Craftiness
Being crafty doesn't always pay off as you might expect.
When the scribes and chief priests realized that he had told this parable against them, they wanted to lay hands on him at that very hour, but they feared the people. So they watched him and sent spies who pretended to be honest, in order to trap him by what he said, so as to hand him over to the jurisdiction and authority of the governor. So they asked him, ‘Teacher, we know that you are right in what you say and teach, and you show deference to no one, but teach the way of God in accordance with truth. Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?’ But he perceived their craftiness and said to them, ‘Show me a denarius. Whose head and whose title does it bear?’ They said, ‘The emperor’s.’ He said to them, ‘Then give to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.’ And they were not able in the presence of the people to trap him by what he said; and being amazed by his answer, they became silent. - Luke 20:19-26
Sometimes you think you have come up with a great argument to win your case, only to find yourself slipped up by a simple statement.
The spies sent by the scribes and priests had come up with a great case against Jesus. If they could prove that he failed to pay taxes to the Emperor, Jesus could be arrested or worse.
But their plan backfired. Jesus used a simple coin to turn the tables on them.
You could say that Jesus was more crafty than they were, because he didn't answer their question. He failed to take ownership of the situation as they had expected.
Instead of taking his own coin, he asked them to show him a coin, one of theirs. Then he said give that coin to Caesar. So, he put the problem in their hands.
They had something that belongs to Caesar, so they should return it.
What can we learn from this approach?
Perhaps when we find ourselves challenged and tricked, we can pause long enough to use wisdom rather than emotion to fashion a response.
Jesus was often challenged. They tried repeatedly to trick him into saying or doing something they could hold against him, but he was ready for them.
We need to be ready. When they come to trick us, we should be smart and not find ourselves trapped.
More to come...