According To Luke: Tricks and Treason Part I

 According To Luke: Tricks and Treason Part I

Opening:

Have you ever met someone that you ever felt was just not very genuine? Have you ever had the feeling that they are one way to your face but another way when you were absent? Perhaps they say nice, flattering, flowery words to you but you suspect that when you are not in their presence they run you down. They pat you on the back but you have a feeling that they are just tenderizing the spot that they plan on putting the knife. There is a word for those types of people. What’s the word? SNAKE! They are snakes. 

Matthew 22:33 NLT

Snakes! Sons of vipers! How will you escape the judgment of hell?

That was a statement from Jesus Himself concerning the Pharisees, teachers of the law, and scribes. You see Pharisees are just like the sort of people that I just described. They were schemers. They were plotters. They were backstabbers. As you will hear in just a moment, they planned to attack Jesus, abuse Jesus, and abase Jesus by appealing to Jesus. They would say nice things to Jesus’ face but the moment that Jesus turned His back, their true colors came out. 

For the record, you expect this sort of behavior from lost people. People that do not have a relationship with God do this sort of thing right? Yet these are religious people that I am talking about here. These are people who read, knew and practiced Scripture. They prayed. They attended church and gave to the temple. They were the first ones to raise their hands in worship or cover themselves in sackcloth. Religious people can sometimes be the most dangerous people. 

Let me say this up front, I love the church. There is no other place on planet earth I’d rather be than right here. I love church, church people, church music, and church activity. I have been vocationally working full time in church for more than 20 years. I love the church but of all the places and people that have hurt me the most, church folks lead the way. You see, it doesn’t matter if its lost people or church people, people are people. And people say and do things to hurt other people. 

However, in this case the Pharisees were so committed to their religion of legalism and selfish power that they were willing to lie, cheat, and murder their way to the top. Jesus was a threat. He had to be eliminated but they could not figure out how to rid themselves of Jesus. If they physically attacked Him, the people would uprise. If they did nothing, they would lose their power. So, they hatched a plan to potentially trap Jesus. They would pose a question about money. Depending on Jesus’ answer, they could either convict Him for treason against Rome or they could judge Him for breaking God’s law. 

So, fill in these blanks this morning as we prepare to read God’s Word together. The Pharisees are looking to trip up, throw down and toss out Jesus! 

The Pharisees Are Looking To Trip Up, Throw Down, and Toss Out Jesus!

Background and Context:

If you remember, one chapter before Jesus was in Jericho. He was traveling to Jerusalem. Once He enters Jerusalem He enters the temple and immediately conflict breaks out. Jesus drives out the money changers and He confronts the Pharisees. They immediately question His authority to teach which drives Jesus to deliver a parable about a farmer whose son is murdered by hired tenants. The parable, at it’s root, was a warning to those who would reject Christ as the Messiah. Now the Pharisees have hatched a new plan. They would send spies pretending to honest seekers to question Jesus. These sinister spies will ask Jesus about giving money to the temple, which was commanded and expected, or giving to Caesar which was law. If Jesus says give to the temple, then He inspires treason against Rome. If He says give to Rome, then He breaks God’s law. Either way, Jesus is trapped. It is in this moment that Jesus delivers a classic, intelligent, and creative response that leaves His opponents mystified. So, lets read together Luke 20:20-26.  

Luke 20:20-26 NLT

[20] Watching for their opportunity, the leaders sent spies pretending to be honest men. They tried to get Jesus to say something that could be reported to the Roman governor so he would arrest Jesus. [21] "Teacher," they said, "we know that you speak and teach what is right and are not influenced by what others think. You teach the way of God truthfully. [22] Now tell us-is it right for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?" [23] He saw through their trickery and said, [24] "Show me a Roman coin. Whose picture and title are stamped on it?" "Caesar's," they replied. [25] "Well then," he said, "give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and give to God what belongs to God." [26] So they failed to trap him by what he said in front of the people. Instead, they were amazed by his answer, and they became silent.

I. The Problem With People

A. Disingenuous vs. 20

Luke 20:20 NLT

[20] Watching for their opportunity, the leaders sent spies pretending to be honest men. They tried to get Jesus to say something that could be reported to the Roman governor so he would arrest Jesus.

Point:

Scripture tells us that these leaders sent spies “pretending” to be honest men. The Greek word being used here means that these men were impersonating someone of honest character. It is the same word that is used to describe someone who performs in a theater. These “pretenders” are actors. They were not real. They were false. 

Have you ever met someone who is disingenuous? A person who is one way in front of you but when you depart they reveal their motives. One of the hardest lessons that I had to learn is that not everyone is going to love me, like me, or want to be my friend. As a child you grow up thinking that the world is for you, that other people will never seek to hurt you, and that everyone is going to be your cheerleader. Mature people know that these sentiments are not true. The world is filled with people that want to use you, abuse you, and damage you. It is a sad truth but a truth nevertheless. 

Another lesson that I had to learn is that I am guilty myself of being disingenuous. We all are. There is not one single person in this room or anyone who has ever existed that has not demonstrated disingenuous characteristics. Why do we act this way? We act this way because we know that flattery, even empty flattery, will get us everywhere as they say. We do this because we want power. We want fame. We want to be the top and we want to be the best. We want fame. 

That is why these men were pretending. They were scared that Jesus was going to take away their power and authority over the people. They could not have it. So they played a part to be close to Jesus in order that they may hurt Him. 

Point:

Another term for being disingenuous is “hypocrisy”. Saying one thing and doing another. Over the years I have had people tell me their reasons for not going to church. The number one excuse is that the church is filled with hypocrites. Sadly, that is a true statement. It is. Yet let me make this statement, wherever you have people, you will have hypocrites. Friends, the Bible is filled with hypocrites. Go back to the beginning and you will see character after character that is guilty of hypocrisy. Abraham. Isaac. Jacob. King David. Jonah. Peter. That is just a few. I am thankful that the church accepts the hypocrites. I am grateful that the church does not run out the disingenuous. I am thankful that the church welcomes the sinner. 

Point:

So what are your disingenuous tendencies? Seriously, think about it, dig deep, and ask yourself in what areas of my life am I playing a part. In what areas of my life am I truly acting? Are you buttering up your boss at work hoping that he will give you that raise? Are you politicking so that you can have the best seat at the table? Are you hungering for power, control, and authority and willing to do just about anything to have it? Brothers and sisters, that is not the Jesus way. Let me point you to one of the most practical books in all the Scripture. James. 

James 4:1-6 ESV

What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? 2 You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. 4 You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. 5 Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us”? 6 But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

Point:

James puts it so much better than I ever could. When we act in hypocritical, disingenuous ways we court disaster and cause fights. The very act brings out the absolute worst in us. It damages our relationships and severs our connection to God Himself. Brother and sister, if you are guilty of this behavior, acknowledge it before God and seek forgiveness. Repent. 

James 4:1-6 ESV

What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? 2 You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. 

I. The Problem With People

A. Disingenuous vs. 20

B. Dishonest vs. 21

[21] "Teacher," they said, "we know that you speak and teach what is right and are not influenced by what others think. You teach the way of God truthfully. 

Point:

A close examination of this story reveals the disingenuous nature of people. It also reveals the dishonest nature of people. Of course, it also reveals the truthfulness of Jesus. What an interesting scene. Here we have pretenders face to face with the genuine article. We have a group of liars hell bent on trapping Jesus and we have Jesus heaven bound to tell them the truth. 

Point:

Did you know that Jesus makes the statement of “I tell you the truth” or “truly truly” or some variation of the phrase over 70 times in the New Testament. In talking about Himself Jesus says the following in John 14:6, “I am the way, the TRUTH, and the life, no one comes to the Father unless he comes through me.”

John 14:6 NIV

6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

To know Jesus is to know truth. To speak to Jesus is to speak to truth. For the Christian, the most time you spend with Jesus the more time you spend with truth. Brothers and sisters we live in a world of lies. The media lies to us. Social media lies to us. Our politicians lie to us. Everywhere you look is lies. I believe that one of the chief purposes, one of the chief ends to the human existence is to discover truth. If that statement is true, then why are we bathing in lies? If Jesus really is the personification of truth, then why do we spend so little time with Him. 

I pulled these statistics from a website called Techjury. 

An average user spends 2 hours and 24 minutes per day on social media.

50.1% of that time is spent on mobile devices and is dedicated to social media apps like Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, and Facebook. 

Youtube takes and average of 40 minutes per day. 

Users spend an average of 30 minutes a day on Snapchat.

Instagram takes 28 minutes. 

Pinterest takes 14.2 minutes per day. 

Facebook is by far the biggest time sucker at 2 and a half hours per day. 

Point:

And we wonder why our relationship with God is suffering. Friends, when our relationship with God is out of wack, everything is out of wack. There is no balance in our lives when we are constantly consuming the world around us through our mobile devices. We are addicted to the carefully curated lifestyles that we present on social media sites. We have become more concerned about what others are doing, if they are liking our posts, and is my life measuring up with everyone else’s. 

I heard a pastor one time tell his congregation that we needed to put our faces in the Good Book and spend less time on Facebook. Those words are certainly true. 

