21 So the spies questioned him: "Teacher, we know that you speak and teach what is right, and that you do not show partiality but teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. 22 Is it right for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?"
Setting the bait for Jesus with flattery, these spies, filled with duplicity, sought to catch Jesus off guard with their words which dripped with honey. Following the insincere praise came the question to which any response from Jesus would have placed Him in a no win situation. The question was posed so that either way the Master would answer would certainly have offended someone and played directly into their trap. Silly spies – they should have listened to their own words describing Jesus actually condemning themselves because they chose not to believe what they themselves spoke:
· Jesus speaks what is right.
· Jesus teaches what is right.
· Jesus does not show partiality.
· Jesus teaches the way of God in accordance with the truth.
If they had truly believed what they were espousing about our Savior, they would have been falling at His feet and holding tightly to His every word. Certainly every good Jew would have been desirous of knowing the way of God; certainly every good Jew would have been desirous of knowing the truth. Jesus tells us:
6 Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him." John 14:6-7 (NIV)
The Jews would have been very familiar with the importance of God’s word. Moses had told them in Deuteronomy:
45 When Moses finished reciting all these words to all Israel, 46 he said to them, "Take to heart all the words I have solemnly declared to you this day, so that you may command your children to obey carefully all the words of this law. 47 They are not just idle words for you--they are your life. By them you will live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to possess." Deut 32:45-47 (NIV)
Proverbs adds this bit of wisdom:
5 "Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. Prov 30:5 (NIV)
The beloved disciple John tells us that Jesus was indeed the Word made flesh:
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it. John 1:1-5 (NIV)
14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14 (NIV)
Coming from God the Father full of grace and truth, Jesus, the eternal Logos – the Word - came from heaven in human form and fleshed out for us the way and the truth and the life. Amazing love! Paul tells us in Philippians:
5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7 but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death-- even death on a cross! Phil 2:5-8 (NIV)
“When we encounter the risen One, we learn that our heavenly Father created us with a purpose – that we are His image-bearers, created to be shaped into Christ’s likeness. The resurrection reaches into the void that lurks in each of our lives and fills it. Our identity is established.
Meeting the risen Christ always changes how we see our lives. The lights come on and we live with a greater sense of destiny than we ever dreamed possible. When we discover that the risen Christ desires a relationship with us, we must conclude that we too are persons of high calling.
Far from being people of illusion, believers hear Christ’s call from the empty tomb to join Him on a very real journey toward wholeness, sanity, and purpose. Whether the path we must walk is filled with rocks or is as soft as sand, we can go forward knowing that we walk in the way of reality. Can there be any greater road to travel?” Robert L. Wise
“The world appears very little to a soul that contemplates the greatness of God.” Brother Lawrence
May we live our lives for His glory, passionately pursuing His pleasure, always reflecting His life to others by allowing His truth to go from our heads to our hearts to our hands.