Matthew chapter 17. Preaching highlights from the Gospel of Matthew and our text this morning is going to be verses 24 to 27. We encourage you to follow along in your Bible while I read from mine. And when he had come to Capernaum, those who received the temple tax came to Peter and said, Does your teacher not pay the temple tax? He said, Yes. And when he had come into the house, Jesus anticipated him, saying, What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth take customs or taxes? From their sons or from strangers? Peter said to him, From strangers. Jesus said to him, Then the sons are free. Nevertheless, lest we offend them, go to the sea, cast in a hook, and take the fish that comes up first. And when you have opened its mouth, you will find a piece of money. Take that and give it to them for me and you." Would you join me in prayer? Heavenly Father, we commit the reading and preaching of Your Word to You. and to your people, Lord. And I just pray your Holy Spirit will enable me to preach and deliver this message. And I pray that each one will have an attentive heart to receive your word and to be doers of the word. And I pray and ask this in Jesus' name. Amen. Only Matthew records the story that I have just read to you. Perhaps it's because Matthew was a tax collector, and he took an interest in what these temple tax collectors were doing on this particular occasion. You see, Jesus and his disciples had been away from Capernaum for some months now, and Jesus was preparing to head to Jerusalem But he stopped at Capernaum, which had been his home base for some time. It is where Peter lived. And so while they were spending some time in Capernaum on the north side of the Sea of Galilee, the temple tax collectors showed up and wanted to collect the temple tax. And this led to a story that we read in our text today, an amazing fish story. But this is not the only fish story, fish miracle that we read about in the Gospels. You remember how the disciples fished all night long? And the next morning, Jesus told them to cast out and put your net on the other side of the boat. And guess what happened? They caught so many fish, they could hardly get all the fish into the boat. Well, I'm sure you have heard some fish stories in your day, haven't you? I heard one story about a guy that was fishing in a boat and a fish just landed in the boat. That's a good way to catch a fish. And you've heard some other fish stories as well. Well, this morning we are going to look at a biblical fish story And this one is true, okay? This one really did happen. And it turned out really to be a miracle, I'm sure. And when Jesus did miracles, He did not do it just for the fun of it. He did not do it just to be sensational. Jesus Christ did miracles not just as wonders, but also as signs pointing to some truth. And so this morning I want to share with you what the meaning of this story is, what's the message of this story, and I hope that it will be a blessing to you today. Now there are several lessons I'll see from this story and the first is this, we have obligations to fulfill. This story is the story of Jesus fulfilling his obligation as a Jew to pay the temple tax. Peter likewise with the help of Jesus fulfilled his obligation to pay the temple tax. And the fact is, we all have obligations to pay, taxes to pay, and so forth. And in this text of Scripture, we see an example of that. Now when the temple tax collectors came, they said, Does your master pay the temple tax? And actually, it could be phrased according to the original Greek as, your master does pay the temple tax, doesn't he? And Peter said, well of course he does. He wanted to defend his master's honor. Now what was this temple tax? It's translated that way, but the Greek word is actually didrachma, which was a particular coin. But that is the amount that was required for the temple tax. In the Old Testament, Exodus 30, that's where this tax was required of every Jewish male 20 years and older. The same amount was required of every Jewish male, whether they were rich or whether they were poor. It was a half shekel, which was equivalent to two days wages. And so in today's minimum wage dollars, we're talking about at least $125 that every Jewish man had to pay. Not only was this required by the Jewish authorities, but even Julius Caesar required all Jews all over the Roman Empire to pay this tax. Now originally it was described in Exodus 30 as a ransom for your soul. God had redeemed them from Egyptian bondage and in recognition of their redemption they were to pay this tax, you might call it. And it was not only a ransom, it was considered an atonement for your soul, and it was also used to sustain the services of the tabernacle. And then when the temple was built, it was to sustain the services and expenses of the temple. Well, Herod the Great had begun building a marvelous temple in