Luke 20:21
And they asked him, saying, Master, we know that thou sayest and teachest rightly, neither acceptest thou the person of any, but teachest the way of God truly: And they asked him, saying, Master, we know that thou sayest and teachest rightly, neither acceptest thou the person of any, but teachest the way of God truly:
Luke 20:21 records the flattering address of the spies to Jesus, affirming that He says and teaches rightly, shows partiality to no person, and teaches the way of God truly. Their praise was insincere and deceptive, offered only as pretense to disguise their aim of entrapping Him. While feigning respect they were closely watching His words in order to twist them and mislead the people, creating false issues and clouding understanding.
The trap they were concealing was a question about paying tribute to Caesar. They expected either answer to give grounds for accusation: if He opposed the tribute they could report Him to the Roman authorities as a rebel, and if He supported it they could accuse Him before the Jewish people of opposing God's law. This attempt was one in a series by the Pharisees, Herodians, and Sadducees to trap Jesus with questions, which He answered plainly and intelligently, bringing precious light and truth to the listening people.
Though spoken to deceive, their testimony was true, and even His opponents knew that He taught rightly and truthfully. Their own words affirming His truthful, impartial teaching will stand as evidence against them and condemn them in judgment. The verse belongs to His illustrations and warnings about the result of rejecting the Son of God, which apply to people in every age, with the foreshadowed doom awaiting sinners who do not repent.