马太福音22:15-22
愿恩惠、平安从父神和救主耶稣基督归于你们所有按着神的形象所造，并且将自己交托给神的人。阿们。
在美国最能够让人起争论的话题应该就是政治：该投票给哪位候选人，该支持哪项政策，谁的税务法案最有利于百姓或者家庭等等，甚至有些基督徒之间会因为这些政治议题而撕破脸皮，互不来往。法利赛人要找把柄对付耶稣，就想法子在耶稣的话中找漏洞，来陷害祂。他们主动试探耶稣，用的就是最敏感、最棘手的政治议题：纳税给凯撒可以不可以？这个试探的陷阱是这样：如果耶稣回答“可以”，老百姓其实都不情愿，不认为是合法的，毕竟他们是被一个异邦政权压迫的；如果耶稣回答“不可以”，那肯定是得罪凯撒，必要被定颠覆政权、煽惑百姓的罪。这个“可以不可以”，不是随便说的合理不合理，而是合法不合法，或者说，凯撒有没有权柄向犹太人收税。
他们不仅把这个试探圈套套在耶稣的脖子上，要看祂会不会自己勒紧绳套，无法解脱，而且还试图鼓动耶稣上套。他们虚情假意地夸赞耶稣一番，说：“夫子，我们知道你是诚实人，并且诚诚实实传神的道，什么人你都不徇情面，因为你不看人的外貌。”（太22:16）言外之意，你才不在乎、不尊重任何人，不把在上掌权的放在眼里呢，你只讲真理，其它都是无关紧要的，凯撒你也是不在乎的，就说实话吧，把所有人心里所认为的真理讲出来吧，你是不惧怕任何政权的。夫子，快告诉我们，告诉大家真相吧，我们是神的百姓，根本不服事任何的外国君王，快把神的道传给我们，解放我们吧。既然施洗约翰能够当面指责希律王淫乱的罪，为什么耶稣你不可以指责凯撒呢？他们不知道，神的律法并不是对着不信的人说的，乃是对信徒说的，而希律王自诩为犹太人的王，所以约翰指责他违背神的诫命，是应当的；而凯撒是异教徒，并没有自诩为敬畏神的人，神的诫命当然不适用于他。
主耶稣就是神的道，祂的话当然没有任何漏洞，也不会给人留把柄可以控告祂；事实上，祂的话恰恰像一把利剑，剖开人的话术和心中的诡诈。祂知道这些人心中的恶意，知道他们的假冒为善。法利赛人不明白，主耶稣的“不徇情面，不看人的外貌”是真真实实的，因为祂知晓人心中的意念，不单单凭着人的言语判断是非。法利赛人看起来是最体面、最有地位尊严的宗教领袖，然而他们的内心却是充满污秽，就像粉饰的坟墓，外面漂漂亮亮，里面只有枯干、毫无生命的骨头。事实上，不是有许多人这样论断上帝的话语，论断圣经吗？又或者不是有许多人，自诩为基督徒的教师、牧师，错误解释圣经，利用圣经经文为自己的政治立场、政治意图背书吗？罗马书3:4说：“神是真实的，人都是虚谎的。如经上所记：‘你责备人的时候，显为公义；被人议论的时候，可以得胜。’”
主耶稣是从天上来的，祂的权柄和国度都是属天的，并不与地上的属世权柄纠缠，因为最终祂要审判全地的活人死人；面对法利赛人的政治试探，主耶稣告诉他们：“凯撒的物当归给凯撒，神的物当归给神。”凯撒的物是什么？那个银钱上的头像就是凯撒，是罗马政府发行的通用货币，这也告诉犹太人，尊重在上有权柄的，是理所当然的，因为权柄都是从神而来的，虽然人会滥用权柄。这也是在告诉我们，我们最有价值的地方不在乎我们地上的财富，这些都是身外之物，并不能定义我们什么；换句话说，不就是钞票吗？他们要你的钱给就行了，何必争竞呢？政府多收取了一些税，那就多给好了，神总会供应你们日用的饮食，不会让你缺乏的，这里少一点，那里就会多出一些。保罗不是在哥林多后书说：“多收的也没有余；少收的也没有缺”吗？
重要的不是你的口袋里积攒多少，你的账户里数字增加多少，而是你——这位本来就是按着神的形象造的——是否已经归给神了？言外之意，你本来就是神的受造物，如今为什么处处想要自己掌管自己的命运呢？为什么一定要寻求属地的所谓自由，所谓独立，所谓尊严呢？你的自由、独立和尊严都完全在神那里，因为这一切本来就是祂的恩赐，给我们的礼物。这才是关键，弟兄姐妹们。不要天天想着自己在地上能够积攒多少，要想着自己是不是在神的粮仓和库房里面，是不是在神的国度里面了，是不是把一切都交托给神了。如果我们真的认识我们的救主耶稣，为什么不把自己和一切都归还给神，就是交托信靠在信实的神手中呢？祂在乎每一个人，每一个灵魂，要把我们收纳在自己的家中，让每一个信靠耶稣的人作神的儿女。
神是诚实的，就是信实的，祂的确不徇情面，不看人的外貌。因为神看我们不是看外表，我们的外表不就是一副皮囊，早晚会衰残；然而神看的是我们的内里，我们的灵魂，我们是不是完全向祂和祂的话语敞开。如果我们每天求的都是生意、事业等等，鲜少在乎神的国和神的义，那么我们自然而然会一直被政治话题所占据。不是有人说，人活着就离不开政治，人就是属于政治的；但是，我们是属于神的国的，虽然我们活在地上，但是我们的根本身份并不在这里，而是在天上，在神的手中，是属于永恒的，而不是暂时的。有些时候，看起来很重要的事情，看起来关乎天地的事件，比如总统竞选，好像牵着全世界的神经，但是过后发现不过如此。最终我们的盼望是在天上，我们是天路客。
法利赛人听完了耶稣的话语，他们明白了，只是不信；他们听见就希奇，就离开祂走了。他们的试探失败了，陷阱被拆毁了；但是他们还不明白，这位亲自向他们说话的神的道，其实并不看任何人的外貌和情面，甚至包括他们这些抵挡、陷害耶稣的人，祂要拯救一切悔改归向祂的罪人。主耶稣也渴望这些人能够在自己的恶意被揭露之后，不是羞愧地离开，而是拥抱这位怜悯世人的救主。主耶稣会撕开人的虚假面具，但不是为了摧毁，而是为了重新建造上帝在我们心中的形象，让我们重新拥有正直、公义、圣洁和良善。让我们诚诚实实活在神面前，领受祂的一切祝福和恩惠，直到永生。奉耶稣基督的名。阿们。
Matthew 22:15–22
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and our Savior Jesus Christ, to all of you who were created in the image of God and who commit yourselves to Him. Amen.
