Opposition to the King
Book of Matthew Chapter 22
What do we know for sure as Christians? We know that as long as we are in the Church Age, we will encounter those who oppose the Lord Jesus Christ!
We will even see enemies join together in an attempt to overthrow the Church.
We will certainly face persecution, but the Church cannot be shut down by the enemies of Christ!
Mat 16:18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; "and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it".
We will see persecution increase throughout the world, but the Church will still prevail and even get stronger!
We must remember that strength is not always in numbers as it is in the knowledge of the truth of the Scriptures.
We are now studying the last week our Lord Jesus spent upon this earth.
Last week we saw that our Lord Jesus cleansed the Temple one more time running off those who bought and sold and the money changers, all these making God's House of Prayer into a bazaar for the wicked.
Jesus had told the parable of the Marriage Supper and the leaders had determined that these things were about them.
What happens? Those who had rejected God's Messiah plotted to destroy Him.
*****Mat 22:15 Then went the Pharisees, and took counsel how they might entangle him in his talk.
Even this thing fulfilled prophecy!
Psa 2:1 Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?
Psa 2:2 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying,
Psa 2:3 Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.
Psa 2:4 He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision.
All the time the rulers of this earth are plotting to stop Christianity the almighty God is laughing at their feeble attempts!
We can be sure the Pharisees were becoming desperate, for they did not know how to stop Jesus.
All the previous attempts had been to discredit Jesus as the Master, Rabboni, a teacher of the Word of God.
This new attempt was to expose Jesus to the laws of government, which were by Rome.
The laws of Rome were harsh especially to anyone who defied them.
Our Lord Jesus was a hated man and a rejected Messiah!
All the so-called religious leaders devised a method to attack the Lord Jesus Christ.
*****Mat 22:16 And they sent out unto him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, Master, we know that thou art true, and teachest the way of God in truth, neither carest thou for any man: for thou regardest not the person of men.
Mat 22:17 Tell us therefore, What thinkest thou? Is it lawful to give tribute unto Caesar, or not?
These were wicked men full of hatred and they did not know Jehovah as they had claimed.
We must understand that this counsel was the Sanhedrin Court. In America we would say the Supreme Court.
In reality these people feared the Lord Jesus Christ because of the multitudes that gathered around Him.
They mocked our Lord by saying He was certainly a Bible Master, not expecting our Lord to show concern about the laws of man especially the laws of Rome.
We know it is our same Lord who places the government leaders in their positions, for His own purpose!
Rom 13:1 Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.
Rom 13:2 Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.
Rom 13:3 For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same:
Rom 13:4 For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.
Rom 13:5 Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake.
Rom 13:6 For for this cause pay ye tribute also: for they are God's ministers, attending continually upon this very thing.
Rom 13:7 Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour.
Rom 13:8 Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.
By reading in Chapter 13 Book of Romans, we can see that we are to be good citizens no matter who our leaders are, and we are to obey the laws of man as long as they do not contradict the Word of God.
Our God does not ever change so, yes, it was lawful to pay tribute to Caesar even though Caesar was a wicked, evil man.
Our Lord Jesus knew what those hypocrites were trying to do.
*****Mat 22:18 But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, Why tempt ye me, ye hypocrites?
We do not have to look really close to see the devil behind all these things.
You see the devil thought he would win if the Lord Jesus could be killed!
The Herodians were a mean-spirited group of men who actually favored political rule and the Roman authority.
They were bought by Rome to do the bidding of Rome.
Sounds a whole lot like many of our own politicians today, who sell out America to fill their own pocketbooks.
They did not want a free Israel.
We should keep in mind that these Herodians actually hated the Pharisees so, to see them work together for the same cause, "to eliminate" the Lord Jesus Christ, shows us just how desperate these Pharisees were.
Just so we know, there will never be any person or anything that can be used to get one over on the Lord Jesus Christ.
There is no human being who can fool God!
These Herodians were the worst hypocrites of all of Israel as they claimed Jehovah and their nation and were traitors to both!
Why would Jesus Christ not be allowed to preach in most Churches today? Because He can see right through their wickedness, and He points it out to them.
These wicked men were trying to involve our Lord Jesus in the politics of that day.
As Christians we do have two citizenships.
We are citizens of this world which is clearly evident.
As citizens of this world we should pay our taxes (tribute).
1Pe 2:13 Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme;
1Pe 2:14 Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well.
1Pe 2:15 For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men:
1Pe 2:16 As free, and not using your liberty for a cloke of maliciousness, but as the servants of God.
But we are also citizens of Heaven, bought and paid for by the "blood of Jesus the Messiah".
We are Spiritual citizens of Heaven because Heaven is the home of the Holy Spirit.
We owe to God everything that belongs to Him!
No matter their beliefs, these Herodians, by rejecting the Lord Jesus had condemned themselves.
They were pretending to be something they were not.
They were pretending to seek the truth when they were not interested in the truth.
