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 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, following the Transfiguration, when Jesus and the three disciples (Sts. Peter, James, and John) 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.  This is the second time that Jesus predicts His death and Resurrection to the disciples (the first is in this reading).  My study Bible says that He does so in order to show that He is going to His Passion freely, and not being taken against His will.   

 

 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."  My study Bible explains that the temple tax was an annual head tax on all male Jews (except the priests) who were over twelve years of age.  This was taken for the maintenance of the temple (see Numbers 3:43-51).  It explains that, as Jesus is the Son of God, e is both High Priest and "proprietor" of the temple, so He is therefore exempt from the tax.  But nonetheless, Jesus pays it anyway, both to avoid unnecessary offense and to show that He has completely identified Himself with humankind.

 

Perhaps it's important to note regarding the payment of the temple tax how often St. Peter seems to be quite affected by how he looks or operates within community, and often to his own detriment.  For example, when St. Peter protests that Jesus will go to the Cross, we understand his love for Jesus, his Lord, and of course he doesn't want to lose Him. This is only human.  But there are additional things to consider that may play a part of the fullness of the character of St. Peter.  To be crucified was also associated with the deepest shame; so much so, that no Roman citizen could be crucified.  Jesus' death, within the context of the culture, was one of extraordinary shame upon those who were crucified, and by extension their families and communities.  We often forget this, because we understand Christ's own sacrifice and heroism, done for our salvation and love for humankind.  But we cannot successfully dismiss the context of the day and time and community and even comprehend how great a sacrifice, and how deep a risk, this was.  As St. Paul writes, a scandal to the Jews, and foolishness to the Greeks (1 Corinthians 1:23).  When St. Peter follows Jesus as He is taken to the home of the High Priest, and He is inside the house put on trial in the night, St. Peter remains outside.  So shaken is he by the perspective of what has happened that he denies Christ three times, despite the fact that earlier in the night he had sworn he was ready to die with Jesus.  See Matthew 26:31-35; 69-75.  St. Paul takes St. Peter to task because at Antioch, St. Peter would eat with the Gentile Christians, but once other Jewish Christians came from Jerusalem, St. Peter withdrew from the Gentiles and would not sit with them (Galatians 2:11-13).  In today's reading, we note that Jesus reasons for paying the temple tax -- although He does not owe it -- are valid in wanting not to give needless offense, particularly when at this stage His messianic identity must remain a secret.  But additionally, it seems to me, the addition of St. Peter as witness and participant in this scene gives it a different kind of a twist, for this is St. Peter's community of Capernaum.  Not only that, but we note the way that the question was framed.  Jesus Himself was not approached for the temple tax.  Instead, it is St. Peter who was approached, and with the question, "Does your Teacher not pay the temple tax?"  So St. Peter is put on the spot, and once again in front of his community.  It's as if one were asked, "Does your brother or father not pay what he owes (and what everyone else pays)?"  St. Peter immediately answers, "Yes."  It seems that Christ is quite sympathetic to St. Peter's vulnerability within community, for Jesus does not correct him in a harsh way for answering for Jesus.  Instead, Jesus quietly corrects St. Peter's thinking to understand that He, as Son and High Priest, does not owe a temple tax.  But He is also cautious not to give offense.  Perhaps it's for St. Peter's sake that Jesus chooses to pay the tax not out of the treasury of the apostles and His ministry, but rather through another miraculous manifestation of abundance, one that perhaps echoes the bread and fishes in the wilderness.  The first fish this fisherman turned "fisher of men" will yield the money for both Christ and St. Peter.  Note how St. Peter is included by Jesus in a way that shows they are together in the payment; Jesus says, "Give it to them for Me and for you."  Jesus, as we see, is not only the Lord for whom the miraculous is always possible, but He is the Good Shepherd, the Teacher who always shows leadership qualities for us to emulate and admire.  He does not embarrass His pupil (disciple, which means "student") in front of St. Peter's community, but He makes clear the truth in private and at the same time seem to deeply understand St. Peter's sensitivity and vulnerability in this context.  Jesus also makes the extra effort to assure St. Peter that they are together in this, and St. Peter himself can pay the temple authorities for both of them, standing up in community, so to speak.  It seems clear that we always have something to learn from Jesus with regard to how leadership is meant to work:  how to teach, how to lead, even how to love and gain the confidence of those whom we care for.  For Jesus is making a new community out of many, one that will unite Gentile and Jew under Himself, for all those who will participate in His life, death, and Resurrection for the salvation of all.  But He shows us how to do it, how to understand our fellows, and those with whom we make community and spiritual family.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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 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, John, and Peter had returned from the mount of Transfiguration, they came to the multitude, and a man came to Christ, 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 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 comments here that Jesus predicts His death and Resurrection a second time (see the first here) in order to show that He is going to His Passion freely, and will not be taken against His will.  

