Render unto Caesar - Part 2 - The Antidote to Contempt - The Rev. Philip DeVaul

Regardless of how Jesus responds, it is essential for us to recognize and name this: The question itself is disingenuous. It is not asked with sincerity. It is not asked with respect. It is not asked out of curiosity. It is not asked with the desire to engage for the sake of a deeper understanding of how Jesus’ mind works. The challengers seek only to trap Jesus, to shut him down, to disprove him. He is not a sibling, friend, or conversation partner: He is a threat. They posture themselves as wanting to sit at Jesus’ feet and learn, but the narrator lets us know ahead of time that this is pure pretense. They are acting in bad faith.  

We are well acquainted in our own time with disingenuity in disagreement. We are quite capable of recognizing bad faith questions disguised as debate.  

Argument and debate are important parts of relationships and of living in a society. But not all argument is created equal. There is a marked difference between trying to reach an understanding and trying to win. In one, the goal is to know one another better and find a place of connection – even in disagreement. In the other, the goal is to be right and prove the other wrong. That’s it. 

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