DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- THE TEMPLE TAX

DAD'S RAMBLINGS – TEMPLE TAX

"When they had come to Capernaum, those who received the temple tax came to Peter and said, 'Does you Teacher not pay the temple tax?' He said, 'Yes." (Matthew 17:24, 25a)

In the Mosaic Covenant, the ministry of the temple was supported by taxes on the people. The Levites were ordained by God's decree to be the tribe to take care of the tabernacle and all of the spiritual activity of the tabernacle and later the temple. They received their livelihood from taxes that were imposed on the rest of the Israelites.

It can be inferred that the people who came to Jesus asking this question were priests or Levites and were concerned about whether Jesus was paying His fair share for their livelihood. Jesus' answer is interesting. He made a point of saying that the temple tax was to be paid by those who used the temple by comparing the temple tax to the civil taxes paid to kings. The king's sons did not have to pay taxes. Taxes were levied on the rest of the citizens – not the king's sons. Likewise, Jesus, as the Son of God, was not obligated to pay the temple tax, but in order not to offend the Levites, He ordered Peter to pay the tax for both Himself and Peter.

God's kingdom is supported by the giving of the people. Those who use the services of a church are the ones who should support that church.

In a Google search, the statistics show that only 5% of people in America who identify themselves a Christians tithe, and 77% of tithers give more than 10% of the total. This meditation is not about tithing, but this does point to the fact that a large part of the support for Christian ministry comes from a small percentage of adherents. Just think what could be accomplished for the Kingdom if everyone was as committed to the Kingdom as the 5%. How many missionaries could we support? How many Bibles could we produce? How much more could we present the Gospel to the nation if the money was available?

God does not need our money to accomplish His purpose. But He has given us opportunity to be involved. Plus there is personal benefit when we are liberal in our giving. Money is not a dirty five-letter word. It is a blessing when we use it for God.

Love, Dad