Matthew 17:24 When they came to K’far-Nachum, the collectors of the half-shekel came to Kefa and said, “Doesn’t your rabbi pay the Temple tax?” 25 “Of course he does,” said Kefa. When he arrived home, Yeshua spoke first. “Shim‘on, what’s your opinion? The kings of the earth — from whom do they collect duties and taxes? From their sons or from others?” 26 “From others,” he answered. “Then,” said Yeshua, “The sons are exempt. 27 But to avoid offending them — go to the lake, throw out a line, and take the first fish you catch. Open its mouth, and you will find a shekel. Take it and give it to them for me and for you.”
Praise God!
We’re finally getting to free money. I mean, this is what we’ve been waiting for, right? We’d all become fishermen if it were this easy.
This, however, was not easy on Peter.
At first glance, you’d assume this guy is coming to collect some kind of tithe but it isn’t. It’s a tax. For a building fund or missions program, perhaps. The nerve! Well…
Actually, it was commanded way back there with Moses:
Exodus 30:11 YHVH said to Moshe, 12 “When you take a census of the people of Isra’el and register them, each, upon registration, is to pay a ransom for his life to YHVH, to avoid any breakout of plague among them during the time of the census. 13 Everyone subject to the census is to pay as an offering to YHVH half a shekel [one-fifth of an ounce of silver]— by the standard of the sanctuary shekel (a shekel equals twenty gerahs). 14 Everyone over twenty years of age who is subject to the census is to give this offering to YHVH — 15 the rich is not to give more or the poor less than the half-shekel when giving YHVH’s offering to atone for your lives. 16 You are to take the atonement money from the people of Isra’el and use it for the service in the tent of meeting, so that it will be a reminder of the people of Isra’el before YHVH to atone for your lives.”
Ok, so was Yeshua borderline disobedient when He said He was exempt? No, not really.
Let’s look into this a little further.
Notice that Abba commanded this for everytime a census was taken. But there was no census being taken here (that we know of historically and it isn’t mentioned in this passage either). Or was there? Clearly this guy going around collecting has some sort of ledger that is tracking who has and who hasn’t paid. I guess that’s a kind of census.
It’s estimated that there were about 170 million people on earth during Yeshua’s time and 4-5 million of those were Jews. Accounting for those that lived abroad, the estimate of the number of people in the Land at this time is about 2.5 million. Let’s round down to 2 million.
Any chance those collecting will remember who has or who hasn’t paid? Nope. So they are “officially” counting the people in a non-census kind of way. Is this a technicality? Sure. Is it wrong? Probably. Anybody going to stop them? Nope.
Legally, they may have found a loophole. Or, it could be something else altogether.
“But to avoid offending them…”
Really? “To avoid offending them”? Since when did He care whether or not these people were offended?
What is an offense?
G4624 -- σκανδαλίζω - skandalizō -- skan-dal-id'-zo
To “scandalize”; from G4625; to entrap, that is, trip up (figuratively stumble [transitively] or entice to sin, apostasy or displeasure): - (make to) offend.
Definition (Thayer):
Yeshua does not want to “scandalize” these people. Why?
Maybe these church officials have taken something that should have been voluntary and turned into a forced action. If so, this may be a microversion of when Abba said He was tired of the mechanical observance of His ways:
Amos 5:21 “I hate, I utterly loathe your festivals;
I take no pleasure in your solemn assemblies.
22 If you offer me burnt offerings and grain offerings,
I will not accept them;
nor will I consider the peace offerings
of your stall-fed cattle.
23 Spare me the noise of your songs!
I don’t want to hear the strumming of your lutes!
24 Instead, let justice well up like water,
and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.
As we saw already, this tax collection is a form of a census but they don’t call it that. Shouldn't Yeshua get irate and give them what for? They are, afterall, manipulating the system and taking these poor people’s money. Time for hellfire and brimstone, right?
Not necessarily. This was a yearly collection in order to support the Temple.
How do we know this? From good ol’ Nehemiah.
Nehemiah 10:32 “We will impose on ourselves a yearly tax of one-third of a shekel [one-seventh of an ounce of silver] for the service of the house of our God, 33 for the showbread, for the regular grain offering, for the regular burnt offering, for [the offerings] on Shabbat, on Rosh-Hodesh, at the designated times and at other holy times, for the sin offerings to make atonement for Isra’el, and for all the work connected with the house of our God.”
Ok, so a self-imposed tax of one-third of a shekel is established here. But one-half sounds so much better, doesn’t it? Blending what Moses wrote with what those folks in Nehemia’s time decided for themselves. Sounds like good politicians, huh?
On the one hand, Moses commanded it (ish). On the other, don’t you remember how devout and sincere Nehemiah was in dedicating us all back to God? It seems this argument can cut both ways and create a legal knot that isn’t worth the $12 it costs to get out of it.
This may not have been a big enough hill to die on. It turns out the hill in question isn’t the hill we need to consider. Silence on this issue may not be silence at all. The reality is that Abba’s House deserves to be properly maintained whether the people’s hearts are in it or not.
Ideally, the people want to make sure His House does not fall into disrepair but things are tight, right? Those bills don’t stop coming and it’s all I can do to keep my house up and running. Caesar is taking his portion and there is not much left for me and my house. The order of living is:
When it comes to Abba’s House, it doesn’t matter if there is willful giving or forced giving. The people need to give. The provision that He’s given to the people is plenty enough to cover His dwelling place here on earth. This means the provision He’s given to you is plenty enough to cover His dwelling place here on earth.
And if you don’t have any spare cash on you? Well, go do what you’ve been trained to do. Then what comes from it belongs to Him. What does this look like?
Let’s look closely at what is happening here. Yeshua is exempt from the tax because it is for His House that the money is being collected. He’s the Son of the Father that owns the place so it makes no sense whatsoever for Him to give to these people.
I’d guess Yeshua’s ministry had collected enough change to cover the cost of this tax, so why not just pay it out of the petty cash drawer? Clearly, there is a lesson here.
Peter was a fisherman. This, we all know by now. Peter was also a little proud. He didn't like being embarrassed.
The collectors of the half-shekel came to Kefa and said, “Doesn’t your rabbi pay the Temple tax?”
“Of course he does,” said Kefa.
Uh… “Of course he does”? Looks like he may have been a little worried (or fearful) of what these powerful men may do to him if he defers.
“Oh, yeah, my guy definitely pays the tax you’ve come to collect on behalf of His Father.”
Then Peter comes around to collect Yeshua’s part:
“Uh, Rabbi…do You, uh, think you can pull a little cash from the, uh, drawer to cover Your part of what YOU owe?”
Then Yeshua quizzes him on the words he spoke to the collectors on His behalf. Peter learns that Yeshua can hold His own and doesn’t need Peter to run interference. But since he thought it wise to open his mouth, he now gets to pay for it.
So Yeshua sends Peter to work to go get the money. And of course it has to be the most ridiculous thing imaginable, not to mention statistically impossible.
We’ll pause here and gain some backstory before we close. We’re going to need to climb into the minds and spirits of men that sacrificed their lives to rebuild a wall around God’s people and His House. We’re going to do that by looking a little more closely at what was established with those people in Nehemiah’s time.
I am going to include the full narrative in Nehemiah 9 and 10. I strongly encourage you to read it in full and do so slowly -- the details matter (if you’re going to rush through, please don’t bother, just jump past it and I’ll summarize).
For context, they just read the Torah and learned they were to keep the Feast of Sukkot for 7 days then have a solemn assembly on the 8th day. They did so from the 15th day through the 23rd day (8 days in total), and this all begins on the 24th day.
Ready? Ok, here we go. Nehemiah 9-10:
On the twenty-fourth day of this month the people of Isra’el, wearing sackcloth and with dirt on them, assembled for a fast. Those descended from Isra’el separated themselves from all foreigners; then they stood up and confessed their own sins and the iniquities of their ancestors. Standing where they were, they read in the scroll of the Torah of YHVH their God for one-quarter of the day. For another quarter they confessed and prostrated themselves before YHVH their God. On the platform of the L’vi’im stood Yeshua, Bani, Kadmi’el, Sh’vanyah, Buni, Sherevyah, Bani and K’nani; they cried out loudly to YHVH their God. Then the L’vi’im Yeshua, Kadmi’el, Bani, Hashavn’yah, Sherevyah, Hodiyah, Sh’vanyah and P’tachyah said, “Stand up, and bless YHVH your God from everlasting to everlasting; let them say:
“‘Blessed be your glorious name,
exalted above all blessing and praise!
“‘You are YHVH, you alone.
You made heaven,
the heaven of heavens, with all their array,
the earth and all the things that are in it,
the seas and all that is in them;
and you preserve them all.
The army of heaven worships you.
