prophets of God were hated by apostate Israel because through them their hidden sins were brought to light. Ahab regarded Elijah as his enemy because the prophet was faithful to rebuke the king's secret iniquities. So today the servant of Christ, the reprover of sin, meets with scorn and rebuffs. Real truth, the religion of Christ, struggles against a strong current of moral impurity. Prejudice is even stronger in the hearts of men now than in Christ's day. Christ did not fulfill men's expectations. His life was a rebuke to their sins, and they rejected him. So now the truth of God's word does not harmonize with men's practices and their natural inclination, and thousands reject its light. Men prompted by Satan cast doubt upon God's word and choose to exercise their independent judgment. They choose darkness rather than light, but they do it at the peril of their souls. Those who cavalled at the words of Christ found ever increased cause for caval until they turned from the truth and the life. So it is now. God does not propose to remove every objection which the carnal heart may bring against his truth. To those who refuse the precious rays of light which would illuminate the darkness, the mysteries of God's word remain such forever. From them the truth is hidden. They walk blindly, and know not the ruin before them. Christ overlooked the world in all ages from the height of Olivet, and his words are applicable to every soul who slights the pleadings of divine mercy. Scorner of his love, he addresses you today. It is thou, even thou, who shouldest know the things that belong to thy peace. Christ is shedding bitter tears for you, who have no tears to shed for yourself. Only that fatal hardness of heart which destroyed the Pharisees is manifest in you. And every evidence of the grace of God, every ray of divine light, is either melting and subduing the soul, or confirming it in hopeless impenitence. Christ foresaw that Jerusalem would remain obdurate and impenitent, yet all the guilt, all the consequences of rejected mercy lay at her own door. Thus it will be with every soul who is following the same course. The Lord declares, O Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself. Here O earth, behold, I will bring evil upon this people, even the fruit of their thoughts, because they have not hearkened unto my words, nor to my law, but rejected it. CHAPTER 65 At the beginning of his ministry Christ had driven from the temple those who defiled it by their unholy traffic, and his stern and godlike demeanor had struck terror to the hearts of the scheming traitors. At the close of his mission he came again to the temple and found it still desecrated as before. The condition of things was even worse than before. The outer core to the temple was like a vast cattle-yard, with the cries of the animals and the sharp chinking of coin was mingled the sound of angry altercation between traffickers, and among them were heard the voices of men in sacred office. The dignitaries of the temple were themselves engaged in buying and selling and the exchange of money, so completely where they controlled by their greed of gain that in the sight of God they were no better than thieves. Little did the priests and rulers realize the salinity of the work which it was theirs to perform. At every Passover and feast of tabernacles thousands of animals were slain, and their blood was caught by the priest and poured upon the altar. The Jews had become familiar with the offering of blood, and had almost lost sight of the fact that it was sin which may necessary all this shedding of the blood of beasts. They did not discern that it prefigured the blood of God's dear Son which was to be shed for the life of the world, and that by the offering of sacrifices men were to be directed to a crucified Redeemer. Jesus looked upon the innocent victims of sacrifice and saw how the Jews had made these great convocation scenes of bloodshed and cruelty in place of humble repentance of sin. They had multiplied the sacrifice of beasts as if God could be honored by a heartless service. The priests and rulers had hardened their hearts through selfishness and avarice, the very symbols pointing to the Lamb of God they had made a means of getting gain. Thus in the eyes of the people the sacredness of the sacrificial service had been in a great measure destroyed. The indignation of Jesus was stirred. He knew that his blood, so soon to be shed for the sins of the world, would be as little appreciated by the priests and elders as was the blood of beasts which they kept incessantly flowing. Against these practices Christ had spoken through the prophets. Samuel had said, "'Hot the Lord is great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the Lord!' Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. And Isaiah, seeing in prophetic vision the apostasy of the priests, addressed them as rulers of Sodom and Gomorrah. Hear the word of the Lord ye rulers of Sodom. Give ear unto the law of our God ye people of Gomorrah. To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me, said the Lord? I am full of the burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fed beast, and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of hegoats. When ye come to appear before me, who hath required this at your hand, to tread my courts. Wash you, make you clean, put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes, cease to do evil, learn to do well, seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow." For Samuel 1522 Isaiah 1.10-12.16-17. He who had himself given these prophecies, now for the last time repeated the warning. In fulfillment of prophecy the people had proclaimed Jesus king of Israel. He had received their homage and accepted the office of king. In this character he must act. He knew that his efforts to reform a corrupt priesthood would be in vain. Nevertheless his work must be done. To an unbelieving people the evidence of his divine mission must be given. Again the piercing look of Jesus swept over the desecrated court of the temple. All eyes were turned toward him. Christ and ruler, Pharisee and Gentile, looked with astonishment and awe upon him who stood before them with the majesty of heaven's king. Divinity flashed through humanity, investing Christ with a dignity and glory he had never manifested before. Those standing nearest him drew as far away as the crowd would permit, except for a few of his disciples. The Savior stood alone. Every sound was hushed. The deep silence seemed unbearable. Christ spoke with a power that swayed the people like a mighty tempest. It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer, but ye have made it a den of thieves. His voice sounded like a trumpet through the temple. That his pleasure of his countenance seemed like consuming fire, with authority he commanded take these things hence John 2.16. Three years before the rulers of the temple had been ashamed of their flight before the command of Jesus. They had since wondered at their own fears and their unquestioning obedience to a single humble man. They had felt that it was impossible for their undignified surrender to be repeated. Yet they were now more terrified than before, and in greater haste to obey his command. There were none who dared question his authority. Priests and traders fled from his presence, driving their cattle before them. On the way from the temple they were met by a throng who came with their sick, inquiring for the great healer. The report given by the fleeing people caused some of these to turn back. They feared to meet one so powerful, whose very look had driven the priests and rulers from his presence. But a large number pressed through the hurrying crowd, eager to reach him who was their only hope. When the multitude fled from the temple, many had remained behind. These were now joined by the newcomers. Then the temple court was filled by the sick and the dying, and once more Jesus ministered to them. After a season the priests and rulers ventured back to the temple. When the panic had abated, they were seized with anxiety to know what would be the next movement of Jesus. They expected him to take the throne of David. Quietly returning to the temple, they heard the voices of men, women, and children praising God. Upon entering they stood transfixed before the wonderful scene. They saw the sick healed. The blind restored to sight, and deaf received their hearing, and the crippled leaped for joy. The children were foremost in the rejoicing. Jesus had healed their maladies. He had clasped them in his arms, received their kisses of grateful affection, and some of them had fallen asleep upon his breast as he was teaching the people. Now with glad voices the children sounded his praise. They repeated the hosannas of the day before, and waved palm branches triumphantly before the Saviour. The temple echoed and re-echoed with their acclamations. Blessed be he that cometh in the name of the Lord. Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, he is just in having salvation. psalms 1 1826, Sakurai 9 9, hosanna to the son of David. The sound of these happy unrestrained voices was an offence to the rulers of the temple. They set about putting a stop to such demonstrations. They represented to the people that the house of God was desecrated by the feet of the children and the shouts of rejoicing. Finding that their words made no impression on the people, the rulers appealed to Christ. Hearest thou what these say? And Jesus saith unto them, Yea, have ye never read, out of the mouths of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise? Prophecy had foretold that Christ should be proclaimed as King, and that word must be fulfilled. The priests and rulers of Israel refused to herald his glory, and God moved upon the children to be his witnesses. Had the voices of the children been silent, the very pillars of the temple would have sounded the Saviour's praise. The Pharisees were utterly perplexed and disconcerted. One whom they could not intimidate was in command. Jesus had taken his position as guardian of the temple. Never before had he assumed such kingly authority. Never before had his words and works possessed so great power. He had done marvelous works throughout Jerusalem. But never before in a manner so solemn and impressive. In presence of the people who had witnessed his wonderful works, the priests and rulers dared not show him open hostility. Though enraged and confounded by his answer, they were unable to accomplish anything further that day. The next morning the Sanhedrin again considered what course to pursue toward Jesus. Three years before they had demanded a sign of his messiahship. Since that time he had wrought mighty works throughout the land. He had healed the sick, miraculously fed thousands of people, walked upon the waves, and spoke in peace to the troubled sea. He had repeatedly read the hearts of men as an open book. He had cast out demons and raised the dead. The rulers had before them the evidences of his messiahship. They now decided to demand no sign of his authority, but to draw out some admission or declaration by which he might be condemned. Repairing to the temple where he was teaching, they proceeded to question him. By what authority dost thou these things? And who gave thee this authority? They expected him to claim that his authority was from God, such an assertion they intended to deny. But Jesus met them with a question apparently pertaining to another subject, and he made his reply to them conditional on their answering this question. The baptism of John, he said, whence was it, from heaven or of men? The priests saw that they were in a dilemma from which no sophistry could extricate them. If they said that John's baptism was from heaven, their inconsistency would be made apparent. Christ would say, why have you not then believed on him? John had testified of Christ. Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world. John 1.29. If the priests believed John's testimony, how could they deny the messiahship of Christ if they declared their real belief that John's ministry was of men, they would bring upon themselves a storm of indignation, for the people believed John to be a prophet. With intense interest the multitude awaited the decision. They knew that the priests had professed to accept the ministry of John, and they expected them to acknowledge without a question that he was sent from God, but after conferring secretly together the priests decided not to commit themselves. Hypocritically professing ignorance they said, we cannot tell. Neither tell I you, said Christ, by what authority I do these things. Scribes, priests, and rulers were all silenced. Baffled and disappointed they stood with lowering brows, not daring to press further questions upon Christ, by their cowardice and indecision, they had in a great measure forfeited the respect of the people, who now stood by, amused to see these proud, self-righteous men defeated. All these sayings and doings of Christ were important, and their influence was to be felt in an ever-increasing degree after his crucifixion and ascension. Many of those who had anxiously awaited the result of the questioning of Jesus, were finally to become his disciples, first drawn toward him by his words on that eventful day. The scene in the temple court was never to fade from their minds. The contrast between Jesus and the high priest as they talked together was marked. The proud dignitary of the temple was clothed and rich in costly garments. Upon his head was a glittering tiara. His bearing was majestic. His hair and his long-flowing beard were silvered by age. His appearance awed the beholders. Before this august personage stood the majesty of heaven. Without adornment, or display, his garments were travel-stained. His face was pale, and expressed a patient sadness. Yet written there were dignity and benevolence that contrasted strangely with the proud, self-confident, and angry air of the high priest. Many of those who witnessed the words and deeds of Jesus and the temple from that time enshrined him in their hearts as a prophet of God. But as the popular feeling turned in his favor, the hatred of the priest toward Jesus increased. The wisdom by which he escaped the snare set for his feet, being a new evidence of his divinity, added fuel to their wrath. In his contest with the rabbis it was not Christ's purpose to humiliate his opponents. He was not glad to see them in a hard place. He had an important lesson to teach. He had mortified his enemies by allowing them to be entangled in the net they had spread for him. Their acknowledged ignorance in regard to the character of John's baptism gave him an opportunity to speak, and he improved the opportunity by presenting before them their real position, adding another warning to the many already given. "'What think ye?' he said. A certain man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, son, go work to-day in my vineyard.' He answered and said, I will not. But afterward he repented and went, and he came to the second and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir.' And went not. Where thereof them twain did the will of his father. This abrupt question threw his hearers off their guard. They had followed the parable closely and now immediately answered. The first. Fixing a steady eye upon them, Jesus responded in stern and solemn tones. "'Verily, I say unto you, that the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you, for John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not. But the publicans and the harlots believed him, and ye, when ye had seen it, repented not afterward, that ye might believe him.' The priests and rulers could not but give a correct answer to Christ's question, and thus he obtained their opinion in favor of the first son. This son represented the publicans, those who were despised and hated by the Pharisees. The publicans had been grossly immoral. They had indeed been transgressors of the law of God, showing in their lives an absolute resistance to his requirements. They had been unthankful and unholy. When told to go and work in the Lord's vineyard, they had given a contemptuous refusal. But when John came, preaching repentance and baptism, the publicans received his message, and were baptized. The second son represented the leading men of the Jewish nation. Some of the Pharisees had repented and received the baptism of John, but the leaders would not acknowledge that he came from God. His warnings and denunciations did not lead them to reformation. They rejected the counsel of God against themselves, being not baptized of him. Luke 7.30. They treated his message with disdain, like the second son who, when called, said, I go, sir, but went not. The priests and rulers professed obedience, but acted disobedience. They made great professions of piety. They claimed to be obeying the law of God, but they rendered only of false obedience. The publicans were denounced and cursed by the Pharisees as infidels, but they showed their faith and works that they were going into the kingdom of heaven, before those self-righteous men who had been given great light but whose works did not correspond to their profession of godliness. The priests and rulers were unwilling to bear these searching truths. They remained silent, however, hoping that Jesus would say something which they could turn against him, but they had still more to bear. Here another parable, Christ said. There was a certain householder, which planted a vineyard and hedged it round about, and digged a wine-press in it and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country. And when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servant to the husbandmen that he might receive