 

 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."  My study Bible explains that the temple tax was an annual head tax on all male Jews (except the priests) over twelve years of age.  This tax was for the maintenance of the temple (see Numbers 3:43-51).  Since Jesus is the Son of God, He is both High Priest and also "proprietor" of the temple, therefore He's exempt from the tax.  But nonetheless, Jesus pays it anyway, both to avoid unnecessary offense and to show that He has completely identified Himself with humankind.

 

 Jesus' solution to the payment of the temple tax is really quite ingenious if we think of it in a particular way.  As my study Bible says, He shows He truly is Son of God and Son of Man, human and divine, at the same time.  Just as He will in the future cleanse the temple to the dismay and indignation of the religious leadership (Matthew 21:12-13), so we understand that as "proprietor" of the temple (that is, as Messiah and Son of God) He is exempt from the tax.  He makes this point clear to St. Peter with His questions:  "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."   In His divine identity, and as the Christ, Jesus is a kind of "king" in the temple of God.  But instead of standing on this point in order to "lord it over" others, so to speak, Jesus condescends to pay -- and not only for Himself but also for St. Peter. In this vein, we can see His compassion at work, as for St. Peter, this is a very important point among his community.  Peter has already said to those who questioned him that His Teacher does indeed pay the tax.  From other stories, we know how strongly the impact of shame within a community works upon St. Peter (see this story, for example, in which St. Paul takes him to task for it).  So, in some sense, just as Jesus publicly rebuked the crowds in yesterday's reading, but in private also spoke to the disciples of their lack of faith, here Jesus publicly avoids humiliating St. Peter.  But He does not order the money to be paid from the treasury of His ministry, neither does He produce money from any source of His own, so to speak.  But He does something miraculous, manifests another sign of His divinity in so doing, and instructs Peter (a fisherman by trade) to do what he knows to do:  to go catch a fish, and in the mouth of that fish is the temple tax for both Jesus and St. Peter.  In a type of protective show of humility as human being and the Teacher of St. Peter, Jesus instructs him:  "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."  This is shown in His explicit remark regarding avoiding giving offense to the temple authorities.  Of course, St. Peter is one of them to whom He remarked, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men" (Matthew 4:19).  So there is another ray of meaning in today's reading besides the straightforward story of this miraculous sign.  As a kind of symbolic reference, we can see the work that the disciples like St. Peter will do, in being "fishers of men," as that which will build the true temple and feed our worship of God.  In that is the fuel that will feed and provide for our needs a faithful going forward into the future.  It is also an act of pure faith and obedience to Christ by His disciple, and in so doing, produces "wealth" for the Kingdom.  Notice how specific Christ's instructions are, including telling this fisherman to "cast in a hook" (similarly to the specific nature of His instructions for His Triumphal Entry and the Last Supper).  His instructions are definite and deliberate.  So perhaps we should think of all the works we do for God and in our faith in Christ as that which stokes, feeds, and upholds the true temple of God, the Church; that is, the community of the faithful.  When we are called to do something, as St. Peter has been called to be a fisher of men, and we obey, then we produce the things that sustain the Kingdom, we are fulfilling the need we have on earth to sustain the Church.  We should also consider that we are each temples of God, and so our own faith and obedience, and whatever work of faith we are called to do, also sustains and nurtures God's presence within us and close to us, closer than our own heartbeat.  It reminds us that in yesterday's reading (above), Jesus spoke of prayer and fasting as those things which increase, magnify, and make our faith more powerful.  So it is when we are called to do whatever works for God and fulfill them; we make "profit" for our faith, for our Church, for the whole of the communion of saints and the Kingdom which does indeed dwell within us.  Let us consider Christ's compassion, His humility, His condescension for us, His love for His disciples, and above all, the ways in which we are called also to find a way in this world to do the work of our faith, for Him who is also divine and loves us as our faithful Lord Jesus Christ, our Teacher.  For He shows us this wonderful, perfect balance of the Kingdom, fulfilling all that He is here to do -- and He will show us that life for us as well, if we follow Him in faith in the ways we're shown.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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

 

 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, together with James, John, and Peter, had returned from the Mount of Transfiguration, they came to the multitude, and 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.  This is the second time that Jesus has predicted His death and Resurrection to the disciples.  (See this reading for the first, which immediately followed Peter's confession of faith that Jesus is Christ the Son.)  My study Bible says that Christ's repeated predictions of what is to come show that He is going to His Passion freely and is not being taken against His will.  

