The Story of Jesus The Christ - Helen Braun Hojt

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Feast at Jerusalem.

      You remember how delighted he was when his parents took

      him for the first time to the Passover, when he was twelve years

      old, and how he loved to stay in the temple? But this time

      when he entered the temple courts, he was not at all pleased.

      Site of Capernaum, Sea of Galilee

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      A CHILD’S STORY OF THE LIFE OF CHRIST

      Instead of tjie quietness and respect which belong to the house

      of God, there was the greatest confusion. Money was being

      changed, doves and sheep and oxen were being sold, even inside

      the temple wall. Such a noise as there was! And all the while

      the temple service was going on!

      Jesus saw some small cords which had probably been used to

      tie the animals. Out of these curds he made a whip, and drove

      from the temple the sheep

      and oxen, and the men who

      had charge of them. He

      upset the tables of the

      money-changers, and their

      money rolled about on the

      floor. Then he said to

      those who sold the doves:

      «Take these things away

      from here, and do not make

      my Father’s house a place

      of business.» His voice

      was stern, and no one dared

      to disobey him; so the

      temple court was soon

      cleared.

      You may wonder why

      they ever thought of doing

      such things as buying and

      selling animals in the tem-

      The Purification of the Temple pie. The reason Was that

      many of the people who

      came to worship lived a long way from Jerusalem, and could not

      easily bring with them the animals for their sacrifices; it was

      better that they should buy them in Jerusalem and near the

      THE MINISTRY OF THE CHRIST

      33

      temple. Then, too, money had to be changed; for nothing but

      Jewish money would be taken at the temple, and people from

      different parts of the world had to bring the kinds of money that

      were used where they lived.

      If these things were true, what was there wrong about it?

      Why was Jesus displeased? It was not because the things were

      done, but because they were done in the wrong place; for the

      temple, was built to worship God in, not for a place of business.

      There was plenty of room outside of the temple, and if they had

      cared about God’s house, and keeping it sacred, as God had told

      them, they would not have wanted to do their selling there.

      The priests should not have allowed such things to be done; but

      probably they got a share of the money that was taken, and so

      they were willing.

      These priests were astonished and angry at what was done.

      They might lose some money if the buying and selling in the

      temple was stopped. They had another reason, too: they were

      the rulers of the people, and they did not like to have this

      stranger come and take the control they thought belonged to

      them. So they asked Jesus to give them a sign that he had the

      right to do such things. He answered them in a way that no one

      understood then; but years afterward the disciples remembered

      the answer he gave, and then they knew what he had meant.

      Jesus stayed in Jerusalem through the Passover week. The

      Bible says that many people believed that he was the Christ

      when they saw the miracles that he did, but it does not tell us

      what these miracles were. One of these men was a very promi¬

      nent man among the Jews, named Nicodemus. This man wanted

      to learn more from this wonderful teacher, but he was afraid to

      have his friends know that he did so. So he waited till one

      night after dark. Then, when no one could see what he was

      doing, he came to the place where Jesus was staying.

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      A CHILD’S STORY OF THE LIFE OF CHRIST

      Jesus was always willing to teach those who wanted to learn

      from him, and now he was glad to tell Nicodemus about the new

      life that every one

      must live who wants to

      please God and make

      the best of himself. He

      said that because men

      did not know the best

      way to live, God sent

      his Son into the world

      to teach them; and

      whoever believes on

      him and obeys his

      teachings has this life

      that goes on forever

      and ever. He told him

      that the coming of the

      Son of God, like the

      sunshine, brought light

      into the world, showing

      people what was good

      Jesus and Nicodemus and what was bad. But

      as people who have

      been doing wrong do not like to have the light show what they

      have been doing, but want to hide away in the dark, so these

      people would like their own wicked ways and thoughts better

      than those he had come to bring.

      After the Passover was over, Jesus and his disciples left

      Jerusalem and travelled through Judea, until they came to the

      place where John the Baptist was still preaching and baptizing.

      Jesus, too, began to preach. At first only a few people listened

      to him; soon more and more became interested in hearing him

      THE MINISTRY OF THE CHRIST

      35

      talk. Before long the crowds who had been so fond of hearing

      John,

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