Luke 20:23
But Jesus saw through their duplicity and said to them,
BSB
ASV
But he perceived their craftiness, and said unto them,
KJV
But he perceived their craftiness, and said unto them, Why tempt ye me?
And everywhere we, more readily than all men, endeavour to pay to those appointed by you the taxes both ordinary and extraordinary, as we have been taught by Him; for at that time some came to Him and asked Him, if one ought to pay tribute to Caesar; and He answered, "Tell Me, whose image does the coin bear?" And they said, "Caesar's." And again He answered them, "Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's."
But he perceived their craftiness,.... Knowing what was in them, and being a discerner of the thoughts and intents of their hearts, he clearly saw that their view was either, that they might have a charge against him to the Roman governor, should he declare against payment of tribute; or that they might expose him to the people of the Jews, should he assert the lawfulness of it: and said unto them, why tempt ye me? with this ensnaring question.
1816–1900
Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: Luke (lightly modernized text, Grace Gems edition) (1858)
Let us mark, for one thing, in this passage — the cloak of goodness under which some of our Lord's enemies approached Him. We read that "they sent spies, who pretended to be honest. They hoped to catch Him in something he said so that they might hand him over to the power and authority of the governor." We read further that they attempted to trick Him by flattering words, "Teacher, we know that you speak and teach what is right, and that you do not show partiality — but teach the way of God in accordance with the truth."
Rare words are the text's own signal of a deliberate thread: the fewer the occurrences, the more the places it appears belong together.
The walk8
Follow this verse’s cross-references two steps out. Each card is a verse this one points to, and beneath it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several different paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it. Every stop shows its own words, and every stop is a page.
Through
1 Corinthians 3:19For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight. As it is written: “He catches the wise in their craftiness.”
leads to
He catches the wise in their craftiness, and sweeps away the plans of the cunning.
Let the wicked fall into their own nets, while I pass by in safety.
For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.”
For although they knew God, they neither glorified Him as God nor gave thanks to Him, but they became futile in their thinking and darkened in their foolish hearts.
who foils the signs of false prophets and makes fools of diviners, who confounds the wise and turns their knowledge into nonsense,
Through
Matthew 22:18But Jesus knew their evil intent and said, “You hypocrites, why are you testing Me?
leads to
They said this to test Him, in order to have a basis for accusing Him. But Jesus bent down and began to write on the ground with His finger.
Through
Luke 5:22Knowing what they were thinking, Jesus replied, “Why are you thinking these things in your hearts?
leads to
“Why are you troubled,” Jesus asked, “and why do doubts arise in your hearts?
But Jesus knew what they were thinking and said, “Why do you harbor evil in your hearts?