the fruits of it, and the husbandmen took his servants and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another. Again he sent other servants more than the first, and they did unto them likewise. But last of all he sent unto them his son, saying they will reverence my son. But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, This is the heir. Come let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance. And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him. When the Lord therefore the vineyard cometh, what will he do unto those husbandmen? Jesus addressed all the people present, but the priests and rulers answered. He will miserably destroy those wicked men, they said, and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits and their seasons. The speakers had not at first perceived the application of the parable, but they now saw that they had pronounced their own condemnation. In the parable the householder represented God, the vineyard, the Jewish nation, and the hedge, the divine law, which was their protection. The tower was a symbol of the temple. The Lord of the vineyard had done everything needful for its prosperity. What could have been done more to my vineyard, he says, that I have not done in it? Isaiah 5.4. Thus was represented God's unwearyed care for Israel, and as the husbandmen were to return to the Lord a due proportion of the fruits of the vineyard. So God's people were to honor him by a life corresponding to their sacred privileges. But as the husbandmen had killed the servants whom the master sent to them for fruit, so the Jews had put to death the prophets whom God sent to call them to repentance. Messenger after messenger had been slain. Thus far the application of the parable could not be questioned, and in what followed it was not less evident. In the beloved son whom the Lord of the vineyard finally sent to his disobedient servants, and whom they seized and slew, the priest and ruler saw a distinct picture of Jesus and his impending fate. Already they were planning to slay him whom the father had sent to them as a last appeal. In the retribution inflicted upon the ungrateful husbandmen was portrayed the doom of those who should put Christ to death. Looking with pity upon them, the Savior continued, Did you never read in the scriptures the stone which the builders rejected the same as become the head of the corner? This is the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes? Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof, and whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken, but on whosoever it shall fall it will grind him to powder. This prophecy the Jews had often repeated in the synagogues, applying it to the coming Messiah. Christ was the cornerstone of the Jewish economy, and of the whole plan of salvation. This foundation stone, the Jewish builders, the priests and rulers of Israel, were now rejecting. The Savior called their attention to the prophecies that would show them their danger. By every means in his power he sought to make plain to them the nature of the deed they were about to do. And his words had another purpose. In asking the question, when the Lord therefore the vineyard cometh, what will he do unto those husbandmen? He's designed that the Pharisees should answer as they did. He designed that they should condemn themselves. His warnings, failing to arouse them to repentance, would seal their doom, and he wished them to see that they had brought ruin on themselves. He designed to show them the justice of God in the withdrawal of their national privileges, which had already begun, and which would end not only in the destruction of their temple and their city, but in the dispersion of the nation. The hearers recognized the warning, but not withstanding the sentence they themselves had pronounced. The priests and rulers were ready to fill out the picture by saying, This is the heir, come, let us kill him. But when they sought to lay hands on him, they feared the multitude, for the public sentiment was in Christ favor. In quoting the prophecy of the rejected stone, Christ referred to an actual occurrence in the history of Israel. The incident was connected with the building of the first temple, while it had a special application at the time of Christ's first advent, and should have appealed with special force to the Jews. It has also a lesson for us. When the temple of Solomon was erected, the immense stones for the walls and the foundation were entirely prepared at the quarry after they were brought to the place of building. Not an instrument was to be used upon them. The workmen had only to place them in position, for use in the foundation. One stone of unusual size and peculiar shape had been brought, but the workmen could find no place for it, and would not accept it. It was an annoyance to them as it lay unused in their way. Long it remained a rejected stone. But when the builders came to the laying of the corner, they searched for a long time to find a stone of sufficient size and strength, and of the proper shape to take that particular place, and bear the great weight which would rest upon it. Did they make an unwise choice for this important place? The safety of the entire building would be endangered. They must find a stone capable of resisting the influence of the sun, of frost, and of tempest. Several stones had at different times been chosen. But under the pressure of immense weights they had crumbled to pieces. Others could not bear the test of the sudden atmospheric changes, but at last attention was called to the stone so long rejected. It had been exposed to the air, to sun and storm without revealing the slightest crack. The builders examined the stone. It had borne every test but one. If it could bear the test of severe pressure, they decided to accept it for the corner stone. The trial was made. The stone was accepted, brought to its assigned position, and found to be an exact fit. In prophetic vision Isaiah was shown that this stone was a symbol of Christ. He says, Sanctify the Lord of hosts himself, and let him be your fear, and let him be your dread, and he shall be for a sanctuary, but for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offence to both the houses of Israel, for a gin and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and many among them shall stumble and fall and be broken and be snared and be taken. Carried down in prophetic vision to the first advent, the prophet is shown that Christ is to bear trials and tests, of which a treatment of the chief corner stone in the temple of Solomon was symbolic. Therefore, thus set the Lord God. Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation, a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation, he that believeth shall not make haste. Isaiah 8.13 to 15.28.16. In infinite wisdom God chose the foundation stone and laid it himself. He called it a sure foundation. The entire world may lay upon it their burdens and griefs, it can endure them all. With perfect safety they may build upon it. Christ is a tried stone. Those who trust in him he never disappoints. He has borne every test. He has endured the pressure of Adam's guilt, and the guilt of his posterity, and has come off more than conqueror of the powers of evil. He has borne the burdens cast upon him by every repenting sinner. In Christ the guilty heart has found relief. He is the sure foundation. All who make him their dependents rest in perfect security. In Isaiah's prophecy Christ is declared to be both a sure foundation and a stone of stumbling. The apostle Peter, writing by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, clearly shows to whom Christ is a foundation stone and to whom a rock of offence. If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious, to whom coming as unto a living stone disallowed in deed of men, but chosen of God and precious. Ye also as lively stones are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture. Behold, I lay in Zion a chief cornerstone, elect, precious, and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded, unto you therefore which believe he is precious, but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same as made the head of the corner, and a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word being disobedient. 1 Peter 2. 