The Temple Tax
MLF brought up the story of the temple tax this morning at church. It’s a short one, tucked in Matthew between the transfiguration and the argument between the disciples about who’s the greatest, so it’s easy to gloss over. I love the story, though:
When they came to Capernaum, the collectors of the half-shekel tax went up to Peter and said, “Does your teacher not pay the tax?” He said, “Yes.” And when he came into the house, Jesus spoke to him first, saying, “What do you think, Simon? From whom do kings of the earth take toll or tax? From their sons or from others?” And when he said, “From others,” Jesus said to him, “Then the sons are free. However, not to give offense to them, go to the sea and cast a hook and take the first fish that comes up, and when you open its mouth you will find a shekel. Take that and give it to them for me and for yourself.” — Matthew 17:24-27
It’s packed with good stuff. I don’t think the setup was necessarily a test like the question of paying taxes to Caesar — we’re not told that it was a setup, and Jesus doesn’t seem to respond as if it were (when that happens, he usually stymies them).
Nevertheless, Peter answers without thinking, saying that of course Jesus pays the tax. He’s had a rough couple of chapters.
And when he (Peter) came into the house, Jesus spoke to him first, saying, “What do you think, Simon? From whom do kings of the earth take toll or tax? From their sons or from others?” And when he said, “From others,” Jesus said to him, “Then the sons are free.”
We get a little prophet moment — “Jesus spoke to him first.” Just a little nudge. Maybe Jesus was in earshot, or even next to Peter when the tax collector asked his question. It doesn’t really matter, and we’re not told; read it as you will. I’m more inclined to believe the former, since they didn’t pay the tax right away, which you’d expect to happen if he was present.
In understanding Jesus’ question, it’s important to note that this was the temple tax, not Roman taxes. Does a king tax his own children in his kingdom, or does he tax others? Others, of course. Why would you tax yourself?
Likewise with the temple. In such a subtle way (especially when compared with the transfiguration, which happened at the beginning of this chapter), Jesus has just made yet another claim to divinity.
“However, not to give offense to them, go to the sea and cast a hook and take the first fish that comes up, and when you open its mouth you will find a shekel. Take that and give it to them for me and for yourself.”
This is the main reason I don’t think the tax collector’s question was meant as a test. Jesus spent quite a lot of time offending people by healing the blind and lame, raising the dead, and casting out demons. But here he doesn’t want to cause offense.
But rather than pay a half-shekel from such money as they had (another of the gospels says that they had money), he tells Peter to do something absurd — similar to when he appeared to the disciples when they were out fishing after his resurrection. In that case, they were out in a fishing boat, and were catching nothing. Jesus calls out to them from the shore and suggests that they cast their net on the other side of the boat. Just picture with me all of the disciples, scratching their heads, looking over one side of the boat. On the other side are 153 fish, heads poking out of the water, making googly-eyed fish faces at the disciples. That’s more or less what would have been necessary for his suggestion to work.
Anyway, in this case, imagine what Peter must have thought as he was going out to catch the fish. He’s declared Jesus to be the son of the living God, and just saw him in some semblance of his divine appearance at the transfiguration. Now, not only does Jesus teach that he’s exempt from the temple tax as the son of the God of the temple, but without being asked, and without any fanfare, he gives Peter another sign from heaven of his divinity, just after the religious folks so loudly demanded one and were turned down.
And, as an added touch, the fish with a taste for shiny metal would have exactly enough for both of them. Peter wouldn’t have to fend for himself.
A wonderful story.
