A Messiah Who Does the Right Thing
Text: Matt. 17:24-27
Introduction
1. Illustration: There is the story of a taxpayer who needed to ease his conscience. "A taxpayer wrote to the Internal Revenue Service, "I have not been able to sleep well for two years. Here is my check for $1,200 for back taxes." He even signed his name, then added a short P.S. "If I don’t sleep better in a week, I will send you another $1,200. He had to do something to relieve his guilt, but he didn’t want to do too much". (Roy B. Zuck, The Speaker’s Quote Book, 182-183).
2. One of the most important lessons we learn has to do with ethics - doing the right thing.
3. In all circumstance we need to do the right thing because...
a. People Watch What We Do
b. It's the Right Thing
c. God Will Provide
4. Read Matt. 17:24-27
Proposition: Jesus teaches us to do the right thing because it is the right thing.
Transition: We should do the right thing because...
I. People Watch What We Do (24-25a).
A. Pay the Temple Tax
1. One of the most difficult and challenging aspects of the Christian life is the fact that unbelievers are always watching and waiting for us to fail.
a. They watch what we say.
b. They watch what we do.
c. They watch where we go.
d. The minuet that they catch us making a mistake they are right there to say, "I thought you were a Christian."
e. The problem is that we are still human and we will make mistakes, but on the other hand, maybe they are actually helping us to practice what we preach.
2. We can expect this because that is exactly how they treated Jesus.
a. The religious elite were just looking for something to use against Him.
b. They tried to trap Him with something he said.
c. They tried to trap Him based on who he hung out with.
d. They tried to trap Him by twisting His own teaching and tried to use it against Him.
e. The problem was that Jesus was beyond reproach.
f. He always knew the right thing to say, and above all, He always did the right thing.
3. Our text today demonstrates this. Matthew tells us, "On their arrival in Capernaum, the collectors of the Temple tax came to Peter and asked him, 'Doesn’t your teacher pay the Temple tax?'”
a. Free adult Jewish men all over the ancient world showed their solidarity with the temple and the Holy Land by paying a half-shekel tax; in New Testament times this was two drachmas (as here), or two days’ wages.
b. After 70 AD, in Matthew’s time, the Romans confiscated this tax for the upkeep of a pagan temple, and some Jews may have refused to pay it on principle; but in Jesus’ day, any Jew loyal to Judaism would have paid it (Keener, IVP Bible Background Commentary – New Testament).
c. This incident was recorded only by Matthew. Perhaps as a former tax collector he was particularly interested is this affair.
d. Because Jesus spent a great deal of time outside of Capernaum, those collecting the temple tax had no idea of Jesus' attitude toward the practice (Horton, 369).
e. The grammatical structure of the question indicates that these temple tax agents are attempting to elicit an affirmative response: "He does pay the tax, doesn’t he?"
f. This may mask an attempt to trap Jesus in a contemporary debate among the religious leaders about who should pay the tax.
g. These representatives from the temple establishment may have been attempting, to confirm charges of Jesus’ disloyalty to the temple (Wilkins, NIV Application Commentary, New Testament: Matthew, 599).
4. Peter, knowing that Jesus was a man of integrity, responds without hesitation, “Yes, he does,”
a. Peter assumed that Jesus had already paid the tax.
b. In fact, he didn't even bother to ask Jesus, but drew his own conclusions based on his own opinion.
c. He knew His teacher, His Messiah, always did the right thing because it was the right thing.
B. People's Opinions
1. Illustration: A man who had a high opinion of himself stepped on a coin-operated scale that dispensed a card, givinghis weight and comments about his personality. After reading the card, he handed it to his wife and said, “Here, look at this!” She took it and read aloud, “You are dynamic, a born leader, handsome, and much admired by women for your personality.” Giving it a second look, she added, “Hmmm, I see it’s got your weight wrong too!"
2. What other people think does matter.
a. 1 Peter 2:12 (NLT)
Be careful to live properly among your unbelieving neighbors. Then even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honorable behavior, and they will give honor to God when he judges the world.
b. I have had well meaning Christians tell me, "Well I don't care what people think of me."
c. We need to care what they think because what they think about us is what they think about Jesus.
d. If they see us living lives that are not filled with truth, integrity, honor then they will think that Jesus is not true.
e. If they see us living lives not governed by the truth then they will not think that Jesus is the truth.
