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“Then the Pharisees went out and laid plans to trap him in his words. They sent their disciples to him along with the Herodians.
Matthew 22:15-22 (New International Version)
“Teacher,” they said, “we know that you are a man of integrity and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. You aren’t swayed by others, because you pay no attention to who they are. Tell us then, what is your opinion? Is it right to pay the imperial tax to Caesar or not?”
But Jesus, knowing their evil intent, said, “You hypocrites, why are you trying to trap me? Show me the coin used for paying the tax.” They brought him a denarius, and he asked them, “Whose image is this? And whose inscription?” “Caesar’s,” they replied.
Then he said to them, “So give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.” When they heard this, they were amazed. So they left him and went away.”
This is a true story
The story above happened in Jerusalem many years ago while it was still under Roman occupation. In those days, Jewish leaders wanted every little power they could lay their hands on for themselves. So, any little “abnormality” was a threat to them. These leaders typically consisted of Pharisees who occasionally colluded with Herodians—loyalists to Herod—and Sadducees. They were members of the Jewish upper class, including lawyers and judges, who interpreted and implemented Jewish laws.
In comes Jesus, a young Rabbi, with an entirely different but true interpretation of the law. He walked the talk, as it were, and the crowds followed him everywhere he went. He was so popular that the Jewish leaders were worried about the power he wielded. The Pharisees decided it was time for Jesus to go. The only caveat was that it had to be done legally or at least appear that way. So, they decided to use the age-old method of entrapment. The idea was to get Jesus to say or do something that was illegal. With the plan afoot, an encounter was arranged.
Watch out for the infiltrators!
Back then, Jesus enjoyed engaging in lengthy discourses with thousands of people. The crowds travelled from various towns and villages to listen to him. I imagine it would have looked like some of the conferences or talk shows we have these days. In one of such discussions, a group of infiltrators, sent by the old establishment of Jewish leaders, positioned themselves among the listening crowd. There, they waited calmly for question time.
As I read the story, I could easily see those self-acclaimed inquisitors entering that space halfway through the lectures. They’d, probably, manage to squeeze themselves near the closest standing microphone and then wait to trip the speaker with some “clever” question. Oh, how many speakers fall for this trap! Even worse, some have lost their audience in the process. But, Jesus was no simpleton and he wasn’t going to drop the ball.
When the floor was opened for questions, guess who spoke first? Yup, that’s right, one of the minions! They were ready to pounce and tear the speaker apart. Little did they know what would happen after they asked the question. Let’s look at the approach they took and the way Jesus responded.
1. Be weary of praises and stay alert
Like Judas who betrayed his Lord with a kiss, the minions started with praise for the speaker.
“Teacher,” they said, “we know that you are a man of integrity and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. You aren’t swayed by others, because you pay no attention to who they are.”
This is very fluid and, knowing who Jesus is, deserving praise too. With such elevating words, they sought to make Jesus lower his guard and make him vulnerable to their intentions without being obvious. Despite their trickery, the young Rabbi was able to spot their tact and stayed alert. Why do I say they wanted to let Jesus lower his guard? Well, it’s simple, with a little background.
The Pharisees knew Jesus quite well because they had observed him closely and have been poking all sorts of questions at him up until that point. They had done their research fairly well and were confident that with the right combination of tricks, they could ensnare him. They knew from experience that facts can always be twisted to serve malicious ends. So, they combined words such as “teacher”, “integrity”, “God” and “truth” to instill pride and then added:
“You aren’t swayed by others, because you pay no attention to who they are.”
Don’t succumb, read between the lines
Most people will succumb to such high exaltation and give in to pride because of the several reinforcements of “you” within the praises. It is so easy to get carried away in that atmosphere. I am very sure they said each word with confidence while keeping eye contact to bolster the effect they wanted. They, most likely, expected the speaker to swell with arrogance while they sang his praises. They wanted to ensure that he became susceptible to answer their intended question like they expected so they could say “gotcha!” This is evident in the manner the question itself was asked. They said:
“Tell us then, what is your opinion? Is it right to pay the imperial tax to Caesar or not?”
Did you see that?
They were so sure Jesus would become arrogant with their praises and become weakened as they added:
“You aren’t swayed by others, because you pay no attention to who they are.”