 

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."  My study Bible explains here that the temple tax was an annual head tax (meaning on individuals) for all male Jews over twelve years of age for the maintenance of the temple; only the priests were exempt from this tax.  See Numbers 3:43-51.  Since Jesus is the Son of God, it noes, He is both High Priest and "proprietor" of the temple, and is therefore exempt from the tax.  Nonetheless Jesus pays it anyway -- both to avoid unnecessary offense, and also to show that He has totally identified Himself with mankind.  

Several patristic commentaries on the passage regarding the temple tax comment on the coin as a symbol.  Roman coins bore the image of Caesar on them, together with an inscription naming Caesar as divine.  The tax itself is a kind of redemption, paid for individual salvation.  These commentaries note that Christ, having established to Peter that He is exempt from such a tax, does not take the coin from His own treasury of His ministry, nor from His own spending money.  Rather, we have this mysterious, seemingly "magical" story of the fish taken by the fisherman Peter.  In this miracle Christ tells Peter to go to the sea, cast in a hook, and take the fish that comes up first; in it he will find the money for the temple tax.  We look first at the specific direction here from Jesus; each detail makes us assured that this indeed is a powerful miracle which we must not overlook.  As Jesus has already shown that He is master over the sea (symbolic of the world) on two occasions when the disciples were struggling with storm and waves (see Matthew 8:23-27; 14:22-33), here He demonstrates the same again.  But in so doing, Peter takes from the sea an element of the world through the power of the Lord in order to "fulfill all righteousness" (Matthew 3:14-16).  We may also remember Christ's words to the fishermen Simon Peter and Andrew, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men" (Matthew 4:18-20).  Christ will work through His apostles to redeem human beings who will exchange a worldly image for the image of Christ, a true identity as a "son" or adopted child and heir of God.  Christ is the first, but there will be many more to follow (see 1 Corinthians 15:20-28).  Out of this world, the Lord will redeem human beings made in the image and likeness of God, through those who will become the fishers of men.  We remember also that the fish would become a symbol for Christology.  The ancient Greek word, which is the one used in the Gospels to mean fish, is ιχθυς (ixthys).  Used as an acronym, taking each letter as the beginning of a word, this came to stand for Ιησους Χριστος, θεου Υιος, Σωτηρ (Iesous Christos, Theou Yios, Sotir) meaning "Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior."  In His Incarnation, and through His Passion which He predicts for the second time in today's reading, He brings us salvation, the true manifestation of what it is to be "redeemed."  In His Passion, He pays the price for all of us, as He pays the temple tax today for Peter.  All of it through the power of the Lord, which turns the things which belong to our world into the things that work for God (Romans 8:28), allowing us all to become "sons of God."

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 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, upon Jesus' return from the Mount of Transfiguration with Peter, James and John, when they 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.  This is the second warning to the disciples of Jesus' death and Resurrection (see also this earlier reading for the first).  My study Bible comments that Jesus makes these predictions in order to establish that He is going to His Passion freely and not being taken against His will.  

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."  My study Bible explains that the temple tax was an annual head tax which applied to all male Jews (except priests) over twelve years of age.  This was for the purpose of the maintenance of the temple (see Numbers 3:43-51).  Since Jesus is the Son of God, He is both High Priest and the "proprietor" of the temple -- therefore is exempt from the tax.  But nonetheless, He pays it anyway.  My study Bible explains this is both to avoid unnecessary offense and to show thta He has completely identified Himself with mankind.  

 