3-8 To those who believe Christ is the sure foundation, these are they who fall upon the rock and are broken, submission to Christ and faith in him or here represented. To fall upon the rock and be broken is to give up our self-righteousness and to go to Christ with the humility of a child, repenting of our transgressions, and believing in his forgiving love. And so also it is by faith and obedience that we build on Christ as our foundation. Upon this living stone Jews and Gentiles alike may build. This is the only foundation upon which we may securely build. It is broad enough for all, and strong enough to sustain the weight and burden of the whole world, and by connection with Christ, the living stone, all who build upon this foundation become living stones. Many persons are by their own endeavors hewn, polished, and beautified, but they cannot become living stones, because they are not connected with Christ. Without this connection no man can be saved. Without the life of Christ in us we cannot withstand the storms of temptation. Our eternal safety depends upon our building upon the sure foundation. Multitudes are today building upon foundations that have not been tested. When the rain falls, and the tempest rages, and the floods come, their house will fall because it is not founded upon the eternal rock, the chief cornerstone Christ Jesus. To them which stumble at the word, being disobedient, Christ is a rock of offense, but the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner. Like the rejected stone Christ in his earthly mission had borne neglect and abuse. He was despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief. He was despised and we esteemed him not, Isaiah 53.3, but the time was near when he would be glorified. By the resurrection from the dead he would be declared the Son of God with power, Romans 1.4. With his second coming he would be revealed as Lord of Heaven and Earth. Those who were now about to crucify him would recognize his greatness. Before the universe the rejected stone would become the head of the corner, and on whomesoever it shall fall it will grind him to powder. The people who rejected Christ were soon to see their city and their nation destroyed. Their glory would be broken and scattered as the dust before the wind. And what was it that destroyed the Jews? It was the rock which, had they built upon it, would have been their security. It was the goodness of God despised, the righteous disperned, the mercies slighted. Men set themselves in opposition to God, and all that would have been their salvation was turned to their destruction. All that God ordained unto life they found to be unto death. In the Jews' crucifixion of Christ was involved the destruction of Jerusalem. The blood shed upon Calvary was the weight that sank them to the ruin for this world, and for the world to come. So it will be in the great final day when judgment shall fall upon the rejecters of God's grace, Christ, their rock of offence, will then appear to them as an avenging mountain. The glory of his countenance, which to the righteous his life, will be to the wicked a consuming fire. Because of love rejected, grace despised, the sinner will be destroyed. By many illustrations and repeated warnings Jesus showed what would be the result to the Jews of rejecting the Son of God. In these words he was addressing all in every age who refused to receive him as a redeemer. Every warning is for them. The desecrated temple, the disobedient son, the false husbandmen, the contemptuous builders have their counterpart in the experience of every sinner, unless he repent the doom which they foreshadowed will be his. CHAPTER 66 The priests and rulers had listened in silence to Christ's pointed rebukes. They could not refute his charges, but they were only the more determined to entrap him, and with this object they sent to him spies, which should feign themselves just men, that they might take hold of his words, that so they might deliver him unto the power and authority of the governor. They did not send the old Pharisees whom Jesus had often met, but young men, who were ardent and zealous, and whom they thought Christ did not know. These were accompanied by certain of the Herodians who were to hear Christ's words, that they might testify against him at his trial. The Pharisees and Herodians had been bitter enemies, but they were now one in enmity to Christ. The Pharisees had ever chafed under the exaction of tribute by the Romans. The payment of tribute! They held to be contrary to the law of God. Now they saw opportunity to lay a snare for Jesus. The spies came to him, and with apparent sincerity, as though desiring to know their duty, said, Master, we know that thou sayest and teach us rightly, neither acceptest thou the person of any, but teach us the way of God truly. Is it lawful for us to give tribute unto Caesar, or no? The words, we know that thou sayest and teach us rightly, had they been sincere, would have been a wonderful admission, but they were spoken to deceive. Nevertheless, their testimony was true. The Pharisees did know that Christ said and taught rightly, and by their own testimony will they be judged. Those who put the question to Jesus thought that they had sufficiently disguised their purpose, but Jesus read their hearts as an open book, and sounded their hypocrisy. Quite timpgy me, he said, thus giving them a sign that they had not asked, by showing that he read their hidden purpose. They were still more confused when he added, show me a penny. They brought it, and he asked them, whose image and superscription hath it? They answered and said, Caesar's. Pointing to the inscription on the coin, Jesus said, render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's, and unto God the things that are God's. The spies had expected Jesus to answer their question directly, in one way or the other. If he should say it is unlawful to give tribute to Caesar, he would be reported to the Roman authorities and arrested for inciting rebellion. But in case he should pronounce it lawful to pay the tribute, they designed to accuse him to the people as opposing the law of God. Now they felt themselves baffled and defeated. Their plans were disarranged. The summary manner in which their question had been settled left them nothing further to say. Christ reply was no evasion, but a candid answer to the question. Holding in his hand the Roman coin, upon which were stamped the name and image of Caesar, he declared that since they were living under the protection of the Roman power, they should render to that power the support it claimed, so long as this did not conflict with a higher duty. But while peaceably subject to the laws of the land, they should at all times give their first allegiance to God. The Saviour's words, render unto God the things that are God's, were a severe rebuke to the intriguing Jews. Had they faithfully fulfilled their obligations to God, they would not have become a broken nation subject to a foreign power. No Roman ensign would have waved over Jerusalem. No Roman sentinel would have stood at her gates. No Roman governor would have ruled within her walls. The Jewish nation was then paying the penalty of its apostasy from God. When the Pharisees heard Christ's answer, they marveled and left him and went their way. He had rebuke their hypocrisy and presumption, and in doing this he had stated a great principle, a principle that clearly defines the limits of man's duty to the civil government, and his duty to God. In many minds a vexed question had been settled, ever after they held to the right principle, and although many went away dissatisfied, they saw that the principle underlying the question had been clearly set forth, and they marveled at Christ's far-seeing discernment. No sooner were the Pharisees silenced, than the Sadducees came forward with their artful questions. The two parties stood in bitter opposition to each other. The Pharisees were rigid adherents to tradition. They were exact and outward ceremonies, diligent in washings, fastings and long prayers, and ostentatious in almsgiving. But Christ declared that they may void the law of God by teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. As a class they were bigoted and hypocritical. Yet among them were persons of genuine piety, who accepted Christ's teachings and became his disciples. The Sadducees rejected the traditions of the Pharisees. They professed to believe the greater portion of the Scriptures, and to regard them as the rule of action. But practically they were skeptics and materialists. The Sadducees denied the existence of angels, the resurrection of the dead, and the doctrine of a future life with its rewards and punishments. On all these points they differed with the Pharisees. Between the two parties the resurrection was especially a subject of controversy. The Pharisees had been firm believers in the resurrection, but in these discussions their views in regard to the future state became confused. Death became to them an inexplicable mystery. Their inability to meet the arguments of the Sadducees gave rise to continual irritation. The discussions between the two parties usually resulted in angry disputes. Leaving them farther apart than before. In numbers the Sadducees fell far below their opponents, and they had not so strong a hold upon the common people. But many of them were wealthy, and they had the influence which wealth imparts. In their ranks