Evening star., 1928-05-19
BY REV. HUGH T. STEVENSON.
JESUS TEACHING IN THE
TEMPLE.
MARK, xii.13-44.)
Golden text: He taught them
as one having authority
Matthew, vii.29.

Christ's popularity with the people
had been revealed by their demonstra-
/ ton when He entered Jerusalem He
manifested His power when He cleansed
the temple, freeing the sacred place OF
| prayer from being "a den of robbers.
The religious and political leaders saw in
/ the Lords position on public questions
growing prestige that threatened to
completely destroy their power. They
| conferred and plotted against Him
! All parties combined against Him in
an effort Ito catch Him In His talk.
| They had failed in their attempt to In
! volve Him with the ecclesiastical au-
| thorities their challenge only resulting
| in their condemnation anG increasing
Els popularity
They determined to try t. bring Him
| into collision with the civil authori-
| ties. If He should make o slip in His
speech. they counted upon the watch
| full jealousy of Rome, the tyranny of
| PLATE and the artiflces of Herod to put
Him to death. They planned series
of questions that would either break
down His prestige or involve Him with
! the civil authorities. Following the
usual custom of bringing disputed
| points to the rabbiS for settlement
members of the Pharisees and Hero
| dians brought up the question. concern
| ing which they differed, 70 the Lord for
solution. rs it lawful 70 pay tribute
unto Caesar?" If He answered in the
| Affirmative. He alienated the affections
/ of His followers. If He replied in the
| negative--the answer they desired-they
would use it as evidence that could not
| be denied in an effort tn convict Him
| of treason against Rome Although
| they approached Him With honeyed
words. Christ knew their hearts and
| unmaSked their hypocrisy by His
most revolutionary uttcrance." 1t
was destined. as Richter says. to Gift
empires off their hinges and to turn
the current of the ages out Of its
channel"
A Revolutionary Doctrine.
Jesus was not a political zealot He
showed His mental readiness in replying
to their questions about taxation with
a far-reaching answer that left nothing
to be said. Asking for a denarius He
asked whose image and superscription
it bore. OF course they had to answer
Caesars, opening up an opportunity
for Him to lay down the revolutionary
principle. Render. therefore. unto
Caesar the things that are Caesars
and unto God the things that are
Gods" His reply exposed their in
sincerity by pressing home to them the
duty they owed to Rome, the govern
ment that had given them peace, built
highways and furnished them with
money for commerce. and called for
their paying the same without violating
their obligations to God. There was no
conflict between their duty to the State
and to Jehovah.
In answering their question Jesus
proclaimed the principle Of the separa-
ton of church and State In the provi-
dence OF God. our own country was the
first that deliberately deprived itself of
control OF the religious life of its citi-
2ens, making the principle that our
Lord expressed part of the National
Constitution by its provision that Con
greSs shall make no law respecting an
establishment Of religion. or prohibiting
the free exercise thereof" This was
the fruits of Christs teaching and
called for absolute and uncompromis-
ing loyalty alike to Ceasar and TO God.
TO human government and divine" In
, this answer the Master went bevond all
precedent II was radically different
from the position of Moses and all
pagan philosophers. that demanded an
alliance between the two, church and
State, that He separated.
The Rationalist's Problem.
The sadducees, who were the ration
alists of that day. held skeptical
views about the resurrection. They
questioned Ii and they presented a
subtle intellectual question that made
the future life something of an alb
surdity II the premises upon which they
framed their question were correct.
Whose wife would woman be who
had married successfully seven BROTH
erS2" Their question was deeper one.
that Jesus met with an answer that
was not only serious, but was a rebuke
In that He told them that 'ye err. that
we know not the Scriptures, nor the
power Of God" They had overlooked
the fact that Moses believed In some
form OF life after death.
Jesus turned to the Old Testament
for definite proof Of the souls relation
ship to God In the future life. They
had approached the question. as criti-
cal doubters, when the Old Testament
revealed the power OF God not limit
ed by personal and intellectual knowl-
edge, sustaining mans being and per-
sonality IN other modes than physical.
II God said TO Abraham. Isaac and
Jacob. Il am their God they could not
perish He is not the God OF dead
peTkOf1S, Out Oh uNulk, II ftb toNFS
man He will not permit death TO de-
prive Him OF those He loves forever.
Friendship with God cannot be broken
by the forces that destroy the flesh. for
when the physical life falls away they
continue "as the angels" who are not
controlled by materialistic causation
The dead according TO Jesus, live be-
yond the grave in a spiritual existence
preserving their personality and contin-
uing in Gods service.
The Lawyers Judgment.
A discerning scribe. who was n Phar-
isee and Lawyer, approached Jesus in
more friendly spirit than the others
who had asked Him questions. He
asked the Lord concerning problem
In the law The people were accustomed
to consider the law quite perplexing, and
cne OF the questions frequently dis
cussed among them was what COM
mandment was supreme In the law
This scribe. who was n master Of the
Scriptures. had been an attentive lis
tener 10 the catch questions and ChTist's
answers lie had been impressed with
the spirit and skill with which Jesus
replied 10 the questions His problem
as To which was the greatest command
ment did not refer To the Ten Com
mandments, but TO which OF their In
Vulnerable ecclesiastical and cultural
regulations was supreme OF these,
they are said To have had Gl3. some
commandments and some prohibitions,