The story of the coin from the fish's mouth is one that is only found in St. Matthew's Gospel.  Most commentary emphasizes this structure in the story of the question of whether or not Jesus -- as Son of the living God -- is really required to pay this temple tax.  According to the framework of the Law, with this identity, He should not be.  This also would extend to His disciples as "sons" -- and Jesus concludes here that "then the sons are free."   So He first settles that question with Peter.  But we know from this and other stories that Peter struggles with public perception and pressure regarding His identity as a Jew and Jewish scrutiny upon him as a follower of Jesus.  He struggles mightily within himself even as the followers of Christ and the nascent Church would deal so much with this particular struggle of identity as well.  Indeed, we can read St. Paul's accusation against St. Peter regarding the question of Christian Jews and Christian Gentiles eating together in what is called the incident at Antioch (Galatians 2:11-14).  Perhaps we see St. Peter's susceptibility to intimidation of such a type in his denial of Christ three times in the courtyard of the High Priest (Matthew 26:69-75).   There, it seems, even a servant girl noticing his Galilean accent becomes something he wishes to deny in order to avoid identification as a follower of Christ -- which leads to his own bitter tears at his failure, and fulfillment of Christ's warning to him (Matthew 26:31-35).  So Christ's miraculous prophecy, with its wondrous quality of Peter the fisherman being told to cast in a hook, and find a coin in the mouth of the first fish he caught, becomes effectively a way both to uphold that "the sons are free" and also to allow Peter the firm certainty of place in the temple and in his community of Capernaum among those who asked if his Teacher paid the temple tax.  Jesus graciously avoids giving what is at this time unnecessary offense in this place of His ministry headquarters and St. Peter's home.   It is a kind of beautiful parable, one of those astonishing outcomes of Christ similar to the verbal outcomes of His jousts with the Pharisees in the temple during the final Passover week -- a sort of brilliant if miraculous logic at work.  But, as we reviewed in yesterday's reading and commentary, our recent readings seem to come to a focus again and again on the importance of faith and its indispensable need in our lives.  Faith connects us to everything Christ has to offer, to the healings in the Gospels, to His "mighty works" (and even the lack of them when faith is lacking), to casting out demons, to the seven "signs" in John's Gospel.  And the fish as a symbol of faith dates to the earliest periods of the Church.  The word for fish in the Greek of the first century,  ιχθύς/ixthys forms an acronym for the statement "Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior" (Ἰησοῦς Χρῑστός Θεοῦ Υἱός Σωτήρ/Isous Christos Theou Yios Sotir).  Symbolically, then, we can view this miraculous coin as the product of Peter's faithful obedience to Christ and Christ's love and mercy expressed in response to that faith.  It also leads us to ask, indeed, who are the "sons?"   In that light, let us consider the day as we enter into the holiday of Thanksgiving in the United States, where many readers of this blog reside.  For our true treasure is symbolized in that gold coin of God's love and mercy, the product of our faith in Christ the Rock, upon whom we rely for "every good and perfect gift" (James 1:17).

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, 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 (together with Peter, James, and John) had returned from the Mount of Transfiguration and 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.  This is the second time that Jesus predicts His death and Resurrection to the disciples (see the previous time at Matthew 16:21).  In repeatedly warning the disciples, He shows to them that He is going to His Passion freely, and He is not being taken against His will.  

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, 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."  My study Bible explains that the temple tax was an annual head tax on all male Jews (except the priests) over twelve years of age, and was for the maintenance of the temple (see Numbers 3:43-51).   It says that since Jesus is the Son of God, He is both High Priest and "proprietor" of the temple.  Thus, He is exempt from the tax.  But nonetheless, He pays it anyway -- both in order to avoid unnecessary offense and also to show that He has totally identified Himself with mankind.  

Jesus instructs Peter, a former fisherman, now made by Christ a "fisher of men" (Matthew 4:19), to go to the sea, and in the fish that comes up first will find a piece of money in order to pay the temple tax.  The temple tax was a half shekel, required by all males regardless or wealth or status (except priests).  So the shekel in the mouth of the fish is enough for both Peter and for Christ.  But Jesus makes it clear that in His identity as Christ, the Son of the living God in accordance with Peter's confession (Matthew 16:16), His nature is of One who should be exempt in praying the tax.  He is Son of God, and also the son of King David by lineage.  But Jesus' miracle of the fish establishes several things at once.  First of all, He addresses an attack made upon Himself by those who have done so through the embarrassment of His disciple, Peter.  Jesus, in some sense, fulfills all righteousness (Matthew 3:15), by paying the tax as the human Jesus whom others do not know nor realize is both a son of David and also Son of God.  He also pays for Peter, covering Peter's embarrassment before others within his own community of Capernaum.  Not only is a miracle the way by which Christ chooses to do so, making it perfectly clear what His own nature is for Peter and the disciples (and we who read the Gospel), but the coin that comes out of the mouth of the fish bears in the image of Caesar.  Various Church Fathers, including, for example, Apollinaris, have suggested that this coin is in some sense representing Christ's crucifixion, the offer of His Body to us as sacrifice for our salvation.  What is given up is that which was demanded by Caesar, so to speak, whose image is on the coin.  But the true image of Christ, the Person of Christ, can never be sacrificed nor given up -- and it is His image that He in turn will place in us.  As with His own sacrifice on the Cross, He will give up His human life in order to "cover" each of us, all of our spiritual debts in some sense; He pays a "tax" to the "prince of this world" but in so doing, He redeems all of us, and His sacrifice continues to have this power through the transforming power of God to defeat death and sin.  It is His act of self-chosen sacrifice which in effect redeems, liberates all of us from the evil one.  So when we think of this scene, and Jesus' instructions to Peter the fisherman whose very livelihood has been transformed to God's purposes and mission and service, let us consider how Christ can do the same in our lives.  For His sacrifice is for all of us, and His Cross will show each of the ways to transfigure our lives, and ways in which our own sacrifices can be rendered for the service of God.  The "miraculous coin" in our own lives gives us the meanings meant for each, given in turn by the divine image of Christ within each of us through faith.  For we also are the fish drawn out of the sea by the fishers of men commissioned by Christ.

