Jesus Predicts His Death a Second Time
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.
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.”
I.Jesus Predicts His Death a Second Time (17:22-23)
In Galilee, Jesus again reminded his disciples that He would be killed and rise again on the third day. The disciples were "greatly distressed," showing that they had not yet fully grasped the hope of the resurrection.
In fact, Jesus could have chosen not to suffer or be killed, but to save the world, even though his disciples tried to stop him, he chose to walk this path of self-sacrifice and suffering. This shows that although people in the world wanted to make things difficult for Jesus, and the evil one wanted to disrupt God's plan, Jesus' power ultimately overcame the path of suffering and rose again on the third day, demonstrating God's victory and glory.
II. Paying the Temple Tax (17:24-27)
This is a unique account in the Gospel of Matthew, revealing Jesus' authority and humility as the Son of God. Jesus once again revealed His true identity to His disciples. While on earth, Jesus was not only the Son of Man, but also the Son of God.
A. Peter forgot who Jesus is : V24-26,“When they came to Capernaum, the tax collectors came to Peter and asked, ‘Does your teacher not pay the temple tax?’” When Peter was asked this question, he immediately answered, “Yes.”
Matthew 17:1-4 records the Transfiguration of Jesus on the mountain，and in v5 Peter heard the voice of the Father in heaven, saying, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” At that time, Peter was telling Jesus that he would build shelters for Him, Moses, and Elijah, but God commanded him to listen to the words of Christ. If Peter remembered what happened on the mountain, he should have turned the question to Jesus and heard what He had to say. However, when the tax collectors asked him whether the Lord paid the temple tax, he answered “Yes” without hesitation.
Because Peter spoke too much and too quickly, he overstepped his bounds. On the mountaintop, Peter was interrupted by the voice from heaven; in the house, Jesus reminded Peter that since He was the Son of God, He was exempt from paying the temple tax. Peter, having already received revelation (Matthew 16:16-17) about Christ being the Son of God and seen the vision of the Son of God (Matthew 17:5), now forgot the revelation and vision he had received.
B. v27 "But so that we may not cause offense, ... we will find a four-drachma coin, Take it and give it to them for my tax and yours." Jesus points out that, theoretically, as the Son of God, he is not required to pay taxes. However, Jesus also says that, lest he offend or anger those in power, he should act according to the law as an ordinary person. Because of these events, Jesus, as the Son of Man, faced these crowds, yet was not understood or trusted by them, and those in power would not understand or accept the fact that Jesus was the Son of God. However, Jesus, mindful of Peter's weakness and seeing that Peter could not explain himself to those collecting the temple tax, performed a miracle, deliberately revealing himself as the Son of God. This passage shows that Christ, though possessing the highest position, willingly submits to the system beneath that position, adhering to the principles of peace and love, and not seeking special privileges for himself.
Just as when Jesus was twelve years old, when his parents brought him into the temple, he discussed the word of God with the rabbis there. His parents left for a long time before realizing he hadn't followed, so they rushed back to find him. After finding him, Mary said to the Lord, "Don't you know how sorrowful my soul is?" Jesus answered, "Don't you know that I must be concerned with the Father's things?" Indeed, from the perspective of the Son of God, He should be concerned with the Father's things; on the other hand, even knowing His identity as the Son of Man, He still obeyed His parents' lead and returned home.
Another example is when Jesus came to John the Baptist for baptism. John said, "Wasn't it you who baptized me? Why have you come to me to have me baptize you?" Jesus answered, "To fulfill all righteousness." It is clear that when the Lord was on earth, He always did His best to obey the law.
In our lives, we often have things we feel justified in doing or not doing. But the Lord Himself teaches us to think from the perspective of God's Kingdom. Although we have rights, we choose to relinquish them and conform to human rules or customs in order to expand God's kingdom and consider human feelings. He did not abandon Peter for the sake of truth, but instead performed such a miracle for him. Do you know that the Lord still performs miracles for you in many details of life today? Simply look to Him, and Jesus will personally work in your life.
III. Listen to the Lord's words and take money from the fish's mouth to pay taxes:
v27 "...Go to the seashore and fish. Take the first fish you catch, open its mouth, and you will find a coin. Take it to them as a temple tax for you and me." The Lord did this specifically to teach Peter, yet still cared for his needs.
v5 "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; listen to him." God's voice is important: we should only listen to the Lord Jesus, and not to anyone else, including ourselves.Peter's experience proves that the Lord is indeed God. Jesus told Peter to go fishing and foretold that the fish he caught would have a coin in its mouth. Therefore, through this experience, he understood what "listening to Him" meant.
◆The simple example of receiving tax money from a fish offers three reminders:
First, since the tax helps maintain the temple, every believer has a responsibility to contribute to maintain the church's expenses.
Second, Jesus willingly give up this privilege so as not to cause anyone to stumble. To avoid causing anyone to stumble, we too must give up some privileges.
Third, Jesus said that Peter would catch a fish with a coin in its mouth to pay taxes illustrates that paying taxes is our responsibility, and God will provide for us.
Will we, like Peter, make many decisions in life "taking it for granted" based on our habits and reason? Can we try to use Jesus' teachings to help us reflect more on Jesus' teachings when making decisions in life?
