Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1910-09-16

The further events of that memorable
Tuesday included the silencing of the
enemies of Jesus, who came to Him with
questions that seemed well-nigh unan-
swerable, in order that they might en-
snare Him. FIRST the Pharisees and
Herodians came. They would like to
have Him decide a question that had
caused almost endless debate. Was it
right for a loyal Jew, who recognized no
king but God, to pay tribute to Caesar,
under whose power they now found
themselves to be subject? One can read
| lily see the trap here. If He took sides
either way, they had charge against
/ Him, and that was all they wanted. IT
did not seem possible that there was
any way out for Him. But they had
not weighed well the strength of their
/ opponent. He saw their game; and
asked for a penny. 1t bore the image
of Caesar, the ruler of the kingdom, as
do the coins OF foreign Kingdoms today,
He made them admit it's superscription,
and then answered, Render. therefore,
unto Caesar the things that are Caesars,
! and unto God the things that are
! Gods"
They marvelled at His answer and
went away in silence. His answer was
complete; He had not complicated Him
self, yet He had placed them where they
must acknowledge their own failure to
give either Caesar his due, or God His.
| The Sadducees then made trial of Him.
| They came with a question about the
resurrection life that no mere man could
have answered. They did not believe in
the resurrection; and they were sure
they had Him in a place that He could
not answer them. But He answered
them so wisely, and convicted them SO
of their error that they went away With
out ever coming back again. They were
completely silenoed.
Than the Pharisees and scribes take
another shot This time they put for
ward lawyer with a technical question:
and yet a very practical one. The law
yers were the interpreters OF the Mosaic
| law: they were the best Bible students
of the day. There had been for Ions
time a dispute over the relative impor-
/ lance of the commandments, some main
| tanning that those referring to burnt Of
| ferngs and sacrifices were more impor-
tant; others that those referring to the
keeping of other ordinances were. rms
| lawyer may have been in earnest IN
really wanting Him to tell them His
opinion as a wise teacher; but he was
| in bad company, and 1 doubt not but
| that his spirit was also like that OF the
| former Questtoners, who thought by put
/ ting such hard questions to Him lie
would necessarily entangle Himself, and
they would have the chance they had
| been longing for.
The first sentence in His reply was
that which every Jew said twice every
day, a constant reminder of the unity OF
God and a rebuke to the polytheism OF
| the nations all about them 1t also
should have shown them, if they had
been fail minded, that this Teacher was
| absolutely loyal to the Jewish religion
and not attempting to destroy it, as they
said. His reply was in the very words
of their scriptures, for He took the sum-
mary of the law as given by Moses IN
enc Of those remarkable orations or mis-
In the closing days of his life. They
/ knew those words by rote, but 1t must
have been the way He said them that
made this lawyer see them in a hitherto
unthought of light. Do you not think
! II was the way He said lover Read
them again, and see
VEST POCKET EDITION.
In truth the answer He gave puts the
| whole of the law and proph in nut
shell. 1t is something Of vest pocket
edition of the Mosaic law. He had boiled
down all the commandments, had con-
centrated them and had gotten their
essence. so that they could be expressed
in 80 words. Yes, they were even more
concentrated; for one word would ex-
press tn EN-: love.
There are two Greek words used in
! the New Testament for love. One is
very strong, and implies the idea of
putting the whole of ones life into the
affection; the other is weaker. In
sense, the difference may be expressed
by our English words love and like
(have a kindly feeling ror). 1t Is al
most needless to say that the strong
word is the one here used. We must
YES, that is the word, for 1t is a com
mand, not optional-must love God
We must love Him so intensely that tn e
whole of our emotional life, intellectu-
al life. spiritual life and physical life