TUESDAY BEFORE EASTER
THE CLEANSING OF THE TEMPLE
Chapter 71 of The Gospel of the Holy Twelve
When the Jews’ Passover was at hand, Jesus went up again from Bethany into Jerusalem. He found sitting in the temple those who sold oxen and sheep and doves, and money changers. When he had made a whip of seven cords, he drove them all out of the temple and let loose the sheep and the oxen and the doves, and poured out the money of the changers and overthrew the tables.
He said to them, “Take these things; do not make my Father’s House a house of merchandise. Is it not written, ‘My House is a House of prayer, for all nations?’ But you have made it a den of thieves, and filled it with all manner of disgraceful things.” He would not allow any man to carry a vessel of blood through the temple or any animals to be slain there.
The disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house has eaten me up.”Then answered the Jews, and said to him, “What sign do you show us, since you are doing these things?” Jesus answered and said to them, “Again I say to you, destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up.” Then the Jews said, “This temple took forty-six years to build and you will raise it up in three days?”
But he spoke of the temple of his Body. Therefore when he had risen from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this to them; and they believed the scripture and the word which Jesus had said. But the scribes and the priests saw and heard this and were astonished and sought to find how they might destroy him, for they feared him, seeing that all the people were attentive to his doctrines.
When evening had come, he went out of the city, for by day he taught in the Temple and at night he went out and dwelled on the Mount of Olives; and people came early in the morning to hear him in the Temple courts. Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover, many believed in his Name when they saw the miracles which he did.
But Jesus did not commit himself to them because he knew all men. He did not need for any to testify of man; for he knew what was in man. Jesus seeing that the Passover night was at hand sent two of his disciples to prepare the upper room where he desired to eat with his twelve and to buy things needed for the feast which he intended afterwards.
