Jesus Holds Up the Tribute Coin to Pharisees and Herodiansby emmanuel_higgins
22:15Matthew 22:15
Then went the Pharisees, and took counsel how they might entangle him in his talk.
The Pharisees with the chief priests and rulers took counsel together after pointed rebukes, sending spies with Pharisees, Herodians and Sadducees to question Him in the temple and seize on His answer to use against Him. They were driven by mortification and anger at an address they could not refute, and by jealousy at His growing popularity and works, listening not to learn but to turn the people away, restore their own influence, and silence and remove Him. Pretending sincere interest with courteous flattery, they hung on His words to throw Him off guard and twist them, bringing Herodians as witnesses and framing the snare whether tribute to Caesar was lawful so a yes would lose Him popular favor and a no would accuse Him to the Romans as an enemy of civil authority. He was not deceived but read their hearts and hidden purposes, and answered with no evasion by laying down the principle to give to civil authority what belongs to it and to God what belongs to God. When they heard it they marveled and left Him, yet hardened in prejudice and unbelief, and the same hostile work continues today by those who watch to catch some word, misconstrue words and Scriptures, and resist clear evidence and the movings of the Spirit.
The Plot to Trap
The counsel taken was deliberate entrapment, not honest inquiry, entered into after pointed rebukes that the questioners could not refute. The Pharisees joined together with the chief priests and rulers, and sent spies to seize upon an answer that could be used to condemn Him. Pharisees, Herodians and Sadducees each artfully questioned Him, pressing their attacks in the temple as He taught, hoping to use His answers against Him and to expose Him to the consequences of rejecting the Son.
They were driven by mortification and anger at a penetrating address that laid bare their true condition and condemned their wickedness. Jealousy at His growing popularity and powerful works made them more determined to remove Him, while His meek, self-denying life and guileless truth exposed their real character. They listened not to learn but to turn the people away from Him and restore their own influence, to silence Him and put Him out of the way, even to joining in the call for His crucifixion.
Their method was deception by apparent sincerity, with hostile questioners pretending interest in His teaching and desire to profit from His divine wisdom. They approached courteously with flattery and strong commendation of His straightforward fearlessness, hung on His words and followed with spies to mark them, thinking their apparent honesty sufficiently disguised their purpose. They hoped to throw Him off guard so they could repeat, misinterpret and twist what He said to mean what their own unsanctified minds wanted, and thus use it to condemn Him and bring Him before the governor.
They privately arranged for Herodians to accompany the spies and hear His words, so they could serve as witnesses against Him when He was arraigned on trial for His life. The chosen snare was whether it was lawful to give tribute to Caesar, framed to catch Him with a simple yes or no either way. If He said it was unlawful, they would accuse Him before the governor and the Romans as an enemy of civil authority stirring rebellion; if He said it was lawful, He would go contrary to Jewish opinion, fret under Roman taxes held contrary to God's law, lose popular favor, and be accused to the elders and Jews as opposed to God's law.
Christ Exposes Hypocrisy
He was not deceived by flattering words, strong commendation, and pious pretensions of apparent honesty that were thought to sufficiently disguise the wicked purpose. He perceived their wickedness, read their hearts and hidden purposes as an open book, and revealed their hypocrisy. Such discernment of what they thought was disguised gave evidence of His divinity.
His answer was no evasion but a candid laying down of the underlying principle in straight lines: render to civil authority what belongs to it and to God what belongs to God. That plain and wise answer rebuked hypocrisy and presumption and settled the vexed question. It brought precious light to the people, sowed seeds of truth that would later bear fruit, and led many hearers ever after to uphold the right principle.
When they heard it they marveled and left Him and went their way. They were convinced by further evidence of His divinity, yet they would not yield but hardened their hearts in deeply rooted prejudice and unbelief so that from that time evidence had no effect. The warnings and illustrations connected with their course show the foreshadowed doom of all who reject the Son as Redeemer and do not repent.
Under this enmity He did not turn from His work but continued with pity, sympathy and love seeking the salvation of lost and ungrateful people. He spoke truth without revenge, held firmly to principle, and taught heaven's law of righteousness and justice.
Warning and Example Today
The counsel to entangle in talk was a deliberate two-sided snare over tribute to Caesar: a no would bring accusation before the Romans as an enemy of civil authority, a yes would bring accusation to the elders as opposed to God's law, in hope of inducing some incriminating word. That plotting was met by clear perception, for flattering words and strong commendation did not deceive, but wickedness, hearts and hidden purposes were read through. The same discernment continues now, understanding the true character of every person whatever the profession may be. True motives of all are written in His book, and no cover of pretentious righteousness can deceive Him.
The same hostile watching is done today by hearts filled with prejudice and jealousy and evil thinking. As then they hung on His words with spies to mark them for repeating, misinterpreting and twisting into what unsanctified minds wanted them to mean, so now men watch to catch some word at which to take offense. Though they have seen the fruits and witnessed all the proof of the power of the Holy Spirit they will ever have, they will not admit the evidence for a heaven-sent message. Though the evidences on the covenants and the law question in Galatians are clear and convincing to every candid, unprejudiced mind, investigative power is spent to produce a different position and men turn from plain light from fear of accepting it. Words and Scriptures are misconstrued to make false issues and to cloud and mislead minds, deceiving the people, while the Bible is made to sustain their own ideas instead of bringing their ideas to the Bible.
By that opposition of the natural heart to truth, influence is exerted over minds that ought to look to God, leading souls to hang on finite men. By resistance to truth and to the deep movings of the Spirit, they place themselves where they are too blind to discern. Their condition becomes wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked.
The Pharisees with the chief priests and rulers took counsel together after pointed rebukes, sending spies with Pharisees, Herodians and Sadducees to question Him in the temple and seize on His answer to use against Him. They were driven by mortification and anger at an address they could not refute, and by jealousy at His growing popularity and works, listening not to learn but to turn the people away, restore their own influence, and silence and remove Him. Pretending sincere interest with courteous flattery, they hung on His words to throw Him off guard and twist them, bringing Herodians as witnesses and framing the snare whether tribute to Caesar was lawful so a yes would lose Him popular favor and a no would accuse Him to the Romans as an enemy of civil authority. He was not deceived but read their hearts and hidden purposes, and answered with no evasion by laying down the principle to give to civil authority what belongs to it and to God what belongs to God. When they heard it they marveled and left Him, yet hardened in prejudice and unbelief, and the same hostile work continues today by those who watch to catch some word, misconstrue words and Scriptures, and resist clear evidence and the movings of the Spirit.
The Plot to Trap
The counsel taken was deliberate entrapment, not honest inquiry, entered into after pointed rebukes that the questioners could not refute. The Pharisees joined together with the chief priests and rulers, and sent spies to seize upon an answer that could be used to condemn Him. Pharisees, Herodians and Sadducees each artfully questioned Him, pressing their attacks in the temple as He taught, hoping to use His answers against Him and to expose Him to the consequences of rejecting the Son.
They were driven by mortification and anger at a penetrating address that laid bare their true condition and condemned their wickedness. Jealousy at His growing popularity and powerful works made them more determined to remove Him, while His meek, self-denying life and guileless truth exposed their real character. They listened not to learn but to turn the people away from Him and restore their own influence, to silence Him and put Him out of the way, even to joining in the call for His crucifixion.
Their method was deception by apparent sincerity, with hostile questioners pretending interest in His teaching and desire to profit from His divine wisdom. They approached courteously with flattery and strong commendation of His straightforward fearlessness, hung on His words and followed with spies to mark them, thinking their apparent honesty sufficiently disguised their purpose. They hoped to throw Him off guard so they could repeat, misinterpret and twist what He said to mean what their own unsanctified minds wanted, and thus use it to condemn Him and bring Him before the governor.
They privately arranged for Herodians to accompany the spies and hear His words, so they could serve as witnesses against Him when He was arraigned on trial for His life. The chosen snare was whether it was lawful to give tribute to Caesar, framed to catch Him with a simple yes or no either way. If He said it was unlawful, they would accuse Him before the governor and the Romans as an enemy of civil authority stirring rebellion; if He said it was lawful, He would go contrary to Jewish opinion, fret under Roman taxes held contrary to God's law, lose popular favor, and be accused to the elders and Jews as opposed to God's law.
Christ Exposes Hypocrisy
He was not deceived by flattering words, strong commendation, and pious pretensions of apparent honesty that were thought to sufficiently disguise the wicked purpose. He perceived their wickedness, read their hearts and hidden purposes as an open book, and revealed their hypocrisy. Such discernment of what they thought was disguised gave evidence of His divinity.
His answer was no evasion but a candid laying down of the underlying principle in straight lines: render to civil authority what belongs to it and to God what belongs to God. That plain and wise answer rebuked hypocrisy and presumption and settled the vexed question. It brought precious light to the people, sowed seeds of truth that would later bear fruit, and led many hearers ever after to uphold the right principle.
When they heard it they marveled and left Him and went their way. They were convinced by further evidence of His divinity, yet they would not yield but hardened their hearts in deeply rooted prejudice and unbelief so that from that time evidence had no effect. The warnings and illustrations connected with their course show the foreshadowed doom of all who reject the Son as Redeemer and do not repent.
Under this enmity He did not turn from His work but continued with pity, sympathy and love seeking the salvation of lost and ungrateful people. He spoke truth without revenge, held firmly to principle, and taught heaven's law of righteousness and justice.
Warning and Example Today
The counsel to entangle in talk was a deliberate two-sided snare over tribute to Caesar: a no would bring accusation before the Romans as an enemy of civil authority, a yes would bring accusation to the elders as opposed to God's law, in hope of inducing some incriminating word. That plotting was met by clear perception, for flattering words and strong commendation did not deceive, but wickedness, hearts and hidden purposes were read through. The same discernment continues now, understanding the true character of every person whatever the profession may be. True motives of all are written in His book, and no cover of pretentious righteousness can deceive Him.
The same hostile watching is done today by hearts filled with prejudice and jealousy and evil thinking. As then they hung on His words with spies to mark them for repeating, misinterpreting and twisting into what unsanctified minds wanted them to mean, so now men watch to catch some word at which to take offense. Though they have seen the fruits and witnessed all the proof of the power of the Holy Spirit they will ever have, they will not admit the evidence for a heaven-sent message. Though the evidences on the covenants and the law question in Galatians are clear and convincing to every candid, unprejudiced mind, investigative power is spent to produce a different position and men turn from plain light from fear of accepting it. Words and Scriptures are misconstrued to make false issues and to cloud and mislead minds, deceiving the people, while the Bible is made to sustain their own ideas instead of bringing their ideas to the Bible.
By that opposition of the natural heart to truth, influence is exerted over minds that ought to look to God, leading souls to hang on finite men. By resistance to truth and to the deep movings of the Spirit, they place themselves where they are too blind to discern. Their condition becomes wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked.