The Yale expositor., 1906-09-14
JESUS SILENCES
PHARISEES
AND SADDUCEES
Sunday School Lesson for Sept. 10. 1906
Specially Prepared for This Paper.

IlME.-Tuesday, April 4, A. ID. 30, the
next day after our last lesson, and three
days before the crucihxion.
PLACE-The court of the temple at
Jerusalem.
Comment and Suggestion Thought.
V. 10. They" The "chief priests
and scribes and elders" mentioned in
11:27. "Herodians" The two sets of
men would come as the advocates of
opposing views upon the question they
presented. ITO catch him" AS one
in hunting would catch wild animal.
The word used by Matthew in this con-
nection bears the thought of entrap-
ping one as by snare. I'm his words"
Better, ''in talk" referring, not to the
words OF Jesus, but to those OF his
questioners, which were. they calcu-
lated, so artfully arranged that Jesus
must by his answer offend one party
or the other.
V. IA. Master" They acknowledge
themselves ready to accept Jesus as
their teacher. I'VE know that thou art
true" etc. Note the fiattery. rs 1t
lawful to give tribute to Caesar?". BY
tribute was meant the annual poll tax
levied for the treasury of the Roman
emperor, upon each of his subjects.
Jews, who claimed that they lived I'M
der theocracy, God alone being their
King, looked upon payment Of tribute
to the Roman as disloyalty to the
divine government. II Jesus answered
Yes" he would offend not only the
Pharisees, but the mass of Jews, who
hated the Roman government; If
he said NO" he would offend the
Herodians and arouse the whole
Roman power
V. Is. Shall we give or not give?"
Not a repetition of the first question,
but one asking direction in personal
practice. Hypocrisy" "Wickedness"
Matthew; Greatness" Guke). The
word used by Mark comes from one
whose literal meaning is acting.
Bring me a penny" A denarius, the
chief silver coin of the Romans, worth
about II cents.
V. II. Render to Caesar the things
that are Caesars" Pay the Roman
fords you by paying the tax it levies.
Both Caesar and God have claims upon
each. and he who would be honest will
pay both. ITO God the things that are
Gods" Man was made in the image
of God. He should therefore render
him the sincere worship of heart,
soul, strength and mind"
V. IS. "Sadducees. Say no
resurrection" They denied the eX.
istence of spiritual world. hence the
doctrines of future life for man, re-
wards and punishments, or the resur.
rection of the body.
V. 10. Moses wrote unto u.s." etc.
A reference to what Is styled the
Levirate law. 1t is given in Deut.
25:5, 6.
VS.. 20-23. There were seven broth.
ers," etc. A supposable case, with
which doubtless they had often puz.
zled the Pharisees, who held very
materialistic ideas about the future
life.
V. "a. Jesus answering said" We
note that Jesus speaks in a different
tone from that he used when address.
ing Pharisees MARK 11:27-33). The
Sadducees as yet knew little of him:
their mistakes were those of ignorance
rather than of malicious intent. Jesus
points out that their confusion of
thought in the case just cited arises
from two causes: Ignorance of Scrip
ture, and lack of appreciation of the
power of God. He goes on to speak
of the last named first.
V. 20. when they shall rise" When
God shall raise the dead. "They
neither marry" etc. The future life
will not be a mere continuation of tho
present, nor under the same condi-
tions Gods power will be shown in
Transforming the material body into
the glorious spiritual body, of which
Paul so well tells in Cor. Is: 1914.
Are as the angels" Note that human
beings do not become angels, but in
the heavenly world they live under
similar conditions. Note also that
Jesus in his reply touches the various
points upon which Sadducees held
erroneous ideas.
VS.. 26, 81. THE book of Moses"
The Pentateuch. How in the BUSH"
etc. Better in Rev. Ver., ''in the place
concerning the bush"-that Is, in Elk
3:1-6, where is told how God appeared
to Moses in the burning bush. The
God of Abraham" etc. There are two
ways of interpreting this argument.
First Gods declaring himself the God
of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, is more
than a statement that these men had
believed on him while they lived. II
certainly implies that they are still
living, since "He is not the God of the
dead, but the God of the living" Sec
ond, 1t is Gods saying, II /. the eternal
God, loved the Patriarchs and was
loved by them, I could not have al.
lowed them to perish utterly. "Glven
the fact of God. the resurrection of
man follows" Thus the Sadducees
also were sllenced.
Practical Points.
VIA. II we keep right with God we
can be fearless among men.-Matt
1923.