Read: Luke 20:19-26
19 The scribes and the chief priests sought to lay hands on him at that very hour, for they perceived that he had told this parable against them, but they feared the people. 20 So they watched him and sent spies, who pretended to be sincere, that they might catch him in something he said, so as to deliver him up to the authority and jurisdiction of the governor. 21 So they asked him, “Teacher, we know that you speak and teach rightly, and show no partiality, but truly teach the way of God. 22 Is it lawful for us to give tribute to Caesar, or not?” 23 But he perceived their craftiness, and said to them, 24 “Show me a denarius. Whose likeness and inscription does it have?” They said, “Caesar’s.” 25 He said to them, “Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” 26 And they were not able in the presence of the people to catch him in what he said, but marveling at his answer they became silent.
Have you ever been trapped by someone else’s words? When Jerry and I were dating, we had a disagreement during one of our dates. When we returned to my house, Jerry looked at my dad very confused and said, “I lost a fight, and I was right.” My dad’s wise response was, “You better get used to that.” I had backed Jerry into a corner, and he couldn’t figure a way out, so it didn’t matter that he was right. Don’t worry; he has won his share of arguments over the years. But there have also been times people trap us, twist our words, try to ask us something that will harm us, or use words against us. In those moments, there is a feeling of dread and loss of control, unless you are Jesus.
In Luke 20:19 the chief priests and scribes send “spies” who present themselves as sincere followers and learners. This group has tried their best to challenge, trap, and destroy Jesus. Yet, they keep hitting a roadblock: Jesus Himself.
These spies approached Jesus, and no-shock Jesus saw right through their act and “perceived their craftiness.” I could take this phrase and jump straight to a long application point of how we try to be crafty in our approach to Jesus and question Him in such a way that He has to agree with us, hoping that we will get our way in the end. But I don’t want to spend time there and take away from the one whom they are trying to fool.
There is so much to learn about Jesus in this interaction. The first thing I see is that He is THE knower of our hearts. When we come to Jesus, we might not be aware of our intention to be crafty, but He is. We may think we know our hearts, but we do not know them the way He does. Jesus is able to expose our hearts. He cuts through the act and the deceit, the craftiness and the misdirection, and shows us our intentions and desires for what they truly are.
The second thing I notice is that He cannot be flattered. Notice how these spies speak to Jesus: “Teacher, we know that you speak and teach rightly, and show no partiality, but truly teach the way of God.” I mean, this is dripping with flattery, but Jesus will not be fooled. The knower of our hearts also knows the thoughts and minds of those who approach Him, and flattery will get them nowhere with Him. He is not one that needs flattery. He knows the depth of the love of the Father and has no need for the flattery of men. We must realize that what these imposters were doing isn’t the same as honoring Jesus for who He is. Giving the praise due to Jesus is not what is going on here. The intention and heart behind the words matter, and Jesus, the knower of our hearts, can discern the difference.
The third thing that strikes me is that Jesus is not rattled. You know what I mean by this: a person says something trying to twist or trap you, and before you know it, you feel rattled and are answering so quickly that you show your cards and reveal you are unsure and/or uncomfortable. Not Jesus. He does not need to answer quickly or defend Himself, especially to these liars. He responds wisely and calmly.
The last thing we see from this answer of Jesus is that even though He knows the hearts of the askers, He does not attack them. By not feeling the need to defend Himself and not being flattered by their words, He is able to answer them wisely and calmly. And the answer that He gives has the exact result He wanted, “marveling at his answer they became silent.” Jesus’s answers to our craftiness will leave us marveling at who He is and the answers He gives if we will let them reach into our hearts and change our lives.
As we study the scriptures and Jesus’s interactions with the people, they reveal who He is and that He is the High Priest to whom we pray. Maybe you are encouraged by the fact that Jesus knows what it is like to have people flatter you while trying to destroy you. Maybe you are encouraged to know that you can’t flatter Him, so you can be completely honest when praying and completely confident that He will listen. Maybe you are encouraged to know Jesus will answer your inquiry even if that inquiry is from a dishonest place. Whatever it is, know that Jesus cares, that He listens, and that He wants you and me to draw near.
As we continue to walk through Luke and see the words and actions of Jesus, let us make it a study of who Jesus is because He is the same Jesus to whom we pray and in whom we place our hope of Salvation.
Photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash
