Matthew 17:22-27: a reflection

22While they were staying in Galilee, Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is about to be delivered up into the hands of men, 23and they will kill him, and the third day he will be raised up.” They were exceedingly sorry. 24When they had come to Capernaum, those who collected the didrachma coins came to Peter, and said, “Doesn’t your teacher pay the didrachma?” 25He said, “Yes.” When he came into the house, Jesus anticipated him, saying, “What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth receive toll or tribute? From their children, or from strangers?” 26Peter said to him, “From strangers.” Jesus said to him, “Therefore the children are exempt. 27But, lest we cause them to stumble, go to the sea, cast a hook, and take up the first fish that comes up. When you have opened its mouth, you will find a stater coin. Take that, and give it to them for me and you.”

As Jesus and his disciples travel, he tells them plainly again that he will be handed over, killed, and raised on the third day, and they are filled with grief. Then, in Capernaum, a small everyday matter arises: the collectors of the temple tax ask Peter whether his teacher pays it. Jesus, who as the Son of God is truly exempt, nevertheless chooses not to give needless offense. He tells Peter to go to the sea, cast a line, and find a coin in the mouth of the first fish, enough to pay the tax for them both.

Two things stand out. First, Jesus, though free from the obligation, willingly pays the tax so as not to cause unnecessary offense. He does not stand on his rights when insisting on them would only create a stumbling block; he chooses to yield for the sake of others. Second, he provides for the need in an unexpected way, a coin in a fish's mouth, showing that even a small, ordinary obligation is not beyond his provision. The Lord who was walking toward the cross also attended to a modest tax bill.

Both details speak to your life. Jesus models a willingness to forgo his rights rather than give needless offense; there are times when the loving thing is not to insist on what we are entitled to, but to yield for the sake of others and the gospel. And he shows that God can provide for even the small, mundane needs of life in ways we do not expect. Trust him with your ordinary obligations, and be willing, as he was, to give up your rights when doing so keeps others from stumbling.

Lord Jesus, though you were free from the temple tax, you paid it rather than give needless offense, and you provided for it in an unexpected way. Teach me your willingness to yield my rights for the sake of others rather than always insisting on them. And help me to trust you with the small, ordinary needs of my life, knowing that your provision reaches even into the mundane. Amen.