15 Then the Pharisees went out and laid plans to trap him in his words. 16 They sent their disciples to him along with the Herodians. “Teacher,” they said, “we know you are a man of integrity and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. You aren't swayed by men, because you pay no attention to who they are. 17 Tell us then, what is your opinion? Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”
Isn’t it wonderfully refreshing that the Lord Jesus is not swayed by men and pays no attention to who they are? Very few, if any of us, could say we are totally free from the opinions of others. Even on our best days we often find ourselves comparing our work, our bodies, and our “things” to other peoples. Be it from pride or people pleasing or popularity, be it from martyrdom or manipulation or menacing envy and rivalry – whatever our motivation, whatever our insecurity, we often sadly give more attention to the opinions and acceptance of others over Gods – making very little if no attempt to obtain His praise.
“All people are born originals, but most die a copy.” Howard G. Hendricks
These very subtle competitions propel and drive our actions further. It is not only God’s glory at stake here – it becomes ours. Our actions end up demonstrating work done for our own name rather than His. Continually seeking to compare ourselves to others out of rivalry is a lot like chasing after the wind. It gets us nowhere fast! If we are not careful, we end up serving the opinions of the created rather than those of the Creator. Big mistake! In God’s kingdom there is no rivalry for a child of the King. We are all equal at the foot of the cross. Jesus tells us in John:
41 “I do not accept praise from men, 42 but I know you. I know that you do not have the love of God in your hearts. 43 I have come in my Father's name, and you do not accept me; but if someone else comes in his own name, you will accept him. 44 How can you believe if you accept praise from one another, yet make no effort to obtain the praise that comes from the only God?” John 5:41-44 (NIV)
“One of the best ways to discover a Christian's chief anxieties and ambitions is to study the content of his prayers and the intensity with which he prays them. We all pray about what concerns us and are evidently not concerned about matters we do not include in our prayers. Prayer expresses desire. Prayer is the soul's sincere desire...Paul pours out his soul to God...The basis of Paul's prayer was the knowledge of God's purpose.” John Stott
“The Gospel is a message about God. It tells us who he is, what his character is, what his standards are and what he requires of us, his creatures. It tells us that we owe our very existence to him...the gospel starts by teaching us that we, as creatures, are absolutely dependent on God, and that he as Creator, has an absolute claim on us. The gospel is a message about sin. It tells us how we have fallen short of God’s standard; how we have become guilty, filthy and helpless in sin, and now stand under the wrath of God...the gospel is a message about Christ. Christ is the Son of God incarnate; Christ is the Lamb of God, who died for sin; Christ is the risen Lord; Christ is the perfect Savior...The gospel is a summons to faith and repentance. All who hear the gospel are summoned by God to repent and believe”. J.I. Packer
“He who knows himself best esteems himself least.” Henry G. Brown
In our verses for today a plan was made to trap the Lord Jesus in His words. The Pharisees and the Herodians – who were, by the way, normally at odds with each other, were one together in their menacing actions to cause Jesus to fall. Here they hoped to get an advantage over Christ by catching Him in His Words. It is an old trick of the adversary and his agents to pervert a man’s words by strained innuendos. His enemies were seeking to bring Him into a dilemma whereby the Lord Jesus would either make Himself offensive to His Jewish following or to the Roman magistrates – they cared not which. They wanted His own tongue to speak against Him. Though duplicitously seeking to trap Him, their words rang so true. Jesus did walk in integrity, He did not embrace man’s opinions and He taught the Truth of God. He came to earth showing people the right way. They could not have expressed it better. He was the Truth for Heaven’s sakes!
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)
Yet these feigned characters only pretended respect but intended harm. They insulted His wisdom as well as wrongly imagining they could deceive Him with their pretenses.
13 Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account. Heb 4:13 (NIV)