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But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness Gal 5:22 |
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Dear
Friend,
If you do not already have a habit of gathering daily manna the first thing in the morning (we can look at the example given to us in Exodus 16 and find the pattern for make it a habit. Establish your life and your schedule to allow you the necessary time to do your daily collection first thing every morning to give you the strength to make it through the day. And remember that today’s manna will not be sufficient for tomorrow; tomorrow’s manna must be collected tomorrow morning. Friday, June 3, 2022
Today's Passage : Today's Passage :Peter and His Master Pay Their Taxes Bible Verse:Matthew 17:24-27 (NKJV) "When they had come to Capernaum, those who received the temple tax came to Peter and said, “Does your Teacher [or Your Master] not pay the temple tax?” He said, “Yes.” And when he had come into the house, Jesus anticipated him, saying, “What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth take customs or taxes, from their sons or from strangers?” Peter said to Him, “From strangers.” Jesus said to him, “Then the sons are free. Nevertheless, lest we offend them, go to the sea, cast in a hook, and take the fish that comes up first. And when you have opened its mouth, you will find a piece of money; take that and give it to them for Me and you.” " Message:
The New Testament has two passages about taxes. The more famous, “render unto Caesar that which is Caesar's,” which we will encounter in Matthew 22, concerns taxes levied by Rome. The tax here is one originated by God (in the Law of Moses) and collected by the Temple authorities, a half-shekel (roughly two days’ wages) tax paid annually pursuant to Exodus 30:13. It supported the extensive expenses of the temple/tabernacle. It was a Jewish tax overseen by the Sanhedrin, not a Roman tax, paid by Hebrew males over the age of 20.
The discussion of “sons and strangers” refers to the odd situation of Jesus’ birth. Kings do not tax themselves or their children, but rather “strangers”, meaning people outside the King’s family. Jesus, being the Son of God, therefore not owe the tax!
M
ore generally, Jesus seems to include Peter among the sons who are not obligated to pay the tax. There is a new temple — the body of Christ — and thus the temple tax has been superseded by his coming. (And in fact, the temple in Jerusalem will be destroyed in 70 A.D. by Roman soldiers, never to be rebuilt.) The law has been fulfilled by his incarnation; or, one might say, it has been modified into voluntary contributions for support of the church.
The clear point of the story comes when Jesus pays the tax anyway, so that He will not offend the Jewish authorities. The Greek verb translated as “offend” is actually a bit vague. The literal meaning of Jesus’ words is “lest we cause them to stumble” — or even more literally, “lest we put something in a path that people will trip over.”
The metaphorical meaning, however, is fairly well-established as impeding a person’s search to find God. (See, e.g., 1 Cor. 1:22-24.) Christ certainly does not shrink from offending the authorities! But the point is this: money is so unimportant to Him that He does not want anyone to find it more difficult to hear his message, over a matter of money. He will pay the tax without complaint, even though He does not owe it, for the good of the Jews.
We see this message reiterated by Paul in Romans 14 and 1 Corinthians 8, when he advises those who do not believe in dietary restrictions (or other unimportant matters) to adopt the dietary restrictions of others, when eating with them.
The bit about finding the tax in the mouth of a fish is not given any clear meaning by the text. Some scholars believe that, since Peter was a fisherman, it represents his labor. Since a fish will become widely accepted as a symbol of Christ, one might become even more speculative and say that this refers to Christ’s fulfillment of the law, both specific and general, by the sacrifice of his body. Or that, in his death, we will find payment for our sin (since the temple tax was specifically tied to atonement -- Exodus 30:16).
Meditation : Prayer : Most High, Glorious God, enlighten the darkness of my mind. Give me a right faith, a firm hope and a perfect charity, so that I may always and in all things act according to Your Holy Will.........Amen |
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