on of the grandeur and
greatness of the idea of an Immanent Universal Being, the dogma of a
Deity demanding a blood sacrifice to appease its wrath is too pitiful
and degrading to be worth even a moment's serious consideration. And
to such a one the prostitution of the high teachings of Jesus by the
introduction of such a base conception is a source of righteous
indignation and earnest protest. The Mystics in the Christian Church
throughout the centuries have never accepted any such teachings,
although the persecution of the church authorities have prevented
their protests being made openly until of late years. The Mystics
alone have kept alive the Light of the Truth through the Dark Ages of
the Christian Church. But now has come the dawn of a new day, and the
Church itself is seeing the Light, and the pulpits are beginning to
resound with the truth of Mystic Christianity. And in the years to
come the Teachings of Jesus, the Master, will flow pure and clear,
once more freed from the corrupting dogmas which so long polluted the
Fount.

As Jesus wandered silently through the courts and chambers of the
Temple, His indignation was aroused by a sight which seemed to Him to
portray more forcibly than aught else the degradation which had fallen
upon the Temple by reason of the corruption of the priesthood. Grouped
around the steps and outer courts of the Temple He saw the groups of
brokers, money-changers and merchants who were doing a thriving
business with the thousands of strangers attending the Feast. The
money-changers were exchanging the coins of the realm for the inferior
coins of the outlying regions, charging a large commission for the
exchange. The brokers were buying articles, or loaning money on them,
from the poor pilgrims, who were sacrificing their personal belongings
for cash with which they might purchase the animals for the sacrifice.
The merchants had droves of cattle, flocks of sheep and cages of doves
within the sacred precincts of the Temple, which they were selling to
the pilgrims who wished to offer sacrifices. Tradition has it that the
corrupt priesthood profited by the sale of these "privileges" granted
to this horde of traffickers in the Temple precincts. The vile
practice had gradually crept in and established a firm foothold in the
Temple, although contrary to the ancient practice.

To Jesus the horrible scenes of the Temple sacrificial rites seemed to
focus in this final exhibition of greed, mate