When they returned to Capernaum, the temple tax collectors came to Peter and asked him, “Does your
master pay the temple tax?” He answered, “Yes.” Peter then entered the house; and immediately, Jesus
asked him, “What do you think, Simon? Who pay taxes or tribute to the kings of the earth: their sons or
strangers and aliens?” Peter replied, “Strangers and aliens.
” And Jesus told him, “The sons, then, are
tax-free.
But, so as not to offend these people, go to the sea, throw in a hook, and open the
mouth of the first fish you catch. You will find a coin in it. Take the coin and give it to them for you and for me.”
Reflection:
“Death and taxes are the only two certainties in life,” we say. Well, Jesus mentions both in today’s gospel.
The matterof-fact manner in which Jesus mentions his death must make us think. Jesus can speak so
because he knows that his death at the hands of his enemies is part of the grand design of God, and he
is at home with it. It frees him up to live his life to such fullness that he is also at ease living the life of an
earthly citizen with it‘s “taxing” demands. Ernest Becker, in his brilliant book Denial of Death, argues that
every undertaking of human being is an effort at denying death. Whereas this denial has given us great
advancement in science and technology, how greater would our achievements be, especiallyat the service
of human solidarity, if we can serenely accept the reality of death and live our lives accordingly!
© Copyright Bible Diary 2022