Lesson 4432

 (Lesson 4432)(03-22-24) Luke 20:20-26 

“And they watched him, and sent forth spies, which should feign themselves just men, that they might take hold of his words, that so they might deliver him unto the power and authority of the governor. And they asked him, saying, Master, we know that thou sayest and teachest rightly, neither acceptest thou the person of any, but teachest the way of God truly: Is it lawful for us to give tribute unto Caesar, or no? But he perceived their craftiness, and said unto them, Why tempt ye me? Shew me a penny. Whose image and superscription hath it? They answered and said, Caesar's. And he said unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which be Caesar's, and unto God the things which be God's. And they could not take hold of his words before the people: and they marvelled at his answer, and held their peace.” 

 

In today’s quote, the chief priests and scribes, looking to trap Jesus in His words so they could hand Him over to the authority of the governor, sent spies who pretended to be just men of the people. They asked Jesus if it was lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not, hoping to catch Him in a statement they could use against Him. Jesus, knowing their thoughts and perceiving their slyness, asked them to show Him a roman coin to see whose image and inscription appeared on it. They answered, "Caesar's." 

Jesus then told them, "Render therefore unto Caesar the things which be Caesar's, and unto God the things which be God's." His response stunned them, leaving them unable to trap Him in His words. Consequently, they were shut down by His answer and therefore unable to use those words against Him or to argue against His divine wisdom.~