Memorial
of Saint Clare, virgin
(Deuteronomy
10:12-22; Matthew 17:22-27)
In today’s
gospel Jesus gives his disciples important lessons on freedom and on charity. The temple tax discussed in the passage was
permitted by the Roman authority. It seems
to be a modest amount, perhaps the price of a cup of coffee. Most Jews of Jesus’ time paid it, but
religious teachers often considered themselves exempt. Jesus likewise sees
himself as exempt, but not for the same reason as the rabbis.
The example
that Jesus gives needs to be drawn out to explain his rationale for claiming
exemption. “Kings of the earth” exempt
their sons from taxes, not their subjects as the passage reads. Jesus, the Son of God, then is exempt from
the tax for God’s house. So too are his brothers,
the disciples. The exemptions do not end here but are extended to other ritual
and dietary laws.
Jesus
provides for the payment of the tax out of love for others. As Paul in I Corinthians abstains from meat sacrificed
to idols, Jesus does not want to cause scandal.
He will pay the tax in solidarity with those who see it as the duty of all
faithful Jews. We too claim exemption from
Jewish dietary and ritual laws, but not from charity. Jesus actually multiples our obligations of charity
with his death on the cross.