In America, perhaps the most contentious topic is politics: which candidate to vote for, which policy to support, whose tax plan is most beneficial to the people or families, and so forth. Some Christians even break off relationships and cease all contact with one another over these political issues. Seeking to catch Jesus off guard and entrap Him, the Pharisees plotted how to entangle Him in His words. They took the initiative to tempt Him with the most sensitive and thorny political topic: Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?
The trap in this temptation was as follows: If Jesus answered "yes," the common people—who were unwilling to pay and did not consider it legitimate, given that they were oppressed by a pagan regime—would be alienated. If He answered "no," He would certainly offend Caesar and be accused of subverting the regime and inciting insurrection. This question of "Is it lawful?" was not a matter of casual reasonableness, but of strict legality—or rather, whether Caesar had the authority to collect taxes from the Jews.
Not only did they put this trap around Jesus' neck to see if He would tighten the noose Himself and find no way out, but they also tried to entice Him into it. They flattered Him insincerely, saying, "Teacher, we know that you are true and teach the way of God truthfully, and you do not care about anyone's opinion, for you are not swayed by appearances" (Matt 22:16). The implication was: You do not care about or respect anyone; you pay no regard to those in authority; you speak only the truth, and everything else is irrelevant; you do not care about Caesar either, so speak the truth that everyone holds in their hearts—you do not fear any political power. Teacher, tell us and tell everyone the truth quickly; we are God's people and do not serve any foreign king, so preach God's way to us and liberate us. Since John the Baptist could confront King Herod face-to-face regarding his sin of immorality, why shouldn't You, Jesus, denounce Caesar?
What they failed to realize was that God's law was not addressed to unbelievers, but to believers. King Herod claimed to be the king of the Jews, so it was proper for John to rebuke him for violating God's commandments. Caesar, on the other hand, was a pagan who made no claim to fear God, so God's commandments did not apply to him in a binding way, although God's law calls all people to repent.
