The Daily Fountain Daily Devotional of the Church Of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) 7 April 2020 – Beware Of The Enemy’s Trap
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TOPIC: Beware Of The Enemy’s Trap
READ: MATTHEW 22:15-33 (NKJV)
15 Then the Pharisees went and plotted how they might entangle Him in [His] talk.
16 And they sent to Him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that You are true, and teach the way of God in truth; nor do You care about anyone, for You do not regard the person of men.
17 “Tell us, therefore, what do You think? Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?”
18 But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, “Why do you test Me, [you] hypocrites?
19 “Show Me the tax money.” So they brought Him a denarius.
20 And He said to them, “Whose image and inscription [is] this?”
21 They said to Him, “Caesar’s.” And He said to them, “Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”
22 When they had heard [these words,] they marveled, and left Him and went their way.
23 The same day the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Him and asked Him,
24 saying: “Teacher, Moses said that if a man dies, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife and raise up offspring for his brother.
25 “Now there were with us seven brothers. The first died after he had married, and having no offspring, left his wife to his brother.
26 “Likewise the second also, and the third, even to the seventh.
27 “Last of all the woman died also.
28 “Therefore, in the resurrection, whose wife of the seven will she be? For they all had her.”
29 Jesus answered and said to them, “You are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God.
30 “For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels of God in heaven.
31 “But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God, saying,
32 ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.”
33 And when the multitudes heard [this,] they were astonished at His teaching.
THE MESSAGE:
The parable of the wicked tenants enraged the religious leaders (Matthew 21:45) and they planned to trap Jesus in His teaching. They started with deceit, hypocrisy and flattery(verse 16). Jesus, knowing their evil intents (wickedness), said “you hypocrites, why are you trying to trap me…” (verse 18). It is very terrible how deceitful and wicked the heart of man can be; tongues filled with flattery and evil hearts to trap the Son of God (Jeremiah 17:9).This is similar to what Judas did when he came to betray the Son of Man with a kiss (Luke 22:48).
This is the lifestyle of the world; unfortunately, it has entered deep into the Church. For the sake of position, some Ministers of God set traps for one another. Some have gone as far as secretly recording conversations with fellow pastors and then releasing such recordings to superior authorities. Some subordinates and even Church members prostrate to greet leaders and ministers and call them wonderful titles; yet set traps for their downfall.
The Pharisees also tried to trap Jesus in matters of payment of tax, and marriage but failed in all. Let us be quick to listen but slow to speak (James 1:19).
PRAYER: Deliver us, Oh Lord, from all the traps of the enemy……
