Day 553: Spiritual weapons - Luke 20 vs 19 - 26

19 The scribes and the chief priests sought to lay hands on him at that very hour, for they perceived that he had told this parable against them, but they feared the people. 20 So they watched him and sent spies, who pretended to be sincere, that they might catch him in something he said, so as to deliver him up to the authority and jurisdiction of the governor.

21 So they asked him, “Teacher, we know that you speak and teach rightly, and show no partiality, but truly teach the way of God. 22 Is it lawful for us to give tribute to Caesar, or not?” 

23 But he perceived their craftiness, and said to them, “Show me a denarius (a coin in use then),  whose likeness and inscription does it have?”  They said, “Caesar's.” He said to them, “Then  render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.” 26 And they were not able in the presence of the people to catch him in what he said, but marvelling at his answer, they became silent. Luke 20:19-26 (English Standard Version)

William Tyndale was a servant of Christ who longed for his countrymen to be able to read the Bible in English, so he went about translating it from the original Hebrew and Greek and had copies printed. Because of that, he was forced to flee from England and hide in Antwerp. Sadly, a man named Henry Phillips pretended to be an ardent supporter of Tyndale, got close to him, and then betrayed his whereabouts to those seeking his life. Tyndale was arrested, declared a heretic, and strangled and burned at the stake in 1536. We see a similar trap set for Christ in vs 20. Spies who pretended to be sincere!

In vs 21 they tried to 'butter Him up'. It seems they did not really mean a word they said. Oh may we never be those who give lip service to Jesus! What was the trick in the question they asked Him in vs 22?

It was a loaded question with strong political implications. If Jesus said 'don't pay the tax' they could have reported Him to the Romans as a revolutionary. If He said 'pay the tax', they could have portrayed Him as a traitor to the Jewish people who hated the Roman taxation. The answer Jesus gave was brilliant. Even those who'd set out to trap Him had to admit that, and they became silent.

This incident is something we can learn from for when we get confronted by those looking for something to destroy our Christian witness. There are people who bait street preachers to get them to say something that can be reported to the Police as a so called 'hate crime'. We’re also living in days that are politically charged. Not quite as bad as what Christians faced in Nazi Germany, and currently face in Communist countries, but heading that way. We need to a pray often that the Holy Spirit will help us to recognize when people are not really interested in the gospel, but just seeking a way to trap us in our words. This can easily happen in LGBT issues.

But perhaps an even bigger lesson here is for Christians to remember that the Kingdom we are speaking about is not of this world. We are not here to start a revolution, or to bring governments down through advocating disobedience or violence. It was prophesied of Christ that: “He will not quarrel or cry aloud, nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets; a bruised reed he will not break, and a smouldering wick he will not quench, until he brings justice to victory.” (Matthew 12:19-20)

Yes, Jesus IS concerned about justice. But it’s the justice that is good in God's sight rather than the 'rights' that so many people are demanding, and rioting in the streets for. The weapons of our warfare are spiritual ones. It is through preaching the truth and praying to God for the success of the gospel that people, and even nations, have been changed. Preaching and prayer have divine power to destroy the strongholds of sin. Jesus never organized riots, but His life and words transformed the world. So too, we mustn't use social media to promote violence and revolution. Any influence we have on the politics of our generation must be through affirming the truth taught in God's word. That's what William Tyndale sought to do.