The Temple Tax - Matthew 17:24-27
The Temple Tax
24 After Jesus and his disciples arrived in Capernaum, the collectors of the two-drachma temple tax came to Peter and asked, “Doesn’t your teacher pay the temple tax?” 25 “Yes, he does,” he replied. When Peter came into the house, Jesus was the first to speak. “What do you think, Simon?” he asked. “From whom do the kings of the earth collect duty and taxes—from their own children or from others?” 26 “From others,” Peter answered. “Then the children are exempt,” Jesus said to him. 27 “But so that we may not cause offense, go to the lake and throw out your line. Take the first fish you catch; open its mouth and you will find a four-drachma coin. Take it and give it to them for my tax and yours.”
Reflection: First, remember this is not a governmental tax due to Rome, but a temple tax which the religious leaders levied on the Jews who attended the temple. In light of the contemptuous relationship Jesus had with the leaders, when they ask if he pays the temple tax it would seem as if they are trying to trap him into a contradiction. How could he say anything with authority, if he didn't obey the basic laws of the system. Even Jesus said he did not come to abolish the Law but to fulfill it. Others have said they didn't ask him directly because they were afraid to, but I think the context favors the former interpretation.
But Jesus is interested in using this as a teaching moment, as he so often does. He uses the analogy of a King, and asks if the King collects taxes from their children. The obvious answer is no. This leads to the analogy that Jesus is the true King, and the temple and religious system were enacted as a predecessor to the Messiah who would fulfill its true meaning and purpose. Meaning the whole purpose of the temple is to give glory to God, and if Jesus is God the tax really belongs to him. But obviously the religious leaders did not see it this way, and maybe many churches do not see it that way. Some church leaders might think, "Well they wrote the check to my church and so it's ours!" But first and foremost we give to God and the church is a steward of God's resources to allocate accordingly to the Great Commission it has been charged with. It is Not as if God needs anything just like he pulled drachma out of the fish's mouth.
But then in the end even though Jesus had every right to claim the temple tax for himself, he pays both hud and Peter's tax. Why? He says he doesn't want to cause offense. Notice there are times Jesus needs to offend and other times he avoids it. Why? Because he knew it would not be helpful at this point in the game. Even though Jesus was in control he knew when to submit to the authorities and not be offensive so as not to discredit the Gospel. At other times, like when they were changing money in the temple, he knew that their practice had to be confronted for they had so offended God.
What can we learn from this? Although we may give to a church or charity, we give first to God. Second, sometimes we need as Paul says to be all things to all people, so we might win some for Christ. There is a time to offend and a time to comply for the sake of building bridges for the Gospel. Of course is takes discernment and may seem like situational ethics, but life is not always black and white and each circumstance takes prayer and discernment for what God would want us to do if he were us.
Prayer: Jesus, as we live in this world it won't always be abundantly clear what rules we are exempt from. We know you call us to be law abiding citizens, but there are also times you call us to stand up for justice. Give us discernment as we live in this world so that we will know when not to be offensive, but build bridges so that others may come to know you as the King of kings. Amen.
24 After Jesus and his disciples arrived in Capernaum, the collectors of the two-drachma temple tax came to Peter and asked, “Doesn’t your teacher pay the temple tax?” 25 “Yes, he does,” he replied. When Peter came into the house, Jesus was the first to speak. “What do you think, Simon?” he asked. “From whom do the kings of the earth collect duty and taxes—from their own children or from others?” 26 “From others,” Peter answered. “Then the children are exempt,” Jesus said to him. 27 “But so that we may not cause offense, go to the lake and throw out your line. Take the first fish you catch; open its mouth and you will find a four-drachma coin. Take it and give it to them for my tax and yours.”
Reflection: First, remember this is not a governmental tax due to Rome, but a temple tax which the religious leaders levied on the Jews who attended the temple. In light of the contemptuous relationship Jesus had with the leaders, when they ask if he pays the temple tax it would seem as if they are trying to trap him into a contradiction. How could he say anything with authority, if he didn't obey the basic laws of the system. Even Jesus said he did not come to abolish the Law but to fulfill it. Others have said they didn't ask him directly because they were afraid to, but I think the context favors the former interpretation.
But Jesus is interested in using this as a teaching moment, as he so often does. He uses the analogy of a King, and asks if the King collects taxes from their children. The obvious answer is no. This leads to the analogy that Jesus is the true King, and the temple and religious system were enacted as a predecessor to the Messiah who would fulfill its true meaning and purpose. Meaning the whole purpose of the temple is to give glory to God, and if Jesus is God the tax really belongs to him. But obviously the religious leaders did not see it this way, and maybe many churches do not see it that way. Some church leaders might think, "Well they wrote the check to my church and so it's ours!" But first and foremost we give to God and the church is a steward of God's resources to allocate accordingly to the Great Commission it has been charged with. It is Not as if God needs anything just like he pulled drachma out of the fish's mouth.
But then in the end even though Jesus had every right to claim the temple tax for himself, he pays both hud and Peter's tax. Why? He says he doesn't want to cause offense. Notice there are times Jesus needs to offend and other times he avoids it. Why? Because he knew it would not be helpful at this point in the game. Even though Jesus was in control he knew when to submit to the authorities and not be offensive so as not to discredit the Gospel. At other times, like when they were changing money in the temple, he knew that their practice had to be confronted for they had so offended God.
What can we learn from this? Although we may give to a church or charity, we give first to God. Second, sometimes we need as Paul says to be all things to all people, so we might win some for Christ. There is a time to offend and a time to comply for the sake of building bridges for the Gospel. Of course is takes discernment and may seem like situational ethics, but life is not always black and white and each circumstance takes prayer and discernment for what God would want us to do if he were us.
Prayer: Jesus, as we live in this world it won't always be abundantly clear what rules we are exempt from. We know you call us to be law abiding citizens, but there are also times you call us to stand up for justice. Give us discernment as we live in this world so that we will know when not to be offensive, but build bridges so that others may come to know you as the King of kings. Amen.
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