The King's Assertion (Matthew 17:24-27)

As we keep truckin' through Matthew, we come to a very interesting passage this week.. One thing that makes it unique is that Matthew is the only Gospel which includes this exchange about whether Jesus pays the Temple tax, which is no surprise since Matthew was a tax collector in a previous life! It's also different because it tells about a miracle that we actually don't "see" happen in the text - Peter catching a fish and retrieving a coin from its mouth.

It's tempting to have our main application from the passage be that Christians should submit to civil authorities, especially by paying our taxes, but I think that this would miss what Jesus really wants Peter (and us) to walk away with. The main point in this passage is who Jesus is claiming to be... The Son of God. In this context, this little story about paying taxes suddenly and powerfully declares Jesus' divine identity and speaks volumes about His divine mission.

So come this week and find out what all this means for us! I know you'll be there. I mean, this might be the only "fish story" you'll ever hear that's actually true! See you Sunday.

- Pastor Tom