Let me try to rephrase their question and you will fully understand. This is what they said, in other words, “since you are a great teacher full of integrity because you are not swayed by men (no matter their rank or authority in society, including Caesar) and always speak truth so that even God agrees with you, tell us “your” opinion on this matter: “Is it right to pay the imperial tax to Caesar or not?”
This is such a clever framing of the question because if you allow the praise prelude to go into your head, you will answer within the parameters of the question and be ensnared. Such praises can momentarily make you feel all-important and become more likely to answer wrongly. You have to be alert and allow the praises to roll past you to overcome this first obstacle.
2. Know the type of person asking the questions
I think this goes without saying: you should never accept speaking to people you do not know. If you decide to speak to such a group of people, you must make time to understand exactly who they are and factor it into your preparation. It doesn’t matter if you are a seasoned speaker or not, you can never be too confident of knowing the group of people you will engage with. This is a prerequisite! How else will you be able to tell what they need?
It is obvious that, depending on the topic, young people should not be addressed the same way you’d do the old. Educated and uneducated individuals have different demands and you want to be able to meet them. When you are discussing issues with professionals, it usually is very different from non-professionals: their expectations are simply different and you don’t want to appear unprepared.
Today, if you want to persuade someone to change their stance on a matter, before you engage, it helps to find out the person’s political inclination. Are they conservative, liberal or centrist? If possible, research their position on religion, money, gender or any relevant topics that will allow you to properly gauge the person or group’s leanings. Why? Let’s see.
“If you know the enemy and know yourself,
Sun Tzu
you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.”
At least, 3 reasons why
First, it will prevent you from flying in blind. I always say that it’s never about what you want to say but how. The way you approach people is very important as customization may be necessary, especially since people tend to get easily offended. Making sure you have the right method for delivery of your message is vital for the message itself. You don’t want your words to fall on deaf ears because of a wrong MO.
Second, understanding your audience protects you and your message. Everybody has a bias, we tend to tilt one way or the other. Knowing the leanings of your audience or opponent may help keep you alert to their sway and protect you from switching your message to suit their inclinations. You will be surprised how many people have become hypocrites on big stages because they did not research their opponents. The persuader ends up persuaded against their views though they are right.
Knowing the type of persons you are addressing helps you to exploit their bias when it matters. Let’s return to our story of the Herodians and the young Rabbi, Jesus. After the Herodians asked their question, Jesus’ response showed that he knew exactly who they were, “hypocrites”! They didn’t care about the legality or morality of the question, no! They were only interested in appearing to be clever while trying to ensnare the speaker. Herodians enjoyed the adulation of the public and Jesus exploited their hypocrisy to teach the crowd a valuable principle. You see, the hypocrites were trying to turn the young Rabbi into a hypocrite too as there was no right answer within the parameters of the question. But, Jesus turned the spotlight around and it shone brightly on their hypocrisy. The manner Jesus answered by itself brings us to our next point.
3. Do not engage directly
Besides Jesus from our story, I have seen many speakers use this important tactic to overpower their critics who mostly seek to entrap them. Jordan Peterson uses this technique as well as several CEOs of leading brands such as Boeing, Presidents of countries, spokespersons and public relations officers among many others. It is commonly used because it works. If you engage directly and operate within parameters that are set to make you fumble, it doesn’t matter how intelligent you are, you will drop the ball and your inquisitor will get the satisfaction of entrapping you.
Another thing that could happen when you answer directly is undermining your own message. When people ask questions, they may seek to find out new information to clarify a misunderstanding. These questions are usually different from when you are being baited to commit yourself to a statement that is inconsistent with your message. Check out the question the Herodians asked:
“Tell us then, what is your opinion? Is it right to pay the imperial tax to Caesar or not?”
This question is not looking for new information to clarify a misunderstanding. If it were so, they could have simply asked: “what do you think about paying taxes?” This would have allowed the speaker to address taxes in a broader sense as is fitting, and the person waiting for an answer would gain more insight. However, they asked “what is your opinion?” and then added “Is it right to pay the imperial tax to Caesar or not?” Leaving not much room for an opinion.
