Go And Do Likewise

Matthew 22: 15-21
 
 Then the Pharisees went and plotted to entrap him in what he said. So they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, ‘Teacher, we know that you are sincere, and teach the way of God in accordance with truth, and show deference to no one; for you do not regard people with partiality. Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?’ But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, ‘Why are you putting me to the test, you hypocrites? Show me the coin used for the tax.’ And they brought him a denarius. Then he said to them, ‘Whose head is this, and whose title?’ They answered, ‘The emperor’s.’ Then he said to them, ‘Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.’
 
This is a Gospel passage in which Jesus is not just smart, he is brilliant. His brilliance has to do with the complex trap the Pharisees planned and sent their disciples to execute. It has to do with how Jesus immediately saw the layers within the trap and neatly sidestepped all of them. There is far more to this passage than just a question of whether Jesus supported civil obedience and taxes, a very hot topic in Israel at that time. The underlying issues involved in this passage are interesting in their complexity but not really 'food for blog'. Not my blog, anyway.

What stood out to me, however, was Jesus' immediate response to the ones who were challenging him. The Pharisees had sent their disciples because they figured that if they came and put the question to Jesus, he would recognize who they were and be alerted to their scheming. They wanted Jesus to relax and say what he really thought but Jesus knew exactly what was going on. He could read minds and hearts like they were open books. He could see through flattery and pretenses of innocence. He knew when antagonistic people were in his presence.

Question: Did Jesus love the scribes and Pharisees who were challenging him and trying to trap him? Did he love the ones he knew were just waiting for him to make a mistake so they could crucify him? Answer: Of course he did. He died on that cross for them as well. He loved them deeply and yearned that they would allow him to soften their hearts. He wished so badly that they could know his Father's love and be freed from their greed and malicious behavior. But he also had an inner awareness of who could and who could not receive him.

Jesus had the gift of knowledge and insight that came from a relationship with the Father. He could read people and he immediately knew their inner thoughts, intentions and motivations. He could tell if someone had even the tiniest spark of spiritual desire within them. Isaiah said, “...a bruised reed he will not break, and a dimly burning wick he will not quench.” But Jesus was also given the knowledge of when the light had gone out completely or when the the love of power, status and riches had eradicated all love for God. He knew when it wasn't time to fan the embers. When he discerned a heart that had locked itself tight against his love, he did not waste time being accommodating or trying to reason with the person.

Jesus could have engaged any one of those Pharisees in a full on Talmudic debate and he could have won with no difficulty. They would have just hated him even more. He could have treated them with kindness and mercy. They would have crucified him anyway. He could have taken each one aside and pointed out every wound and every desire they had ever had that led them to a place of such hardness of heart. Their pride would have denied it all and they would have looked even harder for evidence against him.

Jesus didn't seek them out. They came to him. They sought him out to lay their traps and try to find fault but Jesus knew their hearts and he didn't spend time trying to bring them around. There were too many other people who needed him, wanted him and were ripe for the Kingdom. There were so many others who thirsted for his teachings and desperately needed his healing touch and his love. When the Pharisees or the elders came around to question him, he answered their questions but he always got straight to the heart of the matter, exposed their hidden intentions, said what he had to say and walked away.

I wonder what Jesus would have thought of the question, “What's the Christian thing to do?” There seem to be two main common assumptions when it comes to that question. The first one is the assumption that the Christian thing to do is to always put up with the garbage, always give in and always try to do the most loving thing – and there are plenty of scriptures to support this assumption. The second assumption is based on the belief that natural negative impulses and strong reactions are justified by the scriptures where Jesus showed anger or Jesus got upset with injustice or where Jesus put the Pharisees in their place.

I think Jesus would shake his head sadly at both assumptions. If we studied what Jesus constantly did so that we could define 'the Christian thing to do', we would discover that Jesus didn't have an agenda. He simply listened to his Father. He was so in tune with his God and had such an intimate relationship with his Father that his understanding of what God required of him in any situation was instantaneous. Jesus didn't act out of impulsive emotional responses nor was he saddled by a simplistic generalized ethos of what it means to 'be a Christian'. He wasn't just making it up as he went along but he and the Father were definitely creatively responding very appropriately and powerfully to every challenge, conflict and need as they presented themselves.

In John 5: 19 and 30, Jesus says ‘Very truly, I tell you, the Son can do nothing on his own, but only what he sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, the Son does likewise. The Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing.” and “I can do nothing on my own.” He did not heal unless he saw the Father healing. He did not teach unless he saw the Father teaching. No knowledge or miracle came from him alone and there was nothing he said to the antagonistic Pharisees that did not first come from the Father. His Father's voice was his delight, his shield, his fortress and his only guidance – and it should be ours as well.

When in doubt, the safest thing to do is love. You can't go too far wrong even though you may find yourself in a time-consuming, heart-rending, no-win situation with someone who is more likely to grind you down than change their ways. What you really need to do is get close to the Lord. Develop an intimate relationship with him. Fall in love with your Father and become familiar with his voice so that when it comes time to discern how to respond to the people in your life who are anything from challenging to downright abusive, your whole desire is to know what God sees is appropriate to the situation and for the person you're dealing with. God may call you to selfless love or call you to walk away. He may call you to be completely honest and to set firm boundaries or he may call you to tolerance. He might call you to strongly point out an injustice or he might tell you to walk softly for a time. 

Ask for the gift of insight into the hearts you're dealing with and an understanding of the Lord's heart. Whatever he calls you to do, he will provide the grace to do it. Understand that you will never be called to resentment or revenge and be very wary if you think he is calling you to angry confrontation. I would check that one out with a spiritual mentor - several times! So much destruction can come out of unleashed rage erroneously labeled 'righteous anger'. Respectful confrontation is one thing but angry confrontation can cause wounds that are terribly difficult to heal – not only in the one you confront but in yourself as well. It's a two edged sword.

The main thing is not to assume that God always expects you to act in one certain way. He will appreciate your efforts to act in love but he will appreciate it even more if you go to him and ask for his perspective and his direction. Pray and listen – and then pray and listen some more. Seek him without assuming you know the answer. It's difficult to become familiar with the voice of the Lord if all you can hear is your own mind telling you, “If you were a real Christian, you would...” It takes time to be able to let go of preconceived ideas so that you can differentiate between your voice and God's voice. No, it's not easy. But guess what? It took Jesus 30 years.

 Grow into a relationship with the Father. It's the 'Christian thing to do'.