THE ENEMIES of Jesus thought that, perhaps, they might lead him to say some words against the Roman rulers over the land. If he would do this, then they could complain to the Roman governor and cause Jesus to be seized and put in prison, or even slain, as an enemy of the Roman state.
These priests and Pharisees and rulers themselves hated the Romans, and would gladly throw off the Roman yoke if they dared to do it; but they were willing to pretend friendliness to their Roman masters, if only through them they could destroy Jesus.
[Ill.u.s.tration: The head on the coin]
With this purpose in mind, while Jesus was in the Temple on that Tuesday morning, they sent to him some men whom Jesus had never met, men who seemed honest and true; for they knew that if they came themselves Jesus would at once see through their plans and be on his guard against them. They did not know that Jesus as the Son of G.o.d knew all things, could look into every heart of man and read all their thoughts.
So these men came to Jesus in the Temple and tried at first to speak flattering words to him to win his favor.
"Teacher," they said, "we know that you are honest and speak the truth; that you are not afraid of anybody and do not try to please men, but say only what is right. There is a question that troubles us, for we do not know how to meet it. For that reason we bring it to you, for we know that you will give us a right answer. Tell us now what you think about it. Is it right for our people to pay taxes to the Roman rulers over the land? Shall we pay, or shall we refuse to pay?"
[Ill.u.s.tration: Silver coin of Tiberius Caesar]
This was indeed a hard question to answer, especially to answer at once, without time for thinking about it. For if Jesus should say, "Do not pay the tax," the Romans would arrest him as an enemy to their rule, and might even put him to death, as they had seized and slain many for this very act of refusing to pay the taxes. At that very time hundreds of men were hiding from the Romans in caves and forests, trying to escape from paying this tax. On the other hand, if Jesus should say, "Pay the tax,"
all the common people would turn against him; for all the Jews hated this tax, which was a sign of the Roman power over them; and every man among them only paid it because he was afraid of the Roman governor and the Roman soldiers.
But Jesus saw through all their plots and plans, and he had his answer ready.
"You men of false heart, pretending to be honest!" he said, "why do you try to catch me in a snare? Let me see some of the tax money!"
They brought to him a piece of silver, a Roman coin. He looked at it closely and then asked:
"Whose head is this that I find upon the coin? What are the words around the edge?"
"Why, that is the head of the Roman emperor, Tiberius Caesar, and those words are his t.i.tle."
"Well, then," said Jesus, "give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar; and be sure to give to G.o.d what belongs to G.o.d."
There was nothing in that answer which they could make to appear either unfriendly or friendly to the Roman rule; nor yet was there anything that could be used against Jesus with the people. Wondering at the answer of Jesus, these men left him.
[Ill.u.s.tration: Jewish half-shekel, the coin in which the Temple tax was paid--"tribute money" (Matt. 17:27)--value, 32 cents]
The Woman with Seven Husbands
CHAPTER 78
WE HAVE heard much in the story, of the Pharisees, who were looked upon as leaders of the people in religion, because they regularly went to church, paid the church dues and obeyed all the rules, foolish as some of those rules seemed. These Pharisees, as you know, were bitter enemies of Jesus, and everywhere stirred up the people against him.
But there was another party among the Jews, the Sadducees, whom we have not mentioned up to this time. These people were equally opposed to the Pharisees and to Jesus. They were easy-living men, not paying much attention to the church rules; and in fact not going often to the church, which you know was called "the synagogue." But although they cared little for the churches in the different towns, they cared greatly for the Temple in Jerusalem, for most of the priests in the Temple were Sadducees, as also were many of the rulers in the great council of the Jews.
The Sadducees did not believe that there was any soul in man, nor any life after this life, nor any angels, nor any rising from the dead hereafter, nor any heaven or h.e.l.l. They believed that when a man died and was buried, that was his end forever.
Some of these Sadducees tried to puzzle Jesus with a question. They came to him in the Temple that Tuesday while he was speaking to the people.
"Teacher," they said to him, "you remember that in the law of Moses it is ordered that if a man should die without any children, but leaving a wife, then the man"s brother shall take the widow for his wife, and raise a family for his brother. Well, there were living seven brothers.
