IT’S TAX TIME!

Maybe it’s true… Only two things are certain: death and taxes!

“Everyone … twenty years old or more, must … pay half a shekel” (Exodus 30:13–14). This was later called the “temple tax.” Written in the Mosaic Law, this relatively minor annual payment was still required in the first century.

“When (Jesus and His disciples) came to Capernaum, those who collected the temple tax approached Peter and said, ‘Doesn’t your teacher pay the temple tax?’ ” (Matthew 17:24). Apparently, Jesus hadn’t made His annual payment, and the IRS sent a tax collector.

The amount that Jesus owed, “half a shekel,” was approximately equal to a blue-collar laborer’s wages for two days.

On another occasion, Jesus affirmed the government’s right to levy taxes when He said, “Give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s” (Mark 12:17). What Jesus owed; He was willing to pay.

So, Jesus didn’t panic. He didn’t argue. He didn’t apply for a second mortgage. He told Peter to go fishing. “Go to the sea, cast in a fishhook, and take the first fish that you catch. When you open its mouth you’ll find a coin” (Matthew 17:27). What?

Peter had caught a jillion fish in his lifetime, and he’d never caught a fish that had a big coin in its jaws. What a ridiculous idea…

Interestingly, the Bible doesn’t finish the story. So, what happened? You can bet that Peter went straight to the seashore carrying a cane pole. I can see it… On the first cast, Peter pulled in a largemouth bass. In it mouth… yep!

Peter paid the tax.

“… think on these things” (Philippians 4:8, KJV).