I. The "Statement" That Condemned The Pharisees And The Herodians.
A. According to 12:13, they were seeking to "trap" (i.e., "catch" as a hunter "traps" his prey) Him with a concept ("word"; logos that He might be teaching).
1. This was a "perfect" setup for both groups.
a. The Pharisees would see a positive answer as a matter of heresy in respect to The Law and its "kingdom" requirements (Matthew 17:24-27).
b. The Herodians would see a negative answer as a matter of "civil disobedience" and, as such, a basis for His arrest.
2. This was also one of those things which "fit" into the divine "agape" in its "legitimate" place.
B. But in the process, these adversaries inadvertently trapped themselves irretrievably.
1. First, they "are saying" that He is "Teacher".
a. If they had been honest, they would not have let on they actually thought of Him as "Teacher".
b. This made them "guilty" of claiming that they thought of Him as "Teacher" when, in fact, they had no interest in actually giving Him that "position"; this made them subject to judgment (they were caught in a trap of their own making).
2. Second, they claimed to "have come to know" that He "is true".
a. The fact is that this is exactly what they would have "come to know" if they had any interest whatsoever in "Truth".
b. Their words out of their own mouths subjected them to judgment (Luke 19:22).
3. Third, they acknowledged that a "Teacher" had absolutely no business "tailoring" his "teaching" to his audience in order to keep that audience.
a. The issue in their statement is rooted in what they call "the way of The God".
1) In this context, these men refused to admit that John's message in the beginning was to call men to "the way of The Lord" by way of "repentance" (11:29-33) as "from heaven".
2) Everyone in his right mind knows that any corruption of "the way of The God" is a great evil that misdirects men into "wrath".
b. That they admit that a "Teacher" has no business tailoring his message is a cause for their own condemnation because they were actively involved in doing just that (11:31-33).
