Jesus’ public ministry was littered with conflicts with His opponents. In fact, many of His profoundest teachings came from these heated debates. John’s gospel, in particular, records many immortal words of Jesus spoken to His adversaries, that steady and guide us through the various mazes of our lives.

Some of the people who claimed to believe in Jesus, fell foul of His insights. Claiming to be “free” and never enslaved to anyone, they
received a severe tongue-lashing from Jesus for their hypocrisy.

John 8:30-32 NLT
[30] Then many who heard him say these things believed in him. [31] Jesus said to the people who believed in him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. [32] And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

Their retort revealed their true heart condition.

John 8:33-34 NLT
[33] “But we are descendants of Abraham,” they said. “We have never been slaves to anyone. What do you mean, ‘You will be set free’?” [34] Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave of sin.”

First, Jesus gave them the condition for true discipleship. Their “faith” must be translated into obedience to His teaching. Only this walk of obedience would contribute to a life of inner freedom.

They claimed descent from Abraham as their passport to God. Jesus saw right through them.

John 8:37, 44 NLT
[37] Yes, I realize that you are descendants of Abraham. And yet some of you are trying to kill me because there’s no room in your hearts for my message….
[44] For you are the children of your father the devil, and you love to do the evil things he does. He was a murderer from the beginning. He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies.”

However, it was not only Jesus’ words that revealed His impeccable character but also the attitudes and the principles He displayed that give us glimpses of the Jesus we know and love.

The wily Pharisees and religious boffins tried hard to trap Him, both in His words and actions, but Jesus was never fooled by their trickery.

Let’s look at some of the ways in which these men were caught in their own traps.

The story of the woman caught in adultery is a familiar one. The entire scenario was a setup designed to lure Jesus in making a judgment against the law of Moses. They knew that Jesus’ bent was, always towards mercy. How would He react to someone so undeniably guilty of adultery? Would He release her when stoning was the required penalty for her sin?

Without hesitation, Jesus’ response was both clever and effective. He could not deny her guilt because there were more than “two or three witnesses” to testify against her. He could, however, get rid of the witnesses by shining the light on their guilt.

Jesus was steeped in the Word. After all, He WAS the Word. Using Jeremiah’s words, He showed them His intimate knowledge of their names and, by implication, their darkest secrets. He bent down and wrote their names in the dust!

Jeremiah 17:13 NIV
[13] “Lord, you are the hope of Israel; all who forsake you will be put to shame. Those who turn away from you will be written in the dust because they have forsaken the Lord, the spring of living water.”

In the discomfort of His exposure, they melted away, witnesses gone, leaving Jesus to show the woman mercy, forgiveness, and the freedom to live a new life.

Jesus…one, Pharisees … nought!

Jesus showed these scheming hypocrites that they could never trap Him. He knew the law of Moses AND the mercy of God. He caught them in their own guilt.

On another occasion, they tried to lure Him into overturning the demands of their Roman oppressors by ruling against paying taxes.

Matthew 22:16-17 NIV
[16] “They sent their disciples to him along with the Herodians. “Teacher,” they said, “we know that you are a man of integrity and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. You aren’t swayed by others, because you pay no attention to who they are. [17] Tell us then, what is your opinion? Is it right to pay the imperial tax to Caesar or not?”

Jesus saw through their ploy and turned the tables on them. (Have you noticed how often Jesus answered a question with a question?)

Matthew 22:18-20 NIV
[18] “But Jesus, knowing their evil intent, said, “You hypocrites, why are you trying to trap me?
[19] Show me the coin used for paying the tax.” They brought him a denarius, [20] and he asked them, “Whose image is this? And whose inscription?”

How smart was that! They had to admit that the coins they used belonged to Caesar. It was obligitary to give to Caesar what belonged to him. Much as they hated paying tax, it was the right thing to do and this they could not deny.

Matthew 22:21 NIV
[21] “Caesar’s,” they replied. Then he said to them, “So give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.”

Jesus added a bit that caught them unawares.

“…and to God what is God’s.”

What were they doing with what belonged to God? They were spending their very lives in doing what God hated, defrauding and deceiving His people by masquerading as His representatives and milking them of their money.

Jesus…two, Pharisees…nought!

A third trap, this time testing Jesus’ allegiance to their revered rabbis, Hillel or Shammai. Hillel was the liberal, Shammai the strict interpreter of Torah, the Law of Moses. “Which one do you support, Jesus?”

Matthew 19:3 NIV
[3] Some Pharisees came to him to test him. They asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason?”

Again, Jesus was smarter than they! Ignoring the opinion and teaching of the rabbis “with authority”, Jesus, went straight to the heart of the matter. “What does the Word say?”

Matthew 19:4-6 NIV

[4] “Haven’t you read the Scriptures?” Jesus replied. “They record that from the beginning ‘God made them male and female.’” [5] And he said, “‘This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.’ [6] Since they are no longer two but one, let no one split apart what God has joined together.”

Case closed! What Moses had to say was irrelevant. What God said in the beginning was what mattered.

But no, they persisted. Moses again! Their revered authority above the Scriptures.

Matthew 19:7 NLT
[7] “Then why did Moses say in the law that a man could give his wife a written notice of divorce and send her away?” they asked.”

Again, Jesus, went straight to the heart of the matter, the matter of the heart. God, not Moses, had the final say.

Matthew 19:8 NLT
[8]” Jesus replied, “Moses permitted divorce only as a concession to your hard hearts, but it was not what God had originally intended.”

Who could argue with that!

Case closed.

Jesus…three, Pharisees… still nought.

The final trap… arrest, trial, conviction, and death. Not even Jesus could wriggle out of their clutches this time…or could He?

Acts of the Apostles 2:23-24 NLT
[23…”With the help of lawless Gentiles, you nailed him to a cross and killed him. [24] But God released him from the horrors of death and raised him back to life, for death could not keep him in its grip..”

Jesus…complete and utter victory forever, Pharisees (and every other opponent for all time)…complete and utter loss!

No one can ever take Jesus on and win.