On Sunday, Jesus went into Jerusalem and tossed the tables in the outer courts of the temple. So far, on Monday, He has cursed a fig tree. Jesus is going back to the temple to continue His work. In today’s text, we see a dilemma often presented in Christian ethics. We are commanded not to lie. Yet, we would nearly all lie to protect the hidden Jews from the Schutzstaffel. If someone were to ask Christians to stand up in order to shoot them, we often wonder if we would be faithful enough to stand. Jesus is put in a similar type of situation today.

Matthew 21:23-27

When He entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to Him while He was teaching, and said, “By what authority are You doing these things, and who gave You this authority?”

Jesus said to them, “I will also ask you one thing, which if you tell Me, I will also tell you by what authority I do these things. The baptism of John was from what source, from heaven or from men?” And they began reasoning among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say to us, ‘Then why did you not believe him?’ But if we say, ‘From men,’ we fear the people; for they all regard John as a prophet.”

And answering Jesus, they said, “We do not know.” He also said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.

The setup (v. 23)

When He entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to Him while He was teaching, and said, “By what authority are You doing these things, and who gave You this authority?”

For the second consecutive day, Jesus is in the outer courts teaching. The chief priests and elders of the Jews come to Him and ask by what authority Jesus does the things He does (teaching, healing, and driving people out of the temple; v. 12, 14). Who gave Jesus such authority to rule over the affairs of the temple—the affairs of God over God’s chosen nation?

Do you understand the implications of their question? If Jesus claims to have God’s authority, He will be accused of blasphemy. If He claims to be a mere man, He lies and invalidates His entire ministry. The question being asked is one of entrapment, asked with malicious intent.

There are many occasions on which God’s people are asked entrapping questions or purposefully placed in moral dilemmas by worldly people—sometimes with malicious intent and sometimes not. Understand, our Lord was placed in the same sorts of situations and set the example for us while we live on this earth—sheep in the midst of wolves. In fact, Jesus has already instructed His disciples how to engage worldly entrapment and moral the dilemmas that accompany life on this earth:

Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves. But beware of men, for they will hand you over to the courts and scourge you in their synagogues; and you will even be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles (10:16-18).

Jesus was honest about the fact that the world would be, intentionally or unintentionally, a difficult place for Christians to live. He instructed His disciples to be shrewd, aware of people who would hand them over to persecution—shrewd and innocent.

The slight (v. 24-26)

Jesus said to them, “I will also ask you one thing, which if you tell Me, I will also tell you by what authority I do these things.

Jesus was not blatant. He did not lie. Neither did He volunteer the most obvious truth. He does not tell them, “I am God, and I do this by My own authority.” Instead, Jesus puts the entrappers on the spot.

The baptism of John was from what source, from heaven or from men?” And they began reasoning among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say to us, ‘Then why did you not believe him?’ But if we say, ‘From men,’ we fear the people; for they all regard John as a prophet.”

Jesus offered His own entrapping question in response to theirs in front of everyone. He uses their own tactic against them. If they affirm that the baptism of John was from Heaven, then they affirm that Jesus’s authority is from Heaven. If they do reject the baptism of John, they will have a mob on their hands.

Meekness, being sheep among wolves, does not mean we roll over for the world to destroy. If Jesus turns the tactics of worldly Jews back on them, that seems to set the precedent for shrewdness His disciples ought to emulate. Meek is not weak.

The stand (v. 27)

And answering Jesus, they said, “We do not know.” He also said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”

The priests and elders answer Jesus, “We don’t know.” What else are they to do between such a rock and hard place? Unlike Jesus, they blatantly lie—bearing false witness about themselves. They know perfectly well what they believe about the authority of Jesus or they would not have tried to trap Him. Jesus doesn’t respond by lying, “Neither do I know…” He simply said, “Neither will I tell you…”

I grew up thinking shrewdness had no place in the life of a Christian—that somehow Christians were at a disadvantage because they didn’t have the tools available to fight with in order to match the world. Jesus shows us something quite different. He is innocent and shrewd, which causes me to reflect on some other stories in Scripture. Rahab hid Joshua and Caleb, then deceived the Jerichite soldiers who were looking for them—telling them that she did not know where Joshua and Caleb had gone (Joshua 2:4-5). Hebrews 11:31 refers to her actions as actions of obedience and faith. The Bible refers to Rahab’s deception to protect the Israelite spies as an act of obedience? Here I was thinking it was always wrong… How could Judas’s truthful testimony in Gethsemane (26:48-49) be damnable while Rahab’s deceptive testimony praiseworthy? Perhaps we should observe the Law:

You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor (Exodus 20:16).

