Flattery Will Get You Nowhere

The Pharisees and Herodians use flattery on Christ in Matt 22.16; they get nowhere. Kent Hughes defines flattery as "saying something to someone's face that you would never say behind their back," just so. While Christ's opponents speak truthfully, they do not believe a word of what they say, it is flattery for the sake of entrapment.

What I find fascinating is that they inadvertently reveal to history Christ's true character. They list four aspects of Christ's character which are all true: You are true. You teach the way of God truthfully. You do not care about people's opinions of you. You are not swayed by appearances. Since Christ is our example of how to live the faith, our aim ought to be to emulate Christ in these four characteristics.