Jesus Holds Up the Tribute Coin to Pharisees and Herodiansby emmanuel_higgins
12:13Mark 12:13
And they send unto him certain of the Pharisees and of the Herodians, to catch him in his words.
The chief priests and rulers sent some of Christ's most bitter enemies, Pharisees and Herodians, as spies to trap Him in His speech. Though the Pharisees and Herodians hated each other, they united in shared hostility against Him, coming with courteous flattery and pretended reverence for His teaching in order to throw Him off guard and seize upon His words to condemn Him. Their snare was the question of paying tribute to Caesar, so that denial would expose Him to the Romans as a rebel while approval would accuse Him of opposing divine law and turn the people from Him, with the Herodians present to witness against Him before the governor. He saw through their hidden purpose and answered with plain wisdom, separating what belongs to Caesar from what belongs to God. Their plot sprang from anger at His exposure of their wickedness and fear of losing their influence as the people were drawn by His love, and it belonged to a persistent effort to silence Him that reveals stubborn resistance to truth still at work and warns all who refuse to repent.
The Plot to Trap Jesus
The chief priests and rulers sent certain of the most malicious enemies of Jesus, Pharisees and Herodians, as spies to catch Him in His words. Those sent were part of the rejection of the Son of God, sent to entrap Him in speech so they could seize upon it. The Pharisees and Herodians were usual enemies who hated each other, yet they joined together against Him from shared hostility to Christ. That alliance was founded in falsehood and malicious intent, joined to invent a plan to rid the earth of Him.
Those sent pretended to be sincere, showing pious interest in His teaching and desire to be profited by His divine wisdom. They came courteously with flattery about His fearless straightforwardness and honesty, praising Him as one who taught without regard to men. They expected to deceive Him by pious pretensions, to throw Him off guard, and to lead Him to say something they could seize on to condemn Him and use against Him. The Herodians were privately arranged to go along to hear His words so they could be witnesses against Him. Their purpose was to bring Him before the Roman governor and arraign Him on trial for His life.
The snare was the question whether it was lawful to give tribute to Caesar. It was designed so either answer could be turned against Him. If He said tribute was unlawful He could be reported to the Roman authorities as a rebel and exposed to Roman charges. If He said it was lawful He could be accused of opposing divine law and offending Jewish law, and agreement could cost Him popular support. This was because the Pharisees chafed and fretted under Roman taxes and held tribute to be contrary to the law of God.
He discerned their hidden purpose and answered with wisdom. He answered plainly and wisely, distinguishing what was owed to Caesar from what was owed to God. In doing so He brought precious light to the crowd and sowed seeds of truth.
Motives and Lasting Lessons
They were driven by mortification and anger at having been compelled to endure His penetrating address laying bare their true condition and condemning their wickedness, when they were utterly unable to refute His words. They feared He would expose their wicked deeds and destroy their popularity, influence, and power, knowing that if He continued His work many would believe on Him. His miracles threatened their claims and authority and made them more intent on removing Him, while His teaching of love and kindness drew the people away from rigid religious forms. They therefore listened to Him hoping to turn the people from Him and recover their own declining influence. This was not a single attempt but a persistent campaign in which Pharisees, Herodians, and Sadducees took turns artfully plying Him with opposing questions to use His answers against Him, while rulers constantly devised plans and set spies on His track. Though again and again confounded and put to silence by the wisdom of His words, they were determined not to abandon their purpose to rid the earth of Him. They were ready to stoop to any base and contemptible measure, eagerly fastening on any supposed error or mistake in the unpalatable truth He spoke, and still eagerly listened to every rumor to find some pretext to ply Him again with opposing questions. Their plan failed, for the people's influence shifted away from the leaders as they welcomed His lessons of love and kindness more than cold ceremonies. His words in the parable had revealed that He knew their purposes, which they recognized as a sign of His divine character. Their course was part of the rejection of the Son of God, coming from stubborn resistance to the truth with human nature controlled by the powers of darkness. The very same spirit is working in the same manner now, and the warnings given in this controversy apply in every age, that those who refuse Christ as Redeemer and do not repent face the doom foreshadowed by the examples He gave.