Jerusalem It was one of the great temples of the world. And so this tax money was needed, certainly, to sustain that temple in Jerusalem. Now getting back to the original question, they asked, does your master pay the temple tax? And Peter quickly answered, yes. He had been with Jesus for several years now. This was an annual tax collected in March of each year, due by Passover, and he had probably witnessed Jesus paying this tax in years before. And so he paid this tax according to our text of scripture. He fulfilled his obligations. This was an obligation for every Jew to pay. It was required by the law. And it illustrates the fact that we also have obligations. We have duties. We have duties to God. We have duties to our family. We have duties and responsibilities to our church. We have duties and responsibilities to society. And we are to fulfill our obligations. In Romans chapter 13 and verse 8, it says, Oh, no man anything. In other words, fulfill your responsibilities. Fulfill your duties. And in the previous verse, it says in Romans 13, 7, render therefore to all their due, taxes to whom taxes are due, fear or respect to whom fear or respect is due, honor to whom honor is due. Fulfill your obligations. Pay your taxes. Show respect to leaders in society and in your church and elsewhere. We are to fulfill our responsibilities. And Jesus said in Matthew 22, 21, Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's. Not only did the Jews have to pay a Jewish tax, but they also had to pay taxes to Caesar, and Jesus said, you should do that. Government is ordained of God, and we are to pay our taxes in support of the government. We are also to pay our bills. Psalm 37 verse 21 says the wicked borrows and does not repay. And so if you borrow money, you have a responsibility to pay it back. You have responsibilities to your family, to support your children for example. You have responsibilities to your spouse. For example, in 1 Corinthians 7.3 it says, Let the husband render to his wife the affection due her, and likewise also the wife to her husband. That word translated render is a word of obligation. of responsibility, of duty. It's something that is expected of you. In Ephesians chapter 5 verse 28, So husbands ought to love their wives even as their own bodies. The same word of obligation is used there. And so we have responsibilities as Christians that we are to fulfill. You have responsibilities if you have a job to your employer. You have responsibilities if you're a student to your teachers in the administration in the school. And so we Christians of all people ought to be people who understand that when we have responsibilities, we have duties, we are to carry out our responsibilities. And Jesus did that. Peter did that. They set an example for us. But secondly, this morning, we see that we should be considerate of others as we meet our obligations. You know, some people say, well, I don't have to do that. Why should I do that? They try to get out of their obligations. But we should not only meet our obligations, but we see in our Texas Scripture that there are times when we need to not be so meticulous, but even go the extra mile to fulfill our obligations and expectations. that are placed upon us. Jesus is an example of that. Now notice how he points out in this story that technically he doesn't even have to pay this tax. Now notice what he says in verse 25. What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth take customs or taxes? From their sons or from strangers? Now who do the kings collect taxes from? Do they collect taxes from their own children? No. They collect taxes from the subjects, from others, especially conquered nations. That was the pattern in that day. And so, verse 26, Peter gave the right answer. Good job, Peter. Gave the right answer. From strangers. So Jesus said to him, then the sons are free from the tax. Right? That's right. Well, remember this tax was originally imposed in Exodus 30 by God upon the people of Israel. God is the King. And so this tax was upon his subjects whom he had redeemed from Egyptian bondage. But Jesus is the Son of God. And so, technically, he didn't even have to pay this tax. He had not been redeemed from Egyptian bondage. He needed to pay no atonement for his sin. He was the fulfillment of the temple. The temple was about to be destroyed. He was the true temple. He was the ultimate high priest. He was the fulfillment of what the sacrifices in the temple were all about. And so Jesus could certainly make the rightful claim that He didn't have to pay this tax. Now, if you and I didn't have to pay a tax, we wouldn't pay it. You know, we want to insist on our rights and do what's the least demanded upon us, but notice what Jesus said in verse 27, nevertheless, lest we offend them, go to the sea, cast in a hook, take the fish that comes up first, and when you have opened its