For reference sake, in the NIV Matthew 17:24 - 27 reads:
(24) After Jesus and his disciples arrived in Capernaum, the collectors of the two-drachma 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 sons or from others?"
(26) "From others," Peter answered.
"Then the sons are exempt," Jesus said to him. "But so that we may not offend them, 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."
I went over this passage in my study bible just now, and it's still a bit confusing. LOL. Okay, so we know that all Jewish males had to pay a temple tax to support temple upkeep(Exodus 30:11 - 16) OH! :lightbulb:
My study notes say that Jesus was emphasizing his Kingly role! Peter said that the kings of the Earth collect their taxes from others; people not of their family. Jesus, Son of God who is King of Kings and therefore the Master of that temple, should have been exempt from the tax. As "To any who believed in Him, they were given the right to be called children of God" (I'm positive that's not the exact verse, but please forgive my paraphrase ) So, Jesus was also saying that the disciples were exempt from the tax. However, since the tax collecters (and a LOT of folk in Capernaum) didn't accept or understand Jesus' kingship, He told Peter to pay the tax in order to avoid offending them.
What's really slick, o'course, is that Jesus doesn't tell Peter to take the coins from their collected funds (the money Judas was carrying, I believe. No, not THAT money. LOL since we all know Judas didn't get his filthy silver pieces until later.) Instead, Jesus sends Peter our to catch a fish. Though God ultimately provides for our every need, He sometimes gives us the priveledge of participating in the "gathering" of our needed supplies. I suppose I liken that to giving a young child a few chores to do around the house in order to "earn" his weekly allowance. The chores would have gotten done, and the allowance might have been paid without the child's compliance, but the child gains more a sense of worth of the gift if it's not simply handed to him.
So, that said, now the REAL bible scholars can come and educate us both. :wink:
