Glory on the Mountain
After they had arrived in Capernaum, the collectors of the two-drachma tax came to Peter and asked, “Does your Teacher pay the two drachmas?” Matthew 17:24 · Berean Standard Bible
When they arrived in Capernaum, tax collectors asked Peter if Jesus paid the Temple tax. A simple question about money is about to become a lesson about identity.
Even in everyday matters like taxes, Jesus finds opportunities to teach about who He really is. No moment is too ordinary for a revelation.
Temple tax collectors approach Peter with a routine question.
A mundane question about Temple taxes leads to a surprising revelation about Jesus' relationship to the Temple and to God.
The ta didrachma (two-drachma tax) was the annual half-shekel Temple tax required of every Jewish male over twenty (Exodus 30:13-16). The tax collectors' question to Peter implies possible non-compliance.
The Temple tax funded daily sacrifices and Temple maintenance. The question 'does your teacher pay?' suggests either suspicion of non-payment or curiosity about Jesus' stance on Temple obligations.
The Temple tax collectors approach Peter with their question.
A mundane question about Temple taxes becomes the occasion for a profound lesson about Jesus' identity and His gracious accommodation to human expectations.
22When they gathered together in Galilee, Jesus told them, “The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men.
23They will kill Him, and on the third day He will be raised to life.” And the disciples were deeply grieved.
24After they had arrived in Capernaum, the collectors of the two-drachma tax came to Peter and asked, “Does your Teacher pay the two drachmas?”
25“Yes,” he answered.
26“From others,” Peter answered.
Read all of Matthew 17 — Three disciples witness Jesus transfigured in blinding light alongside Moses and Elijah. Then they come back down to a world that still needs healing.
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