mouth, you will find a piece of money, take that and give it to them for me and for you." And so Jesus says, listen, I don't have to pay this, but lest we offend them, we're going to pay it. And I'm going to tell you how it's going to be paid. Now here's the point. Jesus did not want to cause the Jewish people to stumble over Him not paying this tax. And so He paid it. Now think of how He could have caused the Jewish people to stumble. They said, you mean He's not going to pay this tax? You mean Jesus doesn't support the temple? The temple is held in low esteem in the eyes of Jesus? Well, if He doesn't pay this tax, why should I have to pay this tax? You know, the typical person didn't understand why Jesus didn't have a... had a right not to pay this tax. And so, to prevent them from stumbling, Jesus went the extra mile and did something that He didn't absolutely have to do. He went ahead and paid this tax. Now Jesus didn't have to be baptized the way we do. Jesus had no sins to repent of. He didn't need a baptism of repentance. He was baptized first of all to set an example for us, to identify with us. He did more than was required of Him. Jesus was rich and yet He did not hold on to the riches of heaven but became poor and identified with the poverty of millions. Jesus had no obligation to die. He was free from sin. And yet Jesus died for you and for me. And so Jesus went the extra mile to keep from causing others to stumble. And even so we should be considerate of others. as we meet our obligations. And Paul carries this principle over into his letters in Romans 14 verse 13. Resolve this not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother's way. In that context, he's talking about meat purchased in the marketplace, which may have come from an idol's temple. And there were these situations where Paul would not eat from the meat in the marketplace if he thought that it would cause someone to stumble. Now he had a right to eat meat, as he clearly says in Romans 14, but he would forego that right. He would not insist upon his rights to keep someone from stumbling. And in 2 Corinthians 6, 3, we give no offense in anything that our ministry may not be blamed. Paul didn't want to do anything to hurt the cause of Christ. Nothing he said or didn't say or something he did or didn't do, he didn't want to do anything that would cause people to stumble. over the gospel of Jesus Christ. And so, we as Christians, when it comes to our rights, our obligations, we have to also consider what people are thinking as we discharge our responsibilities. And if that means that sometimes I've got to just go the extra mile to make sure that people's expectations are satisfied that I've done the right thing, that you've done the right thing, then so be it. You know, someone may say, you know, you can't show me in the Bible that we are absolutely forbidden from drinking alcohol in moderation. And I agree, I can't give you a proof text of that by any means. But yet, Paul says in Romans 14, 21, "...and it is good neither to drink wine, nor to do anything by which your brother stumbles, or is offended, or is made weak." If you insist on exercising your liberty and drinking alcohol in a restaurant and, you know, someone else sees you, especially if you're a leader of the church, it's probably going to cause them to stumble. If they struggle with alcohol in their own life, and they see you do it, and they feel like, well, so-and-so can do it, I'll do it, you know, it could cause them to stumble. So Paul says, listen, I'll just forego that, if that will prevent someone from stumbling. And so, Jesus gave the example of the fact that He would meet His obligations. He would fulfill His duties. And if it meant even going the extra mile to do so, He would do it. And that's the lesson for us as well from this text of Scripture. But as we live in this world, sometimes the obligations that are placed upon us can be very heavy. I'm thinking of a couple that split up. And because they're split up, instead of combining their resources into one household, now they've got to have enough money for two households. And here's a dad, for example, struggling to make ends meet, and yet he's got basically double expenses now, and he's struggling. And then I know there's so many people that are struggling just to make it from paycheck to paycheck. And then you tell me that I've got to pay my taxes, I've got to actually turn in my offerings, and you know, it's just too much. It's too much. I can't do it. Well, there's another wonderful principle here, and that is that Jesus can enable us to meet our obligations. And here in this story, he not only pays the temple tax himself, but he takes care of Peter as well. He helps Peter pay him. Peter had forsaken all to follow Jesus. He had given up a fishing business. He knew that Peter had limited resources, and so he saw to it that