Day 2
Scripture:
Then the Pharisees went and plotted how to trap him by what he said., So they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians. “Teacher,” they said, “we know that you are truthful and teach truthfully the way of God. You don’t care what anyone thinks nor do you show partiality., Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”
Perceiving their malicious intent, Jesus said, “Why are you testing me, hypocrites? Show me the coin used for the tax.” They brought him a denarius. “Whose image and inscription is this?” he asked them.
“Caesar’s,” they said to him.
Then he said to them, “Give, then, to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” When they heard this, they were amazed. So they left him and went away.
(Matthew 22:15-22)
Reflection:
When I started reading the Gospels for myself, as an adult and an atheist, one of the first things that jumped at me was how smart Jesus was. Constantly challenged by adversaries, particularly the religious leaders who were threatened by what he said and did, Jesus masterfully handled those conversations, often with powerful comebacks that left his opponents stunned and silent, wondering what just hit them. “When they heard this, they were amazed, they left him, and went away” the text says. Retreat! The picture is just too funny. The Pharisees challenged him on the payment of taxes with a catch 22 dilemma: if Jesus said to pay taxes, they’d accuse him of funding the oppression of the people of God, but if Jesus said not to pay taxes, they’d accuse him of revolting against the Roman ruler. Instead, he gave his famous reply: give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and give to God what is God’s. Brilliant.
Later that same day, the Sadducees (who denied the resurrection of the dead) tried to trap him with a theology question: if a woman was married, widowed, and remarried multiple times, who would be her husband at the final resurrection? Surely Jesus wouldn’t endorse polygamy, would he? And Jesus replied by challenging their false assumption: no one is married at the resurrection! And then he gave them a lesson in Bible interpretation: “Now concerning the resurrection of the dead, haven’t you read what was spoken to you by God: I am the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob?, He is not the God of the dead, but of the living” (Matthew 22:31-32). And once again, “when the crowds heard this, they were astonished at his teaching” (v.33).
Jesus was a master at exposing inconsistencies. On an earlier occasion when the religious leaders had asked by what authority he was doing everything he did, Jesus replied that he would answer the question only if they answered one first: “Did John’s baptism come from heaven, or was it from human origin?” And they immediately saw the dilemma: “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say to us, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’ But if we say, ‘Of human origin,’ we’re afraid of the crowd, because everyone considers John to be a prophet” (Matthew 21:25-26). So, they pretended not to know, and they didn’t get their response either.
Jesus also pointed out the inconsistency of the religious leaders who got offended when he healed people on the Sabbath, even though they would gladly rescue a sheep on the Sabbath if one fell into a pit. Jesus pointed out their incoherent concerns and blew them out of the water: “A person is worth far more than a sheep!” (Matthew 12:12). Hard to argue against that.
All that raised questions about the identity of Jesus, once again. Jesus’s wisdom led crowds not only to marvel, but also to wonder where it all came from. When he taught in the temple, the Jews “were amazed and said, ‘how is this man so learned, since he hasn’t been trained?’” (John 7:14-15) and when Mary and Joseph found him in the temple as a child sitting among the teachers, “all those who heard him were astounded at his understanding and his answers” (Luke 2:47).
So, where did this wisdom come from? From the Father, of course! Jesus eventually explained: “My teaching isn’t mine, but from the one who sent me” (John 7:16), and “whatever the Father does, the Son likewise does these things”. Yes, and “these things” made him amazing.
Now, beyond the immediate entertainment value, all of this has a real and practical consequence: it means that even a smart and educated person can enjoy, relate, and be impressed. We are not asked to place our faith in someone we cannot look up to intellectually. It was very helpful for me as an atheist, terrified to commit intellectual suicide if I were to become a believer. Whatever one thinks of the Christians around them, they cannot look at Jesus and think “I’m too smart for this.” And as it so happens, a number of brilliant thinkers of the past did believe in him: Augustine, Aquinas, and closer to home for me as a Frenchman: Calvin, Pascal, Descartes, there’s no shortage of intellectual giants with faith in Christ. We’re in good company if we read the Gospels, look at Jesus, and find him amazing.
