December 3 – Peter Pays Taxes – Matthew 17
At the end of this chapter, Jesus addresses the paying of taxes. The tax collector asks Peter for the tribute money for Jesus. The tribute was collected from every Jewish male over the age of 20 and used for the upkeep of the Jerusalem temple. Jesus tells Peter that as children of the Heavenly King, they were under no obligation to support the temple. Jesus went on further to say that to avoid offending his fellow Jews. Jesus goes above and beyond to maintain a good relationship with His fellow Jews. Jesus performs yet another miracle by sending Peter to go fishing, and having Peter catch a fish with enough money in his mouth to pay not only Jesus’ taxes, but also paid Peter’s taxes as well. It is interesting to note that Jesus could have gotten money in multiple ways, but chose for Peter to use his talent in the area of fishing to supply the money.