Peter's tax was taken care of as well. Now how do we know that Jesus can enable us to meet our obligations? It's because He's the Son of God. He has the power to help you. How do we know that He's the Son of God? Well, you know, recently I preached about Jesus walking on the water and calming the storm. And the disciples said, surely you are the Son of God. And then it wasn't long after that, He took Peter, James and John up on the high mountain. And He was transfigured before them. His divine glory radiated through His flesh. He's the Son of God. Chapter 17, the opening verses show that. And then right here, in the last part of chapter 17, we have yet another example of the fact that Jesus is the Son of God. Now how do we know He's the Son of God? First of all, because of His omniscience. Now if you look at verse 25, Notice it says, when he had come into the house, Jesus anticipated him. In other words, before Peter could even bring up the subject of the tax, Jesus brought it up. Now they talked to Peter evidently privately rather than talking to Jesus. How did he know the conversation that took place before Peter revealed it to him? because He's the Son of God. In fact, I found at least five examples in the Gospels where it indicates that Jesus knew people's thoughts. Remember that. He knows your thoughts. He knows your actions. He knows everything because He is the Son of God. Now, the fact that God knows everything about us is uncomfortable for the sinner. He knows what you've done. You can't hide anything from God. But it's a comfort for the saints. You know the old song, nobody knows the trouble I've seen. Nobody knows but Jesus. And that's true. That's true. And then many a child of God and cry themselves to sleep over the trouble they're facing. Nobody knows Jesus. And when the responsibilities of this world get heavy on you and you don't know what you're going to do, it's good to know that Jesus knows and He cares. He cares. And so because of the omniscience of Jesus demonstrated in verse 25, we know He's the Son of God and He can help us. He can either give us the strength and the ability to shoulder that responsibility or He will make it lighter. But secondly, because of His miraculous provision demonstrated in verse 27, we know He can help us with the obligations of life. Verse 27, Nevertheless, lest we offend them, go to the sea, cast in a hook, and take the fish that comes up first. And when you have opened its mouth, you will find a piece of money. Take that and give it to them for me. Now, when Jesus decided to pay this temple tax for himself and Peter, how did he do it? Now he didn't reach into a money bag and pull out the money from his money bag. He probably didn't have a money bag. He was poor. He says the foxes have dens and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head. 2 Corinthians 9.8 says that though he was rich, yet he became poor. He didn't tell Judas, why don't you pay that tax from the treasury of the disciples. No. Nor did he call an angel to deliver the tax and place it in his hand. How did he do it? Well, verse 27 tells us. They were at Capernaum, which was close to the Sea of Galilee. And notice there's no verse 28. Matthew doesn't report what happened, but the implication is it happened exactly the way verse 27 says. So Peter takes a line and a hook, and he goes to the Sea of Galilee. And I want you to think with me all that had to transpire in order for this miracle to take place. First of all, I would imagine perhaps it kind of happened like this. There was some fisherman. Have you ever gone fishing and lost something over the side of the boat? It's happened. Well, maybe a fisherman lost this quadratma coin, a fairly valuable coin, and it went into the ocean, or the Sea of Galilee, and once it's gone, it's gone. And so it trickles down through the water, and some hungry fish sees it, and whoop, it grabs that coin. It doesn't swallow it, keeps it in. And meanwhile, Peter takes the line and the hook and throws it out, and of all the thousands and thousands of fish in the Sea of Galilee, guess which fish takes the hook? The same fish that swallowed the big coin. Not only did he hook the fish, but it didn't get away. Now I'm a poor fisherman because about half the fish I hook get away from, you know. But he took it to shore and he opened it up and sure enough, just like Jesus said, there was a coin. And he reaches in and grabs the coin and guess which coin it was? The quadrochma. which is the exact amount needed for the temple tax for Jesus and Peter, both. Now how did all that just happen? Coincidence? I don't think so. Folks, this was a miracle by the Son of God. Someone in the 830 service said, well, you know, Jesus just could have caused that coin to just miraculously appear in the fish's mouth. Yeah, but it still had to be caught. And he had to catch the exact fish. And all the things