Paying The Temple Tax

As Jesus and his disciples were gathering in Galilee, Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is to be handed over to men, and they will kill him, and he will be raised on the third day.” And they were overwhelmed with grief.

When they came to Capernaum, the collectors of the temple tax approached Peter and said, “Does not your teacher pay the temple tax?” “Yes,” he said. 

When he came into the house, before he had time to speak, Jesus asked him, “What is your opinion, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth take tolls or census tax? From their subjects or from foreigners?”

When he said, “From foreigners,” Jesus said to him, “Then the subjects are exempt. But that we may not offend them, go to the sea, drop in a hook, and take the first fish that comes up. Open its mouth and you will find a coin worth twice the temple tax. Give that to them for me and for you.” (Matthew 17:22-27)

It’s the miracle of the fish caught by Peter who was a fisherman.  Curious.  When Matthew wrote his gospel there was no temple. The Romans sacked Jerusalem and destroyed the temple in year 70.  Matthew wrote sometime in the 80s or early 90s. 

Perhaps Matthew has Jesus being sarcastic and humorous. Matthew said: Jesus left the temple area and was going away when his disciples approached him to point out the temple buildings. He said to them in reply, “You see all these things, do you not? Amen, I say to you, there will not be left here a stone upon another stone that will not be thrown down.” Matthew appeared to emphasize the importance of a spiritual temple over a physical temple. Furthermore, he knew there was no temple; therefore, no temple tax.

Fisherman Peter was instructed by Jesus, according to Matthew, to go fish and catch that fish with a valuable coin in its mouth.  Some commentators simply conclude this was a miracle.  I suggest Matthew is telling us a parable about the temple tax and that which Jesus never witnessed – the destruction of the temple and those who killed him at the hands of Jewish authorities and the Romans. 

We’ll never know the real meaning of this fish-with-coin-in-mouth parable to Matthew’s Jewish readers and/or listeners.  Nevertheless, it might be related to Matthew having Jesus say with likely tongue-in-cheek and grinning smile, “Go pay that contemptible temple tax for you and me with your improbable fish-money.  Good luck with that.”  

Jesus had no problem "offending" the tax collectors, thus his joke about the fish with a coin its mouth - the only way he'd pay that tax.  Again, good luck with that.

Deacon David Pierce