You shall not bear a false report; do not join your hand with a wicked man to be a malicious witness. Keep far from a false charge, and do not kill the innocent or the righteous, for I will not acquit the guilty (Exodus 23:1, 7).

You shall not steal, nor deal falsely, nor lie to one another. You shall not go about as a slanderer among your people, and you are not to act against the life of your neighbor; I am the Lord (Leviticus 19:11, 16). 

You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor (Deuteronomy 5:20).

Lying, then, is bearing false witness about one’s self, propping one’s self up against the life of a neighbor, or bearing false witness against one’s neighbor. God’s people are bound not to bear false witness against their neighbors, meaning slander or maligning, because they are not to act against the lives of their neighbors. Like we recognize that not all killing is murder according to Scripture and Christians are not to murder. We can recognize that not all deception is lying, and Christians are simply not to lie. Further, we are not to join our hands with the wicked and enable them to kill the innocent. So, we have clear biblical precedent to be shrewd while we live among wolves.

Examples of unrighteous lies: If I claim to have visited Montreal but have not, I bear false witness about myself. Other lies of this type include claiming that I do not follow Jesus, misrepresenting myself on my resume, claiming to have interests that I do not, and pleading not-guilty if I am guilty. These types of lies are sins against God, who establishes the steps of our lives. If I spread a rumor about anyone, malign him or her as I testify, slander someone, or generally act against the life of my neighbor with words, I have sinned against my neighbor and God. If I believe a false witness, I have sinned against my neighbor and God.

Examples of righteous deception: I have a biblical mandate to act in the interest of others, seek justice, and mislead those who act against the lives of my neighbors. Jesus set the example in the present pericope and in others. Jesus told His brothers that He would not go up to the feast and then went (John 7:8-10). His brothers had malicious intent toward Him, and Jesus was acting in the interest of their lives (John 7:3-4, 13). Jesus did not go publicly but privately. He was innocent as a dove but as shrewd as a serpent. God sends a deluding influence upon the wicked (2 Thessalonians 2:11-12) and deceived false prophets (1 Kings 22:22-23). In the same way, we are instructed to be both innocent and shrewd as we live among wolves. I am obligated to deceive the Schutzstaffel as they search for Jews. I do not stand if someone marches into a room with a gun and instructs all Christians to stand and be killed. They do not own my life; God does. If someone seeks to entrap me, I turn their tactics back on them. I don’t throw my relationship with Christ in anyone’s face or pretend to be super-pious. There are some who stupidly place themselves in harmful circumstances that are unnecessary. An undercover police officer and a camouflaged army can be righteously deceptive. I don’t bear false witness about myself as a person, but I do recognize that I am in a war. Christ has instructed us about how to engage the enemies of God—not as slanderers but as shrewd witnesses about the truth to the encircling wolves. Be careful, brothers and sisters, not to take this too far. Stand against injustice. Defend the defenseless. Testify accurately about Jesus Christ. Don’t pick unnecessary fights. Some Christians need to conceal themselves. Some need to conceal their swords. In the age of social media, big tech, overreach, and terrorism with threats all around, the Christian is to be shrewd and innocent, not walking in the world unwisely or asking for trouble. The fight is too important for us to jump in front of enemy fire.

Learning how to be innocent yet shrewd has a certain sanctifying quality. It teaches prudence in every arena of life. It teaches us to be careful about how we walk, thinking about what we say and do before doing it. It helps us to count the costs and consider the consequences of our actions. It teaches us bravery and boldness, all of which will be necessary as we steward God’s earth in the resurrection. So, we trust in God who prepares our fingers for war (cf. Psalm 144:1). We train our children for the war (cf. Judges 3:2). We let the war of this world conform us to the image of Christ, readying us for the resurrection.