“‘You are YHVH, the God who chose Avram,
brought him out of Ur-Kasdim
and gave him the name of Avraham.
Finding that he was faithful to you,
you made a covenant with him
to give the land of the Kena‘ani,
the Hitti, Emori and P’rizi,
the Y’vusi and the Girgashi,
to give it to his descendants;
and you have done what you promised,
because you are just.
“‘You saw the distress of our ancestors in Egypt
and heard their cry by the Sea of Suf.
You performed signs and wonders against Pharaoh,
against all his servants and the people of the land;
for you knew how arrogantly they treated them;
and you won yourself a name which is yours to this day.
You divided the sea ahead of them,
so that they could pass through the sea on dry land;
then you hurled their pursuers into the depths,
like a stone into turbulent waters.
“‘In a column of cloud you led them by day,
and by night in a column of fire,
so that they would have light ahead of them
on the way that they were to go.
“‘You descended on Mount Sinai
and spoke with them from heaven.
You gave them right rulings and true teachings,
good laws and mitzvot.
You revealed to them your holy Shabbat
and gave them mitzvot, laws and the Torah
through Moshe your servant.
“‘For their hunger you gave them bread from heaven;
for their thirst you brought forth for them water from the rock.
You ordered them to enter and possess the land
you had sworn with your hand to give them.
“‘But they and our ancestors were arrogant;
they stiffened their necks and ignored your mitzvot;
they refused to listen and paid no attention
to the wonders you had done among them.
No, they stiffened their necks, and in their rebellion
appointed a leader to return them to their slavery.
But because you are a God of forgiveness,
merciful, full of compassion,
slow to grow angry and full of grace,
you did not abandon them.
Even when they cast themselves a metal calf,
saying of it, “This is your god
that brought you up from Egypt,”
and committing other gross provocations;
still, you, in your great compassion,
did not abandon them in the desert.
The column of cloud did not leave them by day;
it kept leading them along the way.
By night the column of fire
kept showing them light and the path to take.
You also gave your good Spirit to teach them,
did not withhold man from their mouths
and provided them water to quench their thirst.
Yes, forty years you sustained them in the desert;
they lacked nothing —
their clothes did not wear out;
their feet did not swell up.
“‘You gave them kingdoms and peoples;
you even gave them extra land,
so that they took possession of the land of Sichon,
also the land of the king of Heshbon
and the land of ‘Og king of Bashan.
You made their children as numerous
as the countless stars in the sky.
“‘Then you brought them into the land
about which you had said to their fathers
that they should go in and take possession of it.
So the children went in and possessed the land,
as you subdued ahead of them
the Kena‘ani living in the land,
and handed them over to them,
along with their kings and the peoples of the land,
for them to do with as they wished.
They took fortified cities and fertile land,
possessed houses full of all kinds of good things,
dug-out cisterns, vineyards, olive groves,
fruit trees in plenty;
so they ate their fill and grew robust,
luxuriating in your great goodness.
“‘Yet they disobeyed and rebelled against you,
throwing your Torah behind their backs.
They killed your prophets for warning them
that they should return to you
and committed other gross provocations.
So you handed them over to the power
of their adversaries, who oppressed them.
Yet in the time of their trouble,
when they cried out to you,
you heard from heaven, and in keeping
with your great compassion,
you gave them saviors to save them
from the power of their adversaries.
But as soon as they had gotten some relief,
they went back to do evil before you.
So you left them in the power of their enemies,
who came down hard on them.
Yet when they returned and cried out to you,
you heard from heaven many times
and saved them, according to your compassion.
You warned them, in order to bring them back
to your Torah; yet they were arrogant.
They paid no attention to your mitzvot,
but sinned against your rulings,
which, if a person does them,
he will have life through them.
However, they stubbornly turned their shoulders,
stiffened their necks and refused to hear.
Many years you extended them mercy
and warned them by your Spirit through your prophets;
yet they would not listen.
Therefore you handed them over
to the peoples of the lands.
Even so, in your great compassion,
you didn’t completely destroy them;
nor did you abandon them,
for you are a compassionate and merciful God.
“‘Now therefore, our God,
great, mighty, fearsome God,
who keeps both covenant and grace:
let not all this suffering seem little to you
that has come on us, our kings, our leaders,
our cohanim, our prophets, our ancestors,
and on all your people,
from the times of the kings of Ashur
until this very day.
There is no question that you are just
in all that has come upon us;
for you have treated us fairly.
