Seemingly Sincere

Gary Pollard

So the Jewish leaders waited for the right time to get Jesus. They sent some men to him, who pretended to be sincere. They wanted to find something wrong with what Jesus said. … So the men said to Jesus, “Teacher, we know that what you say and teach is true. It doesn’t matter who is listening—you teach the same to all people. You always teach the truth about God’s way. Tell us, is it right for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?” But Jesus knew that these men were trying to trick him. He said to them, “Show me a silver coin. Whose name and picture are on it?” They said, “Caesar’s.” He said to them, “Then give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and give to God what belongs to God.” (Luke 20:20-25)

• Caesar (Tiberius) was a mixed bag, but mostly bad. He did some good things for the economy but had a reputation for being depraved and paranoid. The moral character of a nation’s leader does not impact our responsibility toward them.
• Jesus, the model teacher, was always consistent in what he taught. It’s a human trait to latch onto traditions and defend them against the words of God. Proponents of legalistic teachings may even appear to be sincere — and, like the Pharisees, may even believe that they are. These teachers acknowledged his teachings in one breath, but denied them through their own beliefs.
• The inspired writer, Luke, was given insight into the motives of the religious figures that we aren’t usually privy to. It can be difficult to distinguish between a healthy interpretation and “rules that seem to be wise.” Jesus elsewhere says, “You can identify a tree by the fruit it produces.”