 

 

 

 

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

 

 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 three disciples, James, John, and Peter had come down from the Mount of the Transfiguration 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.  This is the second time that Jesus predicts His death and Resurrection (see also this reading for the first, which immediately followed Peter's confession that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God).   My study Bible comments that this is done to show the disciples that He is going to His Passion freely, and not being taken against His will. 

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."  My study Bible explains that the temple tax was an annual head tax on all male Jews (with the exception of priests) over twelve years old, for the maintenance of the temple (see Numbers 3:43-51).  As Jesus is the Son of God, it says, He is both High Priest and also "proprietor" of the temple, and therefore is exempt from the temple tax.  But He pays it anyway, both to avoid unnecessary offense, and also to show that He has totally identified Himself with mankind.

I'm quite intrigued about the story of the temple tax.  Yes, there is a seemingly "magical" element to it, if that is even an appropriate term.  Let us call it mystical, and an aspect of Christ's dominion over all things that there is a coin in the mouth of the first fish Peter the fisherman can catch, and Christ means it to be paid for the temple tax.  Let us go to the question, instead, of the approach of those whose job it is to collect the tax.  It seems to me that the question, "Does your Teacher not pay the temple tax?" is designed to embarrass Peter, and to cause him shame over Jesus.  Let us bear in mind that this is his community, and so shame becomes a particularly important element of the story.  Of course, shame and scandal will become a key component of the Passion.  We often forget when discussing Christ's Crucifixion that this singular event affects all of us, everybody.  It is not Christ alone who is involved, but all who witness, then and now -- both for those who reject Jesus and the Gospel, and for those who are the followers of Christ.  Let us imagine the impact of the Passion on His immediate followers, such as Peter and the rest of the disciples.  Of course, we know Peter's denial of Christ on the night Jesus was arrested, and his subsequent return to Christ and to the other disciples.  So this particular stumbling block of shame, with observation, does become something of an important thread in the story of Peter as a disciple to Christ.  Here, Jesus makes it perfectly clear that "the sons are free."  But nevertheless, Jesus divinely gifts Peter with the money for the temple tax from the coin in the mouth of the fish, "lest we offend them."  This seems at once to be a concession to avoid an unnecessary conflict, and also an act of compassion for Peter within his community.  There will be time soon enough when Peter's own concern for what might be scandalous will test him (see Matthew 26:33-35, 69-75).  It seems this same sort of test among community will be referred to again when St. Paul raises the issue in Galatians 2 and 3 regarding Peter's conduct within the early Christian community of both Gentiles and Jews.  There, St. Paul also raises this question to Peter in light of Christ's crucifixion, saying to him, "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain" (Galatians 2:20-21).  For if we are truly crucified with Christ, if we also participate in His Passion, then there will be questions that arise in our lives also where we might "bear a little shame" (to use the words of Fr. Stephen Freeman, who frequently writes about this topic on his blog, Glory to God for All Things), for the sake of the place to which Christ calls us, even in the face of our own communities.  Are we called to befriend the stranger whom others shun?  Can we really befriend the person singled out as scapegoat or for bullying?  These questions will come up again and again in whatever nominal "group" we're a part of, from the intimacy of family to large groups of Church and wider community of all kinds.  Here, Christ seems to wish to avoid a conflict for Peter and within a community in which His ministry has a kind of headquarters, and one which is not a part of the necessary clash to come with the religious leaders in Jerusalem.  But He takes care to teach Peter in private, and make His point clear nonetheless, affirming His divinity in the process.  As Fr. Freeman points out about this passage, Christ seems to "cover" Peter's shame with the miraculous coin.  After all, Peter has already answered the men from the temple in the affirmative, having taken upon himself to speak for Christ as one of His followers when he answers "Yes" to their question.  In so many ways, Christ seems to teach us both discernment and compassion, when it is time to bear shame or scandal for His sake, and when it is not.  In today's reading, it is He who graciously condescends to us, as one of us, for Peter and for the community.  In all ways, it is His personal love and compassion from which we truly learn, and let us again bear this in mind as we approach the season of His Nativity.

 

 

 

 

Lest we offend them

Augustin Tünger: Facetiae Latinae et Germanicae, Konstanz 1486.  Illustration: Saint Peter paying the temple tax by extracting a coin from the mouth of a fish

 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 into 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, after the Transfiguration, when Jesus and the three disciples with Him (Peter, James, and John) 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.  This is the second time Jesus has predicted to the disciples His death and Resurrection.  My study bible comments that He does this to show them He is going to His Passion freely, and is not being taken against His will.

