Matthew 22:15-22
Mat 22:15-22 The King's Enemies try to Ensnare him 15. Then went the Pharisees, and took counsel how they might entangle him in his talk.
Then went the Pharisees: they must have perceived that the parable of the wedding feast, like that of the wicked husbandmen, was spoken against them. Our Lord's words, however, did not move them to repentance; but only increased their malice and hatred against him. Their hearts were hardened, and their consciences seared; so they took counsel how they might entangle him in his talk. They would not acknowledge that Christ was the wisdom of God and the power of God; had they done so, they would not have attempted their impossible task. They saw that, to ensnare Jesus in his talk, was a difficult undertaking; and therefore they "took counsel" how they might accomplish it. If he had been as faulty as we are, they might have succeeded; for men who wish to entrap us in our talk need not consult much about how to do it. This incident teaches us that men who can be as precise and formal as these Pharisees were, can yet deliberately set themselves to entangle an opponent. Great outward religiousness may consist with the meanest spirit.
16. And they sent out unto him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, Master, we know that thou art true, and teachest the way of God in truth, neither carest thou for any man: for thou regardest not the person of men.
They sent out unto him their disciples: they were probably ashamed to appear again in the presence of Christ, after his exposure of their conduct towards himself as the King's Son; so they despatched a select detachment of their disciples, in the hope that the scholars might succeed where their teachers had failed. With the Herodians: the disciples of the Pharisees were to be reinforced by a company from an opposite section of the enemies of Christ. The united band could operate against Jesus from different sides. The Pharisees hated the rule of a foreign power, while the Herodians advocated the supremacy of Cæsar. Differing as these two sections did, even to mutual hate, they for the time laid aside their own disputes, that they might in one way or another ensnare our Lord.
They began with fair speeches. They addressed Jesus by a title of respect, "Master": they only used the word in hypocrisy; but they professed to regard him as a teacher of the Law, and an authority on disputed points of doctrine or practice. They also admitted his sincerity and truthfulness: "we know that thou art true, and teachest the way of God in truth." They further praised him for his fearlessness: "neither carest thou for any man." They then lauded him for his impartiality: "for thou regardest not the person of men" " Thou wilt speak without any regard for what Cæsar, or Pilate, or Herod, or any of us may think, or say, or do." Thus did they try to throw him off his guard by what they uttered in sheer flattery. All that they said was true; but they did not mean it. From their lips it was mere cajolery. Let us take note that, when evil men are very loud in their praises of us, they usually have some wicked design against us. They fawn and flatter that they may deceive and destroy.
17. Tell us therefore, What thinkest thou? Is it lawful to give tribute unto Cæsar, or not?
" Tell us therefore ": "because thou art true, because thou teachest the way of God in truth, because thou carest not for any man's opinion when thou art thyself in the right, and because thou regardest not the person of men, but darest to speak the truth, whether they will hear or whether they will forbear; tell us therefore, What thinkest thou?" "We are very anxious to have thy opinion upon this important point; on which some teach one thing, some another. It is a matter of great public interest; everybody is talking about it; it must have been considered in all its bearings by such a learned teacher as thou art, and we should like to know thy thoughts upon it: What thinkest thou? "Dear innocents! Much they wanted instruction from him! All the while that they were speaking, they were inwardly gloating over the triumph which they felt sure would be theirs, when by any answer that he might give, or even by his silence, he must provoke the animosity of one portion of the people, or the other.
Here is the question they put to our Lord: "Is it lawful to give tribute unto Cæsar, or not? "They referred to the annual capitation tax, imposed by the Romans, which was the cause of great indignation among the Jews, and led to frequent insurrections. Judas of Galileo (Acts 5:37), one of the many pretended Messiahs, had taught that it was not lawful to give tribute unto Cæsar, and ho had perished in consequence of his rebellion against Rome. Christ's questioners may have hoped that some such fate would befall him. Their question was a delicate and difficult one in many ways. Any answer whatever would bristle with points by which his enemies hoped to entrap him. If he said, "It is lawful," then they would denounce him as in league with the oppressor of his people, and a traitor to the Theocracy of which they boasted, even though they had virtually cast off the divine rule over them. If he said, "It is not lawful," they could accuse him to the Roman governor as exciting the multitude to rebellion. This was, in fact, one of the false accusations brought against Jesus when he was before Pilate: "We found this fellow perverting the nation, and forbidding to give tribute to Cæsar, saying that ho himself is Christ a King." If ho remained silent, they would twit him with being a coward who did not dare to say what he thought, lest he should offend his hearers. Very cleverly was the net spread; but those who had so cunningly made and laid it little thought that they were only setting a snare in which they themselves would be caught. Thus doth it often happen, as David said, "The wicked is snared in the work of his own hands."
