Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1918-05-24
LESSON FOR MAY 26
JESUS SILENcES HIS ADVER-
SARlES.

things that are God's.-Mark 12:17.
DEVOTIONAL READING-Mark l2-l1.
ADDITIONAL, MATERIAL FOR
TEACHERS Matthew 21:23-26; 22:1-45.
PRIMARY TOPIC-Jesus and the W1d-
ow's gift.-Mark 12:41-A.
JUNIOR TOPIC-The two great COM
mandments.-Mark 12:28-34: Luke 0:25-37.
SENIOR AND ADULT TOP1C-Rengion
and citizenship.
ADDITIONAL NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. 1S:
II; Timothy 2:1 2.
|. The Parable of the Husbahdman
(vv. 1-12).
Having put the scribes, chief priests
and elders to confusion by a sklll1ut
counter-question when they demanded
his authority, Jesus, by means OF HI
tie story, lays before them his claim
Of divine authority, and charges them
with betrayal of trust and plotting to
murder the very Son of God. His
teaching in this parable cut them TO
the quick, and they sought to lay
hands upon him, but desisted for fear
of the people. This parable is simple
yet very comprehensive.
l. The vineyard ". y represented
Israel (see Psalms 80 and Isaiah 81.
2. The husbandman ". u repre-
sented the rulers who were charged
with responsibility Of the spiritual in
terests of the people.
8. The messengers wv. 2-5) repre-
sented the prophets whom God sent
to Israel, even including John the
Baptist.
4. The Son wv. 6-s) represented
Jesus himself.
5. The judgment of the lord of the
vineyard (v. 81. This represented
the time when the Jews shall be
| brought to account for their treatment
of the servants of God and Jesus HIM
| self.
II. The Tribute Money wv. 1910.
They already would have gladly TAX
en- him by violence and killed him,
but they feared the people. In order
to destroy him, they seek to discredit
him among the people. To this end
they send the representatives of both
factions-"certain of the Pharisees
and of the Herodians to catch him In
his words" ". 13).
Ill. The Resurrection of the Dead
(vv. 1920.
The Pharisees and Herodians being
silenced, the Sadducees came with a
question which involved not only the
immortality but the resurrection of the
body. The Sadducees were the ration
aIists of their day. They denied the
reality of the resurrection, and be-
lieved not in angel nor spirit (Acts
% :S).
l. The case proposed wv. 1929.
The law of Moses made it not only
legal but morally binding in the case
of man dying without children for
his brother to take his wife Oeut
22:5). They propose the case of q
woman married successfully to seven
brothers. They ask whose wife she
shall be in the resurrection. This
was doubtless a hypothetical case
This is the way the successors of the
Sadducees do today. They deal large
ly in hypothesis.
2. Jesus reply wv. 24-26).
BY a quotation from the Mosaic Law
!
of the dead, and their continued eX
lstence beyond the dead as human be
ings. The immortal spirit clothed witt
a deathless body is his thought. HI
shows that marriage is only for thi:
present life-does not belong to the
resurrection life. Some of the func
tions of the body will cease. with thi!
life. Since there will be no death af
ter the resurrection, there will be NJ
necessity for births In this respec
humankind will be as the angels il
the resurrection life. He points ou
to them that their great error was dut
to two things:
1. Ignorance of the Scriptures (v
24). In the very Scriptures whicl
they professed to believe was positiv,
proof of the resurrection (Ex. 3:6)
Rationalism and infidelity today, a
then, are due to ignorance of God
Word
2. Ignorance of the power of CO.
". 24). God is able to provide a lif
where there is no death, no births 0
marriages. In heaven, life will b
on a plane infinitely higher than tn
most blessed relationships of this life
Our chief concern is to find out wha
is written, and then believe that Co
is able to accomplish that which b
has promised.
~. The Great Commandment of tn
Law wv. 2S-34).
The code of morals among the Jew
was very complex. The question as t
which of Gods commandments wa
first was frequently debated. Christ
answer shows marvellous insight. II
sums up mans whole duty in one wor
love, love to God and love to mai
The first and great commandment j
supreme and undivided love to Coz
The second is like unto it in that lov
} is it's center, but love is for our neigl
Dor in the measure that we love oul
selves. Love for God is to be suprem,
: He is worthy of all our affection
| Love is the actuating power behind a
| our service. Having put his question
ers to silence, Jesus now puts to the1
a question which involves the centrs
doctrine of the Christian faith-th
person of Christ wv. 35 :4O).
Is he human or divine, or bott
Whose Son is he? is the supreme te,
Of mans orthodoxy.
V. The Widows Mite wv. 41-44).
This is picture in striking contras
, with that of the Pharisees and Sadd1
Gees. This poor woman was doin
that which in the sight of the worl
: was Insignificant, but in the sight {
? the Lord was of great moment. TIL
words of the Lord discover unto U
the fact that in Gods sight a gift
e measured by the heart motive, and NJ
S by it's amount The Widows mite ws
all she had. Our gifts are not mite
unless they are our entire possession
1 Golden Rule and the Heart.
a An Indian, hearing the Golden Ru
explained, said, 'It cannot be done
Then after q pause, he added sfIf n