They were pretending to honor the Lord Jesus Christ, while they plotted for His death.
The Pharisees saw religion as supreme, but they had to admit that some things belonged to earthly powers.
Jesus then said show me the tribute money you are talking about.
*****Mat 22:19 Shew me the tribute money. And they brought unto him a penny.
Mat 22:20 And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription?
Mat 22:21 They say unto him, Caesar's. Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's.
This coin proved that the Jews were no longer an independent nation, but lived under the laws of Rome which demanded tribute and it was their duty to submit to the demands of Rome and to pay those taxes.
The Jews had allowed themselves to be in this position because they had turned their back on God.
What are the things of God? Our life and the things that surround our life.
If we do our duty to serve our sovereign God, we will find that we will not be in conflict with our nation if our nation respects the rights of God.
There is nothing my nation can do to take away my citizenship in Heaven!
We may live in this world, but we are not part of this world, but as visitors, we should obey the laws of this world and be good citizens of this world.
We owe God our life, we do not owe this world our life!
As the Born-Again children of God, we are to live a self-denying life of joy, love, peace for the sake of mankind.
Gal 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
Gal 5:23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
Gal 5:24 And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.
Gal 5:25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
Gal 5:26 Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.
We are to live as an example of Christ Jesus.
The way we live is our greatest witnessing tool!
So we see, we must be good citizens of this world and at the same time, remain true citizens of the Spiritual world.
We may have to pay taxes and tribute in this world, but we are to give our life to God who made us!
Rom 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
Rom 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
The Herodians were silenced! Then came the Sadducees.
*****Mat 22:23 The same day came to him the Sadducees, which say that there is no resurrection, and asked him,
We should not forget we are in the last week of the Lord’s life and after His death He knows He will arise from that death after three days, just as He had said.
Mat_12:39 But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas:
Mat_12:40 For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
This ultra-liberal group of men that approach Him now, did not believe in the resurrection.
They were just another cult like there are so many today who reject the truth of God.
We should clearly understand that the Herodians, the Scribes, the Pharisee, the Samaritans, and these Sadducees were all opposed to the Lord Jesus Christ, yet that all claimed Jehovah God.
The Lord Jesus Christ had to put up with these men and others like them most everyday He walked upon this earth.
Heb 12:3 For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.
Heb 12:4 Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin.
We must understand the life of a Christian will never be easy, but it will always be rewarding!
Listen to these feeble-minded men try to trip up the Lord.
*****Mat 22:24 Saying, Master, Moses said, If a man die, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother.
They first presented their proof of knowing the Law of Moses.
Deu 25:5 If brethren dwell together, and one of them die, and have no child, the wife of the dead shall not marry without unto a stranger: her husband's brother shall go in unto her, and take her to him to wife, and perform the duty of an husband's brother unto her.
Deu 25:6 And it shall be, that the firstborn which she beareth shall succeed in the name of his brother which is dead, that his name be not put out of Israel.
We can actually trace this thing back to the day of Judah a son of Jacob.
Gen 38:8 And Judah said unto Onan, Go in unto thy brother's wife, and marry her, and raise up seed to thy brother.
We see that the preservation of the tribes of Israel were important.
These foolish men then tried to trip up the Lord with something they already denied.
*****Mat 22:25 Now there were with us seven brethren: and the first, when he had married a wife, deceased, and, having no issue, left his wife unto his brother:
Mat 22:26 Likewise the second also, and the third, unto the seventh.
Mat 22:27 And last of all the woman died also.
Mat 22:28 Therefore in the resurrection whose wife shall she be of the seven? for they all had her.
As we have seen in the politicians that are in power today in America, these men had no understanding of the truth of God, and they rejected most all the truth of the Doctrine of the Lord Jesus Christ.
In fact, the Word of God is the basis of all truth in our world so, any deviation is then in error.
These Sadducee substituted "tradition" (the oral law) for all the Word of God they denied, and we know that when the Word of God is misrepresented it leads to sin!
This situation was not impossible though highly unlikely, but these men had no question about this thing.
All the time they wanted for Jesus to get involved with the resurrection question.
These Sadducee had predetermined that Spiritual life would be the same as physical life, just like so many cults believe today.
1Co 15:12 Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead?
1Co 15:13 But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen:
1Co 15:14 And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain.
There are many who continue to doubt the truth of Jesus Christ.
They believe that the Spiritual world would be just a continuation of this physical world.
The world is full of Sadducees today yet, there is much proof that the resurrection of Jesus Christ is in fact the truth.
2Pe 3:3 Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,
2Pe 3:4 And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.
2Pe 3:5 For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water:
2Pe 3:6 Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished:
2Pe 3:7 But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.
I will trust in the truth of God.
How did the Lord Jesus respond to them?
*****Mat 22:29 Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God.
What is the greatest error most every Christian makes? We do not study the Bible.
