Jesus Pays Temple Tax Series

The Great Commission

Part 15 – Jesus Pays Temple Tax

Pastor Bruce A. Shields

House of Faith – www.PS127.org | www.TruthDigest.org

ANNOUNCEMENTS

6:00PM Evening Service at the church –

“Seminary Students will be preaching”

April 20th – Walker Spriggs

April 27th – Deacon Kurt Ulman

May 4th – Grace Steadman

May 11th – Lori Ulman

May 18th – Lynnette Higgins

WHERE WE ARE AT

† Jesus is Transfigured on the mountain

† Peter wants to build tabernacles to saints

† God speaks of Jesus, He is the ONLY ONE to listen to!

† Christ will not share the praise, or the prayer, or the worship with even the greatest of saints. He alone is worthy.

† The Disciples fail to heal a boy because they lacked Faith

† Jesus heals boy and rebukes the Disciples for their lack of Faith

INTRODUCTION

It is from this point where Jesus and the Disciples leave for Capernaum, where Jesus spent most of His time and used as a central base for His ministries.

SCRIPTURE READING

Matthew 17:24 – 27

24 After Jesus and his disciples arrived in Capernaum, the collectors of the two-drachma tax came to Peter and asked, "Doesn’t your teacher pay the temple tax?"

25 "Yes, he does," he replied.

When Peter came into the house, Jesus was the first to speak. "What do you think, Simon?" he asked. "From whom do the kings of the earth collect duty and taxes—from their own sons or from others?"

26 "From others," Peter answered.

"Then the sons are exempt," Jesus said to him. 27 "But so that we may not offend them, 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."

MIRACULOUS PROVISION

I. What was the Temple Tax?

a. The Temple Tax, which was about ½ a Shekel per person ($50), was required by every Jew (age of 20+) yearly. This is Atonement money.

Exodus 30:11 – 16

11 Then the LORD said to Moses, 12 "When you take a census of the Israelites to count them, each one must pay the LORD a ransom for his life at the time he is counted. Then no plague will come on them when you number them. 13 Each one who crosses over to those already counted is to give a half shekel, according to the sanctuary shekel, which weighs twenty gerahs. This half shekel is an offering to the LORD. 14 All who cross over, those twenty years old or more, are to give an offering to the LORD. 15 The rich are not to give more than a half shekel and the poor are not to give less when you make the offering to the LORD to atone for your lives. 16 Receive the atonement money from the Israelites and use it for the service of the Tent of Meeting. It will be a memorial for the Israelites before the LORD, making atonement for your lives."

b. We are told that this Temple Tax was for all those 20 years and older to pay to the Lord, and it was to be used for the service of the Tent Meeting (Church or place of worship).

Now this atonement money did not PAY for their atonement anymore than animal sacrifices removed their sins.

This was symbolic, and meant as a teaching tool and constant reminder of the atonement to come, the real cost of it, and how each, whether rich or poor is going to owe the same debt to God.

This Temple Tax was known as Ransom Money, and was a reminder to the Jews of God’s provision of Redemption, and of their obligation under the terms of the Mosaic Covenant.

Christ died on the Cross; “He gave Himself a ransom for all” 1 Timothy 2:6

The amount equals approximately $50.00 by today’s money, and all were to give the same, whether rich or poor.

This places every man on an equal footing in relation to God. So no man could boast of what he gave, thinking himself better or higher than another. For in God’s eyes, we are equal. There is no Jew or Greek, no male or female, only those in relationship with the Father, and those in opposition to the Father.

The second you think yourself better than another, you have stepped out of relationship and placed yourself in opposition to the Father.

But the yearly Temple tax was not the regular offering to the Temple, or Tithe.

Tithe in the Old Testament was 1/10th of what you earned, given back to the Lord as a reminder of where it really comes from.

All that we have comes from God.

Again, this money is used to support the ministers and the Temple upkeep.