Luke 20:20
And they watched him, and sent forth spies, which should feign themselves just men, that they might take hold of his words, that so they might deliver him unto the power and authority of the governor. And they watched him, and sent forth spies, which should feign themselves just men, that they might take hold of his words, that so they might deliver him unto the power and authority of the governor.
The Jewish leaders joined with the Herodians to send hostile young men as spies, who feigned themselves upright and sincere learners to watch Jesus, scrutinize His words and deeds, and seize something to accuse Him before the Sanhedrin and deliver Him to the power of the governor. Their snare was the artfully framed question about paying tribute to Caesar, so that agreement would cost Him favor with the people as opposing God's law, while refusal would expose Him to the Romans as a rebel against their authority. He discerned their hidden purpose and hypocrisy, and answered plainly and wisely so neither side could condemn Him, teaching that those under Roman protection should support its claims where they do not conflict with duty to God, obeying God while peaceably submitting to the laws of the land. Their hanging upon His words to repeat, misinterpret and twist them into condemnation, clouding minds and deceiving the people, is the same work repeated when Scripture is misconstrued to evade plain light. The same spirit is seen whenever men are watched, oppressed or imprisoned for refusing to violate God's law, as the unbelieving Jews watched Jesus for words to use to bring about His death.
The Spies and Their Snare
The sending of the spies was the joint work of the Jewish religious leaders — Pharisees, scribes, chief priests and rulers — acting together with the Herodians against Jesus. The Pharisees joined with the Herodians to employ spies, and the chief priests and rulers sent them with Herodians arranged to witness what was said. The spies themselves included young men and Herodians recruited to gather testimony against Him.
They were hostile young, zealous men, even enemies of Jesus, chosen because the leaders thought He would not recognize them. They feigned themselves upright, honest, sincere and just, approaching with false sincerity, false respect and pious appearance as sincere learners. That apparent respect and profession of sincerity concealed hostility and an aim to find grounds for condemning Him.
They watched Him, followed and reported His movements, listened to and scrutinized His words and deeds to seize upon something. Their purpose was to catch Him in His words, twist what was seized into an accusation, furnish testimony for trial before the Sanhedrin, silence His teaching, and by that means deliver Him to the power and authority of the governor. The question about paying tribute to Caesar was the center of the snare, artfully framed and not a genuine request for guidance. It was so set that either answer could be turned against Him: agreement would cost Him favor with the people and lay Him open to the charge of opposing God's law and Jewish law, while refusal that payment was lawful would give the Romans grounds to report Him as a rebel against Roman authority.
This close watching came after Jesus had openly explained His Sonship, His relation to the Father, and His equality with Him. Having failed to subvert His authority or turn the people from Him, when many were powerfully affected, deeply convicted, and ready to acknowledge His divine authority, the rulers were cut to the heart with condemnation and guilt pressed home upon conscience. They became more bitter and fully determined to take His life, sent messengers over the country to warn the people against Him as an impostor, and set spies to watch Him and report what He said and did. That watching meant He was now most surely standing under the shadow of the cross, even while He carried on His mission in the face of continued opposition.
Christ's Discernment and Answer
Though every effort was made to keep their plans from Him, He knew their movements and what would follow while He carried on His mission. He discerned their hidden purpose and hypocrisy and exposed it, showing divine knowledge that saw through the pretense of uprightness meant to trap Him in His words and hand Him over to the governor. His power to see their purposes and the truthfulness of His words revealed His divine character, which they feared rather than welcomed.
He answered plainly and intelligently, bringing light and truth to the people who heard Him when opponents tried to trap Him with artfully framed questions to use His answers against Him. He also used parables to expose the hypocrisy and evil of the leaders and to make truth clear to honest hearers, without giving the spies grounds to bring a charge against Him to silence His teaching or to furnish testimony before the Sanhedrin. His answer to the tribute question about paying Caesar's tax gave neither side grounds to condemn Him. Those living under Roman protection should support its claims, provided these did not conflict with duty to God, so they must obey God while peaceably submitting to the laws of the land.
The spies' flattering claim that He taught truth was itself true in content though spoken only to deceive. That admission from His enemies that He taught rightly would stand as testimony against them. His dealing with the tribute question also shows that the Jews' subjection to Rome was connected with their apostasy from God, and that faithful obedience to God would have spared the nation foreign rule. The encounter belongs to His warnings about rejecting the Son of God, which address people in every age who refuse Him as Redeemer, teaching that unless they repent the doom foreshadowed by the warnings will be theirs.
Twisting Words and Persecution
Luke 20:20 reveals a deliberate method of hanging upon Christ's words, marking them to repeat afterward, and then misinterpreting and twisting them to mean what unsanctified minds wanted them to mean. Spies pretending to be just scrutinized what He said so they could accuse Him and hand Him over to the governor. Suspicion and prejudice drove them to construe His words and actions as grounds for condemnation, even while crowds witnessed His healing works and praised God.
By handling His words in this way they deceived the people, made false issues, and clouded and misled minds. That same manner of interpreting and misconstruing the Scriptures is repeated when investigative powers are spent for nothing to produce a position on the covenants varying from the light presented. It is a turning from plain, clear, convincing light because of fear that the law question in Galatians will have to be accepted.
The entrapment was planned because the Pharisees feared He would expose their wicked deeds and cost them their popularity, and His ability to see their purposes with truthful words revealed a divine character they feared rather than welcomed. The scribes and Pharisees listened in order to catch Him in His words and turn the people away from Him, but their purpose was defeated. Their influence declined as the people preferred His lessons of love and kindness to cold forms and rigid ceremonies.
The verse illustrates later persecution, for those who oppress and imprison people because they will not violate God's law act like the unbelieving Jews who watched Jesus for words to use against Him and bring about His death. Religious opponents used spies who pretended to be upright in order to provoke a legal charge and bring Him before the governor. So-called orthodox Pharisees acted as spies in the same way when they stirred law officers to arrest the Firth brothers for Sunday breaking.