Matthew 17:22-27
22 When they came together in Galilee, he said to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men. 23 They will kill him, and on the third day he will be raised to life.” And the disciples were filled with grief.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.”
In this reading a miracle was worked in order to provide payment of taxes required for the service of the temple.
Firstly, we observe our Lord’s perfect knowledge of everything that is said and happens in this world. In verse 24, we are told the tax collectors came to Peter and asked, ‘Does not your teacher pay the tax?’. It is evident that our Lord was not present when the question was asked and the answer given and yet no sooner had Peter come into the house that our Lord asked a question of him in verse 25. The nature of the question showed that our Lord was aware of the conversation that had ensued. This shows that the Lord is all knowing and all seeing. There is an eye that sees all our daily conduct, there is an ear that hears all our daily words. All things are naked and laid bare before Him. We cannot hide anything from him. We may deceive pastors and everyone else but the Lord sees us through and through. We cannot deceive Christ.
Let it thus be our aim to daily say nothing that we would not like Christ to hear, and to do nothing we would not like Christ to see. Verse 27, shows us the almighty power of our Lord over all creation.
Colossians 1:16-18 tells us that, by Him all things were created and by Him all things consist. Psalm 8:6-8 gives further proof of the greatness and majesty of our Lord.
When questioned about paying the temple tax, Jesus replied to his disciples: we must pay so as not to cause a bad example.
In fact, we must go beyond our duty in order that we may show others what they ought to do. The scriptural expression to give no offense does not refer to insult or annoyance, rather it means to put no stumbling block in the way of another that would cause them to fall or leave the faith.
May we all remember the example of the great apostle of the Gentiles, ‘but we endure anything rather that put an obstacle in the way of the gospel of Christ
May the Lord Almighty grant us the grace and fortitude to live His word today.