The chief priests and rulers sent some of Christ's most bitter enemies, Pharisees and Herodians, as spies to trap Him in His speech. Though the Pharisees and Herodians hated each other, they united in shared hostility against Him, coming with courteous flattery and pretended reverence for His teaching in order to throw Him off guard and seize upon His words to condemn Him. Their snare was the question of paying tribute to Caesar, so that denial would expose Him to the Romans as a rebel while approval would accuse Him of opposing divine law and turn the people from Him, with the Herodians present to witness against Him before the governor. He saw through their hidden purpose and answered with plain wisdom, separating what belongs to Caesar from what belongs to God. Their plot sprang from anger at His exposure of their wickedness and fear of losing their influence as the people were drawn by His love, and it belonged to a persistent effort to silence Him that reveals stubborn resistance to truth still at work and warns all who refuse to repent.
The Plot to Trap Jesus
The chief priests and rulers sent certain of the most malicious enemies of Jesus, Pharisees and Herodians, as spies to catch Him in His words. Those sent were part of the rejection of the Son of God, sent to entrap Him in speech so they could seize upon it. The Pharisees and Herodians were usual enemies who hated each other, yet they joined together against Him from shared hostility to Christ. That alliance was founded in falsehood and malicious intent, joined to invent a plan to rid the earth of Him.
Those sent pretended to be sincere, showing pious interest in His teaching and desire to be profited by His divine wisdom. They came courteously with flattery about His fearless straightforwardness and honesty, praising Him as one who taught without regard to men. They expected to deceive Him by pious pretensions, to throw Him off guard, and to lead Him to say something they could seize on to condemn Him and use against Him. The Herodians were privately arranged to go along to hear His words so they could be witnesses against Him. Their purpose was to bring Him before the Roman governor and arraign Him on trial for His life.
The snare was the question whether it was lawful to give tribute to Caesar. It was designed so either answer could be turned against Him. If He said tribute was unlawful He could be reported to the Roman authorities as a rebel and exposed to Roman charges. If He said it was lawful He could be accused of opposing divine law and offending Jewish law, and agreement could cost Him popular support. This was because the Pharisees chafed and fretted under Roman taxes and held tribute to be contrary to the law of God.
He discerned their hidden purpose and answered with wisdom. He answered plainly and wisely, distinguishing what was owed to Caesar from what was owed to God. In doing so He brought precious light to the crowd and sowed seeds of truth.
Motives and Lasting Lessons
They were driven by mortification and anger at having been compelled to endure His penetrating address laying bare their true condition and condemning their wickedness, when they were utterly unable to refute His words.
They feared He would expose their wicked deeds and destroy their popularity, influence, and power, knowing that if He continued His work many would believe on Him. His miracles threatened their claims and authority and made them more intent on removing Him, while His teaching of love and kindness drew the people away from rigid religious forms. They therefore listened to Him hoping to turn the people from Him and recover their own declining influence.
This was not a single attempt but a persistent campaign in which Pharisees, Herodians, and Sadducees took turns artfully plying Him with opposing questions to use His answers against Him, while rulers constantly devised plans and set spies on His track. Though again and again confounded and put to silence by the wisdom of His words, they were determined not to abandon their purpose to rid the earth of Him. They were ready to stoop to any base and contemptible measure, eagerly fastening on any supposed error or mistake in the unpalatable truth He spoke, and still eagerly listened to every rumor to find some pretext to ply Him again with opposing questions.
Their plan failed, for the people's influence shifted away from the leaders as they welcomed His lessons of love and kindness more than cold ceremonies. His words in the parable had revealed that He knew their purposes, which they recognized as a sign of His divine character.
Their course was part of the rejection of the Son of God, coming from stubborn resistance to the truth with human nature controlled by the powers of darkness. The very same spirit is working in the same manner now, and the warnings given in this controversy apply in every age, that those who refuse Christ as Redeemer and do not repent face the doom foreshadowed by the examples He gave.