The Winslow mail., 1923-03-02
IMPROVED UNIFORM INTERNATIONAL
SllrGldaySchool q
' Lesson
(By REV. P. 3. FITZWATER, D. DE-
Teacher of English Bible in the Moody
Bible Institute of Chicago.)
Copyright, 1922. Western Newspaper Union
LESSON FOR MARCH a.
JESUS TEACHING IN THE TEMPLE

GOLDEN TEAT-Render therefore unto
Caesar the things which be Caesars and
unto God the things which be Gods
Luke POPS.
REFERENCE MATERIAL-Matt. 7:2S-
20; Isa. 2S:14-20; Acts 4:7-22; Rom. 1911.
PRIMARY TOPIC-The Gift That
Pleased Jesus.
JUNIOR TOPIC-The Widow and Her
Two Mites.
INTERMEDIATE AND SENIOR TOPIC
Jesus the Fearless Teacher.
YOUNG PEOPLE AND ADULT TOPIC
Jesus Answering His Opposers.
The popularity of Jesus after the
triumphal entry greatly troubled the
rulers of Israel. He met their wicked
challenge as to his authority in such
a skil1ful way as to place them under
condemnation for their unAelief. This
condition was accentuated by the par
able of the householder.
|. The Question of Paying Tribute
(2O:19-26).
1. Spies Sent to Entrap Jesus ".
20). The rulers were too cOwardly to
do this themselves, so they employed
underlings to do their mean work
while they hid away This diabolical
method is employed today in political
and religious life. Many times ques-
tions are raised under the guiSe of
sincerity, when the real purpose is to
do mischief
2. Wicked Flattery ". 2D. They
complimented His truthful teaching,
His impartiality and courage. They
certified to His faithfulness even to
that extent that He would face Caesar
himself. This compliment was true.
though insincerely given. Back of this
hattery was the base purpose to de-
stroy Jesus. Many today praise to the
face in order to stab in the back.
3. The Cunning Question (vv. %
26). rs it lawful for US to give trib-
ute to Caesar or not?" At this time
the Jews were CALLING under the yoke
of the Roman government. To have
answered this question either by "yes"
or ''nO" would have involved difficult
ties. To have answered "yeS," would
have conveyed the impression of en-
dorsing all that the Roman govern
ment did. To have answered, ''no,"
would have at once brought him into
conflict with the government. 1t is
not always an easy matter for a
Christian to determine his right re-
lation to civil government.
Chrlst's reply to this question prop
erly understood and applied is the
final word on the subject. Until the
civil authorities demand that which
is a violation of Gods law we are
bound to render unto them obedience.
Render unto Caesar the things due
within the realm of the rights of gov
ernment
But while Christ's answer sets forth
their duties to civil authorities. He
used the occasion to impress upon
them the duties due to God. Render
unto God the things that are Gods.
Man bears the image of God. There
fore he should honor and serve Him.
Since he enjoys Gods protection and
care, it is his duty to own allegiance
to Him, yield his life to Him in serv-
ice, worship and praise. Everyone who
enjoys the benefits of civil government
is obliged to pay the taxes which are
necessary for the support of that gov
ernment, and everyone who receives
Gods favor is placed under a like
obligation unto Him.
III. Jesus Estimate of Gifts I'll :14).
l. Jesus Watching the People Civ
ing ". ~ He was greatly interested
in observing the way the people cast
their gifts into the treasury. Perhaps
there is more vital index to ones char
acter than the way he behaves before
the Lords treasury. Jesus sits over
against every treasury and knows
every dollar cast into it. He knows
how the dollars come and how they
60 No trickery can deceive Him. He
not only knows this in the church, but
He knows it in the business world.
2 The Rich Gave of Their Abund-
ance (vv. 1-4). They, no doubt, gave
much, but in proportion to what they
had left their gifts were small. The
size Of the gift is not primarily to be
measured bX how much it is, but how
much has the glVer left.
g. A Widow Gave Two Mites wv.
2-4). In value mite was less than a
cent Though the two coins were of
small value themselves, they repre-
sented her all-not merely her sur
plus, but her living. Let no one de-
ceive himself by pretending to give
the widows mite. for to give the
widows mite means to give every
thing.
4. Jesus Verdict wv. 3-4). He de-
clared that she had given more than
they all Jesus looks into the heart
and estimates our gifts not by their
size but by the motives prompting
thon