TAX - LUKE 20:19-26

19 And the chief priests and the scribes the same hour sought to lay hands on him; and they feared the people: for they perceived that he had spoken this parable against them.
20 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.
21 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:
22 Is it lawful for us to give tribute unto Caesar, or no?
23 But he perceived their craftiness, and said unto them, Why tempt ye me?
24 Shew me a penny. Whose image and superscription hath it? They answered and said, Caesar's.
25 And he said unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which be Caesar's, and unto God the things which be God's.
26 And they could not take hold of his words before the people: and they marvelled at his answer, and held their peace. KJV

Here we have the Apostle Luke’s description of how Jesus responded to the question of paying government taxes. In verse 19 we understand that the religious leaders had an ulterior motive when they asked the question about taxes. It was stated that the chief priests and scribes were offended at Jesus because He spoke against their lack of honor for God’s authority, which is Jesus Christ (verses 1-18). In verse 20 we learn that they sent actors to Jesus posing as sincere believers. This will never work with God; the Lord always knows who is sincere and who is not. Although actors may fool some people on TV (or in a movie theater) it is very hard to fool the people on the set. The people who are with you day-in and day-out know exactly how you normally behave. Whenever a person you know is acting unusual you can tell when their heart and actions are not in agreement, it is easy to notice that something isn't right. This is why the Lord Jesus quickly identified their deception as noted in verse 23. The purpose of their actions was to send Jesus to the Romans because if they could rid themselves of His message of Love and stop His interaction with people that would stop the Gospel of God, at least that is what they thought. This is always the purpose of the enemy to propagate unrighteousness (ungodliness) and diminish the influence of righteousness. Eventually their desire would be fulfilled to deliver Jesus to the ungodly but this transaction could only take place when Jesus was ready for it to happen. In verse 21 we read that the actors spoke very highly of Jesus as if He was their great teacher. The problem is that if they really believed that Jesus taught truth they would be Disciples of Christ. A Christian knows better then to act dishonestly by trying to deceive people into speaking the wrong words so that the police can publicly arrest you. The good news is that Jesus Christ came to set you free, He would never try to entrap you. The enemy of our soul purposes to trap you and put you in bondage whenever he gets the opportunity. I am so glad that our Lord Jesus is always ahead of the snares and traps of the evil one. Notice that when the question was presented (the trap was set) to Jesus He approached the question from a totally different angle. The actors were basing their crafty scheme on past experience upon the earth whereas Jesus based His answer on divine revelation from Heaven. The Lord asked the religious leaders two questions the first question in verse 23 regarding, "Why tempt you me?" was never answered. We all know that the wicked will not openly confess to their wickedness because then they would be behaving in honesty like the righteousness and no person can be both. Using the tactic of silence they acted like they didn't have to respond to Jesus unless they wanted to. The next question of, "Whose image and superscription was on the penny?" could not be ignored because that would make them look stupid. Although we have evidence that the wicked are very stupid they do not like to look dumb when asked a simple question. We have to learn as Christian's not to be rattled by traps and snares laid by the enemy. If we remain calm and collected by looking inside our heart for the wisdom of God then our Lord can always give us the right answer. Notice with the obvious answer staring them in the face they had to answer, 'Caesar’s". This teaches us a principle when dealing with evil (wicked) people, “only ask them to answer questions that are obvious in the natural”. The spiritually dead can not understand truth and divine revelations from God so we must deal with them according to carnal reasoning. This means they can understand what you are talking about when you explain your position in reference to the natural things around them. Verse 25 sums up the whole issue of taxes with the clearly expressed heart of Jesus Christ our Lord. Since Jesus is more than our Savior He is also our Lord we should follow His example. If the government issued the money in their name it is acceptable to render a portion of that same money back to them. In other words, a portion of money given back to Caesar is acceptable as long as you dedicate your spirit, soul and body unto God. Notice the words “whose image and superscription" speaks of whom this item represents. Image brings to mind who do you think of (image) when this item is mentioned and superscription puts in writing who is the designer (creator, manufacture) of this item. Just like the image of God being in each person and the superscription of the Holy Bible stating we belong to God. The Lord gave them such a powerful answer in the latter part of verse 25 with the words, "and unto God the things which be God's" that it left them speechless. Notice that Jesus used the word "and" which taught the people whenever you pay the government the money that is owed them remember that you owe God your spirit, soul and body. This response gave them more than they could handle and that is why they could never trap Him. They were very surprised (marveled, wondered) at how Jesus could answer their question and bring Godly conviction to their heart and also avoid the potential traps all at the same time. The Disciples of Jesus should learn from the Master Jesus Christ that we draw our wisdom from above and that wisdom is first pure and peaceful leaving no hypocrisy.-Refer to James 3:17 Likewise, when the people who try to ensnare you have no evidence against you they also must hold their peace. This is the Way of God as well as the Way for the Children of God upon this earth to pay their taxes until we all get to Heaven and receive our great tax refund in the Glory of Jesus Christ. Amen!

In His Love, Eric & Angela Foster

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