Kingdom Citizens are Humble Citizens
Matthew 17:22-18:4 Outline
As citizens of the kingdom of heaven...
our procurement was costly
our position is family.
our posture is humility.
Our procurement as kingdom citizens was costly. 17:22-23
1 Peter 1:18-19
Our position as kingdom citizens is family. 17:24-27
Ephesians 2:18-19
Our posture as kingdom citizens is humility. 18:1-4
Philippians 2:5-8 | 1 Peter 5:5-6
Matthew 17:22-27 Commentary
Vs. 24-27 This section appears only in Matthew and is one of the most difficult in the Gospel to understand, both in terms of the significance of certain details and in light of its location in this context.1
Odd passage. Why did Matthew include.
What is a believer’s relationship to worldly authority? How are we to respond in the world?
1 Peter 2:9-13
Philippians 3:17-20
Eph 2:19
Heb 12:22
Friend of the world = enmity with God. (James)
Colossians – set your affections on the things above.
Phil 2 – shine as lights in the world
Phil 5....called to be set apart from the unfruitful works of darkness.
Matthew was a tax collector.
Submission is to be the mark of Jesus’ ministry from this time forward. The glorious King is also a
glorious Servant.2
Book of Matthew – written by Jewish to Jewish...Matthew was a Tax Collector/Publican.
Written to people who were steeped in the law and history of Jewish people.
Full implications of text???
Abrahamic Covenant (Unconditional), Mosaic Covenant (Conditional), Davidic Covenant (Unconditional)
22 As they were gathering in Galilee, Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men,
DELIVERED – passive verb tense
Acts 20:28 “which he obtained with his own blood.”
1 Corinthians 6:20, 7:23
23 and they will kill him, and he will be raised on the third day.” And they were greatly distressed.
KILL/RAISED – passive verb tense
GREATLY - Extremely
DISTRESSED - λυπέωb: (a derivative of λύπηb ‘state of sadness,’ 25.273) to cause someone to be sad, sorrowful, or distressed—‘to make sad, to sadden.’3
24 When they came to Capernaum, the collectors of the two-drachma tax went up to Peter and said, “Does your teacher not pay the tax?”
TWO (Double) DRACHMA TAX – the temple tax. Legislated in the book of Exodus for the maintenance of the tabernacle and later the Temple. This was not a tax for ROME...Temple Tax was taken to support the work of the temple in Jerusalem. – IT was not in the word/commanded in the OT....it was voluntary....pressure. This was not a requirement of the Law...but something you had to do as a part of that community.
Ex 30:11-16
All Israelite males over the age of twenty paid this tribute annually for the up keep of the Jerusalem temple. The practice stemmed from the commands of Exod 30:13 and 38:25–26;4 Every male required to pay the tax which amounted to half a shekel, at each census. ...later the priests required it annually. One of the reasons the temple had money changers was because people paid their tax when they came to Jerusalem for the Passover.
They had to change their native currency to local. ....and pay a tariff for the exchange. Ordained Rabbis were exempt from paying the tax. - The temple tax was a distinctively Jewish levy and must be distinguished from taxes to Rome.5
Is Jesus in or out?
This is a case of metonymy, where the coin formerly used to pay the tax (the double drachma coin – didrachmon- was put for the tax itself. – by NT times the coin was no longer in circulation ...but the name fo the coin was still used to refer to the tax itself.
METONYMY–
Dish as a substitute for a whole plate of food. § Hand as a substitute for assistance.
Tongue as a substitute for language.
“Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears.“ —William Shakespeare, Julius Caesar.
25 He 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?”
TOLL OR TAX - τέλος (TOLL) probably refers primarily to customs duties, while κῆνσος (TAX) refers to a direct poll tax upon all adult males.6
OTHERS - ἀλλότριοςb, α, ον: a person from another geographical or cultural region and/or one not known to members of the socio-political group in question—‘stranger, foreigner.’7
Jesus introduced the question...not Peter. Jesus wants to teach some Theology.
26 And when he said, “From others,” Jesus said to him, “Then the sons are free.
The King of the temple is God, Jesus is the Son of God, the Son of the King, he was exempt.
As Kings did not tax there own sons, technically, Jesus, as God’s Son, was exempt from the tax.
