Ezek 1:2-5,24-28/Psa 148:1-2,11-14/Matt 17:22-27.
Reflection:
(By Most Rev. Emmanuel Kofi Fianu,SVD(Catholic Bishop of Ho,Ghana))
Related posts
There seems to be no relation between the two readings today.
The First Reading speaks of the call of Ezekiel to be a prophet of God through a vision.
The Gospel Reading narrates a story about the payment of the Temple tax by Jesus and Peter.
This story is unique to Matthew, thus it must be of particular importance to him.
This is understandable behind the background of the historical audience of Matthew who were Jewish Christians.
The story could have served as a catechetical response to a debate
among the Jewish Christians about the continuing payment of the Temple tax by Jewish Christians.
The tax in question was probably one that was levied on all Jewish male between the ages of twenty and fifty in support of the Temple and its services.
The focus of the story is not so much the amount that was paid nor what it was used for but whether Jesus also paid the Temple tax.
When Peter was questioned,he answered that Jesus also paid the tax.
This was a false defence of his master who would correct him once they were alone away from the tax collectors.
The question of Jesus and his own elaboration of the response poses many interpretative challenges.
The use of the expression “the kings of the earth” makes some people think the tax was a civil one paid to the Romans.
Others also think that it referred to the Temple tax as indicated by Matthew in the exposition part of the story.
We can understand the explanation of Jesus in the sense of a comparison.
Just as the sons of earthly kings do not pay tax, so also Jesus does not pay a “tax” imposed by his Father.
In other words, Jesus acknowledges the Temple tax as coming from God.
Although he should not pay the tax, Jesus decided all the same to pay it.
He was not contradicting himself but only paid so as not to create confusion among the people,especially that they did not know that he was the Son of God.
Here we find one of the statements of Jesus that was only understood by his disciples after the resurrection.
The attitude of Jesus teaches us how we need to be tolerant at times in order to avoid conflict.
In situations that people may not understand us, it may be more prudent to conform that to insist on our rights.
This does not however mean that we should condone what is wrong, only that we should not give cause to unnecessary argumentation.Amen.
