Mark 11:17 And he taught, saying to them, Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer?… I. THE CHURCH IN ITS IDEAL. As viewed under this aspect it has: 1. A twofold character. (Isaiah 56:7.) (1) A house of prayer. This recognition of a spiritual end to be secured by the institution of the temple is most remarkable, as having taken place in an era of ceremonialism. It is not a priestly but a prophetic point of view, in which details are lost sight of in the inward and eternal. The temple was to be "called a house of prayer as indicative not of a special but rather of an exclusive purpose; any other being a transgression and an offense. It was to be set apart for the most sacred occupations of the soul - intercourse and communion with God. An emphasis was thereby given to the Divine side of life. Men were to seek the presence of God that they might receive his grace and truth. A space was marked off from the business and secularities of life, so that, undisturbed from without, and aided by all the circumstances of devotion, the higher nature might be called forth and educated. Instead of worldly cares and competitions distracting the worshippers, they were to be engrossed for a while with their Father's business. How important is this witness of the Church to the claims of the unseen and eternal! It is the sphere within which the highest exercise of human faculties may take place, and the noblest life may be laid hold of. There may be no immediate demand for what it provides, yet does it minister to the deepest and most lasting human needs. (2) The spiritual home of mankind. The defect of Judaism was that it was too national and exclusive: all that was to cease. From the earliest times the universality of the Divine grace was declared by the prophets. Even from within a principle of expansion began to discover itself. The presence of the stranger" within the camp led to the recognition of the "proselytes of the gate," and by-and-by to the institution of the "court of the Gentiles" in the temple itself. The fundamental doctrine of Jehovah itself implied such an intention as ultimate if not immediate, for before him there was no respect of persons, and he was the Father of all. The promises, too, were all couched in terms that precluded a merely local or temporary enjoyment of their blessings. Even as taught in the Old Testament the doctrine of election is declared to be a temporary provision for the benefit of others besides the elect. The chief end of the temple, or the Church which it represented, could not be secured save by the conversion of the world to the knowledge of Jehovah, and the spiritual coming of mankind to Zion. It is therefore the great mission of Christianity, as the spiritual successor of Judaism, to give effect to this. The Church is a witness to the oneness of the race in its origin and destiny, and the great foster-mother of mankind. Through her charity, and not by mechanical necessities or material interests, is the unity of the world to be realized. 2. This twofold intention of the Church is certain to be fulfilled. As we have seen, it is (1) the Divine purpose: everything God wills will be; and (2) the genius of Christianity. If Judaism declared a universal brotherhood, Christianity is that brotherhood. It teaches us to say," Our Father," and realizes itself in the communion of saints. The Church is not an end in itself, but is for the world. Christianity is nothing if it is not evangelistic and aggressive. II. THE CHURCH IN ITS CORRUPTION. In the mean time what God intended has been frustrated by the worldliness of men. The consequence has been: 1. A complete contradiction to its original purpose. Even in Jeremiah's day the epithet, "a den of thieves," could be applied to it (Jeremiah 7:11); so soon does spiritual decay run to its term! That which was meant to be a universal good became a universal curse. The abuse of sacred things is ever the most mischievous of all abuses. Instead of Divine charity, human selfishness: the wrangling and violence of robbers where the peace of God was to be looked for. The contrast is utter, but the transition is easy and natural. The very extension of Judaism, outstripping as it did the expansion of affection in its members, sufficed to ensure its corruption. Worshippers came from distant places to offer sacrifice, and being unable to bring animals with them for the purpose, they sought for them on the spot. Gradually, therefore, the courts of the temple were invaded by cattle-dealers and their herds. Another inconvenience was felt in the difficulty of exchanging foreign money for the sacred coin which could alone be accepted in the treasury. Here the money-changer stepped in. The whole process was gradual and easily explained; but the result was none the less an evil, which required to be sternly corrected. Nor can Christians plead innocence of this sin. "The history of Christian Churches," says Plumptre, "has not been altogether without parallels that may help us to understand how such a desecration came to be permitted. Those who remember the state of the great cathedral of London, as painted in the literature of Elizabeth and James, when mules and horses, laden with market produce, were led through St. Paul's as a matter of every-day occurrence, and bargains were struck there, and burglaries planned, and servants hired, and profligate assignations made and kept, will feel that even Christian and Protestant England has hardly the right to cast a stone at the priests and people of Jerusalem." It is a great deal, however, when it is recognized that this is not the purpose for which the sanctuary has been hallowed, and the lesson of the past is surely that of a constant watchfulness against insidious abuses, and above all of the need of a deeper and more continuous consecration of the worshippers themselves. 2. Divine anger and rejection. The wrath of the Lord of the temple was typical for all time. As the temple, so the Church or the soul which defiles itself will be visited by penal consequences. Sacred names and ceremonies will not consecrate vile ends. There is nothing more abhorrent to God than the travesty of religion, the seeking of gain under the mask of Godliness. - M. Parallel Verses KJV: And he taught, saying unto them, Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? but ye have made it a den of thieves. |
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