FREE – exempt, not obligated,
Then are the Sons free.—A conclusion a minori ad majus. The earthly royal prerogative serves as a
figure of theocratic right. God is King of the temple-city; hence His Son is free from any ecclesiastical
tribute8
The central message of this passage is that the children of the king are no longer under the old covenant
(temple tax of Exod. 30:13) but the new covenant. Modern believers are free from certain old covenant obligations. But we do have a responsibility to the king to live without sacrificing godly character. In this way, we may live at peace with others (Rom. 12:18 and context; 1 Tim. 2:1–2), and win as many as possible into the kingdom (1 Cor. 9:19–23). While sonship has its advantages, they are to be sacrificed to bring others to Christ.9
Then are the children free. The comparison required the use of the plural, though the reference is properly confined to himself. The deduction leads naturally to the lesson of Christ’s immunity. He virtually implies (though the inference is not developed in words), “I am the Son of God, as you, Peter, have acknowledged; this tax is levied for the house and service of God, whose Son I am; therefore I am free from the obligation of paying it; it cannot be required that I should pay tribute to my Father.”10
Liberty – not everything is profitable.
Phil 3:20
Romans 8:29
27 However, 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.”
NOT TO GIVE OFFENSE TO THEM – (so that we may not offend them?) Principle of dealing with the adiaphora (things that have no inherent moral bearing) - Lest we should lead them to suppose that we despise the temple. As, in dealing with the Phari sees (ch. 15), Christ did not avoid giving them offence, we are led to infer that in the present instance it would have been an offence to “these little ones.” Besides the tax-gatherers, many other persons in Capernaum, who could not clearly apprehend the spiritual bearing of Christ’s conduct, might readily have taken offence, under the impression that He placed Himself in opposition to the temple.11
1 Corinthians 8,10 (There is nothing inherently wrong with buying and eating meat that has been offered to idols in pagan worship.) Paul says that is adiaphorus. But if there are people in your family, your church family, or your circle of friends who believe it to be wrong, it is best to abstain from eating meat rather than make them stumble.
Phil 2, when Jesus emptied himself...he layed his glory aside and chose/submitted to humiliation, ignominy, suffering, and death......he even submitted to the temple tax which was an insult to his glory.
To avoid offense, Jesus pays on behalf of himself and Peter.
Romans 13:1-7 § Titus 3:1
1 Peter 2:7-8
1 Peter 2:13-17
2 Cor 8:9
Lest we should offend them, cause them to stumble. In his large charity he would not take the advantage of his position to avoid the tax. Though above the Law, he would place himself under the Law. Offence would be given by the nonpayment. His motive would be unknown and misunderstood (see on ver. 24†). The people would attribute it to caprice, sectarianism, contempt of religion; they would see in it dishonour to the temple. Suspicion and animosity would be aroused; ill feeling, injurious both to themselves who encouraged it and to the cause of Christ, would weaken the effects of his acts and doctrine.12
OFFENSE - σκανδαλίζωc: to cause someone to experience anger and/or shock because of what has been said or done—‘to cause one to be offended, to offend13
The Gospel is offensive, but it is a different deal when WE unnecessarily offend.
Yet even in 22:21 it is not clear whether the motive for paying taxes to Caesar stems from a divine mandate or from a standpoint of expediency—to promote Christianity as law-abiding. Romans 13:1–7 suggests to many that obedience to human authorities, including paying one’s taxes, is a divinely ordained command. First Peter 2:12–3:22 seems to imply that such obedience is primarily evangelistic in motive. Each continues to apply in different situations.14
Jesus’ method of paying the tax demonstrated his diety
SHEKEL – silver coin worth four drachmas – one drachma = standard pay for a day’s labor.
What is clear is that Jesus is reinforcing two of the frequent themes of his teaching: (1) disciples should
avoid unnecessarily offending others (15:12–13 has shown that they cannot avoid all offense); (2) ultimately Jesus has freed them from obeying the law, both oral and written, except inasmuch as it is fulfilled and reinterpreted in his person and teaching (cf. under 5:17–20). If God’s people are freed from paying the tax for the temple’s upkeep, they must be freed from the sacrifices for which the temple existed.15
Jesus surrendered His rights in order not to offend. Paul did the same thing when he encouraged Timothy to get circumcised. (example of being above reproach)
Don’t burn bridges.
