Jesus Holds Up the Tribute Coin to Pharisees and Herodiansby emmanuel_higgins
22:18Matthew 22:18
But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, Why tempt ye me, ye hypocrites?
Spies sent by the Pharisees and Herodians and by the scheming priests came to entrap Jesus with the question whether tribute to Caesar was lawful, and He perceived their wickedness and hypocrisy and turned on them with the rebuke asking why they tried to trap Him. They approached with flattering commendation and pious pretense of sincerity while plotting to make Him offend either Jewish law or Roman authority, so that answering either way would furnish witnesses to accuse Him on trial for His life. He was not deceived for a moment but demanded to be shown the tribute money, and pointing to Caesar's image and superscription He directed them to render to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, thereby upholding duty to civil authority with higher obligation to God and proving He was no leader of sedition. His question itself revealed His ability to discern hearts and secret designs despite apparent sincerity, and so today He understands the true character and motives of every man and no cover of pretentious righteousness can deceive Him. His exposure warns all who refuse to receive Him as Redeemer of the retribution awaiting continued sin, yet He answered plainly and truthfully without revenge or compromise while continuing to labor for the salvation of others.
The Tribute Trap Exposed
The question about whether it was lawful to pay tribute to Caesar was a trap laid by spies sent by the Pharisees and Herodians and by the scheming priests to entrap Jesus. They approached with courtesy, professed confidence, flattering commendation and pious pretense of sincerity and desire for information, praising His straightforward course regardless of favor or frowns, while the Pharisees themselves chafed under Roman tribute as contrary to the law of God. Their false show of interest covered no search for wisdom but a purpose to entangle Him in talk, to provoke words they could ensnare and condemn. Spies followed to hang upon His words, to mark, repeat, misinterpret and twist them to mean what their unsanctified minds wanted, so as to deceive the people, make false issues, and cloud minds.
It was a wicked joint device to make Him offend either Jewish law or Roman authority and to furnish witnesses to accuse Him on trial for His life. If He said tribute was unlawful they would charge Him before the Romans as an enemy of civil authority, a rebel and threat to Roman rule, and if He said it was lawful they would charge Him before the elders as opposed to the law of God. Jesus was not deceived for a moment by their specious flattery but perceived their wickedness, concealed purpose and hypocrisy, knowing their hearts and secret designs. He exposed them by turning upon them with the rebuke asking why they were trying to trap Him, demanding to be shown the tribute money and asking to see the coin, which threw His questioners off guard.
He answered by pointing to Caesar's image and superscription on the tribute coin and directing them to render to Caesar what belongs to Caesar. That answer upheld both duty to the civil authority and higher obligation to God and proved He was no leader of sedition, leaving the priests outwitted. Jesus Himself had always been obedient to the reigning power, had paid tribute Himself, and had taught His disciples to do so. So in their extremity before Pilate they falsely accused Him of the very opposite, that He was perverting the nation and forbidding tribute to Caesar while claiming to be Christ a king.
Christ's Discernment Applied
His question itself laid bare His power to read hearts and secret designs, for though the spies came with apparent sincerity and praise He perceived their concealed purpose and exposed their hypocrisy by asking why they were trying to trap Him. He knew their hearts even behind a seemingly honest question about paying tribute to Caesar, and His “Why tempt ye Me?” gave evidence of that discernment.
When the Pharisees and Herodians came with flattering commendation about tribute to Caesar, meaning to entangle Him in talk so they could accuse Him before the Romans as an enemy of civil authority if He said tribute was unlawful and before the elders as opposed to the law of God if He said it was lawful, He was not deceived for a moment but called them hypocrites because He read their hearts and wicked purposes. So today He understands the true character of every man, and whatever the profession He writes the true motives of all in His book, and no cover of pretentious righteousness can deceive Him.
The encounter belongs to the second parable of the invitation, which is a king’s invitation coming from one vested with power to command and involving much. Refusal of the king’s command meets no more favorable response than refusal of the householder’s invitation, yet carries deeper guilt, and pleading circumstances and supposed duties is making light of it. Treating his messengers with scorn, despitefully using them and slaying them, brings the wrath of the king in punishment more dreadful than exclusion from his presence and table, when he sends forth his armies and destroys those murderers and burns up their cities.
His perceiving the wicked intent behind the questions and exposing the questioners as hypocrites trying to entrap Him warns all who refuse to receive Him as Redeemer that unless they repent they will face the doom foreshadowed by the judgments against those who rejected God’s Son. They meant to provoke Him into words they could use to ensnare and condemn Him, yet their challenges instead gave Him opportunity to reveal their true condition and warn of the retribution awaiting them if they continued in sin.
He saw through the artful, flattering attempt of the Pharisees and Herodians to trap Him, exposed their wickedness and hypocrisy, and answered plainly and intelligently and truthfully, without revenge or compromise, while continuing to labor for the salvation of others. In that way precious light and seeds of truth reached the people. The same manner is repeated when men hang on words with zeal as spies followed Him to mark His words so they could repeat, misinterpret and twist them to mean what their own unsanctified minds wanted, thereby deceiving the people, making false issues, and clouding and misleading minds, for so men spend investigative power to produce a position on the covenants varying from the true light shining and thus interpret and misconstrue the Scriptures.