The oldest of these married a wife, and after a time died, leaving no children. Then the second married her, and he too died without a child.
The third took her and died, the fourth also, and all the rest of the seven died, leaving no children. Finally the woman herself died. Now, you have been teaching that there will come a day when the dead shall rise to life. When that day comes, and these seven men rise, all of whom were married to this woman, whose wife out of them all will she be, for every one of them in turn was married to her?"
"You make a mistake," answered Jesus, "because you do not understand the teachings of the Bible; nor do you know how great is the power of G.o.d, who can at a word call the dead up to life. In this world men and women marry because they live on earth only for a time, and must have families to live after them. But when the dead are raised up, they do not rise as husbands and wives, nor do they marry in that world to come, for they will have no need to raise up families to take their places. In that land all live forever, like the angels of G.o.d. And as to the resurrection, the rising from the dead, have you not read the words that G.o.d spoke to Moses at the burning bush?
""I am the G.o.d of Abraham, and the G.o.d of Isaac, and the G.o.d of Jacob."
"Now G.o.d is not the G.o.d of dead men, but of living men. For in the sight of G.o.d all men are alive, even after they have died on earth."
While Jesus was answering these questions--that of the rulers of the Temple about his right to drive out those that were buying and selling; that of the Pharisees about the paying of taxes; and that of the Sadducees about the resurrection, the rising from the dead--the people were standing around, listening. Although the rulers were enemies of Jesus, the common people were friendly, and heard him gladly. They saw how ready and how apt his answers were, and they were greatly pleased to find the enemies of Jesus put to confusion before him.
[Ill.u.s.tration: The tomb of David as shown to-day in Jerusalem]
The Greatest of All the Commandments
CHAPTER 79
WHILE JESUS was talking in the Temple and answering all these questions, a teacher of the law was standing near and listening. He saw how well Jesus answered all the questions put to him, and coming up to him, said:
"Teacher, what commandment stands first of all?"
We might suppose that he was speaking of the Ten Commandments and asking which of these is the most important. But that was not his purpose. He was thinking, not of the commandments given by G.o.d, but of the rules made by the scribes. One teacher would say that the rules about keeping the Sabbath were the greatest, another that the rules about washing were first; and so on, each scribe or teacher laying stress on one set of rules above another. Jesus looked upon all these little laws made by men as of no importance; and this was his answer to the scribe who had asked the question:
"The first and greatest of all the commandments is this, "Hear, O ye people of Israel; the Lord our G.o.d is one Lord; and thou shalt love the Lord thy G.o.d with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength." And the second commandment is this, "Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." There is no other commandment greater than these two."
To love G.o.d with all the heart is to do G.o.d"s will, not because we must do it, but because we love to do it and find joy in doing it. And to love our neighbor means to feel an interest in our fellow-men and to do for them whatever we would wish to have them do for us.
"You are right, Teacher!" said the scribe in answer to Jesus. "It is true, as you say, that there is one G.o.d; and there is no other G.o.d besides him. And to love G.o.d with the whole heart, and with the whole mind, and with the whole strength; and to love one"s fellow-man as one"s self--this is far beyond all offerings upon the altar!"
[Ill.u.s.tration: Ruins at the place where Jesus foretold the destruction of Jerusalem]
Jesus saw that this man"s words were true and good and that he had the right thought of our duty to G.o.d and to our fellow-man. He said to him:
"You are not far from the kingdom of G.o.d."
This was the last question put to Jesus. No one ventured to ask him any more, for they were afraid of his wonderful answers. The chief priests and the rulers were more and more angry at him, but the common people listened to him willingly.
While Jesus was teaching he in his turn asked a question of the Pharisees and teachers of the law.
"Tell me," he said, "what you think of the Messiah-Christ, the King of Israel, promised to come. Whose son is he?"
They answered at once, "David"s son."
"How is it then," asked Jesus again, "that David in one of the psalms calls him "Lord"?
"The Lord said to my Lord, "Sit at my right hand, Until I put your enemies under your feet."