Matthew 17:24-26
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
24 (A)When they came to Capernaum, the collectors of the temple tax[a] approached Peter and said, “Doesn’t your teacher pay the temple tax?” 25 “Yes,” he said.[b] When he came into the house, before he had time to speak, Jesus asked him, “What is your opinion, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth take tolls or census tax? From their subjects or from foreigners?” 26 [c]When he said, “From foreigners,” Jesus said to him, “Then the subjects are exempt.
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- 17:24 The temple tax: before the destruction of the Jerusalem temple in A.D. 70 every male Jew above nineteen years of age was obliged to make an annual contribution to its upkeep (cf. Ex 30:11–16; Neh 10:33). After the destruction the Romans imposed upon Jews the obligation of paying that tax for the temple of Jupiter Capitolinus. There is disagreement about which period the story deals with.
- 17:25 From their subjects or from foreigners?: the Greek word here translated subjects literally means “sons.”
- 17:26 Then the subjects are exempt: just as subjects are not bound by laws applying to foreigners, neither are Jesus and his disciples, who belong to the kingdom of heaven, bound by the duty of paying the temple tax imposed on those who are not of the kingdom. If the Greek is translated “sons,” the freedom of Jesus, the Son of God, and of his disciples, children (“sons”) of the kingdom (cf. Mt 13:38), is even more clear.
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