Trick Questions (Luke 20)
Journey with Jesus to the Cross (Thursday, April 7)
Read Luke 20
“By whose authority do you do these things?” the chief priests ask. They aren’t really interested in his answer. What they want is to discredit his credentials.
“Is it lawful for us to give tribute to Caesar, or not?” Their whole purpose was to “catch him in something he said.”
The Sadducees confronted Jesus with their standard trick question about marriage and the future life. Again, they did not want information: they wanted evidence.
In each case, Jesus brilliantly answered their question, often turning the tables back on them.
What interests me in all these interchanges is how similarly people think about Jesus today. Many people have questions about Jesus. There are a lot of people who like to debate Jesus. They are happy to talk about him. But are they willing to lay down their lives and follow him?
You see, Jesus is not interested in merely discussing intellectual issues, though he is certainly capable of doing so. He proves it in the brilliant way he responds to every challenge. As far as I can tell, there is no insurmountable intellectual hurdle preventing anyone from following Jesus. If you have questions, by all means, explore them deeply and honestly.
But be careful that your questions do not become a smokescreen for your basic unwillingness to surrender your life to Jesus and follow him. Most objections to Jesus are not intellectual, but moral — we want control of our own lives. Remember, Jesus is like your marriage partner; he is not simply an idea to embrace, but a person to know, to love, and to whom you commit your life.
We see this throughout Luke’s gospel. The blessed ones are those who will follow Jesus: from Levi to Zacchaeus, and a host of others in between. We also see it dramatically portrayed in the Parable of the Wicked Tenants (20:9ff).
“A man planted a vineyard….” Every Jewish listener would immediately catch the allusion. The vineyard was a classic biblical reference to the nation of Israel (Isaiah 5:1ff; Psalm 80:8ff; etc.). The interpretation is clear: their fathers had rejected the prophets God had sent to them; God had now sent his Son, and they were in danger of rejecting him, too.
Sadly, many of Jesus’ contemporaries were not willing to follow him. Thousands of those who lauded him on Sunday, cursed him on Friday. And today there are many who will give Jesus lip service on Sunday, but will ignore him the rest of the week.
When Jesus is asked about paying taxes to Caesar, he cleverly uses the Roman coin to answer their question. The coin had the image of Tiberius Caesar on it, and an inscription which proclaimed him as the son of God.
“Give Caesar what is his,” Jesus said, “and give God what is God’s.” As if to say: “It’s Caesar’s image on the money; give it to him. But give God what is God’s.”
Hmm… If Caesar’s image is on the money, where do we find God’s image? Is it not on his created human beings? Are we not made in the image of God? Well then. Caesar may have a claim on our coins, but God has a claim on our hearts. Give to God what is God’s. Amen.
“Lord, I give my heart to you. As you gave your life for me, so I give my life to you. Help me to see you more clearly, love you more dearly, and follow you more nearly, day by day.”