were included most of the priest, and from among them the high priest was usually chosen. This was, however, with express stipulation that their skeptical opinions should not be made prominent. On account of the numbers and popularity of the Pharisees it was necessary for the Sadducees to concede outwardly to their doctrines when holding any priestly office, but the very fact that they were eligible to such office gave influence to their errors. The Sadducees rejected the teaching of Jesus. He was animated by a spirit which they would not acknowledge as manifesting itself thus, and his teaching in regard to God and the future life contradicted their theories. They believed in God as the only being superior to man, but they argued that an overruling providence and a divine foresight would deprive man of free moral agency and degrade him to the position of a slave. It was their belief that, having created man, God had left him to himself, independent of a higher influence. They held that man was free to control his own life and to shape the events of the world, that his destiny was in his own hands. They denied that the spirit of God works through human efforts or natural means, yet they still held that, through the proper employment of his natural powers, man could become elevated and enlightened, that by rigorous and austere exactions his life could be purified. Their ideas of God molded their own character, as in their view he had no interest in man, so they had little regard for one another. There was little union among them, refusing to acknowledge the influence of the Holy Spirit upon human action they lacked his power in their lives, like the rest of the Jews, they boasted much of their birthright as children of Abraham and of their strict adherence to the requirements of the law, but of the true spirit of the law and the faith and the benevolence of Abraham they were destitute. Their natural sympathies were brought within a narrow compass. They believed it possible for all men to secure the comforts and blessings of life, and their hearts were not touched by the wants and sufferings of others. They lived for themselves. By his words and his works Christ testified to a divine power that produces supernatural results, to a future life beyond the present, to God as a father of the children of men, ever watchful of their true interests. He revealed the working of divine power and benevolence and compassion that rebute the selfish exclusiveness of the Sadducees. He taught that both for man's temporal and for his eternal good God moves upon the heart by the Holy Spirit. He showed the error of trusting the human power for that transformation of character which can be wrought only by the Spirit of God. This teaching the Sadducees were determined to discredit, in seeking a controversy with Jesus they felt confident of bringing him into disrepute, even if they could not secure his condemnation. The resurrection was the subject on which they chose to question him. Should he agree with them he would give still further offense to the Pharisees. Should he differ with them they designed to hold his teaching up to ridicule. The Sadducees reasoned that if the body is to be composed of the same particles of matter in its immortal as in its mortal state, then when raised from the dead it must have flesh and blood, and must resume in the eternal world the life interrupted on earth. In that case they concluded that earthly relationships would be resumed, husband and wife would be reunited, marriages consummated, and all things go on the same as before death, the frailties and passions of this life being perpetuated in the life beyond. In answer to their questions Jesus lifted the veil from the future life. In the resurrection, he said, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven. He showed that the Sadducees were wrong in their belief, their premises were false. He do ere, he added, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God. He did not charge them, as he had charged the Pharisees with hypocrisy, but with error of belief. The Sadducees had flattered themselves that they have all men adhered most strictly to the scriptures. But Jesus showed that they had not known their true meaning, that knowledge must be brought home to the heart by the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit, their ignorance of the scriptures, and the power of God. He declared to be the cause of their confusion of faith and darkness of mind. They were seeking to bring the mysteries of God within the compass of their finite reasoning. Christ called upon them to open their minds to those sacred truths that would broaden and strengthen the understanding. Thousands become infidels because their finite minds cannot comprehend the mysteries of God. They cannot explain the wonderful exhibition of divine power in his providences, therefore they reject the evidences of such power, attributing them to natural agencies which they can comprehend still less. The only key to the mysteries that surround us is to acknowledge in them all the presence and power of God. One need to recognize God as a creator of the universe, one who commands and executes all things. They need a broader view of his character and of the mystery of his agencies. Christ declared to his hearers that if there were no resurrection of the dead, the scriptures which they profess to believe would be of no avail. He said, but as touching the resurrection of the dead, have you not read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying, 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 of the living. God counts the things that are not as though they were. He sees the end from the beginning and beholds the result of his work, as though it were now accomplished. The precious dead, from Adam down to the last saint who dies, will hear the voice of the Son of God, and will come forth from the grave to immortal life. God will be their God, and they shall be his people. There will be a close and tender relationship between God and the risen saints, this condition which is anticipated in his purpose. He beholds as if it were already existing. The dead live unto him. By the words of Christ the Sadducees were put to silence. They could not answer him. Not a word had been spoken of which the least advantage could be taken for his condemnation. His adversaries had gained nothing but the contempt of the people. The Pharisees, however, did not yet despair of driving him to speak that which they could use against him. They prevailed upon a certain learned scribe to question Jesus as to which of the ten precepts of the law was of the greatest importance. The Pharisees had exalted the first four commandments which point out the duty of man to his maker, as of far greater consequence than the other six which defined man's duty to his fellow man. As a result they greatly failed a practical godliness. Jesus had shown the people their great deficiency, and had taught the necessity of good works, declaring that the tree is known by its fruits. For this reason he had been charged with exalting the last six commandments above the first four. The lawyer approached Jesus with a direct question. Which is the first commandment of all? The answer of Christ is direct and forcible. The first of all the commandments is, Hero Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord, and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul and with all thy mind and with all thy strength. This is the first commandment. The second is like the first, said Christ, for it flows out of it. Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. The first four of the ten commandments are summed up in the one great precept. Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart. The last six are included in the other. Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. Both these commandments are an expression of the principle of love. The first cannot be kept in the second broken, nor can the second be kept while the first is broken. When God has his rightful place on the throne of the heart the right place will be given to our neighbor. We shall love him as ourselves, and only as we love God supremely is it possible to love our neighbor impartially. And since all the commandments are summed up and love to God and man it follows that not one precept can be broken without violating this principle. Thus Christ taught his hearers that the law of God is not so many separate precepts, some of which are of great importance, while others are of small importance, and may with impunity be ignored. Our Lord presents the first four and the last six commandments as a divine whole, and teaches that love to God will be shown by obedience to all his commandments. The scribe who had questioned Jesus was well read in the law, and he was astonished at his words. He did not expect him to manifest so deep and thorough a knowledge of the scriptures. He had gained a broader view of the principles underlying the sacred precepts. Before the assembled priests and rulers he honestly acknowledged that Christ had given the right interpretation to the law, saying, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth, for there is one God 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 neighbor as himself is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices. The wisdom of Christ answer had convicted the scribe. He knew that the Jewish religion consisted in outward ceremonies rather than inward piety. He had some sense of the worthlessness of mere ceremonial offerings, and the faithless shedding of blood for expiation of sin. Love and obedience to God and unselfish regard for man appeared to him of more value than all these rites. The readiness of this man to acknowledge the correctness of Christ's reasoning, and his decided and prompt response before the people manifested a spirit entirely different from that of the priests and rulers. The heart of Jesus went out in pity to the honest scribe who had dared to face the frowns of the priests and the threats of the rulers to speak the convictions of his heart, and when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly. He said unto him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God. Describe was near to the kingdom of God in that he recognized the deeds of righteousness as more acceptable to God than burnt offerings and sacrifices, but he needed to recognize the divine character of Christ and through faith in him received power to do the works of righteousness. The ritual service was of no value unless connected with Christ by living faith. Even the moral law fails of its purpose unless it is understood in its relation to the Saviour. Christ had repeatedly shown that his father's law contained something deeper than mere authoritative commands. In the law is embodied the same principle that is revealed in the Gospel. The law points out man's duty and shows him his guilt. To Christ he must look for pardon and for power to do what the law enjoins. The Pharisees had gathered close about Jesus as he answered the question of the scribe. Now turning he put a question to them. What think ye of Christ? Whose son is he? This question was designed to test their belief concerning the Messiah, to show whether they regarded him simply as a man or as the Son of God. A course of voices answered, the Son of David. This was the title which prophecy had given to the Messiah. When Jesus revealed his divinity by his mighty miracles, when he healed the sick and raised the dead, the people had inquired among themselves, is not this the Son of David? The Syrophoenician woman, blind Bartimaeus, and many others had cried to him for help. Have mercy on me, O Lord, Thou Son of David." Matthew 15.22. While writing into Jerusalem he had been hailed with the joyful shout. Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. Matthew 21.9. And the little children in the temple had that day echoed the glad description. But many who called Jesus the Son of David did not recognize his divinity. They did not understand that the Son of David was also the Son of God. In reply to the statement that Christ was the Son of David, Jesus said, How then doth David in spirit, the spirit of inspiration from God, call him Lord, saying, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool. If David then called him Lord, how is he his son? And no man was able to answer him a word. Neither durst any man from that day forth ask him any more questions. Chapter 67 of the Desire of Ages by Ellen G. White The Sliberbach recording is in the public domain. Woes on the Pharisees. It was the last day of Christ's teaching in the temple, of the vast throngs that were gathered at Jerusalem, the attention of all had been attracted to him. The people had crowded the temple courts, watching the contests that had been in progress, and they eagerly caught every word that fell from his lips. Never before had such a scene been witnessed. There stood the young Galilean, bearing no earthly honor or royal badge. Surrounding him were priests in their rich apparel, rulers with robes and badges, significant of their exalted station, and scribes of scrolls in their hands to which they made frequent reference. Jesus stood calmly before them, with the dignity of a king, as one invested with the authority of heaven. He looked unflinchingly upon his adversaries, who had rejected and despised his teachings, and who thirsted for his life. They had assailed him in great numbers, but their schemes to ensnare and condemn him had been in vain. Challenge after challenge he had met, presenting the pure bright truth in contrast to the darkness and errors of the priests and Pharisees. He had set before these leaders their real condition, and the retribution sheared to follow persistence in their evil deeds. The warning had been faithfully given, yet another work remained for Christ to do. Another purpose was still to be accomplished. The interest of the people in Christ and his work had steadily increased. They were charmed with his teaching, but they were also greatly perplexed. They had respected the priests and rabbis for their intelligence and apparent piety. In all religious matters they had ever yielded implicit obedience to their authority, yet they now saw these men trying to cast discredit upon Jesus, a teacher whose virtue and knowledge shone forth the brighter from every assault. They looked upon the lowering countenances of the priests and elders, and there saw discomforture and confusion. They marveled that the rulers would not believe on Jesus when his teachings were so plain and simple. They themselves knew not what course to take. With eager anxiety they watched the movements of those whose counsel they had always followed. In the parables which Christ had spoken it was his purpose both to warn the rulers and to instruct the people who were willing to be taught, but there was need to speak yet more plainly. Through their reverence for tradition and their blind faith in a corrupt priesthood the people were enslaved. These chains Christ must break. The character of the priests, rulers, and Pharisees must be more fully exposed. The scribes and the Pharisees, he said, sit in Moses's seat. All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do. But do not she after their works, for they say and do not. The scribes and Pharisees claimed to be invested with divine authority similar to that of Moses. They assumed to take his place as expounders of the law and judges of the people. As such they claimed from the people the utmost deference and obedience. Jesus bade his hearers do that which the rabbis taught according to the law, but not to follow their example. They themselves did not practice their own teaching, and they taught much that was contrary to the scriptures. Jesus said they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be born, and lay them on men's shoulders, but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. The Pharisees enjoined a multitude of regulations, having their foundation and tradition, and unreasonably restricting personal liberty, and certain portions of the law they so explained as to impose upon the people observances which they themselves secretly ignored, and from which, when it served their purpose, they actually claimed exemption. To make a show of their piety was their constant aim. Nothing was held too sacred to serve this end. To Moses God had said concerning his commandments, Thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between nine eyes, Deuteronomy 6.8. These words have a deep meaning. As the word of God is meditated upon and practiced, the whole man will be ennobled. In righteous and merciful dealing, the hands will reveal, as a signet, the principles of God's law. They will be kept clean from bribes, and from all that is corrupt and deceptive. They will be active in works of love and compassion. The eyes directed toward a noble purpose will be clear and true. The expressive countenance, the speaking eye, will testify to the blameless character of him who loves and honors the word of God. But by the Jews of Christ's day, all this was undersurned. The command given to Moses was construed into a direction that the precepts of Scripture should be worn upon the person. They were accordingly written upon Stripp's appartement, and bound in a conspicuous manner about the head and wrists. But this did not cause the law of God to take a firmer hold of the mind and heart. These parchments were worn merely as badges to attract attention. They were thought to give the wares an air of devotion which would command the reverence of the people. Jesus struck a blow at this vain pretense. But all their works they do, for to be seen of men. They make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their