Corona Chronicles - Crown of Thorns

Welcome to Corona Chronicles. We've been in chapter 12, and we find that Lots of people are asking him questions really to trick him. They they've we already know in chapter 12 that they want to kill him and so they're looking for for ways to be able to trick him, to be able to get him into a court, to be a condemning. That's basically what's going on. And so we're in verse 13 and it and it says this.

Later, they sent some of the pharisees and the herodians to Jesus to catch him in his words. They came to him and said teacher, we know that you're a man of integrity. You aren't swayed by others because you pay no attention to who they are, but you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. Is it right to pay the poll tax to Caesar or not? Should we pay or shouldn't we?

But Jesus knew their hypocrisy. Why are you trying to trap me? He asked, bring me a denarius. And let me and let me look at it. They brought the coin and he asked them whose image is this?

And whose inscription? Caesars, they replied, then Jesus said to them, give back to Caesar what is Caesar and to God what is God God's. And they were amazed at him. It is 1 of those fantastic little things, isn't it? Because they're out to trap him.

And he just says of like a sentence -- Mhmm. -- and shuts them up really, wasn't he? Yeah. And this is something that we've seen with Jesus' opponents. Since the very beginning of the gospel that they've been looking for an opportunity to trap him and kill him.

And they've tried various different techniques in order to do that. And what's what's striking about this 1 is the I always find is the well, there's a number of things about it, but the flattery that they they really lay it on thick, don't they? Thinking that Jesus is gonna be persuaded or tricked by their their comments. And I remember reading a very help for little slogan about flattery. And I can't remember where I saw it now, but it was saying that Goss gossip is something that you would say about someone behind their back that you would never say to their face.

Flattery is something you would say to their face, which you would never say behind their back. And it's just so good. So there's no way they would have talked about Jesus like this in their own courts and But when they're with him, they say, oh, we know you the truth. You don't show partiality. You're a very truthful person, and yet actually Jesus see straight into their hearts, isn't they?

So Straight into their hearts. And they're not even in in the question in many in many ways. No. No. They're trying to trap him.

Because if he if he aren't if he just says, you know, yes, it's right to pay the poll tax they're hoping that the people get really angry. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. They always disobey in God or -- Yeah.

-- if he says no, just don't pay it -- Yes. -- then they'll be able to go to the authorities and say, look, he's a rebel against Caesar himself. That's right. It is it is it's not just an interesting peripheral question. This is quite an important question, because as you say, if he says yes.

Yeah. It's like he's saying, no, being ruled by a gentile is actually quite a good thing. And you know, we should Caesar is our ruler. Yeah. Whereas in in their scriptures, they would have seen being under gentle rule -- Yeah.

-- to be a departure from what God had wanted from them. Yeah. But if he says no, well as you say he's inciting rebellion, isn't he? And so it is he's on the horns of a dilemma here. But but you can see their you can see their heart and Jesus knows their heart.

Because even right at the start, we're told that the pharisees and the herodians are coming together. They hated each other. Yeah. And they probably would have disagreed on this issue. On it.

Absolutely. Yeah. And many, many, many others. Yeah. They despised each other, but that's what happens, isn't it?

Yeah. These 2 2 parties come together with a common enemy. And they're united by hatred Yeah. And exactly. Yeah.

So Jesus absolutely floors them by saying let's have a look at a coin. He asked them very it's like a baby, isn't it? What's on the coin? You know? And so Danarius is obviously a a a coin.

And what's the inscription and he makes them reply. Yes. So he makes them say those words, and then he says, give back to Caesar, what is Caesar, and give back to God. God and it's brilliant, isn't it? And actually that is how a Christian lives in a political world, isn't it?

Because there is the image of Caesar on the coin or whatever whatever it is, you know, whatever paper money or whatever. And there's and we are imprinted with the image of God. Yeah. And if you live for God even in a sinful world, and a political world, then God has put rulers over us and we are to submit it. So partly living to God is to submit to even ungodly rulers for some reason.

Isn't it? Yeah. That is right. Yeah. And they they're utterly amazed by this because they can't They can't see how he's putting these 2 things together.

But as you say that is that that's the simple breathtaking application of this, isn't it? We we are made by God and therefore our lives belong to God, and we are to submit our to him and his words. And part of that submission is recognizing that God has instituted authorities and that submitting to them is an expression of our submission to God. And all all all our lives are like that. You know, if we grow up with parents.

You know, we grow up under an authority. You know, our our whole lives are lived under authority, and and part of knowing God is not is not suddenly becoming a rebel and rejecting all those institutions, but being enabled for his sake to submit to submit to them. And and that I mean, it's probably 1 reason why there is so much of anarchy that goes on because we've We've we've got rid of God. Therefore, we're only in a world that has injustices in it and you know, politics that we may not like. Therefore, we we've gotta go on the streets.

We've gotta shout our mouths off. We've got to try to rule. And that is a problem with the world right now, isn't it? Whether you're right or left, you know, how dare this government, how dare this system tell me what I don't like. Yeah.

Whereas when we're following God as our main because we're we're made in his image as we're giving back to God. We can submit even to a system that we don't like. Mhmm. And, you know, we because there's a higher system we're living for, we understand there's a bigger justice more freedom and so forth. Is that right?

Yeah. That is right. And and there might be times in history where in the face of really grave wicked injustice or immorality or if a nation says you you are you can no longer worship Jesus. That our submission to God, our creator and lord, takes precedence, really. But, you know, those are that, you know, discussing exactly when that point comes -- Mhmm.

-- is beyond the scope of this probably. But what Jesus is cautioning us against is asking that question in a hypocritical way. And so just just sort of posing it theoretically. When actually, we're not prepared to submit to anyone except ourselves. Let alone God.

So And there are lots of people ask questions like this, don't they? Yeah. So when you when you're doing a question time, you know, why are UA racist? Yes. That sort of question.

Yeah. It's it's a plot all it is is a proclamation. Yeah. It's not a question. Why why are you homophobic?

Yeah. You know, it it's it's it's never really to to try to understand where inflammatory is and inflammatory. And that's what's going on here. Yeah. Exactly.

But it would be great to have the lines geez. I don't know what these occasions would be. Yeah. It would. Yeah.

Yeah. Okay. Well, I think we should leave it there and we'll move on to the next question that's coming up about marriage.