Transcript

Matthew 22:16-20 · NOBA @ Noon

Canon Justin Murff: The Gospel of Matthew chapter twenty two verse sixteen twenty. Then the Pharisees went and plotted how to entangle him in his words, and they sent their disciples to him along with the Herodians, saying, Teacher, we know that you are true and teach the way of God truthfully, and you do not care about anyone's opinion, for you are not swayed by appearances. Tell us then what you think, is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not? But Jesus, aware of their malice, said Why put me to the test, you hypocrite? Show me the coin for the tax. And they brought him a denarius, and Jesus said to them, Whose likeness and inscription is this? They said Caesar's. Then he said to them, Therefore render to Caesar the thing that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's. When they heard it they marvelled, and they left him and went away. The Gospel of the Lord. The Pharisees had sent their disciples along with the Herodians to trap Jesus. Now, this was a strange alliance. The religious elite partnered with the political pro-Roman Herodians, uniting together to put down a man who threatened their respective centers of power and authority. This was how threatening Jesus was to the establishment. Their approach Drips with false flattery. teacher, we know that you're true and teach the way of God truthfully, and you don't care about anyone's opinion. You see, every compliment they speak is actually true. Jesus is truthful. He teaches God's way accurately, and he certainly doesn't cater to public opinion. But they're weaponizing these truths to set up a trap and ensnare Jesus. Tell us then, what do you think? Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not? This Politically crafted question is designed to destroy Jesus regardless of his answer. If he says yes, pay the tax, well he appears to endorse the Roman occupation. But if he says no, don't pay the tax, well then he could certainly be reported to Roman authorities as a seditious rebel. But Jesus, aware of their malice, says to them, Why put me to the test, you hypocrites? He sees through them completely and he calls them to the mat on it. The word hypocrite rightly exposes their religious performance, that gap between their flattering words and their malicious intent. Show me the coin for the tax, and they immediately brought him a denarius. Well, they produced this coin, meaning that they carried it on them. They already participated in the Roman economy that that tax and the coin represents. Odd for someone who is trying to be so set apart and religiously pure. Jesus asked them whose likeness and inscription is on the coin, and they reply, Caesar's. The denarius not only bore the emperor's image, certainly a violation of no graven image, but it was an inscription on the coin that declared Caesar divine. These devout Jewish handlers of the coin were already making uncomfortable compromises every day simply by carrying the coin that spoke blasphemy. Jesus didn't endorse revolution or absolute submission. No, Jesus established a framework, give to each authority that which properly belongs to it. So how does this passage speak to us today? First, it models discernment in the face of loaded questions. Not every question deserves a direct answer. We need to exercise discernment when we realize someone has set a trap for us and not everyone has good intentions. Second, the image on the coin is actually significant. Caesar's image marked the coin as belonging to his realm and kingdom. But humans, we bear a different image. We are bearers of the image of God. If the coin belongs to Caesar because it bears his image, then what does the human and who does the human belong to that bears the image of God? Third, God acknowledges legitimate spheres of authority. Civil government has its claims, but so too does God. These can and do coexist. But God's claim of authority is ultimate. Fourth, the hypocrisy of Jesus' opponents serve as a stark warning to us today. They claimed to want truth, but they were plotting his destruction. So today, examine the loaded questions in your own context. Are you facing any issues that may be designed to trap you rather than illuminate things? Pray and ask for wisdom, discernment, and pray and ask the Lord how you should respond if you To standing up for truth in the lost and hurting world around us.