Support Your Local Church
Preaching
What Jesus Did:
The Answer To WWJD
This chapter will prove that fishing is the sport officially endorsed by Jesus the Son of God. (Just kidding.) This chapter concerns how God provides for the needs of his Church. Peter is confronted by some local officials who are in charge of collecting the tax for the temple. "After Jesus and his disciples arrived in Capernaum, the collectors of the two-drachma tax came to Peter and asked, 'Doesn't your teacher pay the temple tax?' 'Yes, he does,' he replied" (Matthew 17:24-25 NIV).
This temple tax first appears in Exodus 30. It is a census tax and is to be received from every Israelite male. It is an offering of atonement to the Lord (Exodus 30:13). Exodus 30:16 says that the priests are to receive the atonement money from the Israelites and use it for the service of the Tent of Meeting. The half shekel was always the amount expected. It was equivalent to two days' pay for the average working man. The rich were not to give more; the poor were not to give less.
• Do you think the church would be better supported by some kind of tax system or by a freewill giving system?
As Peter enters the house to ask Jesus about this matter, Jesus speaks up first. " 'What do you think, Simon?' he asked. 'From whom do the kings of the earth collect duty and taxes -- from their own sons or from others?' 'From others,' Peter answered. 'Then the sons are exempt,' Jesus said to him" (Matthew 17:25-26 NIV). Jesus' point is that when kings collect taxes, they collect them from their subjects not their relatives. The sons are children of the kingdom of which God is king. Christians are now exempt from supporting the Temple because Jesus, the true temple, has come to earth. Jesus makes an even more radical point to the Samaritan woman in John 4. "The time is coming when it won't matter where you worship, but how you worship will be important. God wants the kind of worshipers who worship him in spirit and in truth" (John 4:23-24 paraphrase). By the time Matthew is writing this Gospel, the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem is imminent or immediately passed. "The sons are exempt," says that Christians no longer have to support a religious system that is doomed to be destroyed.
Even though the sons are exempt, Jesus avoids unnecessary conflict or controversy. "But so that we may not offend them, 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" (Matthew 17:27 NIV). In other words, God has exempted Jesus and the disciples, but there isn't any point in making an issue out of it. Peter obeys, pays the tax, and that is the end of this story. I wish paying taxes was as easy as going fishing, like Peter did here.
• How do you feel about paying taxes? What is Jesus' attitude here?
Every year, the season of budget and stewardship eventually comes to every church. Every year, we wrestle with how to support the mission and ministry of the church. From whom do we collect tithes and offerings -- from our own sons and daughters or from others? I suppose it would be nice to be able to tax people outside the church for the support of our church. Just as the Jews were expected to support their temple, the members of the church are supposed to support their church. The point of the story is that Christians were exempt from supporting the temple, but I doubt that means that Christians are exempt from supporting their local congregations.
• If every member of the church gave like you, how would your church fare?
When Jesus says, "The sons are exempt," but pays the tax anyway, that speaks to our freedom in giving. Our churches typically do not "tax" members a specific and required amount of money. We are free to make whatever gift we feel the Lord wants us to give. Is such freedom an excuse for stinginess? The apostles knew they were free in their giving. Can you imagine Peter or John or James giving less than a tithe?
Freedom usually implies freedom from the Law. As New Testament Christians, we are freed from the law of the tithe, and therefore free to give more, rather than less. The book of Acts bears this out as we find people so free in their giving that they give everything they have. Now that is freedom. Jesus, by paying the temple tax, kept faith with God's law to support God's temple. If we really desire to follow Jesus, than supporting God's church should be a priority.
I encourage you on your journey towards the tithe. Most churches use ten percent as a benchmark for faithful giving to the church. Just as God commanded the tithes and this tax for the support of the temple, God intends the full ten percent to go to your home church. Gifts to other ministries should be over and above the ten percent tithe. If ten percent is too much for you this year, I encourage you to begin a plan whereby you increase your giving one percent per year until you reach that ten percent level.
• What percentage of your giving goes to your church? What percentage goes to other charitable agencies?
Now, I know some will say, you don't know our bills. You don't know our debts. You don't know our tight-fisted boss. Ten percent is impossible. I agree. Ten percent is impossible. In fact, if we can afford to give ten percent of our income without missing it, then we need to give more than ten percent until it does become a sacrifice. Tithing is not something we "afford"; it is a step of faith. It is a step of faith that says, "God, even though we can't afford this, we give it to you, trusting your provision for our needs." Peter and Jesus couldn't afford the half-shekel tax. If they could, Peter would have paid it when he was confronted. But God provided for their needs when Peter was obedient to Jesus' command to go fishing. Would that tithing were as easy as going fishing. The point is, when we step out in obedient faith, God provides.
• What were some of the times God provided for your need?
God provides our needs so that we may support his mission and ministry in the world. The Lord's Supper is a beautiful picture of that truth. We needed forgiveness of sin and reconciliation with God, but we couldn't provide that ourselves. God provided Jesus, his only Son, to die on the cross for our sins. The bread is the symbol of the sacrifice provided by God for our sins. The cup is the symbol of the new covenant provided by God that we may be reconciled. God has provided for all our needs to this point. Take the step of faith and obedience and trust God for the tithe. Just as God has blessed us in the past when we took a step of faith, I have confidence that God will bless each individual and family who demonstrate their faith through tithing. Let's follow Jesus' example of supporting God's church.
