Epistles to the Cyberchurch - Su Min

From: Su Min
Subject: (27 Jan) Temple Tax

CYBERCHURCHIANS

Monday 27th January 1997

Epistle to The CyberChurch

GREETINGS

My dear children, Greetings in the Matchless Name of Jesus.

TEXT

Today we look at Matthew_16:24-26.

CONTEXT

Jesus was moving towards the end phase of his earth bound ministry. He had been transfigured, and had just freed a demon possessed boy of an evil spirit.

TEMPLE TAX

After Jesus and His disciples arrived in Capernaum the collectors of the two drachmas temple tax came to Peter and asked, "Doesn't your teacher pay the temple tax?"

This was the tribute money, an annual temple tax collected from each Jew: required of every male above the age of 20: The origins of the temple tax go way back to Exodus_30:11-16,_and was re-instituted after the Exile, Nehemiah_10:32,_with a discount (one third shekel).

The gospel text records the word "didrachma", and is rendered in KJV as "tribute money", in NIV as "two drachma".

During NT times there were three different currencies circulating in Palestine: Roman standard, Greek, and local Jewish. Copper, silver and bronze coins were in use. The most common silver coin was the Greek Tetradrachma and the Roman Denarius. It appears from Matthew_20:1-16_that a denarius was the average daily wage for a labourer. The basic Greek coin was the silver drachme, 6000 to a talent. The exchange rate was one drachme to one denarius. One shekel was equivalent to 4-drachma.

The temple due of half a shekel a head was usually collected in Greek currency: two drachma a person. The tetradrachmon or "stater" was the 4-drachma piece: It was a more common coin than the didrachmon (2-drachma piece), and it was common practice for two men to join together to submit one tetradrachmon coin for temple tribute. The tetradrachmon was probably the coins that formed the 30 pieces of silver that Judas received.

The tribute was usually collected in the month before Passover, and this incidence help to mark the incident in the point of the calendar before holy week.

Mini-lesson: It is interesting to note that the temple tax collectors do not approach Jesus, but rather, they

approach Peter, his trusted disciple. Was it a hostile question? Like: "Who do you think you are: exempt to pay tax?" Perhaps it was. But I am lead to believe that it was a simple question, prompted perhaps by the fact that Peter and Jesus had yet to pay their temple dues. Perhaps the question was a gentle reminder that the two drachma tribute was now to be collected.

IN DEFENCE OF THE MASTER

"Yes, he does," he replied. (Matthew_17:25a)
Peter responds in defence of his master. As a close disciple, Peter must have known that Jesus was serious in keeping the rules and laws as laid down by God, and also the social rules and customs of the people.

Mini-lesson: And what is our response when others ask us about Jesus? Do we know Him well enough to

know what His life style is? When others ask us of Jesus, do we love Him enough to speak up for Him? But how can we know Him, how can we love Him, if we do not spend time in communion with him, praying, meditating upon His word?

TAX & TRIBUTE

When Peter came into the house, Jesus was the first to speak. "What do think Simon, from whom do the kings of the earth collect duty and taxes- from their own sons or from others?" (Matthew_17:25b) "From others," Peter answered. “Then the sons are exempt," Jesus said to him. (Matthew_17:26)

Jesus speaks to Peter as soon as they enter the house. Perhaps there is anxiety on Peter's face. Perhaps there is anxiety in his heart. Our Lord knows it all. Jesus first wishes to set the record straight: that going by the book, He was not obliged to pay temple tax. This principle He establishes with a question to Peter, easily answered.

Mini-lesson 1: Jesus knows what goes on in our hearts. Jesus wants to free us of our anxiety. Jesus wants

to give us peace.

Mini-lesson 2: Jesus addresses his disciple as "Simon", not "Peter": It is an even more intimate name, the

original name, the real name: no facade, no pretensions, no titles: Jesus knows the real you! Warts, pimples and all. And He loves you.

Mini-lesson 3: Jesus is the Son of God. Temple tribute is paid to Him, not by Him!

Mini-lesson 4: We are obliged to pay our dues: contribute our tithes and offerings to the work of the

church. Indeed, entering the kingdom of God, we owe all we have to The King of kings: all our worldly possessions are but on loan to us, entrusted in our hands to do His work.

COURTESY

"But so that we may not to offend them, go to the lake and throw out your line. Take the first fish you catch: open its mouth and you will find a four-drachma coin. Take it and give it to them for my tax and yours."

Mini-lesson 1: The injunction is to avoid offending people. Do not lord your privileges over them. Where

possible, try to accommodate, even at expense to yourself. Jesus was not compelled to pay the tribute, but He chose to do so, so as not to offend those around who were watching.

Mini-lesson 2: Peter is sent for a little errand, to do a little bit of work, for the sake of The Kingdom.

"Go to the lake and throw out your line." Like the miracle of 5 loaves and two fish, a little is asked for, and much is returned. For a few minutes work, Peter gets a coin worth 4 days wages!

We might be asked by God to do a little errand. Just bring a friend to church. Just tell someone about Jesus. Just spend an evening in prayer for someone in need. Just pay that small contribution for one specific cause. Just write a friend an encouraging e-mail. At the back of your mind you may think that it is trivial. Such a little errand. You may have set your heart on doing great things for God! But it is God's work. And your effort, like his Word, will not return to Him void, but it shall accomplish that which He pleases, and prosper in the thing whereto He sent it. Little drops of water, little grains of sand... Your errand will be magnified by God and used to accomplish great and mighty works!

Mini-lesson 3: Great is God's faithfulness:

Jesus, as an itinerant preacher would not have any income. Perhaps He and His disciples depended on the goodwill of family and friends for their daily needs.
Certainly they depended on God for their daily bread.

The provision by means of a silver coin in a fish is miraculous indeed: but if you think of it, so too is the provision of EVERY morsel of food that passes into our mouth! Vegetarian and otherwise, each piece of food has been created by God and prepared by hands of people blessed by God to feed us!

Consider a potato. On your plate and into your mouth: Where did it come from? In Singapore, most are imported from Australia, Malaysia, Indonesia. The original stock may have come from Europe or South America. The farmer plants the potato. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself, the soil produces potato, first the shoot, then the root, then the tuber (Mark_4:27-28,_modified). The soil within which the potato grows is a miracle. The water which irrigates the land is a miracle. The sunlight which jiggles the chlorophyll is a miracle.

At harvest time the farmer digs out the potato. The potato is washed, packed and sent to the middleman, thence to the wholesaler. The wholesaler sells the potato to the exporter. The exporter sells the potato to the importer. The importer goes via the middleman from the wholesaler to the retailer. The housewife makes the purchase and brings the potatoes home. Tender hands wash and cook the potato. The meal is served. The loving wife serves the lord and master of the house (that is me!.. tee hee). One hot potato on my plate and soon into my tummy. So many many hands involved from planting to eating. So many hands commissioned by God to prepare my food. We say grace.

CLOSING PRAYER

For any comments or enquiries please write to Dr. Lim Su Min


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