3. The great people of faith in the Bible tried to live lives of integrity.
a. Acts 24:16 (NLT)
Because of this, I always try to maintain a clear conscience before God and all people.
b. They lived lives of truth.
c. They lived lives of honesty.
d. They lived lives of honor.
e. They lived lives that emulated the life of Jesus!
4. They did so because Jesus commanded us to.
a. Matthew 5:16 (NLT)
In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.
b. He told us to live lives of integrity.
c. He told us to live lives of truth.
d. He told us to live lives of honor.
e. He told us to live lives that bring praise, honor, and glory to the Father!
Transition: We should do the right thing because...
II. It's the Right Thing (25b-26).
A. What Do You Think, Peter?
1. There wasn't anything that escaped Jesus, and He knew all about the conversation the tax collector's had with Jesus.
2. As Peter went into the house, and "before he had a chance to speak, Jesus asked him, 'What do you think, Peter? Do kings tax their own people or the people they have conquered?'”
a. Like a good prophet, Jesus responds to Peter before Peter even brings up the matter.
b. We are not specifically told what Peter's thoughts were, but from Jesus' comments it seems reasonable to believe that he was wondering why Jesus, the Messiah and Son of God, would condescend to pay taxes to those over whom He was eternally sovereign (MacArthur New Testament Commentary – Matthew 16-23).
c. Jesus directs Peter's attention in a different direction.
d. Jesus question is probably better translated, "From whom do the kings of the earth collect duty and taxes--from their own sons or from others?" (NIV).
e. Earthly kings did not expect their children to pay taxes, and in many cases did not even expect their own subjects to pay taxes.
f. Instead they would conquer other nations and expect them to pay taxes.
g. Therefore, most taxes were paid by strangers.
h. So Peter was wrong in his assumption about Jesus. He was correct that Jesus paid the tax, but Jesus did it for a different reason (Horton, 369-370).
3. Jesus continues to teach Peter a lesson on integrity. Peter answers His question with the obvious, “They tax the people they have conquered,” Peter replied. “Well, then,” Jesus said, “the citizens are free!"
a. If servants and priests were exempt from the Temple tax, then how much more should Jesus, who is greater than the Temple, be exempt from it?
b. But Jesus didn't want to offend anyone based on taxes. So for the sake of those who were looking at him and following His example He paid the tax.
c. By emphasizing that the children of the heavenly kingdom are free, Jesus made it clear that He was submitting to the tax willingly and purposefully (Horton, 371).
d. It wasn't a matter of "do I have to?", but a matter of "should I do it anyway?"
e. Jesus shows us that it is not about personal rights, but rather about doing the right thing because it's the right thing.
B. The Right Thing
1. Illustration: In reference to turning the other cheek, Oswald Chambers said, "In the natural realm, if a person does not hit back, it is because he is a coward. But in the spiritual realm, it is the very evidence of the Son of God in him if he does not hit back. When you are insulted, you must not only not resent it, but you must make it an opportunity to exhibit the Son of God in your life...A personal insult becomes an opportunity for a saint to reveal the incredible sweetness of the Lord Jesus."
2. Sometimes we have to surrender our rights to do what is right.
a. Philippians 2:5-8 (NLT)
5 You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.
6 Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to.
7 Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form,
8 he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.
b. Jesus surrendered His rights for our sake.
c. He surrendered His rights as God's Son.
d. He surrendered His rights as our creator.
e. He surrendered His rights to glory and became like one of us because it was the right thing to do.
3. If we do what is right people will honor us.
a. Romans 13:3 (NLT)
For the authorities do not strike fear in people who are doing right, but in those who are doing wrong. Would you like to live without fear of the authorities? Do what is right, and they will honor you.
b. People will honor us for our integrity.
c. People will honor us for practicing what we preach.
d. People will honor us for walking in the truth.
