Matthew 22:18 But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, Why tempt ye me, ye hypocrites?
Do you have a checklist every day for things you hope to get done? Maybe you make a checklist the first of the year to list things you want to accomplish, or maybe you do it every morning for the things that have to be done that day. Maybe once a week you go to Walmart with a checklist to know what you are going to get.
Sometimes we can be so absorbed by the smaller things that we forget what the big picture is. We have a goal so we have all these little things we have to do every day. Well, those are important, but with all the little lists it is easy to get lost and lose the big purpose. Someone has said, “The devil is in the details.” I’m not extremely organized or detail-oriented, and for that reason I really appreciate people who are organized and have an eye for detail. But, have you ever been tripped up by the details?
In Matthew 22 we have a series of stories where Jesus is essentially sparring with the religious leaders of the day who rejected God’s Son. The religious leaders asked Jesus a variety of questions trying to trip Him up. Verse 15 says, “Then went the Pharisees, and took counsel how they might entangle him in his talk.” They are going to ask Jesus a question, but the point was not to get an answer but to trip Him up or entangle Him. It continues, “And they sent out unto him their disciples with the Herodians, saying…” and then they ask this question.
It is interesting to note that the Herodians were opposed to the Pharisees. The Pharisees were patriotic Jews who kept alive Moses’ law and the recognition of it. The Herodians, on the other hand, were for the government of Rome. They were with Herod, who was the Romans’ puppet king over the Jewish people. These two groups were usually opposed to each other, but the enemy of their enemy was their friend.
So, they asked the question, “Is it lawful to give tribute unto Caesar, or not?” They thought they had Jesus both ways because if He said, “Yes, it is lawful,” then those who were patriotic Jewish people would think that He was giving in to the Roman government. If He said, “No, it is not lawful,” then the people who were subservient to the government could say that He was a rebel.
“But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, “Why tempt ye me, ye hypocrites?” He went on, “Shew me the tribute money.” They brought him a penny, and He said, “Whose is this image and superscription?” It was a picture of Caesar. They were asking if they should give this money minted by Caesar back to Caesar. Jesus said, “Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s.” When they had heard what Jesus said, they marveled and then went to go lick their wounds because they didn’t want an answer to begin with.
Now, I don’t have the time to get into this lesson regarding God and money, but the overarching question is authority, Caesar’s authority, the Pharisees’ authority, and Jesus’ authority. Back in the previous chapter they had come to Jesus and said, “What right do you have to teach?” They said, “By what authority doest thou these things? and who gave thee this authority?” Jesus answered, but they didn’t hear when He did because they didn’t want an answer. They wanted to trip Him up. Their problem really wasn’t with Caesar. In fact, they partnered with Rome to crucify Jesus. Their problem was with Jesus, His authority.
So, small questions answer themselves when we submit to the answers God gives us to the big ones. I’m not saying that small things don’t matter or are insignificant when it comes to your daily life. The point is that when Jesus is in control, the questions in my life are answered more easily. Today, the questions will never be answered and the answers will never make sense until you take care of the big question which is, “Who is Jesus, and does He have authority in my life?” When He does, it will help you put everyone else in their place as well.