March 14, 2026
(Nameun Cho)
Matthew 17:22-27 As they were gathering in Galilee, Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men, 23and they will kill him, and he will be raised on the third day.” And they were greatly distressed.
24When they came to Capernaum, the collectors of the two-drachma tax went up to Peter and said, “Does your teacher not pay the tax?” 25He 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?” 26And when he said, “From others,” Jesus said to him, “Then the sons are free. 27However, 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.”
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At first, the retelling of Jesus’ imminent suffering and death seems a bit out of place in this portion of Matthew. But if we remember what Jesus said about replacing the Temple (12:6; John 2:19), the small miracle with the Temple tax and the coin in the fish falls more into focus.
When confronted with the question of whether Jesus pays the Jewish Temple tax, Simon is taught a lesson in sonship and religious freedom. Jesus affirms that under his kingship, the “sons of the kingdom” are exempt from the burdens of religious law. Jesus came to usher in a new kingdom and abrogate the ceremonial laws (WCF 19-3). But Jesus is careful to consider those who would take offense to these new liberties being flaunted carelessly. He provides a way for Peter to still pay the tax, even though he would have been “free” as a son of the king.
What can we take away from this peculiar interaction? First, we stand in awe and worship of a God who can orchestrate the path of a fish and a drop of a coin to provide for our every need. This narrative is not meant to associate the provisions of God like a divine vending machine that feeds its consumers on demand. But it highlights the trust in our relationship with the Lord to be assured that he provides our daily manna. It encourages us on the path to faith that our daily bread comes from above.
And secondly, the sonship of Christ’s kingdom is based on love and freedom. We are no longer required to “pay the taxes” of religious piety in order to merit our salvation. As sons and daughters of the true king, we are free from that burden. But we engage in “the upkeep of God’s Temple” as we serve in the ministry of his Church. Out of our love for our brother who may take offense to flaunting our religious liberties (cf. 1 Cor. 8), we faithfully serve in ways that exude our love for the Law of God. Jesus’ reconstruction of the Temple in himself allows for us to be in the place where God’s glory dwells. By his being delivered into the hands of men, being killed, and being raised on the third day (vv. 22-23), we now have the freedom to both love God and love our neighbor in faithful ways.
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An audio version of each devotion will be posted on our church podcast “Life Together at CRPC,” which is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube.