13.   And they send unto him certain of the Pharisees and of the Herodians, that they might catch him in talk.
      14   And when they were come, they say unto him, Teacher, we know that thou art true, and carest not for any one; for thou regardest not the person of men, but of a truth teachest the way of God: Is it lawful to give tribute unto Caesar, or not?
      15   Shall we give, or shall we not give? But he, knowing their hypocrisy, said unto them, Why make ye trial of me? bring me a denarius, that I may see it.
      16   And they brought it. And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription? And they said unto him, Caesar's.
      17   And Jesus said unto them, Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and unto God the things that are God's. And they marvelled greatly at him.
      28.   And one of the scribes came, and heard them questioning together, and knowing that he had answered them well, asked him, What commandment is the first of all?
      29   Jesus answered, The first is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God, the Lord is one:
      30   and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength.
      31   The second is this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.
      32   And the scribe said unto him, Of a truth, Teacher, thou hast well said that he is one; and there is none other but he:
      33   And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbor as himself, is much more than all whole burnt-offerings and sacrifices.
      34   And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he said unto him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God. And no man after that durst ask him any question.

Questions and Brief Comments.

Verse 13. Who combined in an effort to ensnare Jesus? What were the Pharisees? (Acts 26:5). Who were the Herodians? (The abettors of Herod--the worldly and compromising court-party).

Verse 14. With what compliment did they approach Jesus? Was the compliment true and deserved? But was it sincerely meant? What was the catch-question? If He had said Yes, would the Jews have condemned Him? If He had said No, would they have reported Him to the Roman government? Would even His silence have condemned Him? Did His enemies think they had Him hemmed in on every side?

Verses 15-17. Did the Lord Jesus see through them? How did He answer? WHo really owned the money of the country? What is due Caesar? [156] (Rom. 13:7). What is due to God? Could they condemn His answer?

Verse 28. Was this questioner more honest? What shows that he had some insight? What was his question?

Verses 29, 30. What did the Lord Jesus put as the first and greatest among all commandments? How much is God to be loved? Must He have absolutely first and supreme place in our hearts?

Verse 31. What commandment goes with this as next in importance? How and how much are we to love our fellow-man? (Note the still higher measure in Christ. John 13:34). Are any commandments greater than these two? Note what is said in Matt. 22:40.

Verses 32, 33. Did the scribe perceive the truth of what Jesus had said? Did he see the superiority of this over "whole burnt offerings and sacrifices?"

Verse 34. Was there such faith, humility, and simplicity in this man's heart as might make it easy for him to enter into the kingdom?

NOTES AND TEACHING-POINTS.

I. A QUESTION BY THE PHARISEES AND HERODIANS.

      The Lesson consists of two questions put to Jesus, and His answer to each. This is the first.

      1. The Combine--The chief-priests (Sadducees) Mark 11:27, who sent them, and the Pharisees and Herodians. They had nothing in common except their hate of Jesus; but that brought them together. They joined forces in a plan to ruin the Lord Jesus.

      2. "Their Hypocrisy." In what did it consist? They pretended that they held Jesus in high esteem as a fearless and faithful teacher. They pretended that they were seekers after truth and light on an important question. Of course they neither regarded Jesus nor were they seeking help from Him, but were laying a trap for Him. Their compliment (although every word true) were insincere. They only hoped to make Him think that they were friends and admirers and thus to throw Him off His guard, perhaps even to embolden Him to commit Himself openly. "But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, Why make ye trial of me, ye hypocrites?" (Matt. 22:18).

      3. The Wisdom of Jesus. "Be ye therefore wise as serpents and harmless as doves." (Matt. 10:16). In the enemies we see the wisdom of the serpent in the serpent; but in Jesus, the wisdom of the serpent in the dove. "I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to withstand or to gainsay." (Luke 21:15). He Himself was full of the Spirit of wisdom. No one ever trapped or tricked Him. He never made a blunder. His answer to those shrewd hypocrites left them marvelling and confounded.

II. THE GREAT COMMANDMENT.

      The second questioner, though he was trying Him (Matt. 22:35) was a sincere man. He had heard the former questioning and recognized the wisdom of Jesus. He therefore sought to find out Jesus' attitude toward the Law. It was an honest question and the Lord Jesus answered it accordingly. [157]

      1. The Greatest and First Commandment. (Verses 29, 30). This commandment, rightly understood, includes everything; the love of the One True God. That God cares to be loved, and that by us; and that He wants us to love Him with every power and faculty of our being, indicates of itself that He loves us and can be satisfied only with our wholehearted return of His love toward us. "We love Him because He first loved us." (1 John 4:19). God Himself is supremely lovely and worthy of all our love. To know Him is to love Him. Therefore to know Him and Jesus Christ (His perfect Image) whom He sent, is life eternal to us. (John 17:3). The love of God manifests itself in willing and glad obedience. "This is the love of God that we keep his commandments, and his commandments are not grievous." (1 John 5:3).

      2. The Second Commandment. (Verse 31). The second is similar to the first. Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. But it is second, and depends upon the first. Only a true love of God produces the real love of one's fellowman, and all true love toward man is directly or indirectly derived from the love of God. That "Abou-Ben-Adhem" idea is quite false. Where God is known and loved, love and kindness to man spring up; where God is not known or where He is repudiated, selfishness, indifference and cruelty become general. Witness the heathen lands and such a place as for example Soviet Russia.

      On these two commandments hangs the whole Law and the Prophets, and indeed the whole of true religion.

      3. The Scribe's Reply. (Verses 32, 33). The man's reply bespoke a good understanding and an appreciation of the truth. It was honest, simple, and to the point. They were "words fitly spoken." (Prov. 25:11). The Lord Jesus saw that he had answered discreetly, and said to him, "Thou art not far from the kingdom of God." That scribe evinced a disposition of simple trust and humility--that childlike mind and which alone gives a man entrance into the kingdom of God. (Matt. 18:3; Mark 10:15).

QUESTIONS FOR CLASS USE.

1. Who sent these Pharisees and Herodians on this errand? See Mark 11:27 and 12:12.
2. What was their purpose?
3. What praise did they give Him?
4. Was He really all they said?
5. Did they mean the compliment sincerely?
6. WHat was their question?
7. Did the Lord perceive their hypocrisy?
8. How did He answer them?
9. What belongs to Caesar? (Rom. 13:1, 7).
10. What is due to God? (V. 30).
11. Were they able to take hold of the answer?
12. Who questioned Him now?
13. What had he noticed in Jesus' answer?
14. What question did he ask?
15. Was that an honest question?
16. What did Jesus say was the first and greatest commandment of all?
17. What commandment goes with it, as a second?
18. How did the Scribe answer?
19. What did he think was better than burnt-offerings and sacrifices?
20. What did Jesus think of his answer?
21. What good, encouraging word did Jesus say to him?
22. What effect had all this on his critics and enemies?

Source: Third Lord's Day Lesson of May. Lesson 8. May 20, 1928. Jesus Teaching in the Temple (Mark