Nougat 24

I tell you, sometimes it’s hard to navigate life’s paths. Consider today’s Holy Nougat, where Jesus responds to the enemy in the public domain.

“And they sent to Him some of their disciples, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that You are honest and teach the way of God in truth. And what others think doesn’t concern You, for You do not look at men’s appearance … But Yeshua, knowing their wickedness, said, “Why are you testing Me, you hypocrites?” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭22‬:‭16‬, ‭18‬ ‭TLV‬‬

So, as indicated yesterday, there was more to the flattery. The public question that accompanied the damning praise was exceptionally political, and could have cost Jesus His life. They were very aware of what they were doing. Had Jesus been an ordinary person, He might have been swayed by the praise and spoken Himself into a perfect trap.

He recognized their motives and called it as He saw it. They were hypocrites. The praise extended to Him belied the men’s true political and spiritual status: they were seeking to prove Jesus as an ‘enemy of the state’. Thus, Jesus’ death would have been someone else’s treachery, rather self inflicted; and not on them. What scheming!

But in their plotting, they forgot a very critical piece in the case: we humans are impressed by the outer appearance, but God’s impressed by our hearts (for context see 1 Samuel 16:7). And so, it’s not surprising that Jesus got to the heart of the matter. He discerned their motives and called it as He saw it.

Jesus called them out as hypocrites. He knew that they were not necessarily fond of Cesar; and that they felt threatened by Jesus’ ministry. In setting Jesus up, they’d have ‘killed two birds with one stone’: a) denouncing Cesar at Jesus expense – with Jesus voice; and b) effecting Jesus death while seemingly innocent. And had Jesus been beguiled by their overtures of ‘true devotion’, He would have been prey to their hypocrisy.

(Somehow, His comment brings me to the Hebrew young men telling the king that they would not bow to his statue. It is ironic that Jesus is being tricked into a public denouncing of another king, but when the layers are removed from the incidents, both situations were designed by the enemy of our souls. And where our enemy is concerned, the ultimate goal for us is spiritual death.)

We must also have the discernment to sniff out danger and hypocrisy around us. Even when we don’t publicly denounce them. Of course, discernment also means we know when and how to speak out, for Jesus didn’t go around on a hypocrite-hunt or retaliate by seeking their deaths. Jesus didn’t malice them, but He did not allow them into His inner circle. In other instances Jesus actually prayed for those who sought to have Him dead, even on the Cross.

We ought to do likewise. May our God of all grace continue to equip us as we rise above the challenges strewn in our paths.

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May all we seek be found in Christ