Matthew 22:18
Thursday, 27 August 2026
But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, “Why do you test Me, you hypocrites?” Matthew 22:18
“Having known, also, the ‘Jesus’, the ‘depravity, theirs’, He said, ‘Why, Me, you test, hypocrites?’” (CG)
In the previous verse, Jesus was questioned whether it was right to give a census to Caesar, or not. In response, it says, “Having known, also, the ‘Jesus’, the ‘depravity, theirs’.”
A new word is seen here, ponéria, depravity. It is derived from ponos, toil, and by implication anguish or pain. HELPS Word Studies defines it as pain-ridden evil. These men were working out evil like a criminal would. Spending their effort on what would benefit them at the expense of others.
In Mark, it says that Jesus knew their hypocrisy. Luke uses a word signifying craftiness. Jesus was able to know, without a moment’s hesitation, that they were trying to trap Him. As such, “He said, ‘Why, Me, you test, hypocrites?’”
They were presenting one face while getting ready to put on another, as the term hypocrite implies. As soon as they heard Him give an incorrect answer, which they thought would come from any answer He gave, they would pounce on Him like rabid animals.
But that seems less likely now that He has demonstrated that He is aware of their wicked intentions.
Life application: How often does it happen that you have something occur in your life and you’re not sure what to do about it, but then a few days later, the pastor preaches on exactly what you needed to know? Or maybe, you read the Bible a couple days later, and there is the answer that you could have used to resolve your difficulty.
Likewise, how often does something happen which would otherwise be difficult for you to handle, but just the day before, or maybe that very morning, you had read something in the Bible that mirrors the situation in which you find yourself?
When this happens, what does that tell you? In the first instance, you might say to yourself, “I need to read the Bible more often. If I had just spent my time there, this wouldn’t have been a problem.” In the second instance, you might say, “I sure am glad I spend each day reading the Bible. If I had skipped this morning’s reading, I may not have had a clue about what to do!”
The Bible is a book of many types of instruction, one of which is life in general. As you go through your life, you are bound to have instances like these come up because God created mankind. His word is a blueprint for the proper operation of human beings.
Marriage, work ethic, saving money, raising children, etc., are a part of what we engage in during our lives. The Bible gives sound advice, whether implicit or explicit, on such matters. Therefore, it is natural that we will find the answer to difficulties in such matters there.
Jesus’ example provides us with the knowledge that we should consider what people are up to when they ask various questions. Some people may seem like they are asking about one thing, when their ulterior motives are kept hidden away for a later time. The people Jesus interacted with are real people, not characters in a book.
As such, when we see how they interact with Jesus, we can learn from that. Consider this as you read the Bible. We can learn so much as we consider the words before us, one aspect of which is human behavior. Great stuff from the Creator to those willing to engage with His word, our blueprint for a properly run life.
Lord God, it is always a joy to read Your word and then find that what we read fits into the next things we are doing in our daily lives. It is like a wink from You that You have ordained our days and are directing us according to Your wisdom. Thank You for Your wonderful word. Amen.
