Temple tax
The coin in the mouth of the fish
The Tax in question was to be paid by all male Jews and served to maintain the Temple of Jerusalem.
From this account some exegetes point out the little importance that Master Jesus gave to the Temple Fee and, at the same time, they highlight his lifestyle that did not give her the possibility of paying the temple tax.
Join Us
Gospel - Matthew [17:24-27]
After Jesus and his disciples arrived in Capernaum, the collectors of the two-drachma temple tax came to Peter and asked, “Doesn’t your teacher pay the temple tax?”
“Yes, he does,” he replied. When Peter came into the house, Jesus was the first to speak. “What do you think, Simon?” he asked. “From whom do the kings of the earth collect duty and taxes—from their own children or from others?”
“From others,” Peter answered.
“Then the children are exempt,” Jesus said to him. 27 “But so that we may not cause offense, go to the lake and throw out your line. 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.”
Exegesis - Matthew [17:24-27]
Paying taxes, especially if destined for the Temple, was an unavoidable and mandatory duty, which could not be fulfilled through a free offer, but with a fixed amount corresponding to half a shekel. That is, translated into Greek currency, to two drachmas. That is a didracma.
This quota was to be paid by every male Israelite aged 20 and over and the collection, exercised by special agents called “tax collectors”, began on the fifteenth day of the month of Adar in the Jewish calendar (February-March).
“Doesn't your Master pay temple taxes?” The collectors, fearful of addressing this question directly to Jesus, address it to Peter, knowing that he is the head of the disciples. This question for them is certainly a doubt, but also a curiosity: they heard that Jesus chased the merchants from the Temple from the beginning of his preaching and that he always disagreed with the current management of the Temple, based on trading and on the political organization of the priestly caste.
As soon as Peter enters the house where Jesus is at that moment, the latter anticipates him by showing him that he knows of the confrontation he has just had with the tax collectors and saying: “The kings of this earth from whom do they collect taxes and tributes? From their own children or from others”. The tax was the indirect tax that was collected on merchandise, while the census was the direct tax that was imposed on people, fields, etc.
“From strangers”, Peter promptly replies, that is, from those who do not belong to the king's family; therefore, as Jesus reiterates, children are exempt: He, Son of the Father, should not have had to pay any tribute to the Temple which is the Father's House.
Peter had answered well, because he knew and believed that Jesus was the Son of God, but the collectors and those who had sent them to check do not believe it; so, in order not to scandalize them, Jesus resolves to pay the due to the Father in any case, for the worship professed in the Temple; he does it, however, in an unexpected way: he tells Peter to go to the sea, throw the hook, catch the first fish that bites, open his mouth and extract from there the silver coin sufficient to pay off the debt; the species of fish caught is not specified, but it is supposed to have been the Tilapia later called, in reference to this episode, “St. Peter's Fish”.
What is certain, however, is the presence of the coin in the first fish that bites the hook: it is the proof that Jesus commands and arranges everything, demonstrating that nothing is impossible for him, even to meet our needs … if we have faith and trust in him! Jesus does not work and has no personal economic resources, but through this gesture he offers an important teaching to man: you who need money to manage your life, you who in the economy are looking for security and consistency for your future, remember that money cannot become your main worry, otherwise money will empty you of meaning, it will make you abandon the truth, it will take away your dignity; if you do everything according to the god-money, this will distance you from Jesus and lead you to spiritual death!
Seek firstly the Kingdom of God, try to be honest, put His teachings into practice and do not worry about money: God, in his goodness, will never let you lack what is useful and what you require, because the necessary money can be found “in the mouth of a fish”.
