Matthew 22:15–18

The Lord had spoken a parable of clear grace at the beginning of this chapter. Even so, the opposition of the Pharisees only smolders more strongly against Him. They plot together to entangle Him in His speaking, but succeed only in entangling themselves.

The Pharisees now took solemn counsel, and laid their plans for ensnaring the Lord. They had just found that the crowd left them no hope of getting Him into their power simply as a Jew. So they look for a charge against Him as a subject of Caesar, to hand Him over to the power and authority of the Romans.

The three great factions — Pharisees, Herodians and Sadducees — combine in this. Ritualists, worldly men and rationalists make common cause to defeat the Lord. Though so different in nature, they unite in this one thing: the rejection of the Lord. It is no better in our day. Three times the Devil tempted the Lord, and three times the leaders of the people tempt Him. No doubt the Pharisees, Herodians and Sadducees were only the instruments of that evil being.

First the Pharisees and the Herodians — those who favoured the authority of the Romans, and those who were opposed to it — seek to entangle Jesus in His talk. So it seemed that Christ must either become an object of suspicion to the authorities, or give up His claim to be the Messiah and so the Deliverer. Who had caused this dilemma? It was the fruit of their own sins. The Lord shows them that they had themselves accepted the yoke. The money bore the mark of it: let them give it then to those to whom it belonged, and let them also — which they were not doing — give to God the things that are God's.

Deceit lurked behind the innocent-looking question of the religious Pharisees when they asked, "Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?" We know this, because we read that they were seeking to entangle Him in His talk. With the flesh in us it is all too possible to try to entangle one another with smooth speech and innocent-looking questions. We can even attack one another in secret through the very words we address to God in public prayer.

When He was here, men sat in scorn and sought to entangle Him in His talk. All the contradiction of sinners against Himself, all their objections, never drew one careless word from His lips. They attacked Him on every hand — Pharisees, Sadducees, Herodians. On the contrary, He met them all, and His wisdom shone out in silencing them with one simple question: "What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he?"

The name comes from Herod. It refers to those who joined him and his successors in bringing Greek and Roman manners and immorality in among the Jews. In their doubts they sided with the Sadducees, but they strongly opposed the Pharisees. That makes it all the more striking that they joined the Pharisees in trying to trap the Lord in what He said.

An ominous alliance! Usually the Pharisees and Herodians were bitterly hostile to each other. The Pharisees were the great defenders of religious forms. The Herodians belonged more to the ruler's court. They used every means to advance their interests in the world, just as the others did to secure a religious reputation. But when it comes to Christ, the most opposed can unite against Him or His truth.

The Pharisees, who are the leaders all through, lead the attack now. But the cleverness of the attack confesses their fear. They send their disciples instead of showing themselves in the open. With them they send their opponents the Herodians, whom no one would expect to be in league with them. Between the two of them they would catch Him as between the opposite blades of a pair of shears. They do not even bring an argument, only a matter for Him to decide. On that they can count on His complete and fearless truthfulness. He teaches the way of God in truth, and He is not swayed by appearances.

With such cunning and flattery they approached Him. For once they spoke the truth when they declared, "You are true and teach the way of God in truth." But He knew them; He read their thoughts and their sinister purpose.

Yet they bear witness that He is true, that He was not swayed by anyone's standing, and that He taught the way of God in truth. (Why did they not then submit to His teaching?) Of course their subtle wickedness meant these words only as flattery. They hoped this would sway His answer to their question, "Is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar or not?"

They think they can use on the Lord the tactics that often work so well with other people. So by flattery and falsehood they try to trap Him. They say, "You are true and do not care about anyone's opinion, for you are not swayed by appearances, but teach the way of God truthfully." This was true in fact, but it was not the true expression of their evil hearts.

On their part it was pure wickedness, showing a total lack of conscience. Their own sin had brought them under the Roman yoke. That position was indeed contrary to what should have belonged to the people of God on earth. So on the face of it Christ had only two options. He must either become an object of suspicion to the authorities, or give up His claim to be the Messiah and therefore the Deliverer. Who had created this dilemma? It was the fruit of their own sins.

What an alliance! The Pharisees stood for strict Judaism and the law. The Herodians were the political opportunists of that day, and the Pharisees hated them thoroughly. Yet the two join in flattering Jesus, to trap Him with the question of the Jews' rights against the Gentile ruler. Would He, the Messiah, contradict the hopes and high privileges of Israel as a nation? If not, how could He escape the charge of treason against Caesar? There was devilish craft there. But divine wisdom brings in the just balance of truth about God and about human authority, and the difficulty vanishes. It was the rebellion of the Jews against the Lord that led Him to put them under their pagan rulers. Were they humbled by it, and seeking the resources of God's grace? No — they were proud and boastful. Their rival parties were at that very time uniting in deadly opposition to God, plotting against their own Messiah — who was God's Messiah too.

They think the tactics that often work so well with other people will work with the Lord too. So by flattery and falsehood they try to trap Him. They say, "We know that You are true and teach the way of God truthfully, and You do not care about anyone's opinion, for You are not swayed by appearances." What they said was true in fact. But it was not the true expression of their evil hearts.

I notice in Scripture that our Lord does not usually answer questions. He answers the man who asks them. He knew what men were. He knew in what hearts and minds the questions started. His answer spoke to the state of the questioner, not just to the question. So it was in this instance. These men — He calls them hypocrites — now stood before the Searcher of hearts. No one could hide from His eyes. "And no creature is hidden from His sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account" (Hebrews 4:13). He knows our hearts better than we know them, and He knows what prompts questions better than the questioner himself does.

The Lord exposes their hypocrisy with His question, "Why put Me to the test?" They seek to catch Him in His words, and they fall into their own trap. That makes their low condition plain — in fact before men, and morally before God.

However hard wicked men pressed Him, no question He asked, no answer He gave, no word that fell from His lips was ever marred by any trace of deceit. With us, at times, malice and envy can lurk behind words that are "smooth as butter" and "softer than oil." With Him no evil motive was ever hidden under fair speech. Deceit lurked behind the innocent-looking question of the religious Pharisees: "Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?" For we read that they were seeking to "entangle Him in His words" (Matt. 22:15-18). With the flesh in us it is all too possible to seek to entangle one another with smooth speech and innocent looking questions.

This was not only a word to silence their objections, and to meet their hypocrisy, but was also a word for their consciences. They bore the image of God, and they ought to have given God what belonged to Him. Instead of putting themselves at God's disposal, they stood in opposition to Him and to His Son.