God is Impartial

The Pharisees were always trying to trap Jesus. They always wanted to get Him to say something that was inconsistent with His character so that they could blast Him as a fraud...or get Him to say something that was consistent with their teachings so they could puff themselves up. 

But every once in awhile, the truth slips out from even the Pharisee's mouth. 

Luke 20 is one such time. 

Having been angered yet again, but unable to hold Him on any charges, the teachers of the law and the chief priests sent spies to try to trap Him. This time, they were trying to pin Him between the Temple and the world, between Israel and Rome. The spies were sent simply to ask Him, "Should we pay taxes to Rome? Do You pay taxes to Rome?" 

But what they actually said was: 

Teacher, we know you are fair and you pay no attention to who people are. You do not show partiality, but teach the Truth...(v. 21).

And herein lies one of the great truths about God: He doesn't show partiality. 

God doesn't care if you're a tax collector or a chief priest. He doesn't care if you're a teacher of the law or a thief on a cross. It doesn't matter to Him if you've purified yourself or if you're an unclean woman pushing through the crowds. 

All are welcome to come, and He speaks the same truth to everyone. 

He doesn't soften the truth for those who think they deserve a break, and He doesn't harden it for those we'd like to stick it to. The truth is no different for Simon, who hosts the Rabbi at his house, than it is for the woman who interrupts the whole thing with a jar of expensive perfume. It is no different for the women who come bearing spices to the tomb than the centurions tasked with guarding it. It is no different for the thief on His right than it is for the one on His left. 

The truth is the truth is the truth and God teaches us the same truth no matter who we are. Saint or sinner or a messy mix of both. 

And that's probably what aggravated the Pharisees the most. 

See, I don't think these spies were trying to butter Jesus up when they said this. I don't think they were being deferential to Him. I think this was one of the things that was gnawing at their minds as they tried to figure out how to trap Him. He didn't care that they were supposed to be the elite, and that got under their skin. So what they were trying to do was to get Him to say that something was better than anything else. Literally anything. If they can even get Him to say that Israel owes nothing to Rome, that would be a start toward the favoritism they were seeking. 

So I think when they came, they were exasperated. Jesus - we know You don't make any distinctions. Would You please make a distinction? Any distinction? Just one?

Because one distinction gets them, they think, one step closer to being distinguished. 

But Jesus isn't here for that. And He foils them again. 

Because the truth is the truth is the truth and God pays no attention to who people are. We are all just sinners in need of grace and that's all He will proclaim.