Does your Teacher not pay the temple tax?

Now while they were staying in Galilee, Jesus said to them, "The Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men, and they will kill Him, and the third day He will be raised up." And they were exceedingly sorrowful.

When they had come to Capernaum, those who received the temple tax came to Peter and said, "Does your Teacher not pay the temple tax?" He said, "Yes." And when he had come into the house, Jesus anticipated him, saying, "What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth take customs or taxes, from their sons or from strangers?" Peter said to Him, "From strangers." Jesus said to him, "Then the sons are free. Nevertheless, lest we offend them, go to the sea, cast in a hook, and take the fish that comes up first. And when you have opened his mouth, you will find a piece of money; take that and give it to them for Me and you."

- Matthew 17:22-27

In yesterday's reading, a man came up to Jesus out of the crowd, and told Him, "Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and suffers severely; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water. So I brought him to Your disciples, but they could not cure him." Jesus said, "O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him here to Me." And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him; and the child was cured from that very hour. Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, "Why could we not cast it out?" So Jesus said to them, "Because of your unbelief for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you."

Now while they were staying in Galilee, Jesus said to them, "The Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men, and they will kill Him, and the third day He will be raised up." And they were exceedingly sorrowful. Again, Jesus repeats His warnings to the Apostles, making it repeatedly clear what is to come. This time, they begin to take in His words, as we are told they were "exceedingly sorrowful."

When they had come to Capernaum, those who received the temple tax came to Peter and said, "Does your Teacher not pay the temple tax?" He said, "Yes." Jesus and His disciples have returned to Capernaum, their headquarters in the Galilean ministry. It is Peter's hometown, where his family lives. So the temple tax collectors will be known to him, and he to them. My study bible tells us, "The temple tax was an annual head tax on all male Jews 12 years of age and up, excepting priests and rabbis, for the maintenance of the the temple."

And when he had come into the house, Jesus anticipated him, saying, "What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth take customs or taxes, from their sons or from strangers?" Peter said to Him, "From strangers." Jesus said to him, "Then the sons are free." Jesus is making a point about His own authority, and about the kingdom of God. As Son of Man (as He referred to Himself in the verses above), is He liable for the temple tax? My study bible says, "Jesus as Son of God is supremely free of this tax." We note His extraordinary knowledge of what has gone on between Peter and the temple tax collectors, and Peter's agreement to pay on Jesus' behalf. An expression of this kind of knowledge is also a sign of divinity.

"Nevertheless, lest we offend them, go to the sea, cast in a hook, and take the fish that comes up first. And when you have opened his mouth, you will find a piece of money; take that and give it to them for Me and you." In Jesus' response is the grace of this king, of His divinity as Son. No worldly king or emperor could conceivably have responded this way. Jesus does not need to assert His authority in cases where it does not advance the cause of the Kingdom and therefore all of the children by adoption, those who would be His disciples. My study bible says, "He does not refuse to pay it, nor does He tell His disciples to pay it for Him. But, having proved Himself not liable to it, He gives it. He pays it not as a debt, but in consideration of their weakness and to avoid unnecessary offense." It's Peter's hometown; not to pay would clearly be an embarrassment and a type of unnecessary scandal. We note again, of course, Jesus' extraordinary knowledge. This is something that will be displayed once again in preparation for the Last Supper, and also for the entrance into Jerusalem -- both times, to furnish the material things necessary for the ministry and for the Apostles.

It's interesting to think about the things that Jesus provides for His own ministry. They are limited to a few needful things, but things that are needful and necessary, nevertheless. Our first impulse is to recall the feedings in the wilderness, of five thousand men at one instance, and four thousand men in another. We think also about the things mentioned above, the colt for His entrance into Jerusalem, the room for the Last Supper. He provides what is needful, what is necessary. With Jesus' tremendous power and foreknowledge, anything, indeed, would be possible. But the only things that are given are those bare things needed for this ministry, and that given out of compassion for the thousands of followers who had stayed with Him for so many days at great hardship to themselves. Coming just after yesterday's reading, in which He told His disciples that if they had merely the faith as great as a tiny mustard seed, "nothing will be impossible for you," it tells us something of the things that are needful and wanted as products of our faith in our life. Faith -- as my study bible pointed out, which is both a belief and a trust -- rests within a particular understanding, a particular expression of the Kingdom. This expression, and all of its characteristics, come to us in relation to Christ. We are to reflect His understanding, His will, His values. In our faith, then, what we create must resemble this kingdom, His Kingdom. Our faith is not to create every idea that might sound good to us on worldly terms, like all the material things of which we could ever conceive to make our lives easier. No, if we follow His example, the things that come from this faith -- by which nothing is impossible -- are those things that truly advance the Kingdom, and all of its attributes. Here on display is Jesus' great understanding, His humanity and compassion for Peter, His great grace. He doesn't cause offense where it is not necessary for this Kingdom, this ministry. And we should follow in His example. What do we set as our goals? What is our hope in our faith? What characteristics do we conceive of as those which reflect this Kingdom? Let us look at how this King comes into the world, and for what purposes He uses His tremendous power -- and shares it with us through faith. Where do our goals come in within that picture? The piece of money indicated in the original Greek text was the precise amount needed for the temple tax for two people. Let us remember, and consider, what it is exactly we need to help to build this Kingdom.