To study the Bible is a command of the Lord!
2Ti 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
How are we to know if the preacher is speaking the truth unless we study the Word of God ourselves?
We must at the very least read the Word of God, then the Holy Spirit will guide us!
We spend too much time searching for some miracle Bible that allows us to keep our pet sins!
Those that do these things would not like to hear the Lord Jesus Christ preach in any Church today!
We know we serve an unchanging God, and the Lord Jesus would have this same message for us!
"you do err, not knowing the Scriptures."
These Sadducees were super religionist, but they did not know the Scriptures, nor did they care to know them!
The Word of God should be taken literal the only thing we need to understand is "to whom God is speaking to".
God spoke to three peoples: The Jews, The Church, and The Gentiles.
These can further be broken down into two groups: The Saved and The Lost.
We should understand that we can learn from all the Word of God, and we should read it all.
The Word of God is clear that there is a Spiritual World!
There will be a resurrection of the Saints of God!
These things we can know and place our faith in the Works of the Lord Jesus Christ, to cause this to happen.
Isa 26:19 Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust: for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead.
Joh 5:25 Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live.
Joh 5:28 Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice,
Joh 5:29 And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.
Those old bones may be lying in those graves, but that soul is already with the Lord!
2Co_5:6 Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord:
2Co_5:8 We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.
Many a good Christian have been led astray by corrupt teachers and preachers, simply because they do not know the Word of God!
They do not study the Scriptures!
They do believe what the Word of God says!
They do not take the Word of God literal!
God reveals Himself to us in the Scriptures and God is an unchanging God.
The greatest of all sin is to be ignorant of the Lord Jesus Christ and He is my God.
We must understand the power of God, He is all-powerful!
Jehovah God is, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost (Holy Spirit)!
Psa 49:15 But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave: for he shall receive me. Selah.
While we live in this physical world, we need to understand that there is a Spiritual world that exists at the same time!
The natural man will never understand this, we must be "Born Again" to know the Spiritual World.
The Spiritual world will then become the most important part of us, while we still live in this physical world!
How ignorant were these Sadducee?
*****Mat 22:30 For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven.
Those that reject a place called Hell and the corrupt person of Satan, do this because they reject the Resurrection, and they reject the Angelic world.
The answer to the question they asked the Lord Jesus Christ was never going to be received as the truth and the Lord knew this.
The Bible said:
Deu 25:5 If brethren dwell together, and one of them die, and have no child, the wife of the dead shall not marry without unto a stranger: her husband's brother shall go in unto her, and take her to him to wife, and perform the duty of an husband's brother unto her.
Deu 25:6 And it shall be, that the firstborn which she beareth shall succeed in the name of his brother which is dead, that his name be not put out of Israel.
This law was to preserve the family name as Israel grew into a nation.
This may not have even been practiced in this day of the Lord Jesus.
It was ignorance, unbelief, and sarcasm that caused this question to be asked.
*****Mat 22:31 But as touching the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying,
Mat 22:32 I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.
"I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob".
What is the Lord Jesus saying here? Jesus is saying that all those with the faith of Abraham are more alive than they ever were in their physical bodies!
Therefore there are no deaths in Heaven, making the Lord God Almighty to be the God of the Living.
The soul does not die with the body, which is no more than the dirt we walk on every day.
Because the Sadducees did not believe any of these things, they rejected any resurrection of the body.
God made promises to Abraham and Abraham would see the results that God promised Him!
Gen 17:8 And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.
The Lord Jesus Christ is our Savior, our Redeemer, our Judge, and our Rewarder and soon to be King of the Jews and of this world!
Jesus does not hold these relationships just to dust and ashes, but He does hold to responsible beings existing in a Spiritual condition and in another portion of God's Creation.
If we cannot believe this, then how can we claim the Lord Jesus Christ who says these things as the truth.
The soul never dies!
To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord Jesus Christ, who is sitting at the right hand of God, because He is the right hand of God!
The Lord Jesus simplifies what these super religious men were teaching in error.
*****Mat 22:33 And when the multitude heard this, they were astonished at his doctrine.
The multitude was astonished because a lowly Shepherd, who rode in as a King, to become a Savior, had put to silence the religious leaders of all of Israel.
Rom 6:5 For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:
Rom 6:6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.
Rom 6:7 For he that is dead is freed from sin.
Rom 6:8 Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him:
Rom 6:9 Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him.
In reality, we should remain amazed that our God loves us so much when He does not have to.
Yes, there will be a resurrection of those old bodies so that we can be recognized by others who have gone on before us, and by those who follow after us!
There will also be a resurrection of those who will face the Lord Jesus at the White Throne Judgment, and this is the one that The Lord Jesus has made a way for all to avoid.
Rev 20:11 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
Rev 20:12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
Rev 20:13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
Rev 20:14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
Rev 20:15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Resurrection, and become alive to the truth of God!
Amen