Spies sent by the Pharisees and Herodians and by the scheming priests came to entrap Jesus with the question whether tribute to Caesar was lawful, and He perceived their wickedness and hypocrisy and turned on them with the rebuke asking why they tried to trap Him. They approached with flattering commendation and pious pretense of sincerity while plotting to make Him offend either Jewish law or Roman authority, so that answering either way would furnish witnesses to accuse Him on trial for His life. He was not deceived for a moment but demanded to be shown the tribute money, and pointing to Caesar's image and superscription He directed them to render to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, thereby upholding duty to civil authority with higher obligation to God and proving He was no leader of sedition. His question itself revealed His ability to discern hearts and secret designs despite apparent sincerity, and so today He understands the true character and motives of every man and no cover of pretentious righteousness can deceive Him. His exposure warns all who refuse to receive Him as Redeemer of the retribution awaiting continued sin, yet He answered plainly and truthfully without revenge or compromise while continuing to labor for the salvation of others.
The Tribute Trap Exposed
The question about whether it was lawful to pay tribute to Caesar was a trap laid by spies sent by the Pharisees and Herodians and by the scheming priests to entrap Jesus. They approached with courtesy, professed confidence, flattering commendation and pious pretense of sincerity and desire for information, praising His straightforward course regardless of favor or frowns, while the Pharisees themselves chafed under Roman tribute as contrary to the law of God. Their false show of interest covered no search for wisdom but a purpose to entangle Him in talk, to provoke words they could ensnare and condemn. Spies followed to hang upon His words, to mark, repeat, misinterpret and twist them to mean what their unsanctified minds wanted, so as to deceive the people, make false issues, and cloud minds.
It was a wicked joint device to make Him offend either Jewish law or Roman authority and to furnish witnesses to accuse Him on trial for His life. If He said tribute was unlawful they would charge Him before the Romans as an enemy of civil authority, a rebel and threat to Roman rule, and if He said it was lawful they would charge Him before the elders as opposed to the law of God. Jesus was not deceived for a moment by their specious flattery but perceived their wickedness, concealed purpose and hypocrisy, knowing their hearts and secret designs. He exposed them by turning upon them with the rebuke asking why they were trying to trap Him, demanding to be shown the tribute money and asking to see the coin, which threw His questioners off guard.
He answered by pointing to Caesar's image and superscription on the tribute coin and directing them to render to Caesar what belongs to Caesar. That answer upheld both duty to the civil authority and higher obligation to God and proved He was no leader of sedition, leaving the priests outwitted. Jesus Himself had always been obedient to the reigning power, had paid tribute Himself, and had taught His disciples to do so. So in their extremity before Pilate they falsely accused Him of the very opposite, that He was perverting the nation and forbidding tribute to Caesar while claiming to be Christ a king.
Christ's Discernment Applied
His question itself laid bare His power to read hearts and secret designs, for though the spies came with apparent sincerity and praise He perceived their concealed purpose and exposed their hypocrisy by asking why they were trying to trap Him. He knew their hearts even behind a seemingly honest question about paying tribute to Caesar, and His “Why tempt ye Me?” gave evidence of that discernment.
When the Pharisees and Herodians came with flattering commendation about tribute to Caesar, meaning to entangle Him in talk so they could accuse Him before the Romans as an enemy of civil authority if He said tribute was unlawful and before the elders as opposed to the law of God if He said it was lawful, He was not deceived for a moment but called them hypocrites because He read their hearts and wicked purposes. So today He understands the true character of every man, and whatever the profession He writes the true motives of all in His book, and no cover of pretentious righteousness can deceive Him.
The encounter belongs to the second parable of the invitation, which is a king’s invitation coming from one vested with power to command and involving much. Refusal of the king’s command meets no more favorable response than refusal of the householder’s invitation, yet carries deeper guilt, and pleading circumstances and supposed duties is making light of it. Treating his messengers with scorn, despitefully using them and slaying them, brings the wrath of the king in punishment more dreadful than exclusion from his presence and table, when he sends forth his armies and destroys those murderers and burns up their cities.
His perceiving the wicked intent behind the questions and exposing the questioners as hypocrites trying to entrap Him warns all who refuse to receive Him as Redeemer that unless they repent they will face the doom foreshadowed by the judgments against those who rejected God’s Son. They meant to provoke Him into words they could use to ensnare and condemn Him, yet their challenges instead gave Him opportunity to reveal their true condition and warn of the retribution awaiting them if they continued in sin.
He saw through the artful, flattering attempt of the Pharisees and Herodians to trap Him, exposed their wickedness and hypocrisy, and answered plainly and intelligently and truthfully, without revenge or compromise, while continuing to labor for the salvation of others. In that way precious light and seeds of truth reached the people. The same manner is repeated when men hang on words with zeal as spies followed Him to mark His words so they could repeat, misinterpret and twist them to mean what their own unsanctified minds wanted, thereby deceiving the people, making false issues, and clouding and misleading minds, for so men spend investigative power to produce a position on the covenants varying from the true light shining and thus interpret and misconstrue the Scriptures.