Damned if you do, damned if you don’t
If Jesus said it was right to pay taxes, they would have said Jesus was immoral and supported the oppressors. Why? Romans were occupying Jerusalem and oppressed the Jews. The exorbitant taxes were a symptom of the oppression and the maltreatment of the common Jew was immoral. They would have used that as grounds to turn the people against Jesus.
On the contrary, if he said it was not right, they would have said he was causing an insurrection as it was illegal not to pay taxes to the Roman colonizers. Caesar would have made him public enemy number one and ordered his death. The direct approach would have killed him faster! Consequently, Jesus took the alternative approach and you should too because it is effective. Always extricate yourself from the trap before you commit to an answer. How can you do this? I have some suggestions.
This is how it is done
One, you have to know your message thoroughly. Don’t go exploring the depth, breadth and height of your material with your audience. You are far more likely to fall into a trap than when you explore them privately first. Understanding the reach or extent of influence your message carries is very important. That is because without intending it, your message may rub someone the wrong way and that person may come for retribution. Hence, knowing exactly what your message means, depending on the context, will allow you to maintain its integrity even in the face of opposition.
Two, know your audience. I have elaborated a lot on this with point 2 so I will skip to the next.
Three, spend time in the question simulator. Ask yourself questions. From the perspective of your audience or specific context, find out which questions are more likely and rehearse your answers. Make sure they are consistent with your message or content. This way, you will be prepared for many core questions and those that you don’t practice in the question simulator, you can always extrapolate when they come up without falling into any traps.
4. Avoid ambiguity
If you have successfully gone through points 1 to 3 and you still have problems with people trying to twist your words to imply what you did not say, then what you are probably not doing is avoiding ambiguity.
Language is a vital tool if and only if you know how to use it properly. That’s because everything you say with good intentions can be twisted for other purposes. Therefore, it is important to avoid ambiguity at all cost to reduce misrepresentation or misuse of your words. It is absolutely necessary to say what you mean and mean what you say with as few words as possible. This so happens to be the only way to avoid ambiguity.
You don’t want to be ambiguous?
To be effective at avoiding ambiguity, you must use language and words that you fully understand. Use those that mean what you want to say. Take the word “important” for example. Even though “significant” and “crucial” are both synonyms, there are differences between them depending on context . If your medium of discourse is English, knowing the words that better translate your intentions is very crucial.
Always pause to think before you speak if you’re unsure about a word. If you really can’t figure it out, use another word that is close enough. You can also indicate your uncertainty about the word to your audience. It is better for your audience to understand what you are trying to say beyond the words you use. This is not permission to go around using wrong words to relay your message. You’ll risk becoming a joke. Check for word-intention alignment in your messaging to remove any trace of ambiguity that may cause problems.
Our young Rabbi removed any ambiguity by using learning aids atop ensuring his word-intention alignment. This is what he said and did upon hearing the question and discovering the trap.
“You hypocrites, why are you trying to trap me? Show me the coin used for paying the tax.” They brought him a denarius, and he asked them, “Whose image is this? And whose inscription?” “Caesar’s,” they replied. Then he said to them, “So give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.”
Jesus removed any ambiguity to his answer by adding a prop, the coin he requested. At the same time, he was very clear with his answer—no ambiguity!
5. Always leave your audience “wowed”
“When they heard this, they were amazed. So they left him and went away.”
This is what I call a bonus point. It is not necessary but can be significant in why and how you are remembered. Just like our young Rabbi did, you must endeavor to leave your audience with something they can remember you by. When your discourse includes portions that signal emotion to your audience, they are more likely to remember the discourse.
This is very scientific because our brains tend to make stronger synapses, form memories, with events that have emotional components. The stronger the emotion, the better. By this, we know that you are more likely to remember someone who made you smile than the person you just passed by who showed no emotion. The one who made you smile will be registered because of the accompanying emotion while the person who just passed you, like any other face, will be forgotten.
Be memorable
Even when you are debating an opponent, make them laugh or cry with you. Tap into the emotions of your discourse and bring your audience right along with you. This way, you become relatable and just like that, you can increase your chances of swaying your audience or opponent. After all, we all tend to like people we can easily relate with. Relatability can be a trigger for trust. If you can get your audience to trust you, you’d have won them over!