THE KING’S BUSINESS
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were not of the truth, on the other hand. It was most fitting that our Lord’s public work should begin, not only in Judea but in the Holy City itself, and that at the time of the feast which was the center of the religious life of the Jews and which stood for the great foundation fact of re demption. Our Lord’s work also closed in Jerusalem, and at the time of the Passover. In what follows (vs. 13-22) our Lord offered Himself to the Jews as the Messiah in clear fulfilment of the Old Testament prophecy that He should suddenly come to His temple to cleanse it. (Mai. 3:1-3). His coming at this time was not understood, or rather was deliberately rejected, by those in authority and was not fully under stood even by His disciples at the time, though it was in a measure (v. 17), and was fully understood later (v. 22). Never again did He appear openly as the Messiah at Jerusalem until His final entry. Westcott well says, “It is impossible not to feel the change which at this point comes over the narrative. There is a change of place, of occasion, of manner of ac tion. Jerusalem and Cana, the Pass- over and the marriage feast, the stern reformer and the sympathizing guest. So too the spiritual lessons which the two signs convey are also comple mentary. The first represents the en nobling of common life, the second the purifying of Divine worship. Or, to put the truth in another light, the one is the revelation of the Son of Man, and the other the revelation of the Christ, the Fulfiller of the hope and purpose of Israel.” The record says that “Jesus went up to Jerusalem.” This is a literal statement of fact, Jerusalem being 2500 feet above the sea level and 3,- 200 feet above Capernaum. He went to Jerusalem at this time as a loyal son of the law, the Mosaic law re-
dren. It is said that “the committal of Mary to the keeping not to them but to the Apostle John” (ch. 19:26) indicates that these were not really her children, but there is no force in the argument; for the reason of Jesus’ committal of His mother to John rather than to these children of Mary is evident-enough, namely, that John was the disciple whom He loved and these brethren did not as yet be lieve in Jesus (John 7:5). No one would ever have thought of making the word “brothers” in this verse mean anything but brothers if it were not for the unbiblical disparagement of marriage and child-bearing men tioned above. Mary was a virgin at the time of the birth of Jesus, but she did not remain a virgin and she in no wise lowered herself by becoming a mother, and the Holy Spirit men tions the fact that Jesus had brothers, not as a matter that needed at all to be apologized for. God thus in a most impressive way places. His seal on the Divine ordinance of marriage, and on the purity and nobility of marriage relations and of child-bearing. Jesus’ present residence in Caper naum was brief, “not many days,” but afterwards Capernaum became His more or less permanent residence. (2). The first cleansing of the temple. Vs. 13-22. V. 13. “And the Jews’ Passover was at hand (rather, near), and Jesus went up to Jerusalem We here have the beginning of Christ’s ministry in its fullest sense. Beginning at Jerusalem at the time of the Passover (2:12—3:21), then extending to Judea ( 3 :22-26), then to Samaria (4:1-42), and then to Gali lee (4:43-54). As we follow this ministry we will find a development of faith, on the part of those who were of the truth, on the one hand; and of unbelief, on the part of those who
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