Perceiving their malicious intent, Jesus said, “Why are you testing me, hypocrites? Show me the coin used for the tax.” They brought him a denarius. “Whose image and inscription is this?” he asked them.
“Caesar’s,” they said to him.
Then he said to them, “Give, then, to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” When they heard this, they were amazed. So they left him and went away.
(Matthew 22:15-22)
Reflection:
When I started reading the Gospels for myself, as an adult and an atheist, one of the first things that jumped at me was how smart Jesus was. Constantly challenged by adversaries, particularly the religious leaders who were threatened by what he said and did, Jesus masterfully handled those conversations, often with powerful comebacks that left his opponents stunned and silent, wondering what just hit them. “When they heard this, they were amazed, they left him, and went away” the text says. Retreat! The picture is just too funny. The Pharisees challenged him on the payment of taxes with a catch 22 dilemma: if Jesus said to pay taxes, they’d accuse him of funding the oppression of the people of God, but if Jesus said not to pay taxes, they’d accuse him of revolting against the Roman ruler. Instead, he gave his famous reply: give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and give to God what is God’s. Brilliant.
Later that same day, the Sadducees (who denied the resurrection of the dead) tried to trap him with a theology question: if a woman was married, widowed, and remarried multiple times, who would be her husband at the final resurrection? Surely Jesus wouldn’t endorse polygamy, would he? And Jesus replied by challenging their false assumption: no one is married at the resurrection! And then he gave them a lesson in Bible interpretation: “Now concerning the resurrection of the dead, haven’t you read what was spoken to you by God: I am the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob?, He is not the God of the dead, but of the living” (Matthew 22:31-32). And once again, “when the crowds heard this, they were astonished at his teaching” (v.33).
Jesus was a master at exposing inconsistencies. On an earlier occasion when the religious leaders had asked by what authority he was doing everything he did, Jesus replied that he would answer the question only if they answered one first: “Did John’s baptism come from heaven, or was it from human origin?” And they immediately saw the dilemma: “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say to us, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’ But if we say, ‘Of human origin,’ we’re afraid of the crowd, because everyone considers John to be a prophet” (Matthew 21:25-26). So, they pretended not to know, and they didn’t get their response either.
Jesus also pointed out the inconsistency of the religious leaders who got offended when he healed people on the Sabbath, even though they would gladly rescue a sheep on the Sabbath if one fell into a pit. Jesus pointed out their incoherent concerns and blew them out of the water: “A person is worth far more than a sheep!” (Matthew 12:12). Hard to argue against that.
All that raised questions about the identity of Jesus, once again. Jesus’s wisdom led crowds not only to marvel, but also to wonder where it all came from. When he taught in the temple, the Jews “were amazed and said, ‘how is this man so learned, since he hasn’t been trained?’” (John 7:14-15) and when Mary and Joseph found him in the temple as a child sitting among the teachers, “all those who heard him were astounded at his understanding and his answers” (Luke 2:47).
So, where did this wisdom come from? From the Father, of course! Jesus eventually explained: “My teaching isn’t mine, but from the one who sent me” (John 7:16), and “whatever the Father does, the Son likewise does these things”. Yes, and “these things” made him amazing.
Now, beyond the immediate entertainment value, all of this has a real and practical consequence: it means that even a smart and educated person can enjoy, relate, and be impressed. We are not asked to place our faith in someone we cannot look up to intellectually. It was very helpful for me as an atheist, terrified to commit intellectual suicide if I were to become a believer. Whatever one thinks of the Christians around them, they cannot look at Jesus and think “I’m too smart for this.” And as it so happens, a number of brilliant thinkers of the past did believe in him: Augustine, Aquinas, and closer to home for me as a Frenchman: Calvin, Pascal, Descartes, there’s no shortage of intellectual giants with faith in Christ. We’re in good company if we read the Gospels, look at Jesus, and find him amazing.
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This devotional is written by Guillaume Bignon, author of Confessions of a French Atheist
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