It is we who have acted wickedly.
Our kings, our leaders, our cohanim and ancestors
did not keep your Torah,
pay attention to your mitzvot
or heed the warnings you gave them.
Even when they ruled their own kingdom,
even when you prospered them greatly,
in the great, rich land you gave them,
they did not serve you;
nor did they turn from their wicked deeds.
“‘So here we are today, slaves.
Yes, in the land you gave our ancestors,
so that they could eat what it produces
and enjoy its good —
here we are in it, slaves!
Its rich yield now goes to the kings
you have set over us because of our sins;
they have power over our bodies,
they can do what they please to our livestock,
and we are in great distress!
“‘In view of all this, we are making a binding covenant, putting it in writing and having it sealed by our leaders, our L’vi’im and our cohanim.’”
On the sealed document were the names of: Nechemyah the Tirshata the son of Hakhalyah, Tzedekyah, S’rayah, ‘Azaryah, Yirmeyah, Pash’chur, Amaryah, Malkiyah, Hatush, Sh’vanyah, Malukh, Harim, M’remot, ‘Ovadyah, Dani’el, Ginton, Barukh, Meshulam, Aviyah, Miyamin, Ma‘azyah, Bilgai and Sh’ma‘yah. These were the cohanim.
The L’vi’im were: Yeshua the son of Azanyah, Binui a descendant of Henadad, Kadmi’el, and their kinsmen Sh’vanyah, Hodiyah, K’lita, P’layah, Hanan, Mikha, Rechov, Hashavyah, Zakur, Sherevyah, Sh’vanyah, Hodiyah, Bani and B’ninu.
The leaders of the people: Par‘osh, Pachat-Mo’av, ‘Eilam, Zatu, Bani, Buni, ‘Azgad, B’vai, Adoniyah, Bigvai, ‘Adin, Ater, Hizkiyah, ‘Azur, Hodiyah, Hashum, Betzai, Harif, ‘Anatot, Neivai, Magpi‘ash, Meshulam, Hezir, Mesheizav’el, Tzadok, Yadua, P’latyah, Hanan, ‘Anayah, Hoshea, Hananyah, Hashuv, HaLochesh, Pilcha, Shovek, Rechum, Hashavnah, Ma‘aseiyah, Achiyah, Hanan, ‘Anan, Malukh, Harim and Ba‘anah.
The rest of the people, the cohanim, the L’vi’im, the gatekeepers, the singers, the temple servants and all who had separated themselves from the peoples of the lands to the Torah of God, along with their wives, sons and daughters, everyone capable of knowing and understanding, joined their kinsmen and their leaders in swearing an oath, accompanied by a curse [in case of noncompliance], as follows:
Phew!
Let’s summarize:
We see that this “tax” is not a law at all. During a census, sure. But every year? This is a voluntary offering made by those that do not want to abandon the House of God.
Commitment to something far greater than their own well-being. This may not be anything any of us have really considered or faced during our lives but it is very real.
Back to Peter.
His pride ran interference in a potential confrontation between Yeshua and the tax collectors. And once he learned the Son of God was exempt from this tax, Yeshua sent him off to do what he’s good at to cover the cost.
Peter may have had some cash on him and could have spared the trouble of jumping through this weird little hoop by just paying it and being strapped for a few days. But his mouth got him into some trouble.
Imagine what it must have been like. He likely didn’t have fishing gear on him so he’d need to walk all the way home to get his gear (they were in Capernaum and Bethsaida -- about a 7 mile walk). He gets home, says a quick ‘hello’ to his family, then off to the lake. Peter was used to going out on the boat with his nets and locating schools to bring in many fish. Here, he was looking for one. So he needed a pole.
Have you ever been fishing with a line? Fishing is notoriously slow-paced and uneventful. Sometimes you stand there for hours just waiting on a nibble. This is why so many people enjoy it. Just you and your thoughts -- for hours.
Just what Peter needed. Being alone with his thoughts.
“Why did I open my big mouth? I should have just let Him fight His own battle. Hmm…maybe I don’t need to be His savior…maybe I’m not as much of a bigshot as I thought…”
Then it happens. He hooks a fish and all the while he’s pulling it in, he’s got to be thinking:
“There is no way…”
But just as Yeshua said, the fish had the EXACT amount he needed -- for him and His Rabbi.
What must that feeling have been like? So much excitement, amazement, joy, …and embarrassment.
Have you ever had that feeling?
A few final lessons: