watches, the fourth being really the morning watch. 76

Hence, when the Lord saith, 'Blessed are those servants whom the lord when he cometh

shall find watching,' He expressly refers to the second and third watches as those of

deepest sleep (Luke 12:38).

During the night the 'captain of the Temple' made his rounds. On his approach the

guards had to rise and salute him in a particular manner. Any guard found asleep when

on duty was beaten, or his garments were set on fire --a punishment, as we know,

actually awarded. Hence the admonition to us who, as it were, are here on Temple guard,

'Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments' (Rev 16:15). But, indeed, there

could have been little inclination to sleep within the Temple, even had the deep emotion

natural in the circumstances allowed it. True, the chief of the course and 'the heads of

families' reclined on couches along that part of the Beth-Moked in which it was lawful to

sit down, 77 and the older priests might lie on the floor, having wrapped their priestly

garments beside them, while the younger men kept watch.

But then the preparations for the service of the morning required each to be early astir.

The priest whose duty it was to superintend the arrangements might any moment knock

at the door and demand entrance. He came suddenly and unexpectedly, no one knew

when. The Rabbis use almost the very words in which Scripture describes the

unexpected coming of the Master (Mark 13:35), when they say, 'Sometimes he came at

the cock-crowing, sometimes a little earlier, sometimes a little later. He came and

knocked, and they opened to him. Then said he unto them, All ye who have washed,

come and cast lots' (Mishnah, Tamid. i. 1, 2). For the customary bath required to have

been taken before the superintending priest came round, since it was a principle that

none might go into the court to serve, although he were clean, unless he had bathed. A

subterranean passage, lit on both sides, led to the well-appointed bath-rooms where the

priests immersed themselves. After that they needed not (except under one

circumstance) all that day to wash again, save their hands and feet, which they had to

do each time, however often, they came for service into the Temple. It was, no doubt, to

this that our Lord referred in His reply to Peter: 'He that is washed needeth not save to

wash his feet, but is clean every whit' (John 13:10).

Those who were prepared now followed the superintending priest through a wicket into

the court. Here they divided into two companies, each carrying a torch, except on the

Sabbaths, when the Temple itself was lit up. One company passed eastwards, the other

westwards, till, having made their circuit of inspection, they met at the chamber where

the high-priest's daily meat-offering was prepared (Lev 6:12-16, according to the

Rabbinical interpretation of the law), and reported, 'It is well! All is well!' Thereupon

those who were to prepare the high-priest's offering were set to their work, and the

priests passed into the 'Hall of Polished Stones,' 78 to cast lots for the services of the

This arrangement had been rendered necessary by certain painful scenes to which the

eagerness of the priests for service had led. Altogether the lot was cast four times,

though at different periods of the service. It was done in this manner. The priests stood

in a circle around the president, who for a moment removed the head-gear of one of their

number, to show that he would begin counting at him. Then all held up one, two, or

more fingers --since it was not lawful in Israel to count persons--when the president

named some number, say seventy, and began counting the fingers till he reached the