Given that Beth and I both grew up in the church, and we have been raised in the Bible belt, it is rare for us to come across a passage of Scripture that neither of us can ever recall coming across. This is especially true of the New Testament. However, just such a case happened to us this morning when Beth asked me if I had ever heard this story:

After they arrived in Capernaum, the collectors of the temple tax came to Peter and said, “Your teacher pays the double drachma tax, doesn’t he?” He said, “Yes.” When Peter came into the house, Jesus spoke to him first, “What do you think, Simon? From whom do earthly kings collect tolls or taxes - from their sons or from foreigners?” After he said, “From foreigners,” Jesus said to him, “Then the sons are free. But so that we don’t offend them, go to the lake and throw out a hook. Take the first fish that comes up, and when you open its mouth, you will find a four drachma coin. Take that and give it to them for me and you.”

Matthew 17: 24 - 27

Now, I’m sure that many of you will have in fact heard of this story. All the same, Beth and I certainly enjoyed reading a story about Jesus in Scripture that neither of us were familiar with.

Furthermore, as I’ve never heard anyone teach on this passage, I plan to offer my own interpretation without asking anyone else or reading any references. Then I will compare my analysis to see if my thinking is in line with others. In the meantime, if you are in a similar boat, please feel free to post your own interpretations in the comments. I plan to post my interpretation in another post next week.