 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 into 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."  The temple tax, as explained by my study bible, was an annual head tax on all male Jews (except priests).  It applied to all males over twelve years old, and was for the maintenance of the temple (see Numbers 3:43-51).  As Jesus is the Son of God, that means He is at once High Priest and also "proprietor" (to quote my study bible) of the temple.  Therefore He is exempt from the tax.  But nevertheless, Jesus pays anyway -- to avoid unnecessary offense and also revealing His total identification as human being.

Have you ever decided that it was better not to raise an issue that had you concerned, or that you felt was unfair or unjust?  Peter has confessed that Jesus is the Christ, and therefore understands already that Jesus has no true need to pay the temple tax.  As Messiah and Son of God, as my study bible explains, He's both the High Priest and also the "proprietor" of the temple. (Jesus will clearly express this in the cleansing of the temple, when He arrives and is welcomed as Messiah into Jerusalem in 21:1-11.  It is for this reason that the religious leaders will question Him as to proof of His authority.)  Today's short little passage on the paying of the temple tax is very revealing of Peter's personality.  First of all, this is Capernaum, where Peter's family has a home (which has become the ministry's headquarters in Galilee), so he is well-known here.  We know already the qualities of Peter which will be revealed when He denies Christ three times after Jesus was seized by the authorities (26:33-35, 69-75).  On that occasion, his denial will come in the face of a servant girl's question that he is also a follower of Jesus.  Clearly Peter is a man for whom a certain level of public pressure is important, and we might think this also plays a role in the controversy after Jesus' death, when Peter is challenged by St. Paul regarding treatment of Gentile and Jewish Christians (Galatians 2:11-13).  We might also consider an aspect of St. Peter as one for whom his Jewish heritage and citizenship is unshakable from identity and orientation to the world and community.  Whatever the reasons, St. Peter has already promised, before speaking to Jesus, that He certainly will pay the temple tax.  As an indication of Jesus' quality of knowing the hearts of all, the text tells us that He anticipates Peter's question and anxiety before Peter returns to the house.  Jesus takes great pains to emphasize the identity as Christ that Peter has confessed (see this reading), by explaining that the sons are free.  But He adds that there is no need to cause offense in this community -- and once again, in an emphasis on His true identity, suggests a miraculous way to find payment for the temple tax for both of them.  It will not come out of the treasury of the ministry.  Jesus could easily have chosen to make an issue of this payment of the temple tax, and refuse to pay it in order to publicly express His identity as the Christ.  Indeed, many early Christian martyrs would die for refusing particular honors after valiant service in the Roman army, because they would involve aspects of pagan worship.  So why does Christ go to the trouble of telling Peter they will pay the tax in order not to cause offense?  The text makes it so clear that this is important in Jesus' thinking (and clearly we know it's important to Peter).  We can think of a few reasons.  First of all, it is not time for Jesus to publicly reveal Himself to everyone as the Christ.  Second, there will be a time for confrontation with the authorities, and this is not that time, nor is it the place.  But there is a deeper layer of context here also, and that is in the conduct for Christians advocated by St. Paul when the fledgling movement has begun.  It is a general practice of not causing unnecessary offense to society.  Even as a persecuted sect, even as those who understand themselves as being "not of the world" (John 17:14-16) and who live in opposition to "the prince of this world" (John 12:31,14:30, 16:11), St. Paul nevertheless advised his flock to avoid giving offense needlessly in order to avoid scandalizing both those already of the flock and those who may become saved by Christ in the future.  He told the Church to pray for all, including pagan kings, in order to "lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence" -- for the reason that God desires all to be saved and come to knowledge of truth, and that Christ gave Himself a ransom for all (1 Timothy 2:1-7).    He wrote that the most important thing is keeping the commandments of God, and in this respect each should not place so much emphasis on outward status as on a heart that belonged to God -- this included even slaves, although if the opportunity came to be made free, one should use it (1 Corinthians 7:17-24).  He was scandalized at those who would sue one another who were brethren in Christ (1 Corinthians 6:1-11), teaching that all will be judged, and all have sinned, but all can be washed by Christ.  St. Paul additionally sought to avoid scandalizing those who would not eat meat that had been given to idols, although he himself understood that no idol existed, and Christians were not saved by food -- but nevertheless the chief concern was over believers who would be lost to the faith through it (1 Corinthians 8:1-13).  In other words, what seems fully just and right must be tempered against giving offense where it would simply jeopardize true faith and the manifestation of the fullness of that faith, the saving of each one -- and Christ truly died for each one, saint and sinner, member of the Church and non-member.  St. Paul's understanding was as one who kept the ranking of concerns in priority:  and his highest priority was the health and well-being of the Church and faithfulness to Christ's word.  So Jesus, in today's reading, avoids giving offense where it will do no good, where confrontation is not appropriate nor beneficial nor helpful.  There are times God will call us out to stand for something, and stand out in so doing.  But there are also times when we must be more concerned with needlessly and heedlessly giving offense.  To let conscience be our guide is not to go around shaming and right-fighting all and sundry on every possible occasion, thus pointing to our own perfection (or, more often than not, our lack of understanding or hypocrisy).  But to act wisely is to love, and to cherish love above all in remembering the commandments of Christ regarding judgment, and that Christ died for the life of the world.   Let us remember to whom we are to be most loyal, first before all.

