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#1249. When power is our God (31/3/25)

  • Writer: Matt Beaney
    Matt Beaney
  • Mar 31
  • 7 min read

Welcome to this Come to Jesus Daily Devotional (Posted each Monday, Wednesday, and Friday) as we continue in our Luke, Exploring Who Jesus is series. 


Today, we reflect on Luke 20:20-40, where we see that when power is our god, we become deaf to Jesus.


You can listen to this devotional below.

I’m sure that we all remember drawing self-portraits in school. Did yours capture the deeper layers of your personality, or was it more like a lollipop with eyes?


In Luke 20:20-40, we begin with two portraits of power-driven groups trying to trap Jesus. Both are motivated by protecting what they truly worship.


  • The first group seeks political favour, aligning with Rome for influence.

  • The second clings to religious authority, preserving their status within Judaism.


Their opposition to Jesus stems from His Parable of the Unfruitful Tenants, where He exposes their lack of true worship and fruitfulness. The first group attempts to use politics as a weapon, hoping to have Jesus arrested by provoking Him to speak against paying taxes—a heavy burden of about 40% of income. But their scheme is rooted in pride and ambition, not genuine concern for truth.


1. The Political Manipulators love power so are deaf to Jesus (Luke 20:20-26)

The religious leaders, driven by power, send spies to trap Jesus with a politically charged question:

‘Keeping a close watch on him, they sent spies, who pretended to be sincere. They hoped to catch Jesus in something he said, so that they might hand him over to the power and authority of the governor. 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.  Is it right for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”’ (Luke 20:20-22)

Regardless of the promises of their Bible. Regardless of His teachings and miracles, they will not accept Jesus because power, rather than truth, is their god. 


i. They want Jesus to look like an idolater, but it backfires.

‘He saw through their duplicity and said to them,  “Show me a denarius. Whose image and inscription are on it?” “Caesar’s,” they replied. He said to them, “Then give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.” They were unable to trap him in what he had said there in public. And astonished by his answer, they became silent.’ (Luke 20:23-26) 

Jesus sees the ‘duplicity’. This is not a search for truth but a scheme to destroy. Jesus’ clever response reminds me of the speech in The Fellowship of the Rings, when Bilbo Baggins says: 

“I don't know half of you half as well as I should like; and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve.” ― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring

Jesus’ words make us stop and think, and it had the same effect on the people. If Jesus says “yes, pay the tax”, He risks losing credibility with the Jews who resent Roman rule. If He says "no", they can accuse Him of rebellion against Rome, who will do their dirty work. But Jesus exposes their hypocrisy.


Firstly, they want to make Him look like a compromised worshipper— verging on idolatry and tainted. If Jesus said "Yes, pay the tax," He could be accused of being disloyal to God and endorsing idolatry because Roman taxation required using coins with Caesar’s image and the inscription "Son of God."


In fact, Jesus cleverly puts both God and Caesar in their correct places. Whilst saying something that everyone must agree with, ‘“Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.”’ (Luke 20:25), He confronts those seeking to undermine Him, and challenges all of us, with the need to give God our first and highest allegiance and obey earthly powers only as long as it doesn’t compromise our worship. 


ii. He asserts correct civic responsibility. 

Jesus doesn’t negate the responsibility to pay taxes. Taxes and earthly authorities have their place, but only to the extent that they don’t demand ultimate allegiance, which is owed to God. As Christians, it’s very important that we live for the glory of God in all areas and even as good citizens. Paul writes, for example:

‘I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession, and thanksgiving be made for all people— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good and pleases God our Saviour…’ (1 Timothy 2:1-3)

2. The religious leaders love power, so they are deaf (Luke 20:27-40).

‘Some of the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Jesus with a question.’ (Luke 10:27)

Next, the Sadducees—who deny life after death and the resurrection—attempt to discredit Jesus with a hypothetical scenario about marriage after death. Since they did not believe in an afterlife, they prioritised wealth, status, and political power, which they held as the ruling class in Jerusalem. After putting forward an argument that seems to discredit life after death and resurrection, they ask:

“Now then, at the resurrection whose wife will she be, since the seven were married to her?” (Luke 20:33)

Their question isn’t sincere; it’s a trap, designed to mock the idea of resurrection. Jesus responds by correcting their flawed assumptions:


i. Resurrection life is different from earthly life—Marriage is for this age, not the next.

