FACTS ABOUT JESUS
Luke 20:20-23 NKJV
20 So they watched Him, and sent spies who pretended to be righteous, that they might seize on His words, in order to deliver Him to the power and the authority of the governor.
21 Then they asked Him, saying, “Teacher, we know that You say and teach rightly, and You do not show personal favoritism, but teach the way of God in truth: 22 Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”
23 But He perceived their craftiness, and said to them, “Why do you test Me?
Jesus was the master of handling confrontation. The Jewish rulers and religious leaders were constantly trying to catch Him in His words. In this chapter, Jesus shuts down the Pharisees and the Sadducees to the point that they wound up not asking Him any more direct questions. Jesus walked in an amazing level of wisdom so that He had answers for the religious scholars of that day. These religious men spent all their days arguing and crafting answers about the scriptures of the Old Testament. They were high-level experts until they ran into the Living Word, whose wisdom surpassed their legalistic education.
Because they could not catch Jesus directly, these religious rulers resorted to sending spies to pose as disciples. Their thinking was that if these spies could catch Jesus in an unguarded moment, they would have something solid against Him. What is interesting is how these spies approached Jesus. Their attempts at flattery did not work, and Jesus perceived their deception. But there was an element of truth to the flattery of the spies.
Jesus did say and teach truth. And Jesus did not show personal favoritism to any person. Those are truths. These spies had to come with truth, or they would be exposed. Maybe it was their tone or the fact that Jesus was enabled by the Holy Spirit and perceived their craftiness in His spirit. Maybe both. But He picked up on what they were trying to do, called them on it, and then shut them down. Jesus was undefeated in His encounters with the religious rulers.
So here are some facts about Jesus. He not only taught the truth, He spoke the truth when the crowds were not there. He was and is the way, truth, and life, and there has never been anything duplicitous about Him.
Jesus does not show personal favoritism to anyone. He is not looking to get anything from people, so catering to people of power or money is of no advantage to Him. He came to serve and give His life, not work deals.
Jesus does not relate to insincere flattery. He always receives our heartfelt worship, but there is absolutely no value in trying to just say the right things in order to get something from Him. He knows our hearts, and He knows the truth. Honesty before Him is always the best course of action.
Jesus always did and always does have answers for even the most brilliant among us. No one will beat Him in a match of wits, and no one can win in an argument against Him. We may not always have the answers, but if we will look to Him, then His help is available.
Jesus was, is, and always will be the greatest!
PRAYER
Lord, You are the greatest, and You have all the answers I will ever need. Thank You for loving me and wanting to help me. I look to You for the way to live my life!