It’s a set up deal; the authorities have sent spies to catch Jesus in a trap. First, begin with flattery, and then put the question. Hopefully no matter how he answers he is caught in the trap. If Jesus answers “yes” he will incur the wrath of the Jewish authorities; if he says “no” he risks arrest and a charge of “treason” from the Roman authorities. The horns of dilemma, but one which Jesus will cleverly avoid.
How easily you and I can be trapped by subtle flattery, which deceives us into an answer that we do not want to make and may not believe. “We know you do not show partiality but teach the way of God. Is it right???” We are called to live out our Baptismal Covenant and “strive for justice and peace among all people.” And in Lent we pray that God “will come quickly to help us who are assaulted by many temptations.”
Fr. Ted Bishop
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