From whom do the kings of the earth take customs or taxes, from their sons or from strangers?

 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, after the Transfiguration, when Jesus, Peter, James, and John 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.  This is the second time that Jesus precits His death and Resurrection for the disciples.  He shows that He is going to His Passion freely, and He is not being taken against His will.  The first time He told them that He will suffer and die and be raised on the third day was just after Peter's confession of faith (see this reading).

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."  My study bible explains that the temple tax was an annual head tax on all male Jews (except for the priests) over twelve years of age for the maintenance of the temple (see Numbers 3:43-51).  It adds that since Jesus is the Son of God, He is both High Priest and "proprietor" of the temple.  Therefore He is exempt from the tax.  But He pays the tax anyway, both to avoid unnecessary offense and to show that He has totally identified Himself with mankind.  Sons are heirs.

 Christ is our great High Priest (see Hebrews 4:14-16).  He is permanently so.   But, as St. Paul adds in the passage in Hebrews linked here, and as Jesus' behavior teaches us in today's gospel passage, He is one of great grace, tremendous humility, identified fully with humankind.  This gracious act teaches us about what it means to be a true leader.  Christ knows fully who His men are, because He lives as one of them.  It is, moreover, a teaching to us about God.   The God of the universe is gracious and loving, and this is what it means to be "God-like."  As Christians, the root of our worship and understanding of relationship to Christ is in the Eucharist.  Via the Eucharist, we participate in His very life, death, and Resurrection.  As such, we are to grow in God-likeness.  St. Paul names the fruit of the Spirit in us, as he writes, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law" (Galatians 5:22-23).   In 1 Corinthians 13, St. Paul writes about love.  He names many charisms and great gifts.  But the one essential thing that gives all else meaning and value, he tells us, is love.  He writes, "Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things."  He adds that all else will fail, but love never fails.  And finally, he tells us, "And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love."  What we are to understand about God-likeness, in all the virtues shown to us by Christ, is that its essence is truly love -- and all the virtues we understand as fruit of the Spirit constitute aspects of love.  St. John tells us that God is love (1 John 4:8).  Let us understand that we are to grow in that likeness.  Love isn't simply desire.  Neither is it just passion.  It is not about what we want.  It is about who we are and who we become more deeply as we grow in the likeness to Christ.  It involves humility, and patience, and forbearance, and a willingness to suffer for love -- and to understand that suffering as full of meaning and truth and worthy of recognition as heroic effort -- as our Lord shows to us first.  Let us consider a lifetime of learning to become more deeply the bearer of that love, for it is the light of the world.  It is the true mark of sonship and freedom.

What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth take customs or taxes, from their sons or from strangers?

 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, James, John and Peter, returning from the mount of Transfiguration, 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.   This is the second time Jesus has given a warning to the disciples about His death and Resurrection.  The first was at 16:21, and at that time was met with great resistance from Peter, for which he was rebuked by Christ (see this reading).  But now, the disciples respond by being exceedingly sorrowful.   Jesus shows that He is going to His Passion freely, and not against His will.  The experience of the Transfiguration has also conveyed to the disciples (through Peter, James, and John) that Jesus' divinity is ever-present and powerful, thus He could not go to His human death except voluntarily.

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."  Peter, as is habitual for his character, immediately answers "Yes" when asked if Jesus pays the temple tax.  Throughout varied incidents in Scripture, Peter will show a sensitivity to what we might call "social pressure" or expectations.  And, as is also in some sense typical, Jesus anticipates what has happened with Peter.  He is aware of what has already transpired as Peter comes into the house, which is Peter's family home in Capernaum.  My study bible says that this was an annual head tax on all male Jews (with the exception of priests) over twelve years of age for the maintenance of the temple (Numbers 3:43-51).  Jesus, as Son of God, is both High Priest and "proprietor" of the temple, and therefore is exempt from the tax.  But Jesus pays it anyway, both to avoid unnecessary offense and to show that He has totally identified Himself with mankind, my study bible explains.  The coin taken from the mouth of the fish is given in the original Greek as one worth the precise amount for two people.

