seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
Matthew 17:24 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.”
Notice a couple things?
First of all, I think Matthew is the only one who reported on the Temple Tax. I binged it.... Mark reported on a temple incident but not the Temple Tax.
Matthew, of course, was a tax collector. He would naturally see things from a tax collector's eye. I guess Jesus had a good argument, being the Son of God would make Him tax except but explaining it would have caused a bigger row with people like Herod... not to mention the Pharisees and the Sadducees.
Now look.... in verse 25.... Jesus called Peter "Simon". Simon was Peter's old name. Jesus called Simon by the name Peter. In verse 25 though, Jesus called Peter Simon. ugh.....
So.... Jesus used a miracle to produce the tax money.
Gotta say it, after putting gas in the car and food on the table and paying the rent, it's a miracle if anyone has any coins left to pay tithe or tax these days. I bet more than a few of us wish could fish up a miracle to cover our taxes.
