The Temple Tax

The Temple Tax
Matthew 17.22-27

Jesus told them they were going to be fishers of men, not of money (4.19)! This is one of the most peculiar little stories in the whole New Testament. What on earth does it mean?

One day the bishop parked his car, as usual, outside his house. He knew that the City Council had just passed a by-law requiring everybody to pay for parking spaces in that street. He knew they had done it because they wanted to make life difficult for the church. But he parked there anyway.

Sure enough, within minutes a parking attendant rang the doorbell. The bishop’s chaplain answered it.

‘You do know you’ve got to pay to park here?’ said the attendant...

Taken from Matthew for Everyone – by Tom Wright