In Matthew chapter 22, by THE SPIRIT it is written:
15 Then the Pharisees went and plotted together how they might trap Him in what He said.
16 And they *sent their disciples to Him, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that You are truthful and teach the way of God in truth, and defer to no one; for You are not partial to any.
17 Tell us then, what do You think? Is it lawful to give a poll-tax to Caesar, or not?”
18 But Jesus perceived their malice, and said, “Why are you testing Me, you hypocrites?”
A hypocrite is a person who claims or pretends to have certain beliefs about what is right but who behaves in a way that disagrees with those beliefs. This person lives in deception and is unreliable as well. Can you imagine a group of men plotting together against the Beloved Son of Our Heavenly Father? They thrived on their status among the people and were willing to do whatever was necessary to retain that status. They were the epitome of selfishness and Jesus exposed that reality to all who were around.
Many people promote a personal agenda by use of deception and lies for they desire to do evil. This was the case of the Pharisees. Jesus rose up as a Standard of Truth before mankind and that Standard revealed the lies and deception of those in authority. We are to become that same Standard in the places where we are sent for this is what Love does. Love does not necessarily win popularity contests among those who live a life of deception. Indeed they will attack and malign our walk in order to rationalize their own actions to the point of being malicious. FATHER will reveal their hearts and instruct us how to handle each situation accordingly.
19 Show Me the coin used for the poll-tax.” And they brought Him a denarius.
20 And He *said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?”
21 They *said to Him, “Caesar’s.” Then He *said to them, “Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s; and to God the things that are God’s.”
22 And hearing this,they were amazed, and leaving Him, they went away.
When we walk according to FATHER’S directives, we are able to navigate through the situations where men attempt to malign, entrap, and deceive us. Often their goal is to harm us in some way in order to remove the light exposing their darkness. We must hear FATHER clearly and respond according to HIS Word in those situations just as Jesus did. We must draw from FATHER’S Wisdom and understanding rather than our own. As we do, the Wisdom from above reveals and defeats the man’s evil plots.
You can be sure that men will test our resolve to walk according to FATHER’S perfect plan, Will, and purpose just as Jesus was challenged and tempted in all manner. Strife and envy will be interwoven into their plans so that “self” can remain on the throne in their personal lives.
The Sadducees were a religious party at the time of Christ among the Jews, who denied that the oral law was a revelation of God to the Israelites, and who deemed the written law alone to be obligatory on the nation, as the divine authority. By definition they did not seek to hear FATHER’S Voice in any matter. I guess they thought once FATHER gave the Law, HE was done speaking and became silent in all matters.
23 On that day some Sadducees (who say there is no resurrection) came to Jesus and questioned (tested) Him.
And the challenges continued…
34 But when the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered themselves together.
35 One of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him.
Here were three different attempts to cause Jesus to stumble but in each case FATHER directed His steps and He overcame the hypocrites. We must not be intimidated by those who may be intellectually superior and possibly outdebate us in the natural. Instead, we simply need to walk according to THE SPIRIT and trust FATHER to give us the appropriate Word for such an encounter. HE will show us the intent of those who wish to do us harm and will direct our steps accordingly. There is a world full of people who have agendas apart from the Kingdom and we will encounter them as we progress into perfection. We must prepare daily by hearing FATHER’S Voice and walking in Love.