had to line up just right, folks. It is a miracle. And if Jesus can do a miracle in Peter's life, He can do a miracle in our lives as well. Yes, I believe that Jesus is the Son of God, and when you have responsibilities that seem too heavy for you, just go to Him in prayer and ask Him to help you. And I want to conclude the message by sharing with you three examples of obligations that Jesus will help you with. First, well there's old Peter. Yeah, I meant to show that earlier with that fish and that coin. Well first of all, he will help you fulfill your financial obligations to the Lord's work. Now remember, this story is about the temple tax. It was a contribution to sustain the work of the Lord in the tabernacle and temple. And so, God helped Peter with this obligation as well. And you know, the temple was far from perfect. In fact, Jesus drove out the money changers on probably two occasions. The priest of the temple plotted his murder. Well, I'm not going to give to the church because they did something I disagree with. That's nothing compared to the temple and what went on in the temple and yet God says that's your obligation to support the work of the Lord. I can't afford it. You know, the Philippians didn't have a lot either, and yet they sent Paul a missionary offering, and he said in Philippians 4, verse 19, that my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches and glory by Christ Jesus. If you just do what God expects you to do in support of His work, there are plenty of scriptures that indicate that God will replenish your supply. There are many of us that have given tithes and offerings our entire lives, and we've witnessed that truth fulfilled in our lives. But then He can help you meet the obligations of providing your family. Yes, we have family obligations. We need to provide food for the table, and clothes to wear, and a roof over our heads. Well, here in this story we see the fact that not only did Jesus provide tax money for Peter's obligation, but He gave him a fish also. Hey, you think Peter just threw that fish back? No, if it was big enough to swallow a quadratma coin, which would have been a good-sized coin, it was a decent-sized fish. And so I think Peter and his wife had fish that night. Don't you think? God helped them provide for his family. And God will help you to provide for your family. And this is the most precious truth of all. He has paid your sin debt. He has paid your sin debt. You remember Jesus in the model prayer taught us, forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. He likened sin to a debt. And the Bible says the wages of sin is death. Because you and I have sinned, we owe God death. And the only way you can pay that debt is not with contributions to your church. It cannot be paid with good works. It cannot be paid with charitable giving or service. The only way you can pay it is with your own death, separation from God for all eternity. But the good news is, Jesus paid the debt for you. He paid the debt for you. Imagine a person who has so much debt that he knows he'll never be able to pay it. And he's groaning under debt. And yet the mail comes and some relative that knew his situation sent him a large check in the mail. And he sees that check. and he realizes that his debt has been paid. Well listen, Jesus Christ went to the cross not because He had to die. He went to the cross to pay your debt. It was not the Roman nails that held Him to the cross. It was His love for you that held Him at that cross. And right before He died, He cried out, Tetelestai! It is finished! But the same word in Greek also meant paid in full. Jesus Christ paid your sin debt in full. He didn't have to pay it, but He did because He loves you and He loves me. Have you come to that place in your life where you have trusted Jesus as your Savior? Accepted His cross, His death as your death? That He died in your place and you repent and trust in Him as your Savior? If not, why not do that today? And those of us that have already made that decision, Let us remember that Jesus says, pay your debts, fulfill your obligations. If need be, even go the extra mile. Fulfill your responsibilities to God, to your family, to your church, to your employer, to your community and society. your obligations. Let's pray. Father, I pray that you will help us, first of all, to take to heart the message that Jesus paid our debt, the debt we owe you. And I pray that not one person will hear this message without repenting of their sins and trusting in Jesus or knowing they've done that. And Father, those of us that are Christians, help us to fulfill our obligations, trusting in you to enable us, and if need be, even go the extra mile, and we pray and ask this in Jesus' name. Amen. This invitation is for you to respond to God's Word, and if you're ready to make a commitment to Christ, you come as we stand and as we sing.