Day 308: Matthew 22:; Mark 12

In case you don't see it, here is the trap the religious leaders were setting for Jesus concerning paying taxes. If he said to pay the taxes, the Pharisees would say he was opposed to God, the only king they recognized. If he said to not pay the taxes, the Herodians would hand him over to Herod on the charge of rebellion. It seems like there is one trap after another along the way for Jesus. It's all about the timing, though.

My notes say that the Pharisees had classified over 600 laws. Jesus told them that basically if you obey the greatest commandment (Matt 22:37-40), you will obey them all. I'm sure this was too simplified for them to understand. They prided themselves on trying to follow 600 laws and they thought pretty highly of themselves in regards to keeping and enforcing them all.