As We Gather October 18
Countless times during Christ’s mission in human flesh for the sins of the world, the Pharisees and others tried to test, trap, and trick Jesus, thinking He would suffer a setback to His ministry. Time and time again, Jesus in His divine wisdom and teaching would instead turn those times into a setup for teaching about many things regarding life on earth and the kingdom of heaven. We, too, face times of testing, trapping, and tricking, though not from Pharisees, but from this world, the devil, and our own sinful flesh, and often we face setbacks. We are wise to turn to the one who has set us up for forgiveness, mercy, and a new life through His own life, death, and rising. Rejoicing in His grace, in response to His love, we faithfully, “render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s” (Matthew 22:21).
