Societal rules
by Anne Hansen
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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 (Matthew 17:27b).
Read Matthew 17:24–27
A couple of years ago, I started playing social pickleball. It has different rules and strange terms and uses a type of beach bat and waffle ball. One rule is you need to stay out of the ‘kitchen’ area, and the only time you can go in there is when the hard waffle ball bounces in there. To participate in this sport and others, there are rules that need to be followed. When I got my first part-time job, I learned about taxes. No-one is exempt who is of age, and you give a tax according to your salary for the successful running of the country and society.
Jesus doesn’t often talk about money, but there are a couple of times when he is asked questions about taxes. This story is one of them. He is in a temple in Capernaum, which has a temple tax for each person of two drachma (less than one cent in Australian dollars). Some temple officials asked Peter if Jesus paid this tax. Jesus turned it back to Peter and asked him whether kings get their taxes from their own children or others. Peter replied with, ‘Others’, and Jesus said, ‘So the children are free?’ – referring to the fact that our salvation as God’s children has been paid.
Jesus was thinking way too deeply for Peter and said they would pay their temple taxes to the officials so they wouldn’t offend the system. They didn’t have the money for the taxes for them both – four drachmas, so Jesus performed a miracle telling Peter to go fishing and get the coins out of the mouth of the first fish caught. If only paying our taxes were that easy! But it is this easy. Jesus was the one who paid all our debts for us when he went to the cross for our sake to forgive us all our wrongdoings. We will still have to pay taxes in this life, but our eternal life and freedom have been paid for.
Our debt was paid on the cross!
My loving Saviour, thank you for paying the debt owed for my salvation. You shower me with blessings every day. Please help me not take the gifts of life and love for granted. Amen.
Anne Hansen has worked as the Lutheran Tract Mission Development Officer for 19 years. She is married to Pastor Mark Hansen (who serves in Noosa Qld), and they have three grown children – Jonah, Christian and Emma. Previously, Anne was a Lutheran school teacher, having taught at Good Shepherd Lutheran in Noosa Qld, St Marks in Mount Barker SA, and Golden Grove Lutheran School in SA. Anne says she loves serving Jesus! Her other roles have included pastor’s kid, Lutheran Youth of South Australia (LYSA) president, Lutheran Youth Encounter (USA) events director, nanny in Wales, backpacker through Europe, puppeteer, musician (touring the USA for two years), Know Your Bible (KYB) leader, Mainly Music leader and children’s ministry leader.
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