Morgan County republican. (Versailles, Mo.) 1906-1914, 1910-09-15
THREE
Sunday School Lesson for Sept. Is. 1910
Specially Arranged for This Paper

aT' 'iDd \ 49, Matt, s2.22.
..TlME-Tu"sday April "a \. ~. 81
me sam" day az our last lesson
PLACE The cour: of the Temple In
Jerusalem.
Suggestion and Practical Thought.
The rulcrd OF the Jews had deter
mined on the death Of Jesus MARK
ll:lS), and were now seeking some
way Of %ensnaring Jesus into express
Ing opinions which could be used as an
accusation for which he could be con.
vict"d In the courts. But by Jesus an.
swers Divine truth was made more
clear.
The question was asked by "A willy
combination of two parties. II was. Is
II lawful to give tribute to Caesar, or
not? The Pharisccs sent their disci-
plies, learners. students, who would
come as those" who wanted TO learn,
and not IA the teachers who, being
supposed to know, would appear to be
merely wanting to cntrap Jesus. "A
cunning device" These would repre-.
sent one side OF the question. opposed
to paying tribut" to Caesar.
"Fierco opposition was offered to
tho tribute law -. which was regard
ed as an impicty. inasmuCh as no Lord
could be recognized but God.
Others offered opposition to the legal.
ity OF the tax, while one leader, judah
OF Gamala, associated with "a Pharisee
named Iadok, formed a party to work
solely Oh this line Of attack. Then ven.
geance was worn against whomso
.p.r ,l,,,Il a.. AT,,,t, ln,p
and the XealOts were pious assassins
who imposed upon themselves the sa
cred obligations of killing all trans
grcssors Of the law"
The IIcrodians were ndhcrcnts OF
the IIcrods, who owed what power
they possessed to the Roman govern.
ment. "Tbcy We'd with the Sadduces
In skcpticism. and with the Greeks in
licentiousncss. %pandcrcd to the vice
and cruelty Of the lIcrods and truckled
to the Romans These represented
the other side of the question. favoring
tribute to Caesar. and opposed to the
Messianic hopes Of the Pharisecs.
No matter which side Jesus took It
seemed impossible for him not TO seri.
ously damage his cause. II he decided
for either jarty. tho other would be his
enemy. He was sailing between Scylla
and Charybdis. If he said 1t was not
right to pay taxes. he would be In col.
llsiOn with the whole Roman power,
which would regard and treat him az Il
criminal. Ills career would be ended.
II he said Il was lawful for the Jews,
the great mass OF the people would be
against him. and he would lose his
hold upon them; for they hated the
Roman government, and one Of the
first and greatest things they expected
OF the Messiah was dclivrrance from
this subjcCtiOn 20 a foreign power.
The taxes we're Il constant cause OF
revolt"
They say unto him, Caesars
pronounced Kaisar by Romans and
Greeks. 1t Is Tie German kaiser and
Russian czarD. Render therefore unto
Caesar the things which are Caesars
The image and supcrscription on the
coin implied the sovereignty Of Caesar
The Jews. by using the coins. in so far
were served by the Roman govern
mcnt. They therefore owed It some
service in return. This service was the
payment Of taxes.
And unto God the things hat are
Gods" God An your maker, prcBcrver
glvcr OF countless good gifts, one o.
the choicest of which was the gift o
his Son. their Messiah. had a right Il
claim love and obedience from them
Christians have to live In countriei
whore the government IL not perfect
and It Is their duty to be good citizens
in them. the best citizens they have
This was one of the ways by which
Christianity conquered the Roman EN-
pire. TO have fought the empire will
their worldly weapons would hevt
been ruin: as Christ himself naid
"For all they that take the sword sinai
perish with the sword" Matt. 25: 52)
Gods image IL stamped In the sou
Of man. II IL sometimes soilcd In tn
miIe OF sin, dimmcd by the friction O
worldly cares, bent and distorted b.
wrongs done and wrongs received; bu
every man war created In the image O
God. This makes It possible to be re-
stored, to receive the fuller, sweetel
more perfect image OF Gods Holiness
When Tamerlanc was in his var
one of his captains dug up n great 90
Of gold. and brought It to hin. Tanner
lane asked whether II had his father
STAMP upon It; but when he saw II ha
-. a., ,,,, and mt hi, Al--,