What do we make of the temple tax, and its being taken from the mouth of a fish?   We remember that it is Peter the fisherman to whom, along with James and John Zebedee, Jesus told, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men"  (4:19).  In a sense, from the beginning, Jesus uses the talents and "metier" of Peter -- and by extension, all of His disciples and followers -- to redeem souls in the service of God.  The temple tax was a redemption tax, paid for the redemption of the soul of the individual for whom it was paid.  But Christ -- who is Himself both King and Son -- comes into the the world seeking other "sons" and "heirs."  It is these who are exempt from tax, according the conversation of Peter and Jesus.  St. Cyril of Alexandria comments, "For we are the fish snatched from the bitter disturbances of life. It is just as if we have been caught out of the sea on the apostles’ hooks. In their mouths the fish have Christ the royal coin, which was rendered in payment of debt for two things, for our soul and for our body."  In other words, this fish caught by the one commissioned by Christ to be a "fisher of men" becomes itself symbolic of the fact of redemption, the payment of the price for the soul, and at the same time the means by which sonship is conferred.  That this is by divine action is made "abundantly" clear as this miracle takes place in the depths of the sea, and by means of the first fish caught.  It is a prefiguring of the action of the apostles as fishers of men, and the reality of redemption and sonship in the Church, as transfiguration and fulfillment of the law in Christ.  The miraculous coin is a sort of gift, like those of the Magi at Christ's birth (2:9-11).  But its significance is not lost, as it is a Greek silver coin (a στατῆρα/stater) worth the equivalent of a shekel.  Given to Christ, it stands for the world transformed by God's action and command.  It becomes symbolic of a world redeemed, for both Jew and Greek, poor and wealthy, and our souls and bodies, as St. Cyril also tells us.  Peter immediately responded "Yes" to those who come with malicious intent, trying to trap the Master through His disciple.  But Jesus redeems all things, even in the most unlikely and impossible-seeming ways.  Let us remember this story when we find ourselves in a difficult place, and remember His abundance and redemption of all from all.

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 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 after coming down from the Mount of Transfiguration with Peter, James, and John,  they had come to the multitude, and a man came to Jesus, 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.  This is the second prediction Jesus makes to His disciples of His death and Resurrection.  The first was just prior to the Transfiguration, and just after Peter's confession that Jesus was the Christ, the Messiah.  My study bible says that by doing so, He shows He is going to His Passion freely and not being taken against His will.  This time the news sinks in more deeply; the disciples are 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 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."  The temple tax, explains my study bible, was an annual "head tax" on all male Jews -- except the priests -- over twelve years of age.  Its purpose was for the maintenance of the temple (see Numbers 3:43-51).  A "head tax" is a tax on individuals (not property nor income).  The term literally derives from a tax on one's head.   My study bible says that Christ, as Son of God, is both High Priest and "proprietor" of the temple, and thereby exempt from the tax.  But He pays it anyway -- this avoids unnecessary offense and also shows that He has totally identified Himself with mankind.    Many commentaries speak of fishing for the tax as a sign to Peter, who by training is a fisherman, and by calling becomes a "fisher of men."

The image of the fish brought up out of the sea is an intriguing one.  It's the first fish caught, as specifically instructed by Christ.  We think of the expression "all the fish in the sea" or there are "plenty of fish in the sea."  It is an image of abundance.  That this is the very first fish also teaches that Peter is not to struggle to search for this particular fish.  It gives us an attitude about money that reminds us of Jesus' earlier teachings on needless anxiety about material things (see this reading, worth reviewing in its entirety when thinking about this context).  The coin in the mouth of the fish is very suggestive of abundance, while at the same time having a kind of fairy tale quality to it.  But this is not a fairy tale, it's a teaching by Christ and a direct command.  The symbol of the fish, lest we forget, will also be an early symbol of Christ Himself.  The word in Greek for fish, "ichthys" or ιχθυς, works as an acronym.  In Greek, each letter of that word forms the first letter of the following phrase:  "Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior"  (Ίησοῦς Χριστός, Θεοῦ Υἱός, Σωτήρ).  In some sense, this scene is a kind of illustration of the words Jesus uses to sum up His teachings in the earlier reading against unnecessary anxiety about material things:  "Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.  Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things.  Sufficient for the day is its own trouble."  It also reminds us that Jesus will teach to "render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s" (see Matthew 22:15-22).  There are ways in which the world will ask us for seeming compromises, even while we hold fast to the truth of faith.  Jesus' focus is not on revolution, on fixing every wrong or correcting everything that is imperfect in the world.  He teaches us to know who we are and what we are to be about, with a focus on knowing who we are within and dealing with the "plank in our own eye."  The one thing He's taught His disciples to beware of is the "leaven of the Pharisees," the hypocrisy that can come from too much of an external focus -- both in terms of self and others.  Our Lord teaches us a kind of "middle way" for living in the world, for dealing with the "sufficient" troubles of today.  He teaches us a way to live in peace -- and all about humility and grace.

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.