Point:

Friends, these men were committed to dishonesty. Even Scripture remembers them as liars, cheats, and dishonest men. They were not seeking truth. They were seeking power. 

Point:

What about us? What about me and you? Are we seeking truth this morning? If you are seeking truth, you will find it in Jesus and no where else. If you are looking for truth out there in the world apart from Christ, you will be sadly disappointed. Jesus is the only way, the only truth. If you find Him, you’ve found truth. 

I. The Problem With People

A. Disingenuous vs. 20

B. Dishonest vs. 21

C. Disruptive vs. 22

Luke 20:22 ESV

[22] Now tell us-is it right for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?"

Point:

They got Him. There was no way out of this question. If Jesus answers the question by saying that the people should give all their money to Caesar, then He breaks the Levitical command to give to the temple so that the priests can earn a wage and the temple can be kept up. If Jesus says to give all their money to the temple, then Jesus makes Himself an enemy of the state. Rome would have reason to kill Him for insurrection and sedition. Finally, in their minds, Jesus’ ministry was over and done with. This question would finally reveal Jesus to be a fraud. This one question would bury Him. 

Point:

You know, people have been trying to disrupt Jesus for a long time. You know, Jesus has been buried, quite literally, before. Jesus was of course crucified, buried, and resurrected 3 days later. Worldly scholars and even scientists have done their very best to disprove the resurrection but time and time again they all fall short of proving that the resurrection didn’t happen. Some have even gone as far as saying that Jesus never existed. He is a figment. His life was merely an allegory or illustration of what it means to be a good person. They equate Jesus to some fictional seasonal characters that we celebrate today. Even still, there are to many eye witness accounts that are extra Biblical, that is outside the Bible, that prove definitively that Jesus did exist and that He did live and walk among us. You don’t have to search very far, just look at the writings of Josephus. He was a prominent Jewish historian that was not a follower of Christ but has numerous accounts of Jesus in his writings. 

They tried to keep Jesus buried, at least the story of Jesus buried for some 300 years after His death. Rome tried to explain away the resurrection but failed to do so. The followers of Christ banded together and the New Testament church was birthed. It was underground. Rome tried to silence the church and Nero persecuted the church is unbelievably wicked ways and still the church grew. Jesus would simply not go away. It wasn’t until 313 AD that Constantine issued the Edict of Milan which accepted Christianity and officially became the religion of Rome. 

Over the years Christ continued to be attacked. They tried to bury Him over and over again. The church, because it was made of people, became corrupt. Heresies were taught like one could purchase their way into heaven. Indulgences were sold. Enter Martin Luther and his 95 theses. The Protestant Reformation began and thus split the church. Surly the church would not survive such a split. There is no way that Jesus could make it through those harsh days. Jesus not only made it but thrived through it. 

Did you know that people are still trying to disrupt Jesus today? People are still saying that at any time, any day now that Jesus will be buried again and this time He will stay dead. The church, at least from the outside looking in appears more fractured than ever. The church continues to endure scandal after scandal. Pastors continue to fail. Deacons continue to fall. Jesus is under more attacks today than ever before. 

Let me state this, no matter how we humans try to disrupt Him, Jesus will continue and forever more march on. He does not need our approval. Jesus does not need our permission. Jesus was buried once but that grave was defeated and there is no going back to the tomb for Him. You see, these men were smart but Jesus is omniscient. They were witty but Jesus is wise. There is no defeating Jesus. There is no war that He won’t win. There is no government that He won’t out last. There is no movement against Him that He will not thwart or tear down. 

Some might say that religion is under attack. That is not true or accurate. Christ alone is under attack, along with anyone who has accepted Him as Lord and Savior. No one would dare say anything against Islam or Mohammad, unless they want to be called an Islamophobe or a hater, but open season has been declared on Christians. If you bash Christ and His followers, you will be applauded, not condemned. It was not long ago that pastors in Houston had their sermons subpoenaed to see if they were preaching against homosexuality. Recently in Idaho, two pastors were threatened with fines and imprisonment for refusing to perform same sex marriages. Today the government leans in on COVID-19 to prevent churches in New Jersey, New York, and California from gathering in their sanctuaries. There was a time that we said that would never happen here in America. Well now it has happened in America. Now we are saying that will never happen in the South. Friends, it will happen in the South. It will happen in Alabama. It will happen in Daphne. Then what are we to do?

You can try to disrupt Him, tear Him down, and bury Him, but that Jesus just won’t die. He won’t go away. He won’t be quiet. Neither will I and neither should we. May we all stand boldly for Christ on that day when our names are called. May we not go silently either.  

Psalm 1:1-6 ESV

Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; 2 but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.

History Favors The Bold!