Scripture

“However we don’t want to offend them. Go down to the lake and throw in a line, open the mouth of the first fish you catch and you will find a large silver coin.”

Observation

In Capernaum the collectors of the temple tax Come and ask Peter, “Doesn’t your teacher pay, the temple tax?” Peter replies that he does.

Jesus asks Peter do the citizens, pay taxes or the conquered subjects? Peter says that it is the foreigners who pay the tax.

Jesus says, as citizens of Israel, they are free. But then He tells Peter to go to the lake, throw in a line and the first fish he catches will have a silver coin in its mouth for the tax.

Application

No doubt those who call themselves sovereign citizens. might look at verse 26, where Jesus says

“Well then the citizens are free” as justification for their beliefs, that they should not have to pay taxes and other government fees.

Jesus says here that we don’t have to pay the tax (In fact, Jesus was exempt from the temple tax because he was a rabbi) but we should pay it anyway to avoid giving offence.

In modern societies, where taxes fund a large amount of infrastructure such as roads, hospitals and schools, christians have a moral duty to contribute to the goods and services that they consume.

Jesus says, “Let’s pay the tax but we might as well have some fun doing it.” And so he sends Peter fishing for the money, which is awesome.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, we don’t enjoy paying taxes. Please help me to joyfully render to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s. Amen.