15 Then the Pharisees left that place and made plans to trap Jesus in saying something wrong. 16 They sent some of their own followers and some people from the group called Herodians. They said, “Teacher, we know that you are an honest man and that you teach the truth about God’s way. You are not afraid of what other people think about you, because you pay no attention to who they are. 17 So tell us what you think. Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”
18 But knowing that these leaders were trying to trick him, Jesus said, “You hypocrites! Why are you trying to trap me? 19 Show me a coin used for paying the tax.” So the men showed him a coin. 20 Then Jesus asked, “Whose image and name are on the coin?”
21 The men answered, “Caesar’s.”
Then Jesus said to them, “Give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and give to God the things that are God’s.”
22 When the men heard what Jesus said, they were amazed and left him and went away.
Read Matthew 22:15-22 in context and/or in other translations on BibleGateway.com!
Throughout Jesus’ ministry, the leaders of a number of different segments of society try to trick and trap Jesus. Most notable among these groups were the Pharisees. Perhaps this is because the Pharisees were the strongest or the largest of these groups, but whatever the reason, the Pharisees seemed to be the most opposed to Jesus and His ministry.
One of the tricks the Pharisees brought stands out in my mind as being truly exceptional. Of all the tricks and traps that were ever brought to Jesus, this one stands out as extra significant, and incredibly insightful. Matthew tells us this was carefully thought out. “Then the Pharisees left that place and made plans to trap Jesus in saying something wrong.” (v. 15)
For this trap, they team up with a group of people that they really dislike, but instead of focusing in on the actual question they ask, I find how they set the question up as being very fascinating.
Before asking the question, they set the stage by giving Jesus a compliment. In the last part of verse 16, the Pharisees start by saying, “Teacher, we know that you are an honest man and that you teach the truth about God’s way. You are not afraid of what other people think about you, because you pay no attention to who they are.” This setup almost certainly tips Jesus off to the Pharisees insincerity. While Jesus probably already could tell this even before they begin talking, how these people set the stage for their question reveals their insincerity.
The insincerity comes from their first three descriptive phrases. First they address Jesus as “Teacher”, which is correct, but they have not really aligned themselves with what He taught. Next, they call Jesus “an Honest Man”, and while they knew this to be true from what they had seen, they were seeking out a way to make Jesus appear dishonest. Their ultimate question was designed to make Jesus appear dishonest to either God or to the government.
Lastly, these leaders describe Jesus as One who teaches “the truth about God’s way”. While this is also technically correct, nothing in the lives of these Pharisees says they believed this about Him. If they really believed Jesus spoke the truth about God’s way, they would obey and act upon what He taught. If they believed Jesus, they wouldn’t be bringing Him a trap.
This brings us to the idea that we should be cautious when anyone tries to compliment us in a way that is insincere or counter to their beliefs. We can learn from how these Pharisees open their challenge to Jesus that a trap is coming, and understanding how these leaders set up their question helps us be aware of traps that may come our way.
This thought was inspired by studying the Walking With Jesus “Reflective Bible Study” package. To discover insights like this in your own study time, click here and give Reflective Bible Study a try today!
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