Right kwik! Did Jesus pay taxes? If He did, where did he send a disciple to find the money?
But so that we may not cause offense, go to the lake [the Sea of Galilee] 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.”
The coin in the fish’s mouth is one of the miracles of Jesus, recounted in the Gospel of Matthew 17:24–27
In Matthew’s account, in Capernaum the collectors of the two-drachma temple tax ask Peter whether Jesus does not pay the tax, and Peter replies “Yes”. When Peter returns to where they are staying, Jesus speaks of the matter, asking Peter’s opinion: “From whom do the kings of the earth collect duty and taxes, from their own children or from others?” Peter answers, “from others”, and Jesus replies: “Then the children are exempt. But so that we may not cause offense, go to the lake [the Sea of Galilee] 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.”
This tribute was a civil tax, which was given either to the Romans, or to Herod Antipas. This is evident from the phrase of Christ, “of whom do the kings of the earth take custom, or tribute?” Thus it was payable to a king or an emperor. The same is clear from Matthew 22:21, where the Herodians ask Jesus, “is it lawful to pay tribute to Caesar?” The tribute started to be levied before the time of Christ, when Hyrcanus and Aristobulus, the grandsons of Simon Maccabaeus were fighting over which one should have the high priesthood. Pompey was called in to meditate between them, and decided on Hyrcanus. However the people of Jerusalem favoured the other candidate, and gave it back to Aristobulus. Pompey subsequently overthrew Jerusalem, and made Judea under subjection to Rome, with an annual tribute. And because the Jews were used to paying a didrachma for the temple (Exodus 30:13), the Romans had them pay the same tax to them. However after the rebellion, when Jerusalem was captured by Vespasian, the temple was destroyed, and he ordered them to pay the didrachma to the Roman capitol. But the Jews disliked paying tribute to the Romans. They claimed that as the people of God, they should pay tribute to God, not Rome. This sentiment around the time of Christ, resulted in the sect of the Galilæans, led by Judas of Galilee, who refused to pay tribute to Caesar. Christ and His Apostles were suspected of being members of this sect, since they were from Galilee, and preached a new, heavenly kingdom. St. Jerome, Bede and others are of the opinion that in order therefore that Christ might show the baselessness of this charge, He paid the didrachma. The collectors of the tribute did not try to ask Christ for it, because of the great report of His sanctity and miracles, and instead asked Peter.
AMAZING reading The Word! Hallelujah!!!