4. If we do what is right God will honor us.
a. 1 Peter 5:6 (NLT)
So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor.
b. He will lift us up today.
c. He will lift us up tomorrow.
d. He will lift us up before people.
e. He will lift us up before the Father.
Transition: When we do the right thing...
III. God Will Provide (27).
A. Throw In A Line
1. The key to this principle of doing what is right is understanding that God will reward us for our obedience.
2. After illustrating that He didn't have to pay the tax, Jesus told Peter, "However, we don’t want to offend them..."
a. Once again Jesus was illustrating that the Church must follow His example and uphold the law of the land.
b. This not only shows our love for people, but also demonstrates a good witness to the world (Horton, 373).
c. Regardless of how unjust a tax is assessed or how blasphemously or irresponsibly it is spent, it is to be paid.
d. If the Son of God claimed no exemption for Himself in paying taxes to the "den of thieves" run by the wicked, false teachers and leaders of Israel, how much less can His followers claim exemption for themselves?
e. And if He was concerned about not giving offense to unbelievers over that issue, how much more should His followers have such concern?
3. Jesus then shows how God provides when we do the right thing by telling Peter, "...so go down to the lake and throw in a line. Open the mouth of the first fish you catch, and you will find a large silver coin. Take it and pay the tax for both of us.”
a. There is no evidence that at any other time Jesus provided tax money through a miracle.
b. On this occasion, however, the miracle reinforced the point that He was the Son of God and had the right to refuse to pay the tax had He so chosen.
c. He agreed to pay it entirely of His own choice (MacArthur New Testament Commentary – Matthew 16-23).
4. Here is where Jesus shows His power to provide. He tells Peter to "...go down to the lake and throw in a line."
a. Usually in the Gospels when they talk about fishing it talks about them using nets to fish with, because some of them were commercial fisherman and that was how they did it.
b. However, notice that in this instance Jesus tells him to throw in a single line.
c. He isn't going to need a huge net to catch this fish, but that not only would He provide the fish - He would provide the right fish.
5. He tells Peter that when he catches the fish, "Open the mouth of the first fish you catch, and you will find a large silver coin. Take it and pay the tax for both of us.”
a. The large silver coin that is mentioned here was called a "stater."
b. A stater was worth four drachmas (4 denarii); hence it covered the tax for both Jesus and Peter.
c. Some fish in the Lake of Galilee had mouths large enough to hold staters; one such fish was what is now called the Chromis simonis (named after Simon Peter) (Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary – New Testament).
d. It is a lasting testament to this miracle and the provision of God.
B. Provision
1. Illustration: Missionary statesman Hudson Taylor had complete trust in God's faithfulness. In his journal he wrote: Our heavenly Father is a very experienced One. He knows very well that His children wake up with a good appetite every morning... He sustained 3 million Israelites in the wilderness for 40 years. We do not expect He will send 3 million missionaries to China; but if He did, He would have ample means to sustain them all... Depend on it, God's work done in God's way will never lack God's supply.
2. Doing the right thing will bring us the blessings of God.
a. Deuteronomy 28:9-10 (NLT)
9 “If you obey the commands of the Lord your God and walk in his ways, the Lord will establish you as his holy people as he swore he would do.
10 Then all the nations of the world will see that you are a people claimed by the Lord, and they will stand in awe of you.
b. We will be His people.
c. We will be His witnesses.
d. We will be His ambassadors.
e. People will know that He is our God!
3. Doing the right thing will bring us God's provision.
a. Deuteronomy 28:13 (NLT)
If you listen to these commands of the Lord your God that I am giving you today, and if you carefully obey them, the Lord will make you the head and not the tail, and you will always be on top and never at the bottom.
b. We will have all we need physically.
c. We will have all we need relationally.
d. We will have all that we need spiritually.
Transition: When we do the right thing we are doing the will of God.
Conclusion
1. In all circumstance we need to do the right thing because...
a. People Watch What We Do
b. It's the Right Thing
c. God Will Provide
2. Doing the right thing is never going to be the easy thing.
3. Doing the right thing is not always going to be the most popular thing.
4. However, doing the right thing is always going to be the God thing.
5. Are you doing the right thing?
