PT-5 "The Attack" (Matt. 22:15-17)

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 8/15/2023 9:14 AM

 

My Worship Time                                                                                  Focus:  PT-5 “The Attack”

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                    Reference:  Matt. 22:15-17

 

            Message of the verses:  “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? 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.”

 

            I wish to continue to talk some more about the Roman tax system as I continue looking at these verses.  MacArthur writes “Paying for the support of the occupying forces and providing the many beneficial services for which Rome was famous required an enormous amount of money, necessarily supplied by taxation.  Consequently, a land tax of one tenth of the grain and one fifth of the wine and oil produced was assessed annually, as was a one percent income tax on wage earners.  Customs taxes on merchandise were collected at all ports and major crossroads.” 

 

            This is really not pleasant for me to talk about taxes but taxes are a part of life, and because of these Roman taxes that they charged to the conquered peoples, not the least beneficial of which was the Pax Romana, which could be described as Roman peace.  Before Roman conquered the Middle Eastern countries there was a lot of wars that went on as different countries would come and conquer the different nations in the Middle East, but once Rome conquered this entire region there was little to no more wars that went on because of the power of Rome.  So at least under Roman protection they were free from war and could travel in relative safety anywhere in the empire.  Another thing that they offered was good roads to travel on, something that was not there before Rome conquered different countries.

 

            When we talk about the poll-tax it was not the most expensive tax to be paid, but it was the most offensive to the Jewish people.  MacArthur writes “Perhaps it was because they considered themselves as personally belonging to God rather than to Caesar.  It was the census tax that incited the insurrection of Judas of Galilee in A. D. 6 that was instrumental in the deposing of Herod Archelaus and his replacement by a Roman governor.  Judas’s rally cry was that, because God was their only God and Lord, the census tax would not be paid to Rome.  As Gamaliel reminded the Sanhedrin when Peter and the other apostles were being questioned in Jerusalem, the rebel Judas ‘perished, and those who followed him were scattered’ (Acts. 5:37).  It was the nationalistic, anti-Roman sentiment of Judas on which the Zealot movement was built and that was behind the rebellion of A. D. 66 that eventuated in the Roman destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple four years later.”

 

            This whole last quotation from MacArthur was seen as the reason that it was no accident that the Pharisees had instructed their disciples to induce Jesus to make a statement about the poll-tax. Now if Jesus gave a favorable answer to the tax then He would become despised by the Jewish multitudes who until then highly admired Him, so this question was a very important one indeed.  If that were the case then the Jewish leaders would then be free to arrest and have Him executed without interference from the populace.  It is believed that He would answer otherwise and openly declare that the tax was both unjust and ungodly and should not be paid which would be offensive to Rome, thus incurring the wrath of Rome as an insurrectionist similar to that of Judas in 6 A. D.

 

            The answer that Jesus gives to these men will be the subject of our next SD which will be entitled “The Accusation” from Matthew 22:18.  I look forward to write about this in my next SD.

 

8/15/2023 9:48 AM