THE LAST DAY IN THE TEMPLE.
It was on a Tuesday that Jesus came again early to the Temple. It was
the last day of His teaching there and He filled it with wonderful
sayings that have been taught in thousands of Christian temples for
nearly two thousand years. The chief priests and elders, who were full
of anger because He had acted as if He had a right to say who should
come into the Temple courts, came to Him as He was teaching and said,
"By what authority doest thou these things? and who gave thee this
authority?" Jesus answered them by asking a question, "The baptism of
John, whence was it? from heaven, or of men?" They could not answer,
for they said in their own minds, "If we shall say 'From heaven,' He
will say, 'Why did you not then believe him;' but if we shall say 'Of
men,' we fear the people, for all men hold John as a prophet." And so
they said, "We cannot tell."
And Jesus answered, "Neither tell I you by what authority I do these
things." They could not find what they wanted--something to accuse Him
of before the Jewish Council and so they tried to lead Him to say
something that would turn the Romans against Him. They came to Him
with flattering words, saying that they knew that He taught the way of
God truly, and would He tell them if it was lawful to give tribute to
Caesar or not? He saw their deceit and cunning, and said, "Why tempt
ye me? Show me a penny. Whose image and superscription is this?"
They told Him it was Caesar's. "Render therefore," He said, "unto
Caesar the things which be Caesar's, and to God the things which be
God's."
[Illustration: Showing the penny]
They wondered much at the wisdom of His answer, and could find nothing
whereof to accuse Him, but perhaps they never knew what He really meant
to say to them--and to us also--that His Kingdom was not of this world.