18. But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, Why tempt ye me, ye hypocrites? Our great thought-reading King was not to be deceived either by their flattery or their crafty questioning: But Jesus perceived their wickedness; for it was that, with a vengeance. Malice and deceit designed his overthrow; but he saw through the cunning of his enemies, and perceived the wickedness that prompted them thus to assail him. Onlookers may not have perceived their wickedness, and our Lord's disciples may have been puzzled as to how he would reply; but, as in all other trying circumstances, Jesus himself knew what he would do.
Probably even his enemies did not expect such a question as he now put to them: "Why tempt ye me, ye hypocrites? "They hoped that they had disguised their real purpose so cleverly, that they must have been surprised to have the mask so quickly torn from their faces, and to be exposed to public gaze in their true character as "hypocrites." Jesus compared them to stage-players, dissemblers, men acting a false part with intent to deceive. Rightly did he name them; and wisely did he say to them, "Why tempt ye me? "It is as if he had said, "You see that I am not deceived by your false and flattering speeches, I can read the malice that is written in your hearts, you are just powerless before me if I choose to treat you as I can do; what can poor, puny creatures, such as ye are, do against me? Why tempt ye me? "There is infinite scorn in our Saviour's question; yet there is an undertone of pity even for those who deserved it not: "Why tempt ye me? Have I given you any cause why you should seek to entrap me? Why are you so foolish as to ask questions which must be to your own hurt?"
Whenever men pretend great reverence for Jesus, and then seek, by their erroneous teaching, or their science falsely so-called, to overthrow his gospel, they are base hypocrites.
19. Shew me the tribute money. And they brought unto him a penny.
Having exposed their folly and hypocrisy, Jesus proceeds to put them publicly to shame. He said to them, "Shew me the tribute money." This request on his part, and their compliance with it, would make the whole matter more vivid and impressive to the bystanders. When there is something to see and handle, a lesson becomes the more striking. Our Lord asked them to show him a specimen of the coin usually paid for the capitation tax: and they brought unto him a penny, a denarius. This coin represented the daily pay of a Roman soldier, and in the parable of the vineyard it was said to be the daily wage of the labourer. Had these men guessed the use to which Jesus would put the denarius, they would not have so quickly procured one for him. They bought their own confusion with that coin. They would never afterwards be able to look upon the tribute money without remembering how they were foiled in their attempt to entangle the hated Nazarene.
20, 21. And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription? They say unto him, Caesar's. Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Cœsar the things which are Cæsaris; and unto God the things that are God's.
He asked another question, that they might themselves assist in replying to themselves: He saith unto them, "Whose is this image and superscription?" Or rather, inscription. Before them were the image and inscription of the Roman emperor on the piece of money; but he would make them say as much, so he asks,'' Whose is this? "The Jewish Rabbis taught that "if a king's coin is current in a country, the men of the country do thereby evidence that they acknowledge him for their lord." When we are dealing with ungodly men, it is well if we can make them to be their own accusers.
They say unto him, "Cœsar's." No other answer was possible. This tribute money was not a shekel of Jewish coinage, but money of the Roman empire. This was a plain proof that, whether they liked it or not, they were Roman subjects, and Cæsar was their ruler. What then must follow but that they should pay to their acknowledged ruler his due? Then saith he unto them, "Render therefore unto Cæsar the things which are Cœsar's." Whatever belongs to Cæsar is to be rendered to him. Jesus did not say what was Cæsar's, the coin itself settled the question of paying tribute; his reply covered all the duties of loyal subjects to the ruler under whose jurisdiction they lived; but this did not touch the sovereignty of God. Jehovah held rule over consciences and hearts; and they must see to it that, as Cæsar had his own, the Lord had his own also. Render therefore "unto God the things that are God's." This was not an evasive reply on Christ's part; it was full of meaning, and very much to the point; and yet it was so put that neither Pharisees nor Herodians could make anything out of it for party purposes, or for their wretched design of entangling Jesus in his talk. Neither of the two sects turned a penny by their penny.
| To us the lesson of this incident is, | that the State has its sphere, and wo must discharge our duties to it; but we must not forget that God has his throne, and we must not allow the earth-kingdom to make us traitors to the heaven-kingdom. Cæsar must keep his place, and by no means go beyond it; but God must have the spiritual dominion to himself alone.
22. When they had heard these words, they marvelled, and left him, and went their way.
They had some sense left even if they had no feeling. They saw that their plot had ignominiously failed; they marvelled at the wisdom with which Christ had baffled their cunning; they knew that it was hopeless to continue the conflict: so they left him, and went their way. Their way was not his way. They had already admitted, in their flattering speech, that he was a true teacher of God's way; and now they completed their own condemnation by leaving him, and going their own way.
Lord, save us from following their evil example! Rather, may we cleave to Christ, and go his way!