The Lord Jesus is the Word of God. His words naturally contain no flaws, nor do they leave any handle for people to accuse Him. In fact, His words are like a sharp sword that pierces through human rhetoric and the deceitfulness of the heart. He knew the malice in their hearts and recognized their hypocrisy. What the Pharisees did not understand was that the Lord Jesus' impartiality—His not being swayed by appearances—was genuine, because He knows the thoughts of the human heart and does not judge right and wrong merely by human words. The Pharisees appeared to be the most respectable religious leaders, holding high status and dignity, yet their hearts were full of uncleanness, like whitewashed tombs—beautiful on the outside, but inside full of dry, lifeless bones.
In truth, are there not many people who judge the word of God and judge the Bible in this way? Or are there not many who claim to be Christian teachers and pastors, misinterpreting the Scriptures and using Biblical texts to endorse their own political stances and agendas? Romans 3:4 says: "Let God be true though everyone were a liar, as it is written, 'That you may be justified in your words, and prevail when you are judged.'"
The Lord Jesus came from heaven. His authority and kingdom are heavenly, not entangled with the worldly authority on earth, for He will ultimately judge the living and the dead of all the earth. In the face of the Pharisees' political temptation, the Lord Jesus told them: "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." What belonged to Caesar? The inscription and image on the coin were Caesar's; it was the common currency issued by the Roman government. This also told the Jews that respecting those in authority is proper, for all authority comes from God, even though human beings abuse authority.
It also tells us that our greatest value does not lie in our earthly wealth; these are merely external things that cannot define who we are. In other words, isn't it just money? If they demand your money, give it to them—why contend over it? If the government collects a bit more tax, then give a bit more; God will always supply your daily bread and will not leave you in want. What is lacking here will be made up there. Did not Paul say in 2 Corinthians, "Whoever gathered much had nothing left over, and whoever gathered little had no lack"?
What matters is not how much you accumulate in your pocket or how much the numbers in your account increase, but whether you—who were originally created in the image of God—have been rendered to God. The underlying message is: You are God's creation to begin with, so why do you now try to master your own destiny in every way? Why insist on seeking earthly so-called freedom, independence, and dignity? Your freedom, independence, and dignity are fully in God, because all of these are His gifts to us. That is the key, brothers and sisters. Do not spend every day thinking about how much you can store up on earth; think about whether you are in God's barn and storehouse, whether you are in God's kingdom, and whether you have entrusted everything to God. If we truly know our Savior Jesus, why not return ourselves and everything to God, trusting and placing ourselves into the hands of a faithful God? He cares for every individual and every soul, desiring to gather us into His house and make everyone who trusts in Jesus a child of God.
God is true, which means He is faithful; He indeed shows no partiality and is not swayed by appearances. For God does not look at our outward appearance—our exterior is merely a shell that will decay sooner or later. Rather, God looks at our inner self, our soul, and whether we are completely open to Him and His word. If what we seek every day is merely business, career, and the like, caring little for the kingdom of God and His righteousness, then we will naturally be consumed by political topics. Has it not been said that as long as a person lives, he cannot escape politics, and that man belongs to politics (or is born political)? But we belong to the kingdom of God. Although we live on earth, our fundamental identity is not here, but in heaven, in God's hands—belonging to eternity, not to what is temporary. Sometimes, events that seem monumental and world-shaking—such as presidential elections that seem to hold the world's nerves on edge—turn out to be nothing more than that once they pass. Ultimately, our hope is in heaven; we are pilgrims on the heavenly way.
When the Pharisees heard Jesus' words, they understood, but they did not believe. They marveled, and they left Him and went away. Their test failed, and their trap was dismantled. Yet they still did not comprehend that the Word of God who spoke to them in person shows no partiality or favor to anyone—not even to those who opposed and plotted against Him. He desires to save all sinners who repent and turn to Him. The Lord Jesus also longed that after their malice was exposed, these men would not leave in shame, but rather embrace the Savior who has mercy on the world. The Lord Jesus tears away human masks, not to destroy, but to rebuild the image of God in our hearts, enabling us once again to possess righteousness, justice, holiness, and goodness. Let us live truthfully before God and receive all His blessings and grace unto eternal life. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.