JESUS TELLS HIS DISCIPLES
OF THINGS TO COME.
IT had been a long, weary day,—the last that Jesus was to spend in the temple. On the day before, he had driven from the temple those who polluted it by their unholy traffic. None had been able to resist the authority and power, which he manifested on that occasion. And the next morning, when Jesus returned to the temple, the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders, at once came to him, and asked by what authority he did such things. By a single question, Jesus put them all to silence. Then he went on to give them parables, setting forth the wicked course that they had pursued, and showing what terrible punishment was to come upon them. The Jewish rulers understood the meaning of these parables, and were so angry that they would gladly have killed him,
but they dared not lay hands on him because a great multitude of the people believed him to be a true prophet.
Then the Pharisees laid a cunning plan to entrap Jesus by asking him hard questions. When the Pharisees failed, the Sadducees tried the same, but with no better success. After this, the Pharisees brought forward a lawyer to ask questions for them; but the lawyer was so well pleased with the answers of our Lord that he very nearly became his disciple. When they all had completely failed, Jesus asked the Pharisees some questions; but the record says that "no man was able to answer him a word, neither durst any man from that day forth ask him any more questions."
Then Jesus turned to the people, and warned them against the pride and hypocrisy of their leaders. He told them to keep carefully the law of Moses, which the scribes taught; but not to follow their example; for they were very far from living out what they taught.
After this, he taught them how God estimates the value of our gifts, showing that the poor widow had, in the sight of Heaven, give more than all the rich men who had cast into the treasury. Some of the Greeks then sought an interview with Jesus, who spoke to them and to his disciples of his coming death, and of the good results that would follow from the sacrifice he was about to make. While the Saviour was talking to them, a voice was heard from heaven in answer to his words, thus bearing witness that he was the Messiah.
By this very brief outline we see that our Lord must have spent nearly every moment of this important day in very earnest talking. It seems hardly possible that he should have given so much instruction in a single day. And now, as Jesus was about to leave the temple, and go over the Mount of Olives to Bethany, where he stayed every night, the disciples spoke to him of the temple, how it was adorned with precious stones and beautiful devices, saying, "Master, see what manner of stones and buildings are here."
Then Jesus said, "As for these things which ye behold, the days will come in which there shall not be left one stone upon another that shall not be thrown down." On leaving the temple, Jesus and his disciples went out through one of the gates of the city, and going down into the Valley of Jehoshaphat, crossed the brook Kidron, and slowly made their way up the Mount of Olives. When they had reached the top of the mountain, they sat down and looked back upon Jerusalem. The whole city lay below them. Mount Moriah, with the splendid buildings of the, temple on its crest, must have been a beautiful sight. As they looked upon it, they were reminded of the words that Jesus had spoken concerning these buildings. Then some of the disciples said to him, "Tell us when shall these things be? And what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?
"And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ, and shall deceive many. And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars: see that ye be not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows. Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you; and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come."