“Those who are considered worthy of taking part in the age to come and in the resurrection from the dead will neither marry nor be given in marriage.” (Luke 20:35)

ii. He proves life after death -  Using Moses’ own words, Jesus proves that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are alive in God’s presence even though physically dead:

“He is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive.” (Luke 20:38)

Like the first group, the Sadducees oppose Jesus because He threatens their power and status. Their rejection of the resurrection isn’t just theological—it’s self-protective. They can’t listen to Jesus because if they change their mind and  accept life after death, they would lose their power and status. This encounter ends:

“Some of the teachers of the law responded, ‘Well said, teacher!’ And no one dared to ask him any more questions.” (Luke 20:39-40)

The challenge

Like those with authority and power in our account, when power is our god, we become deaf to Jesus. 

Is power our god? Do we hold on to power, prestige, or status at the cost of truth? Influence can be a force for good, but when tested, do we compromise our faith to protect our position?

 

Community Group Notes


1. Notices

It might be good to begin with notices. Please share from this week’s Church News. 

Please pass on our heartfelt thanks for your amazing generosity during our last Gift Days. We were overwhelmed to raise more than £40,000—what an incredible blessing! Thank you again for your generosity and support.


2. Icebreaker

How has God been speaking to you from His Word this week, and how has this helped you? 


3. Worship together

Let’s begin our time together by lifting our eyes and hearts to worship our great God. Perhaps you have readings and songs that you would like to use together. Let’s be open to the gifts that the Spirit wants to give in order to encourage one another.


4. Study and pray together


Balanced Time Allocation - Please ensure a balanced focus on discussion, SIV (Serve, Invest, and Invite), and prayer so that each section is meaningful and fruitful.


On Sunday, we explored Luke 20:20-21:4, where Jesus gives us four examples, or portraits, of different ways of relating to Him and truth. In this section, we are searched as to whether we are resistant to Jesus and His truth due to power (20:20-26) and pride (20:27-47) or, like the example of The Widow’s Offering (21:1-4), we can say that God is our God and so we worship even in the small and hidden things. 


On Sunday, we explored Luke 20:20–21:4, where Jesus presents three portraits of how people relate to Him and His truth. This passage challenges us to examine our hearts:

  • Are we resistant to Jesus and His truth because of a desire for power (20:20–26)?

  • Does pride keep us from surrendering to Him (20:27–47)?

  • Or, like the widow in 21:1–4, can we truly say, "God is my God," worshipping Him even in the small and hidden things?


Discussion: 

  • How does this section relate to The Parable of the Tenants (Luke 20:9–19)?

  • In what ways do the religious leaders try to trap Jesus in Luke 20:20–26, and what does His response teach them—and us?

  • What was the motive behind the theologically based question in Luke 20:27–40, and how does Jesus refute them?

  • What is Jesus teaching through His quotation of Psalm 110 in Luke 20:41–44?

  • How does Luke 20:45–47 reveal the deeper reason why the previous two groups could not receive Jesus?

  • How is The Widow’s Offering (Luke 21:1–4) a deliberate contrast to the previous examples?

  • What does this final portrait teach us about true worship and how it should affect our use of wealth?


SIV (Serve, Invest, and Invite)

  • Mission inspiration from the text - Is there anything from the quite long text we’ve looked at this week, which teaches us about mission and our approach to it? 

  • Share Stories – Have you had any recent experiences of Serving, Investing, or Inviting someone toward Jesus? Let’s encourage one another by sharing testimonies of God at work through us. 

  • Practical Next Steps – Who is God putting on your heart to reach? Discuss and pray for those you regularly engage with, including any ‘people of peace’ (* See note) in your life—those open to you and the gospel.


Let’s pray together: 

  • Let’s pray for one another based on our study, and bring before God any other needs or requests for prayer.



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