The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-09-15

Z Hack OF all MS SLEOAz Us Ae-J
heart of yearning for the people he
loved But in vain. He came unto
his own and his own received MIN
not" As John significantly says, But
though he had done so many signs
before them, yet they believed not on
In the soft quiet of eventide. as the
Teacher and his little band of rollo~-
ers trudged over the valley TO Bethany,
he lifted for them the veil which MD
the future. and foretold. in picture
that sets the reader ashudders the de-
struction of the impeniten city that
they we're leaving. The Jews persist
ed in rejecting their King; therefore
the dire consequences were tnescapa-
A Trap That Failed.
The powerful temple ring during the
dav sent certain Pharisees and Hero
dams, whom they hoped Jesus Woulu
not recognize, in the guise OF sincere
seekers after truth Ihey wantea 70
catch him in his words, mat tHey
might extract something that could pc
twisted inc a semblance of reasonable
utterance, in order to male MN peAoIe
the Roman courts What putting
of heads together there had BEEN IN
order to devise the trap that was
sprunel And undoubtedly 1t was q
clever one.
with the polite palaver Of politicians
and schemers, they approached Jesus
with WING WOIQS OF ucILCA w 49,
were as false and reprehenslDle tneh
as they are today when they are Ut
tered in the conventional guise OF the
white lies of sOciety-saylng, Mas
ter, we know that thou art true, ana
carest not for anyone; for thou regard
est not the person of men, but OF
truth teachest the way of God. Par
adoxically, this was true though false
On the lips of the men who spoke II
the statement was false; they dld not
--Tr~ N4.as IL
laration was more profoundly true
than they could realize
Then they sprang the trap. Is 1t
lawful to give tribute unto Caesar, or
not" They thought Jesus was bound
to be transfixed on one horn or other
of the dilemma: if he said yes, the
common people, in whose favor he was
intrenched, would repudiate him, Tor
they loathed the Roman rule; II ne
said no., then the sharp talons OF the
eagles would swiftly clutch him. Jesus
parried the question He was more
adroit than they. Since they were not
honest. and not open-minded to con-
viction, he treated them without ser
fousness or respect, and as hypOcr1tes
deserved. They were simply foiled BY
his request for a penny, and the terse
comment, Render unto Caesar the
things that are Caesars.
Notwithstanding the scant and
sEillful treatment of the guileful ques-
TONERS. WHEREBY EECJ were 0AtOA45
routed, the words Of Jesus contained q
deep truth, applicable to all time In
these DAYS of ease-loving and pleasure
seeking it is wholesome to be recalled
to the big truth that there are obli-
cations in life The divine law 50
tersely summarized is that every hon
orable person must do his duty by the
state=that is be true to his obliga-
tons as a member of society, in all
human relationships he must do
his duty by God. Observance OF one
does not relieve him of fidelity to the
other. Duty reaches out toward ones
fellow men, and upward toward his
Creator.
QuibbIers Confuted.
The scene bristled With foes. After
the emissaries of the Pharisees had re-
tired in confusion, the rich and aristo-
cratic Sadducees, who denied the pos
sibility of a resurrection, came to the
fore They cited the case of a wo
man who, in adherence to the Mosaic
code had been taken to wife by seven
brothers. In the resurrection whose
wife shall she be2"
This is a pulling passage. more
easily evaded than expounded. At
first sight it runs counter to other
plain teachings of Holy Writ. The
gross and materialistic conceptions Of
a future life. held by the Pharisees,
were the point raised by the question
ers. These he denied and rebukeds by
emphasizing the spirituality of i'm
mortality. Heaven is not, as the Mos
lem holds, another earth, with a sa-
tiety of carnal pleasures. It is a realm
of pure spirits.
AS to the question of a resurrection,
Jesus spoke unequivoeally: Ye there
fore do greatly err" He showed that
the truth resided in the Old Tesla
ment. Obviously. beyond the need of
proving, God is a God of the living,
and not Of the dead: it were poor SOW
ereignty to reign over inanimate mat
ter or a graveyard of corpses. Then,
if long after their decease, he should
call himself "The Gold of Abraham.
and the God of Isaac. and the God of
Jacob, these servants of his must still
be alive. So It was made plain to his
hearers that the Law did teach the
truth of the resurrection.
All of which is a living question
me problem which, perhaps more
than any others, is engaging thinkers
on the most vital subject. is the prob