Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1914-08-26
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/ to entangle Him in His talk that they
might catch Him IN His words and so
deliver Him unto the power and au-
thorty of the governor is found in
I Matthew, Mark and Luke Mark xii,
I IL: Luke Xxx, 2oi. His warning to the
4 disciples 10 beware OF The leayen OF
4 false teaching OF the same three
/ classes of people is found in Matt. xvi,
6: Mark viii. IL. The Pharisees We're
! the most religious people of that day,
4 hut were metc Journalists. Everything
was outward to obtain praise Of men;
/ nothing real before God. The Herodi-
/ ans. judging from fIerod. could enjoy
/ Il good talk. but preferred the sinful
/ pleasures Of this world to things real
/ and eternal. The Sadducees were re-
/ li@iouS. but had no Use for things SUI
/ pernatural. angels or spirits. and did
! not believe in any resurrection. None
of them had any use for Jesus Christ
or His doctrine. Although they could
! not deny His wonderful works. His
/ teaching was To them foolish and i'm
/ practical and impossible. The light OF
/ His pure. holy life was too great a
/ contrast to their selfish Sinfulness.
| Even Daniels enemies. had To con-
TESS that he was faithful and that
/ there was neither error nor fault In
/ him and that il would be impossible
To find occasion against bin unless in
1 some way concerning the law of his
God dan. vi, 4. ~.
These enemies of Christ were in a
similar difficulty. but they would not
! cease from their purpose. The Phari-
secs and Herodians unite in II scheme
which they think will surely enable
them To find occasion against Him.
and so they come with fatterng words
concerning His being teacher of
truth and caring not for what people
think or say of Him Verse To-, They
PROFOUND q question which IL seems to
them will bring from Him an en-
sharing reply: lis it lawful to give
tribute unto Caesar or not?" shall
we give. or shall we not give?' Verse
", Mark xii, l5.l
They probably thought that He
would advise not To give to Caesar
and thus find Him guilty OF teaching
against Caesar. They did not begin
to know Him. nor that He could read
their hearts, nor that they were deal
ing with one who knew what was in
man der. xvii, 10: John ii. 2JD. How
scathing His reply, why tempt We
me. We hypocrteS? Z" How surprising
T.
money or as il is in Mark xii. ID.
Bring me a penny that may see it,"
When they had brought 1t and in re-
ply to His question told Him whose
image ii bore, then He saith unto
them. Render therefore unto Caesar
unto God the things that are Gods"
verse 2D. So they could not take
hold of His words, marveled at His
answer held their peace, left Him
and went their way Verse -; Luke
Xxx, 26l.
1t was true on al occasions, Never
man spake like this man.. He Him
self said, The words that | speak
unto you | speak not of myself. but
the Father that dwelIeth in me He
doeth the works He gave me a
commandment what / should say and
what | should speak" (John xiv, 10:
Xii, 40. IL we were as fully yielded
to Him as He was to the Father it
would be true of us, 1T is not We that
speak, but the Spirit OF your Father
which speaketh in you" Matt. X, 20.
He was the image Of the invisible
God Oh. Cor. iv, 4; Heb. j, 3; Col. 1. 15l.
When we become His by redemption
we begin to bear His image and
should day by day be increasingly
conformed to that image, for TO that
end all things are intended to work
dtom. viii. %. 29). If we by faith be-
hold His glory il will IL so until when
we see Him we shall be like Him III
Cor Iii, Is: | John iii, l, y. BY crea-
ton they belonged to God, for He
gave them life and breath and all
things. but by choice they denied God
In their works through protesting to
know Him Crit. i, 16l. God wants
nothing from those who will not ac-
cept His mercy In Christ Jesus He
must first forgive us as sinners and
give us Himself In Christ and make
US His children before we can render
Him anything. but when we become
His our song should be ever only for
Thee" The words went their way"
Verse 81 remind us OF the same In
verse . and that all who are not with
Christ IN the way are still going their
own way to everlasting destruction.
The same day came the Sadducees
with their question about the seven
brethren who. one after the other had
the same woman 10 wife. IF there be !
n resurrection. then whose wife shall !
she be of the seveny" Verses 23-2S) |
Thus they thought they had shown |
the impossibility Of life after this |
one. Note His reply. Eye do err, not |
knowing the Scriptures nor the power