King's Business - 1910-08

the night, closeted with the foes of Christ and bargaining for his betray- al (Mark 14:10). He had made an agreement with hell, and now awaited an opportunity to give to His Master the traitorous kiss by which he was to fulfill the Scripture and seal his own doom. THE KING HONORED. "Hosanna to the Son of David." I t is Passover Week, the most event- f ul of all weeks in the earthly history of the King. Jesus, accompanied by his disciples and friends and a great concourse of people, started for the .Tewish capital. It was the time of the Passover feast, thousands of pilgrims thronged the road. Many had come by way of Bethany out of curiosity, to see the tomb in which Lazarus had lain, or perhaps to see Lazarus himself. The King is about to make the final proffer of the Kingdom to the Jews. He must be accepted either as their King or their Sacrifice. At Bethpage He exercised His sov- ereign right to His subjects' property by sending two disciples (Luke 22:8) to secure a colt and its mother, which they were to find as He directed. Their authority was: " T h e Lord hath need of t h em . '' These messengers exercised the truth faith by obeying their Mas- ter, and found it " E v e n as he s a i t h" (Tohn 2:5, 15:14, Luke 19:32). The disciples acknowledged His Kingship by putting their own garments upon the colt (2 Kings 9:13). The multitude cast their own garments upon the way, and others cast branches of olive and figs in the way. Thus in the most minute detail was the prophecy fulfilled (Zech. 9:9). The people lift their voices in "Ho s a n na to the Son of D a v i d ." "Blessed is the King of Is- rael that cometh in the name of the L o r d " (John 12:13), Psa. 118:25-26). The excitement was intense; the whole multitude was moved. How vast the throng we can not imagine; probably two millions of people were in attend- ance upon' the feast. The outbreak was supernatural and. spontaneous. This is the most eventful scene in the ministry rf Christ, and unlike any other in His history. Biding upon the foal of an ass suggests that He was the Prince of Peace, all powerful, but meek and low- ly; his subjects the common people, poor pilgrims like Himself. At His chariot wheels are his trophies, not bound, but those who had once been bound but now fTee, the lame, blind and halt now leap-

ing, walking and praising God. Truly this is the King and of such is His king- dom. Moving out from the city of the ,King comes another multitude, catch- ing up the strain of hosanna and swell- . 1 , ie chorus of praise. At the brow of the Mt, of Olives the city itself burse in view, the golden-domed temple flashing the glory of the noonday sun. Looking upon the city He wept over it (Luke 19:41-44). He loved it, but its real glory had departed. What a con- trast between the shouting populace and the weeping Prince. There in that city were the chief priests, His ene- mies; there He must suffer condemna- tion; from there be led as a lamb to the slaughter, and upon that city must come the awful judgment of His Fath- er.. If the prophecy concerning His ad- vent in Jerusalem was so definitely ful- filled, how say some that the prophecy concerning his second advent will not be literally fulfilled? He will come again in person; His feet will stand upon the same Mount of Olives; He will come in glory to reign —not upon t he colt of an ass, but upon the war- rior's charger (Bev. 19:11-16). All the Scriptures will be fulfilled to the very letter. THE KING'S HOUSE CLEANSED. "And cast out all of them." The following day Jesus went into the temple and drove out the money changers. These were the traders who had an assortment of victims for the accommodation .of those who came to the feast, and also who had the sacred shekel which only could be used for offerings in the Temple. The business was legitimate but it had no place in the Temple, and it was no doubt con- ducted in an unscrupulous way. The Lord assumes His sovereign place and drives out the men as He did at the beginning of His ministry (John 2:13- 17). Then He called the Temple " M y F a t h e r 's House." Now He calls it ' ' My House.'' This act was also a ful- fillment of Scripture (Jer. 7:11). The Temple is a place of worship; a dwell- ing place for God. If His power is to be manifested, the house must be clean. The first act of the Holy Spirit in tak- ing possession of our bodies is to cleanse them. No church building is to be compared to the Temple. The bodies of believers is God's only dwelling place now (1 Cor. 6:19-20). They should be kept sacred for His use. This act of the Lord was no doubt sym- bolic, and when He comes the second

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