Jesus lives!

These men waited for Jesus to answer. They
were thinking that they had Him in their power
at last.

Jesus saw their slyness at once, and exposed
them saying, "Why tempt ye me, ye hypocrates?
Bring me the tribute money." It took only a
moment to get a shekel from the money-changer.

While this was happening
a crowd gathered to
see what answer Jesus
was going to give them.

The Herodians question looked honest, but it
really was a trick. They thought one way and
the Pharisees another.

The Pharisees thought Jesus would speak out
against paying the taxes and expose Himself
to the Romans.

On the other hand, if Jesus spoke for payment,
He would make the people angry because they
felt the tax was a heavy burden.

Either way their trick looked like a perfect plot.

They had a clever approach but it was filled with
deceit.

The Jewish people were weighted down with the
tax burden. And the Israelites were grieved by
the fact that they were the chosen nation but
had to pay taxes to a heathen.

Coming to Jesus the Herodians said, "We know
that thou art true, and teachest the way of God
in truth, neither carest thou for an man; for
thou regardest not the person of men."
Matthew 22:16

They were trying to get Jesus to give them His
opinion (like they were looking for guidance) on
if they should or shouldn't pay their tribute.

The Herodians came to Jesus without raising
suspicion and appeared before Him, pretending
to be earnest and giving the impression that a
question had come up between them and the
Pharisees.

They brought their question to Him for a
decision.

Because they didn't dare to face Jesus in person,
the Pharisees sent a delegation of several
Herodians to ask Him a question about taxes.

The Pharisees and Herodians had been bitter
enemies
but had
set it
aside to
join
together
against
Jesus.


The Herodians were unfaithful Jews who had
outraged the Pharisees. But that these two
groups would band together to plot against Jesus,
shows to what extent their bitter hatred of the
Lord had brought them.

Jesus stayed in the temple, teaching parables
that the religious leaders knew were for them,
but regardless of their anger they were unable
to stop Him. Matthew 21:45-46

Their humiliation in front of the people in the
temple made them gather together to discuss
what they should do next.

They wanted to arrest Him then and there but
because of how the crowd felt about Him they
didn't dare touch Him.

The Jewish leaders couldn't tell whether a man
of John's influence and power was a man from
God, or an imposter.

They sat where Moses sat; they were keepers of
the traditions of the nation; they were the teachers
of the people, but they couldn't answer His question.

They fell into their own trap. The curse they
intended for another come upon themselves.

Jesus told the Jewish religious leaders that He
was willing to answer their question on one
condition. That was that they answer His first.

"The baptism of John, whence was it? from
heaven, or of men?" Matthew 21:25

These men began whispering among them
selves, while the people watched. They were
embarrassed, John had testified of Jesus and
proclaimed Him as the Messiah.

Jesus had a right to their answer before He
gave them His. If they said that John was a
true prophet, then Jesus would ask why they
didn't believe Him. But if they said his baptism
was of men, then they would be shown up in
front of the people because they believed that
John was a prophet.

The Jewish leaders were in a spot where they
felt they didn't dare to answer Him. They were
forced to reply "we cannot say".

These leaders had more than one purpose in
mind. They wanted to impress all the people
by maintaining there authority.

They wanted to bait Jesus into making some
kind of statement that would cause Him to lose
the people's favor.

Jesus, of course, knew what they were trying
to do and answered them in a way that confused
them. He always had a way to dodge and put to
shame the tricks they used to try and trap Him.

Jesus
and
His
disciples
went to Jerusalem and they entered
the temple where He began to teach.

The rulers of the temple appeared and were
annoyed that He was there.

The chief priests, the elders, the scribes and
the Rabbis came to question Him. They made
a demand that He tell them by what authority
He did these things. Who gave Him the
authority to assume the office of a prophet?
Who gave Him the right to purge the temple?

"The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came,
and tempting desired him that he would shew
them a sign from heaven" Matthew 16:1














"He answered and said unto them, When it is
evening, ye say, It will be fair weather: for the
sky is red, And in the morning, It will be foul
weather today: for the sky is red and lowring.
O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the
sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the

times?"

Matthew 16:2-3

Peter learned later the difference between clean
and unclean meats in Acts 10:9-16.

The Pharisees' rules of clean and unclean meats
claimed that the Law was to be before the Gospel.

Paul was to have to fight to the end the battle
against Judaism which place such importance on
meats, drinks and fleshly rules.

They were to represent things to come but Jesus
came to fulfill the law with better promises.

A little later when the disciples were alone with
Jesus, Peter asked about what He had said.

Jesus remarked of his lack of understanding,
but then explained that the food one eats cannot
affect the man's spiritual being one way or the
other. But, what comes from the heart, "evil
thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders,
thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit,
lasciviousnes, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride,
foolishness: these. . . things. . .defile a man."

