The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1934-05-10
and Patriotism
Sunday. Nav 3.
Matthew 22:l5-22. 34-4U.

Christianity and Patriotism 1900
Sunday. Nav 3.
Matthew 22:l5-22, 34-40.
Golden Text-Thou shalt love
the Lord thy God with all thy
soul. and with all thy mind. This
i the first and great command
ment. And the second is like UNI
to it. Thou shalt love thy neigh
Dor as thy Self.-Matthew 22:37-
SO. .
In the conflict between Christ
and the ecclesiaSticS in the tenn
nile on Tuesday of crucifixion
week, he answered three capti-
ous questions designed to entrap
him and discount his teaching.
Two of them we study today
the political question of paying
tribute TO Rome, and the theo-
logical question of differentlat-
ing divine commands.
THE PAYMENT OF TRIBUTE
TO CAESAR
The Duties of Citizenship
emerge from the discussion OF
the poll tax due to Caesar, the
Roman ruler of the Hebrew
world. CD The Questioners were
two conflicting parties: the Pharl-
sees who chafed under the Ro-
man yoke, and the Herodians
who were truulent partisans OF
Rome-bad citizens. all of them.
They united against Jesus. Their
evident purpose was to entangle
him so as to get a charge suffi-
cient to place him in the hands
of the Roman authorities. (2)
The question breathed a wrong
civic spirit. 1t opened with words
DESIGNED as the baldest of flat
terry, rang with a condescending
tone, and sought triumphantlv to
place Jesus in a political diem
ma. He saw and scored their
hypocrisy. But he did more 81
The answer was two-edged
sword, one edge cleaving in twain
the net that was spread, and tbs
other cleaving open knotty pub
lie problem. First, he made his
inouisitors bring a Roman coin
and confess that their currency
lore the stamp. of Caesar. Having
thus barred the vulnerable point,
he thrust in the blade of truth
Pharisees and Herodians alike
wincin~ under it. Render to
Caesar what belongs to him. Rem
der to God what belongs to him
That is, he good citizen of youl
government, and be a good citi,
zen of the Kingdom of Heaven
We ought to be loval to both the
commonwealth and the Kingdom
No bad Christian is a good citi,
zen, and no good Christian is 9
had citizen. ca The victory OF
Jesus was complete. His amazed
adversaries SUNK away. And nc
wonder!
THE GREAT COMMANDMENT
IN THE LAW
The Spirit of Citizenship is
stressed in the discussion of the
great commandment in the Law
Of Moses. Cd The inquirer was
well versed in both civil anc
theological law. He seems per,
sonally to have been sincere, fol
he observed that Jesus had an
swered former questions wisely
and was commended by Jesus il
this conversation. But his ques
ton was calculated to arouse an
tagonism against Jesus, particu
iarly if he should set aside the
oral law and thus invite rupture
with the masses, or if he should
magnify certain favorite com
mands and omit other equally a:
important. Instead of splitting
lethieal hairs and differentiating
divine commands, Jesus baseC
levery duty upon love. (2) The
first great commandmentment re,
iquires supreme love to God. II
| is love from the whole heart
gathering into one all the strands
of affection. 1t is a love domi-
mating the entire soul as the seat
of the will. 1t is a love absorb
ling the whole mind, bringing the
rays of intelligence to a focus in
burning love. And it is a love
twining together every strand OF
our strength for the expression
of that love in every way posi-.
bic. (3) The second great com
mandment is built on the same
basis. The love which reache:
upward to God is sure to reach
outward to man. And as love t
(GOd summarizes the First Table
of the Law flour command