For Me and 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.

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 its mouth, you will find a piece of money; take that and give it to them for Me and you."

- Matthew 17:22-27

 Yesterday, we read that when Jesus and the disciples John, James, and Peter had come to the multitude, a man came to Him, kneeling down to Him and saying, "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."  Then Jesus answered and 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.  However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting."

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.  My study bible says here:  "Jesus predicts His death and Resurrection a second time (see 16:21) to show that He is going to His Passion freely and not being taken against His will."  In effect, we view the disciples this time in exceeding sorrow.   Previously, Peter rejected entirely that this could happen.  But this time, the disciples are beginning to understand this devastating news that Jesus is warning them about.

 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 its mouth, you will find a piece of money; take that and give it to them for Me and you."  A note says, "The temple tax was an annual head tax on all male Jews (except the priests) over twelve years of age for the maintenance of the temple (see Numbers 3:43-51).  Since Jesus is the Son of God, He is both High Priest and 'proprietor' of the temple, and thus is exempt from the tax.  Nevertheless, He pays it anyway, both to avoid unnecessary offense and to show that He has totally identified Himself with mankind."

We note the graciousness of Christ; the payment of the temple tax is done in order not to give unnecessary offense.  It is also paid in a way that does not embarrass His disciple, Peter, and furthermore, He also "pays" for Peter.  And yet, the lesson is clear.  Peter has abruptly replied to the question of the temple tax collector because He is embarrassed, but Jesus makes it clear to Peter who the sons are, what is the right thing.  Therefore the fish with a coin in its mouth is a gift; they are still "free," and yet Jesus will not cause offense where it is not necessary, and will not cause His disciple any public embarrassment.  The thing that makes this intriguing and essential for us to observe is that in what He will do, and in the things that the apostles will later preach, there will be a great sort of "public scandal."  There will eventually be an appropriate confrontation with the leadership of the temple, with Jesus speaking for Himself.  The disciples will scatter, only to be reunited and emboldened by the coming of the Spirit, with Peter in particular (by Tradition) going on to a great martyr's death, and one of great humiliation by his own request.  And this is the extraordinary thing we note today.  There is a time and a place for everything, and it all requires discernment, a relationship to Father, Son, and Spirit in which we seek the wisdom to understand what God has prepared for us, and where and how we are to handle all the affairs of our lives.  Jesus is not a political rabble-rouser.  He is not a kind of populist demagogue who's going around looking for votes.  On the other hand, He's entirely true to His mission, the will of the Father, and clearly -- exceptionally -- His love for His disciples, who are pronounced by Him in today's reading to be "sons."  In yesterday's reading, Jesus counseled His disciples privately regarding their unbelief, and He also stepped up and answered Himself for the failure to cast out the demon, rectifying and teaching.  But clearly, the issue here on display is His graciousness in all ways, knowing that He will do what is essential in not avoiding scandal for the right reason and at the right time, in order to bring salvation into the world through His death, and to encourage the full depths of our faith.  What we feel most keenly is His tender regard for those who come to Him, and whom He also regards as children of God.