presence, and love the uppermost rooms at feast, and the chief seats in the synagogues, and greetings in the markets, and to be called a men rabbi rabbi. But be not ye called rabbi, for one is your master, even Christ, and all ye are brethren, and call no man your father upon the earth, for one is your father, which is in heaven. Neither be ye called master, for one is your master, even Christ. In such plain words a Saviour revealed the selfish ambition that was ever reaching for place and power, displaying a mock humility while the heart was filled with avarice and envy. When persons were invited to a feast the guests were seated according to their rank, and those who were given the most honourable place recede the first attention and special favours. The Pharisees were ever scheming to secure these honours. This practice Jesus rebuked. He also reproved the vanity shown in coveting the title of rabbi or master. Such a title, he declared, belonged not to men, but to Christ. Priests, scribes, and rulers, expounders, and administrators of the law were all brethren, children of one father. Jesus impressed upon the people that they were to give no man a title of honour indicating his control of their conscience or their faith. If Christ were on earth today, surrounded by those who bear the title of reverend or right reverend, would he not repeat his saying? Here be he called masters, for one is your master, even Christ. The scripture declares of God, holy and reverend is his name, psalms 111-9. To what human being is such a title befitting? How little does man reveal of the wisdom and righteousness it indicates. How many of those who assume this title are misrepresenting the name and character of God. Alas, how often have worldly ambition, despotism, and the basis sins been hidden under the broodered garments of a high and holy office? The Saviour continued, But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant, and whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased, and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted. Again and again Christ had taught that true greatness is measured by moral worth. In the estimation of heaven, greatness of character consists in living for the welfare of our fellow men in doing works of love and mercy. Christ the King of Glory was a servant to fallen man. Woe unto you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, said Jesus, for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men, for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in. By perverting the scriptures, the priests and lawyers blinded the minds of those who would otherwise have received a knowledge of Christ's kingdom, and that inward divine life which is essential to true holiness. Woe unto you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer, therefore you shall receive the greater damnation. The Pharisees had great influence with the people, and of this they took advantage to serve their own interests. They gained the confidence of pious widows, and then represented it as a duty for them to devote their property to religious purposes. Having secured control of their money, the wily schemers used it for their own benefit. To cover their dishonesty they offered long prayers in public, and made a great show of piety. This hypocrisy Christ declared would bring them the greater damnation. The same rebuke falls upon many in our day who make a high profession of piety. Their lives are stained by selfishness and avarice, yet they throw over it all a garment of seeming purity, and thus for a time deceive their fellow men. But they cannot deceive God. He reads every purpose of the heart, and will judge every man according to his deeds. Christ unsparingly condemned abuses, but he was careful not to lessen obligation. He rebuked the selfishness that extorted and misapplied the widow's gifts. At the same time he commended the widow who brought her offering for God's treasury. Man's abuse of the gift could not turn God's blessing from the giver. Jesus was in the court where were the treasure chests, and he watched those who came to deposit their gifts. Many of the rich brought large sums, which they presented with great ostentation. Jesus looked upon them sadly, but made no comment on their liberal offerings. Presently his countenance lighted as he saw a poor widow approach hesitatingly as though fearful of being observed. As the rich and haughty swept by to deposit their offerings, she shrank back as if hardly daring to venture farther. And yet she longed to do something, little though it might be for the cause she loved. She looked at the gift in her hand. It was very small in comparison with the gifts of those around her. Yet it was her all. Watching her opportunity, she hurriedly threw in her two knights and turned to hasten away. But in doing this she caught the eye of Jesus, which was fastened earnestly upon her. The Saviour called his disciples to him and bathed them mark the widow's poverty. Even his words of commendation fell upon her ear. Of a truth, I say unto you, that this poor widow had cast in more than they all. Tears of joy filled her eyes as she felt that her act was understood and appreciated. Many would have advised her to keep her pittance for her own use, given into the hands of the well-fed priest it would be lost sight of among the many costly gifts brought to the treasury. But Jesus understood her motive. She believed the service of the temple to be of God's appointment, and she was anxious to do her utmost to sustain it. She did what she could, and her act was to be a monument to her memory through all time and her joy in eternity. Her heart went with her gift. Its value was estimated not by the worth of the coin, but by the love to God and the interest in his work that had prompted the deed. Jesus said of the poor widow, she hath cast in more than they all. The rich had bestowed from their abundance. Many of them, to be seen and honored by men, their large donations had deprived them of no comfort or even luxury. They had required no sacrifice, and could not be compared in value with the widow's might. It is a motive that gives character to our acts, stamping them with ignomy or with high moral worth. Not the great things which every eye sees and every tongue praises does God account most precious. The little duties cheerfully done. The little gifts which make no show, and which to human eyes may appear worthless, often stand highest in his sight. A heart of faith and love is dearer to God than the most costly gift. The poor widow gave her living to do the little that she did. She deprived herself of food in order to give those two mites to the cause she loved, and she did it in faith, believing that her Heavenly Father would not overlook her great need. It was this unselfish spirit and childlike faith that won the Saviour's commendation. Among the poor there are many who long to show their gratitude to God for His grace and truth they greatly desire to share with their more prosperous brethren in sustaining his service. These souls should not be repulsed. Let them lay up their mites in the Bank of Heaven. If given from a heart filled with love for God, these seeming trifles become consecrated gifts. Priceless offerings which God smiles upon and blesses. When Jesus said of the widow, she hath cast in more than they all. His words were true, not only of the motive, but of the results of her gift. The two mites which make a farthing have brought to God's treasury an amount of money far greater than the contributions of those rich Jews. The influence of that little gift has been like a stream, small in its beginning, but widening and deepening as it flowed down through the ages, in a thousand ways it has contributed to the relief of the poor and the spread of the gospel. Her example of self-sacrifice has acted and reacted upon thousands of hearts in every land and in every age. It is appealed to both the rich and the poor, and their offerings have swelled the value of her gift. God's blessing upon the widow's might has made it the source of great results, so with every gift bestowed and every act performed with a sincere desire for God's glory, it is linked with the purposes of omnipotence. Such results for good no man can measure. The Saviour continued his denunciations of the scribes and Pharisees. Woe unto you ye blind guides, which say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple it is nothing, but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple he is a debtor. Ye fools and blind, for whether is greater the gold or the temple that sanctifies the gold, and whosoever shall swear by the altar it is nothing, but whosoever sweareth by the gift that is upon it he is guilty. Ye fools and blind, for whether is greater the gift or the altar that sanctifies the gift. The priest interpreted God's requirements according to their own false and narrow standard. They presumed to make nice distinctions as to the comparative guilt of various sins, passing over some lightly and treating others at perhaps less consequence as unpardonable. For a money consideration they excused persons from their vows, and for large sums of money they sometimes passed over aggravated crimes. At the same time these priests and rulers would in other cases pronounce severe judgment for trivial offenses. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for you pay tie the mint and anise and cumin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. In these words Christ again condemns the abuse of sacred obligation. The obligation itself he does not set aside. The tithing system was ordained by God, and it had been observed from the earliest times. Abraham, the father of the faithful, paid ties of all that he possessed. The Jewish rulers recognized the obligation of tithing, and this was right, but they did not leave the people to carry out their own convictions of duty. Arbitrary rules were laid down for every case. The requirements had become so complicated that it was impossible for them to be fulfilled. None knew when their obligations were met. As God gave it the system was just and reasonable, but the priests and rabbis had made it a weary-some burden. All that God commands is of consequence. Christ recognized the payment of ties as a duty, but he showed that this could not excuse the neglect of other duties. The Pharisees were very exact in tithing garden herbs, such as mint, anise, and roux. This cost them little, and it gave them a reputation for exactness and sanctity. At the same time, their useless restrictions oppressed the people and destroyed respect for the sacred system of God's own appointing. They occupied men's minds with trifling distinctions and turned their attention from essential truths. The weightier matters of the law, justice, mercy, and truth, were neglected. These, Christ said, ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. Their laws had been perverted by the rabbis in like manner. In the directions given through Moses it was forbidden to eat any unclean thing, but use a swine's flesh, and the flesh of certain other animals was prohibited, as likely to fill the blood with impurities and a shortened life. But the Pharisees did not leave these restrictions as God had given them. They went to unwarranted extremes. Among other things the people were required to strain all the water used lest it should contain the smallest insect, which might be classed with the unclean animals. Jesus, contrasting these trivial exactions with the magnitude of their actual sins, said to the Pharisees, ye blind guides which strain at a net, and swallow a camel. Woe unto you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye are likened to whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones and of all uncleanness. As the whited and beautifully decorated tomb concealed the putrefying remains within, so the outward holiness of the priest and rulers concealed iniquity. Jesus continued, Woe unto you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you build the tombs of the prophets and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous and say, if we had been in the days of our fathers we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets, wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets. To show their esteem for the dead prophets, the Jews were very zealous in beautifying their tombs, but they did not profit by their teachings, nor give heed to their reproofs. In the days of Christ the superstitious regard was cherished for the resting places of the dead, and vast sums of money were lavished upon their decoration. In the sight of God this was idolatry. In their undue regard for the dead men showed that they did not love God supremely, nor their neighbors themselves. The same idolatry is carried to great lengths today, many are guilty of neglecting the widow and the fatherless, the sick and the poor, in order to build expensive monuments for the dead. Time, money, and labor are freely spent for this purpose, while duties to the living, duties which Christ has plainly enjoined, are left undone. The Pharisees built the tombs of the prophets and adorned their sepulchres, and said one to another, if we had lived in the days of our fathers we would not have united with them in shedding the blood of God's servants. At the same time they were planning to take the life of his son. This should be a lesson to us. It should open our eyes to the power of Satan to deceive the mind that turns from the light of truth. Many follow in the track of the Pharisees. They revere those who have died for their faith. They wonder at the blindness of the Jews in rejecting Christ. Had we lived in his day, they declare, we would gladly have received his teaching. We would never have been partakers in the guilt of those who rejected the Saviour. But when obedience to God requires self-denial and humiliation, these very persons stifle their convictions and refuse obedience. Thus they manifest the same spirit as did the Pharisees whom Christ condemned. Little did the Jews realize the terrible responsibility involved in rejecting Christ, from the time when the first innocent blood was shed, when righteous Abel fell by the hand of Cain. The same history had been repeated, with increasing guilt. In every age prophets had lifted up their voices against the sins of kings, rulers, and people, speaking the words which God gave them, and obeying his will at the peril of their lives. From generation to generation there had been heaping up a terrible punishment for the rejecters of light and truth. This, the enemies of Christ, were now drawing down upon their own heads. The sin of the priests and rulers was greater than that of any preceding generation. By their rejection of the Saviour they were making themselves responsible for the blood of all the righteous men slain from Abel to Christ. They were about to fill to overflowing their cup of iniquity, and soon it was to be poured upon their heads in retributed justice. Of this Jesus warned them, that upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zachariah's son of Barakaius whom ye slew between the temple and the altar. Verily I say unto you, all these things shall come upon this generation. The scribes and Pharisees who listened to Jesus knew that his words were true. They knew how the prophet Zacharias had been slain. While the words of warning from God were upon his lips, a satanic fury seized the apostate king, and at his command the prophet was put to death, his blood had imprinted itself upon the very stones of the temple court, and could not be erased. It remained to bear testimony against apostate Israel, as long as the temple should stand there would be the stain of that righteous blood crying to God to be avenged. As Jesus referred to these fearful sins, a thrill of whore ran through the multitude. Looking forward, Jesus declared that the impenitence of the Jews and their intolerance of God's servants would be the same in the future as it had been in the past. For behold, I send unto you prophets and wise men and scribes, and some of them you shall kill and crucify, and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city. Prophets and wise men, full of faith and the Holy Ghost, Stephen, James, and many others, would be condemned and slain, with hand uplifted to heaven, and a divine light in shrouding his person, Christ spoke as a judge to those before him. His voice, that had so often been heard in gentleness and in treaty, 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 ruler's, 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. With him 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 would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and he would not. This is the separation struggle. In the lamentation of Christ the very heart of God is pouring itself forth. It is the mysterious farewell of the long-suffering love of the deity. Fair seas and Sadducees were alike silenced. Jesus summoned his disciples and prepared to leave the temple, not as one defeated in force 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. But Israel as a nation had divorced herself from God. The natural branches of the olive tree were broken off, looking for the last time upon the interior of the temple, Jesus said with mournful pathos. Behold, your house is left unto you desolate, for I say unto you, ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. Hitherto, he had called the temple his father's house. But now, as a son of God should pass out from those walls, God's presence would be withdrawn forever from the temple built to his glory. Henceforth its ceremonies would be meaningless. It services a mockery. In the chapter 67 read by Donald Hines, Averaida, Texas