30th Mar 26 | 13:54
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Luke 20 19-26 THE FOOLISHNESS OF THE CRAFTY LEADERS 08 Luke 20 21-22 God’s purpose for Israel
📖 Luke 20:19-26
11Mar2021 - *God’s purpose for Israel* - _Luke 20:19-26_ - THE FOOLISHNESS OF THE CRAFTY LEADERS 8 – Bible reading: _Nehemiah 9:32-37_
The leaders were sure that they had trapped Jesus and they were now certain that they had brought an end to Jesus, by their cleverness.
_Luke 20:21-22 Then they asked Him, saying, "Teacher, we know that You say and teach rightly, and You do not show personal favouritism, but teach the way of God in truth: (22) Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?"_
In contending with Jesus, these leaders thought that they were being brilliant in trapping and eliminating Jesus but in all their cleverness they revealed their terrible state of poverty, before God.
Jesus was blunt with His response to these crafty leaders. _Matthew 22:18 But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, "Why do you test Me, *you hypocrites*?_
What was their bankruptcy? What was their hypocrisy?
They had completely forgotten that the very purpose of God choosing Israel as a nation, was for Israel to rule the nations and not the other way around. Now they were under the rule of Rome and paying taxes to the Roman government.
_Exodus 19:5 Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special *treasure to Me above all people*; for all the earth is Mine._
God had purposes and intended for them to be a royal diadem before the Gentiles. _Isaiah 62:2-3 *The Gentiles shall see your righteousness, And all kings your glory*. You shall be called by a new name, Which the mouth of the LORD will name. (3) *You shall also be a crown of glory In the hand of the LORD, And a royal diadem In the hand of your God*._
It was because of their disobedience, as a nation and as a people, for which these leaders were accountable, Israel was now under the rule of Rome. Whereas, if they had been obedient to God, the whole issue of paying taxes to a foreign nation would not even arise.
_Deuteronomy 28:7 “The LORD will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated before your face; they shall come out against you one way and flee before you seven ways._
In this, these leaders, thinking that they were brilliant, were actually revealing their pathetic and deplorable state. They had forgotten the bigger plan of God. In thinking that they were clever, they became fools.
They should have been full of remorse and should have had a penitent and broken spirit but they were gleefully patting each other on their backs of how smart they were in trapping Jesus.
_Ezra 9:7 Since the days of our fathers to this day we have been very guilty, and for our iniquities we, our kings, and our priests have been delivered into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity, to plunder, and to humiliation, as it is this day._
They should have had the spirit that Ezra the priest in repenting before God.
Nehemiah, a leader of the people, had the heart of penitence and brokenness before God. He was crying and seeking God’s forgiveness.
Whereas these leaders, in their arrogance, were considering themselves to be wise but they became fools.
_Nehemiah 9:32-37 “Now therefore, our God, The great, the mighty, and awesome God, Who keeps covenant and mercy: Do not let all the trouble seem small before You That has come upon us, Our kings and our princes, Our priests and our prophets, Our fathers and on all Your people, From the days of the kings of Assyria until this day. (33) However You are just in all that has befallen us; For You have dealt faithfully, But we have done wickedly.
_(34) Neither our kings nor our princes, Our priests nor our fathers, Have kept Your law, Nor heeded Your commandments and Your testimonies, With which You testified against them. (35) For they have not served You in their kingdom, Or in the many good things that You gave them, Or in the large and rich land which You set before them; Nor did they turn from their wicked works._
_(36) "Here we are, servants today! And the land that You gave to our fathers, To eat its fruit and its bounty, Here we are, servants in it! (37) And it yields much increase to the kings You have set over us, Because of our sins; Also they have dominion over our bodies and our cattle At their pleasure; And we are in great distress._
If these leaders had repented and prayed as Ezra and Nehemiah had done, the Lord would have heard their prayer and would have turned the circumstances around but there was no repentance, instead, arrogance and wickedness.
When people come against us to destroy us, let us see their actual pathetic state before God and let us pray for them. _Matthew 5:44 But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and *pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you*,_
*Thought to ponder*
```Learn to see those who trouble you, through the eyes of Jesus.```