Pretending to be Honest

August 30

(Luke 20:20-26 NIV) ““Keeping a close watch on him, they sent spies, who pretended to be honest. They hoped to catch Jesus in something he said so that they might hand him over to the power and authority of the governor. {21} So the spies questioned him: “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.””

(Psalm 5:9 NIV) “Not a word from their mouth can be trusted; their heart is filled with destruction. Their throat is an open grave; with their tongue they speak deceit.”

It is a sad day when you have men of God “pretending to be honest”. Holy men of God, deceiving and lying for the purpose of hurting another -- pretending to ask honest questions -- it’s not a pretty picture. These phonies were hard hearted, cold, and calculating as they came after Jesus. They were out to destroy him. They were conniving men, hoping for evil. Jesus certainly must have thought of Psalm 5:9 when speaking with them. Their words came from hearts full of destruction and deceit. They lied as they tried to flatter Jesus. They pretended to respect Him and His teaching, but actually they despised Him. They were hoping to puff Jesus up and catch Him off guard. But you cannot puff up someone who is full of the Holy Spirit of God. Christ did not come to receive the approval and accolades of men. He came to die for their sins, and that is exactly what He did. -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day