"Then the subjects are exempt.
But that we may not offend them, go to the sea, drop in a hook,
and take the first fish that comes up. Open its mouth and you will find a coin worth twice the temple tax. Give that to them for me and for you."
Sometimes even Jesus goes along to get along. His paying the tax despite his exemption as the Incarnate Son of God, was in obedience to his Father, and not for fear of his enemies. The hour for his glorification had not yet come, and there was no point in giving his enemies further provocation to speed up the process.
This is an amusing story; it bears a strong resemblance to some of the magic tricks I've seen on television. They require great study, preparation, timing, skill, and the amused duplicity of an audience willing to be fooled. They're great fun and hugely entertaining; and this one too has comedic effect. We can imagine Peter's astonishment first when he heard the Master's instruction, and then when he obeyed.
We do well to notice the context of the story. Jesus, within the same seventeenth chapter, had been "transfigured before them; his face shone like the sun and his clothes became white as light." He was seen in mystic conversation with Moses and Elijah, and a voice from heaven sounded God's supreme pleasure in him. Such a man certainly owes no taxes to any government!
The editor's footnote, found in the Bishops' NABRE translation, also tells us that Jews and Christians were taxed, after the destruction of Jerusalem's temple, to pay for the maintenance and upkeep of pagandom's temple to Jupiter. We can only imagine their disgust upon doing so. But under the circumstances, Christians go along to get along. They refused, however, when forced to offer sacrifices within those pagan sanctuaries which, in fact, honored the Roman emperor and his regime.
You have to choose your battles. Every general of every army knows that; and the worse defeats often follow those you didn't choose. Married couples have shared that wisdom with me; parents say it of their children; and I know it from life within a friary. The time for Jesus's consummate battle with evil had not come; but it would, soon enough.
As the week begins, as the heat of summer descends upon us, as the dreadful quadrennial cycle forces us to choose once again a lesser of two evils, we pray for the wisdom to know when to hold them, when to fold them, when to walk away, and when to run.
And when to laugh about it.
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I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.