WWJD -- Make a commitment to increase your giving to the tithe level. If you already tithe, how much more could you sacrifice?
This temple tax first appears in Exodus 30. It is a census tax and is to be received from every Israelite male. It is an offering of atonement to the Lord (Exodus 30:13). Exodus 30:16 says that the priests are to receive the atonement money from the Israelites and use it for the service of the Tent of Meeting. The half shekel was always the amount expected. It was equivalent to two days' pay for the average working man. The rich were not to give more; the poor were not to give less.
• Do you think the church would be better supported by some kind of tax system or by a freewill giving system?
As Peter enters the house to ask Jesus about this matter, Jesus speaks up first. " 'What do you think, Simon?' he asked. 'From whom do the kings of the earth collect duty and taxes -- from their own sons or from others?' 'From others,' Peter answered. 'Then the sons are exempt,' Jesus said to him" (Matthew 17:25-26 NIV). Jesus' point is that when kings collect taxes, they collect them from their subjects not their relatives. The sons are children of the kingdom of which God is king. Christians are now exempt from supporting the Temple because Jesus, the true temple, has come to earth. Jesus makes an even more radical point to the Samaritan woman in John 4. "The time is coming when it won't matter where you worship, but how you worship will be important. God wants the kind of worshipers who worship him in spirit and in truth" (John 4:23-24 paraphrase). By the time Matthew is writing this Gospel, the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem is imminent or immediately passed. "The sons are exempt," says that Christians no longer have to support a religious system that is doomed to be destroyed.
Even though the sons are exempt, Jesus avoids unnecessary conflict or controversy. "But so that we may not offend them, 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" (Matthew 17:27 NIV). In other words, God has exempted Jesus and the disciples, but there isn't any point in making an issue out of it. Peter obeys, pays the tax, and that is the end of this story. I wish paying taxes was as easy as going fishing, like Peter did here.
• How do you feel about paying taxes? What is Jesus' attitude here?
Every year, the season of budget and stewardship eventually comes to every church. Every year, we wrestle with how to support the mission and ministry of the church. From whom do we collect tithes and offerings -- from our own sons and daughters or from others? I suppose it would be nice to be able to tax people outside the church for the support of our church. Just as the Jews were expected to support their temple, the members of the church are supposed to support their church. The point of the story is that Christians were exempt from supporting the temple, but I doubt that means that Christians are exempt from supporting their local congregations.
• If every member of the church gave like you, how would your church fare?
When Jesus says, "The sons are exempt," but pays the tax anyway, that speaks to our freedom in giving. Our churches typically do not "tax" members a specific and required amount of money. We are free to make whatever gift we feel the Lord wants us to give. Is such freedom an excuse for stinginess? The apostles knew they were free in their giving. Can you imagine Peter or John or James giving less than a tithe?
Freedom usually implies freedom from the Law. As New Testament Christians, we are freed from the law of the tithe, and therefore free to give more, rather than less. The book of Acts bears this out as we find people so free in their giving that they give everything they have. Now that is freedom. Jesus, by paying the temple tax, kept faith with God's law to support God's temple. If we really desire to follow Jesus, than supporting God's church should be a priority.
I encourage you on your journey towards the tithe. Most churches use ten percent as a benchmark for faithful giving to the church. Just as God commanded the tithes and this tax for the support of the temple, God intends the full ten percent to go to your home church. Gifts to other ministries should be over and above the ten percent tithe. If ten percent is too much for you this year, I encourage you to begin a plan whereby you increase your giving one percent per year until you reach that ten percent level.
• What percentage of your giving goes to your church? What percentage goes to other charitable agencies?
Now, I know some will say, you don't know our bills. You don't know our debts. You don't know our tight-fisted boss. Ten percent is impossible. I agree. Ten percent is impossible. In fact, if we can afford to give ten percent of our income without missing it, then we need to give more than ten percent until it does become a sacrifice. Tithing is not something we "afford"; it is a step of faith. It is a step of faith that says, "God, even though we can't afford this, we give it to you, trusting your provision for our needs." Peter and Jesus couldn't afford the half-shekel tax. If they could, Peter would have paid it when he was confronted. But God provided for their needs when Peter was obedient to Jesus' command to go fishing. Would that tithing were as easy as going fishing. The point is, when we step out in obedient faith, God provides.
• What were some of the times God provided for your need?
God provides our needs so that we may support his mission and ministry in the world. The Lord's Supper is a beautiful picture of that truth. We needed forgiveness of sin and reconciliation with God, but we couldn't provide that ourselves. God provided Jesus, his only Son, to die on the cross for our sins. The bread is the symbol of the sacrifice provided by God for our sins. The cup is the symbol of the new covenant provided by God that we may be reconciled. God has provided for all our needs to this point. Take the step of faith and obedience and trust God for the tithe. Just as God has blessed us in the past when we took a step of faith, I have confidence that God will bless each individual and family who demonstrate their faith through tithing. Let's follow Jesus' example of supporting God's church.
WWJD -- Make a commitment to increase your giving to the tithe level. If you already tithe, how much more could you sacrifice?
