" And when Peter was come into the house, Jesus stopped him, saying, What Do you think, Simon? of whom do the kings of the earth take custom or tribute? of their own children, or of strangers? Peter said to him, Of strangers. Jesus said to him, Then the children are free."Matthew:17:25-26
The Parables of our Lord Jesus Christ are
generally regarded as having three classifications, Kingdom Parables, Grace Parables and Judgment Parables.
Of the Grace Parables, the first we encounter is in the seventeenth chapter of
the Gospel of St. Matthew.
This is what we might call an "acted out" parable, more than Jesus using words to
articulate a point. The Holy Spirit inspired St. Matthew to place this account
in the same chapter as the Transfiguration, Healing and
Jesus giving the Second prediction of His
death. It occurs in the fishing community of Capernaum in
the Province Galilee.
There are some Biblical Scholars who question the timing of the events as to
when this occurrence takes place within Jesus' ministry. There are some, who
believe that this takes place at the onset of the ministry of our Lord, but is
placed here in the narrative to emphasis the work of the Cross that Jesus gives
a prediction of within the same chapter.
This may be, in the same way that St. John
places the clearing of the money changers out of the Temple early in his
account to reflect Jesus' mission of restoring a right relationship between God
and humanity and Jesus' intention of doing away with the "overly religious system" which became bloated with
greed and self-righteousness in the hands of the Religious Leaders, but the
other Gospels accounts place it after the events of Palm Sunday just before the
Crucifixion.
Temple Tax
After Jesus and his Disciples arrive at
Capernaum, St. Peter is asked by some of the Jews if Jesus pays the Dracham
Temple Tax. This tax which was two Dracham, and was intended to be used for the
upkeep of the Temple and the livelihood of the Priest who ministered there was,
it amounted to two days wages.
"And when they were come to Capernaum,
they that received tax money came to Peter, and said, Does not your master the
tax? He said, Yes" Matthew:17:24-25a
St. Peters' answer, if translated literally
would simply be "yes" or maybe better
translated "of course".
After St. Peters' conversation with the Tax Collectors, St. Peter is then asked
by Jesus, his thoughts regarding who Kings bring taxation upon
"And when Peter was come into the house, Jesus stopped him,
saying, What do you think , Simon? of whom do the kings of the earth take
custom or tribute? of their own children, or of strangers?" Mathew: 17:25b
St. Peter answers "Peter said to Jesus, "Of
strangers." (26a)
Jesus answer “Jesus said to Peter, Then the children are free."(26b)
But after this, Jesus instructs St. Peter to pay the tax on their behalf, by
catching a fish and fin ding the need amount within its mouth.
"Jesus said to him.“But so that we may not cause
offense, 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.” (27)
Not a Taxing Question
There are some who see this as Jesus’ endorsement
a civil government right to taxation on its citizen, while there might be a
broad application to that, but that is not the real point. Most know the words
of Jesus when asked about taxation in a conversation with the religious leaders.
After asking to be shown a coin Jesus declared.
"And Jesus answering said to them, Render
to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's" .Mark:12:17
Taxation is not the point.
In
that day the Drachma, that is the coinage used to pay the Temple tax, came to
be used synonymously for the religious
system which it maintained, when people used the term Drachma, what they meant,
is as the whole system, it spoke of involvement and participation in short it
represented "religion".
Free of Religion
Looking back at Jesus' and St. Peters' conversation,
using the question as to who kings tax, “strangers or their children?” St.
Peter answers correctly that strangers are taxed, and then Jesus’ declarers the
"Children are free".
Recall that, the question which began the acted-out
parable was regarding the Drachma, which maintained the "system of religion”, Jesus only tells St. Peter to pay
the tax to avoid "offense" not to fulfill an
obligation.
What is Jesus telling us the children are free
from? Jesus is saying that the children are free of the tax, the tax in
question is the Drachma tax which maintain the "system
of religion” the Drachma being representative of “religion" itself. This is what Jesus is declaring
that the children are free from. The Children are free from Drachma;
meaning free from performance-based religion.
Children Are Free
The Greek word that the Holy Spirit inspired St.
Matthew to use here for Children is "Huion", it
is the same word used to describe Jesus as being the Son or child of God. Here
the word "Huion” is found to be in
its plural form, by using its plural Jesus is bring forward the idea of being
in association with himself, Jesus who is truly God's uniquely born Son.
This speaks to us that when we come to believe
in Jesus, that is, we enter the sonship that Jesus alone truly possesses, and
when we do, we are then free Children. We are now under grace. The Children are
free. Using Children, "Huion", we
are being told that we now have a
relationship with the Father of our Lord Jesus.
Jesus, we are told in the Gospel of St. John,
had come to give us the power or right to become sons or Children of God.
"Yet to all who did receive him, to those
who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children
born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but
born of God." John: 1:12-13
Religion
The Old Covenant given by God and enjoined
with Israel was intended to direct Israel, and any, to their need for the
Savior. However, it became in the hands of the religious establishment a burden
to the people.
The religious leaders had added additions to
the "Law”, and yet, found ways around it for their own profit or
convenience. They made it a hard yoke of performance, which most "religions" are. This is what the Drachma
came to symbolize, this the "Tax” the Children are free from.
None can live up the perfect standard
perfectly but for Jesus alone. Jesus alone is without sin. Hebrews: 4:15
Freedom
The Apostle St. Paul, himself, some years
latter advances this idea of being Children and the freedom which we are called
to. St. Paul writing to the Christians at Galatia in Asia Minor, a part of modern-day
Turkey. St. Paul address this freedom due to certain teachers who had come
attempting to graft into Christianity portions of the Old Covenant, that is,
they were merging works and performance with grace.
St. Paul writes to them and we today about
freedom of sonship and being heirs with our Lord by grace. Some were wanting to
enter into this type of religion, the very thing that Jesus came to set us free
from, they were turning to. Trusting in their performance, not in Christ alone
by grace. They would no longer be free. They would be paying the Drachma
so-to-speak.
"Now I say, That the heir, as long as he
is a child, differs nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all; But is
under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father. Even so we,
when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world: But
when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman,
made under the law,To redeem them that were under the law, that we might
receive the adoption of sons. And because you are sons, God has sent forth the
Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Why you are no more a
servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through
Christ". Galatians: 4:1-7
Again, the Apostle St. Paul stresses this
freedom that the Children of God are admitted into freely by Jesus.
"Stand fast therefore in the liberty with which Christ has made us
free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.Behold, I Paul say to
you, that if you be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing. For I testify
again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole
law. Christ is become of no effect to you, whoever of you are justified by the
law; you are fallen from grace. For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of
righteousness by faith.For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision avails anything,
nor uncircumcision; but faith which works by love" . Galatians: 4:1-5
This is the Drachma that all can be free from,
to walk in the sonship that is our's through our Lord Jesus Christ alone....
freedom that is truly free. When we come to believe in Jesus, we the Children
are Free....
Benediction: May we each and all live in the true
freedom of the Sonship which we share with our Lord Jesus, today, tomorrow and
forevermore. A men.
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Rev.Todd Crouch, Norman, Oklahoma
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