Who wants to pay taxes? April 15 is Tax Day in the United States. Americans tend to be upset around tax time for a basic reason: government wastes our money. Many are reluctant to pay for them. Governments around the world often struggle to collect tax revenues for the same reason. Businesses and individual citizens avoid taxation by under reporting income, keeping business deals off the books, and exaggerating losses and expenses. Sometimes we read about civil servants and elected officials creating tax loopholes by weakening tax enforcement mechanisms to reward allies.
Is this something new? During the time of Jesus, people did not like to pay taxes either. The Roman Government was known to have imposed a tremendous tax burden upon its subjects. In addition to these government taxes, the people of Israel also had to pay a tax to the temple, called the “Temple Tax.”
We read in the Book of Exodus about the Temple Tax “Then the LORD said to Moses, “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. 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. All who cross over, those twenty years old or more, are to give an offering to the LORD. 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. 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.” (Ex 30:11 – 16)
We read in today’s Gospel that Jesus paid his share of taxes. The Temple tax was one that every Jew 20 years and older was supposed to pay once a year for the upkeep and maintenance of the Temple in Jerusalem. Prior to the construction of the Temple in Jerusalem, the Temple Tax was for the maintenance of the Tent of Meeting. Whether rich or poor, each would pay the same amount to God. This places every man on an equal footing in relation to God.
The Temple tax is equivalent to about two days’ wages for a working man. Because the Temple tax, like most taxes, was unpopular, special tax collectors were assigned to certain areas and were responsible for seeing that as many people as possible paid. These Tax collectors were well known for their corruption. Thus, the Jews had utter contempt for tax collectors.
We were told in today’s gospel that several tax collectors approached Peter to find out if Jesus personally paid the tax. Peter responded in the affirmation. Upon meeting Jesus, he gave Peter instructions for getting money to pay the tax for both of them. The instruction is simple: walk to the shore of the Sea of Galilee, throw in a line, and the first fish you caught would have a coin in its mouth that would exactly pay their tax.
Did the tax collectors follow Peter to the shore of the Sea of Galilee? Just wondering! Peter did as Jesus had instructed. Peter walks down to the shore, picks up his fishing rod, and casts a line into the water. Within a short time, he has a fish on his line and reels it in. He takes the fish off the hook, opens its mouth, reaches in to pull out a coin, and hands it to the astonished tax collectors, Voila!
It looks easy and dramatic, Hollywoodish!
The words of Jesus and the fulfillment of these words are a reminder of the sacramentality of the Word of God. The power of the Word of God.
How did the tax collectors react to the miracle? Did they have any more questions for Peter after that? Did they become followers of Jesus themselves?
Although God rarely supplies our needs through coins in the mouths of fish, He often surprises us by using unexpected sources. Our God is an awesome God. He feeds us with the finest wheat. He says, “Be still and know that I AM GOD.
Remember to pay your taxes, though. No cheating!
Have a wonderful week.