The Pharisee claimed that their laws were given
by Moses and passed down through the elders.
But Jesus went on to teach the multitudes the
doctrines that showed their worthlessness.

He said, "Hear and understand: Not that which
goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that
which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth
a man" Matthew 15:10-11.

Jesus' words were causing death to ceremonies,
and no wonder the Pharisees were offended.

Jesus' response was a blow to the Pharisees
traditions.

The disciples asked Jesus, "Knowest thou that
the Pharisees were offended, after they heard
this saying?" Matthew 15:12

Jesus calmed them, saying, ". . . .Every plant,
which my heavenly Father hath not planted,
shall be rooted up. Let them alone: they be
blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead
the blind, both shall fall into the ditch"
Matthew 15:13-14

When these men asked the question of tradition,
it gave Jesus the chance to give them a stern
rebuke for letting their traditions violate the Word
of God.

Instead of a man's helping his father and mother
in their old age, he might simply hand over the
money for their support and say, "it is a gift,"
and then not have any more to do with them.

It wasn't only wrong but it was done in the name
of religion.

When the spies

of the Pharisees

realized that
Jesus' disciples

hadn't carried

out the tradition
of the elders by

washing their

hands, they were
very offended,

and came to

Jesus demanding an answer.

The Lord wasn't bothered by their indignation
and returned with another question:
"Why do ye also transgress the commandment
of God by your tradition?
For God commanded, saying, Honour thy
father and mother: and, He that curseth father
or mother, let him die the death.
But ye say, Whosoever shall say to his father
or his mother, It is a gift, by whatsoever thou
mightest be profited by me;
And honour not his father or his mother, he
shall be free. Thus have ye made the
commandment of God of none effect by your
tradition."

To eat with unwashed hands was considered
serious misconduct and the penalty was to
be excommunicated.

It's said that the terrors of superstition were
brought in to inforce the commandment.

Failure to wash hands subjected a man to the
assaults of Demons.

The Jews had come to regard these laws, that
they would in some cases become martyrs
rather than fail to conform to them.

The Jews were so precise in these ceremonial
washings that one day they washed the golden
candlestick. The Sadducees who didn't go
along with them on these things, remarked
that "soon they would think it necessary to
wash the sun."

A collection of customs containing no less than
twenty-six prayers were drawn up which were
to go along with the washings.

To neglect these traditions of the Pharisees, in
their eyes was as bad as murder.

Before every meal and after returning from
the market, they were required to wash their
hands; even if they had to walk four miles to
find water.

Mark explains in chapter 7:4 that this rule or
law included washing of many other things,
"And many other things there be, which they
have received to hold, as the washing of cups
and pot, brasen vessels, and of tables"

"Then came to

Jesus scribes

and Pharisees,
which were of

Jerusalem,

saying,

Why do thy
disciples

transgress the

tradition of the

elders?
for they wash

not their hands

when the eat bread" Matthew 15:1-2

The law was very strict in ceremonial rites.
Which included the washing of hands before
and after a meal. There was no such command-
ment concerning this in the Law of Moses, but
it appears that this requirement was developed
in their schools.

The Pharisees believed that there was a good
time coming when the glories of David's kingdom
would be established on earth by the Messiah.

It would be an earthly paradise that they
expected. They believed that the religious
dead would rise and share in these glories.

There was another group called the Sadducees.
Their influence wasn't as great as the Pharisees.

They didn't believe in the continued life of the
soul after death. And they didn't believe in the
rewards or penalties in the afterlife.

Acts records, "The Sadducees say that there
is no resurrection, neither angel, nor spirit:
but the Pharisees confess both" Acts 23:8

A group that called themselves Pharisees
became a strong religious and political party.

Josepheus, an historian, wrote that they made
rules and regulations that weren't in the Books
of Moses. These people became popular among
the religious crowds.

The Pharisees rose up during the Babylonian
captivity. The Israelites, during their exile, had
to be content with the dream of restoring their
temple and the Book of the Law that they took
with them.

The Law became the center of the Jewish life.
When they returned from captivity and the
temple was rebuilt, they restored the old
priestly order. The Law didn't cease to be the
center of the nation.

What an unprofitable night for Judas! For the
price of a few coins he sold his Lord, delivered
his own soul to perdition, and brought upon him
self the hatred of generations to come.

If he was disapproving of the waste of Mary's
gift, her sacrifice of love that Jesus welcomed;
he didn't look ahead at the waste he himself was
about to make.

Jesus' rebuke hit Judas deeply. The 300 pence
was lost; Jesus' prediction of He own death
crushed Judas' hope for a earthly Messiah.

After the feast, Judas went secretly to Jeru-
salem and bartered
with the chief priests.

"What will ye give
me, and I will deliver
him unto you? and
they covenanted
with him for thirty
pieces of silver"
Matthew 26:15













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