Matthew 17:22-27: The Call to Christian Freedom

The King's Call: The Fourth Discourse of Matthew  •  Sermon  •  Submitted   •  Presented
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Prayer of Adoration

O Lord our God, To You alone belongs all glory, honor, and praise. You have done great things — marvelous things — and we stand in awe. You gave Your only Son, that through Him we might have life. You have opened the eyes of the blind, lifted the heads of the weary, and brought hope to sinners like us.
Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised! Your mercy is deeper than our sin, Your love stronger than death, Your grace more powerful than the grave.
We adore You, Father, for sending the Son. We adore You, Son, for laying down Your life. We adore You, Holy Spirit, for opening our hearts to believe.
All glory be to You, our Triune God — now and forever. Amen.

Scripture Reading

Matthew 17:22–27 ESV
22 As they were gathering in Galilee, Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men, 23 and they will kill him, and he will be raised on the third day.” And they were greatly distressed. 24 When they came to Capernaum, the collectors of the two-drachma tax went up to Peter and said, “Does your teacher not pay the tax?” 25 He said, “Yes.” And when he came into the house, Jesus spoke to him first, saying, “What do you think, Simon? From whom do kings of the earth take toll or tax? From their sons or from others?” 26 And when he said, “From others,” Jesus said to him, “Then the sons are free. 27 However, not to give offense to them, go to the sea and cast a hook and take the first fish that comes up, and when you open its mouth you will find a shekel. Take that and give it to them for me and for yourself.”

Pastoral Prayer

Heavenly Father, We come before You this morning with hearts full of gratitude. Thank You for the grace that has brought us here, for the mercy that sustains us, and for the freedom we have in Christ. Thank You for the gospel — that we are no longer slaves, but sons and daughters through Jesus our Lord. Thank You for this church, for the fellowship of believers, for the ordinary means of grace, and for Your abiding presence with us.
Lord, we bring before You our requests — not because we are worthy, but because Christ is. We pray for Bell Chapel United Methodist Church. We pray that they will be strengthened and convicted to be a faithful witness in the face of continuing compromise in their denomination. We ask that You would strengthen them by Your Spirit to stand firm for truth, to hold fast to the authority of Your Word, and to resist the pressures to conform to a culture that denies Your design and defies Your holiness. Lead them clearly — whether to contend for the faith from within or to separate for the sake of fidelity. Restore in them a love for Your Word and a holy fear of Your Name. May their witness shine bright, not because of cultural relevance, but because of gospel faithfulness.
We also lift up our brothers and sisters in Nigeria, especially those facing brutal persecution from Boko Haram and other violent groups. Father, we can hardly imagine the suffering they endure — the loss of homes, churches, family, and even life itself. Yet we know that You see them. You hear their cries. You know every hair of their heads. Strengthen their faith. Deliver them from evil. Guard their hearts from despair. May the witness of their endurance bring glory to Christ and bear fruit for the gospel, even among their enemies. We ask that You would restrain the hand of the wicked, raise up just rulers, and bring peace to that land. And we long for the day when we will get to join our Nigerian brothers and sisters in worshipping around Your throne. Lord Jesus, come.
And now, Lord, as we bring ourselves before Your Word, open our ears to hear, our hearts to believe, and our wills to obey. Let Your Word be to us like seed on good soil — bearing fruit thirty, sixty, even a hundredfold. May Christ be lifted up in this place, and may we leave changed by the power of His Spirit. In His name we pray, Amen.

Sermon

Introduction: What Comes to Mind When You Think of Freedom?

What comes to your mind when you hear the word freedom?
As Americans, we tend to think of freedom a lot.
Maybe you think of the Fourth of July — fireworks, flags, and speeches about liberty.
Maybe it’s a patriotic phrase: “freedom from tyranny,” “freedom of speech,” or “freedom of religion.”
Or maybe it’s more personal: the freedom to do what you want, go where you want, live how you want — without anyone telling you what to do.
Maybe you think of that great scene in Braveheart where they’re about to fight for their independence. “they may take our lives, but they will never take our freedom!”
For many people that’s exactly what freedom means: independence. Freedom means nobody owns me, nobody commands me, and nobody limits me.
And that’s the kind of freedom we’ve been trained to value by our culture — a freedom from rules, from responsibilities, from restrictions.
But in our passage today, we meet a different kind of freedom — Christian freedom (or you may have heard it called “Christian Liberty”). Jesus is approached about a religious tax that, as the Son of God, He doesn’t actually have to pay. He is completely free. But what does He do with that freedom?
He chooses not to flaunt it, but to lay it down — to act not in pride, but in love. Not to prove a point, but to avoid giving offense. Not to reject responsibility, but to take it on — even when He doesn’t owe it.
That is Christian freedom — the freedom not just from obligation, but the freedom to serve.
In this short and easily overlooked passage, Jesus models the kind of freedom that marks every citizen of His kingdom. It’s not political. It’s not selfish. It’s not self-exalting.
It is the call to freedom — a freedom rooted in sonship, shaped by sacrifice, and lived out in humble obedience.
Let’s walk through this passage and see the freedom Jesus shows us — and what it means to follow Him in it.

I. What Is Christian Freedom?

Before we look at Jesus’s conversation with Peter about the temple tax, notice what Matthew tells us in verses 22 and 23:
“As they were gathering in Galilee, Jesus said to them, ‘The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him, and he will be raised on the third day.’ And they were greatly distressed.”
This is the third time Jesus has predicted His suffering.
The cross is looming. The road ahead is marked by betrayal, violence, and death. And yet, Jesus is not shrinking back — He is walking straight into it.
Now the question is, “why does Matthew include this here?”
And the reason he does so is because everything that follows — including this strange story about a fish and a coin — must be read in the shadow of the cross.
Jesus is not just going to die. He is going to give His life. He is going to lay it down.
And in this short passage, He’s already showing us what that posture of willing, self-giving obedience looks like — and what it means to live as a citizen in His kingdom.
Because as we’ve already talked about in previous weeks, this whole section is about Jesus preparing His followers to continue to follow Him and to live as citizens in his kingdom AFTER he leaves them and returns to Heaven.
So let’s begin with this question:

What is Christian freedom?

To answer that, we have to understand the scene.
Peter is approached by collectors of the two-drachma tax. This wasn’t a Roman tax. This was a religious tax, a temple tax. It’s based on Exodus 30:11–16, where God commanded that every Israelite male over 20 years old was to give half a shekel as a ransom for his life — an offering to support the service of the tabernacle. Over time, this became an annual, expected contribution to maintain the temple.
So this wasn’t a civil tax — like “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s” (Like in Matthew 22:21).
This was an obligation under the Old Covenant, rooted in the law of Moses. And by Jesus’s day, it had become a standard, expected practice for every faithful Jewish man.
So the question from the collectors is simple: “Does your teacher pay the temple tax?”
Peter quickly says yes — maybe because he assumes Jesus would fulfill the law, or maybe because he doesn’t want to make a scene. But when he comes into the house, Jesus — as He so often does — brings it back to the heart.
“What do you think, Simon? From whom do kings of the earth take toll or tax? From their sons or from others?”
Peter answers, “From others.” And Jesus says, “Then the sons are free.”
That little phrase is the key to this entire passage.
Jesus is claiming a kind of freedomnot political, not economic, not cultural — but theological and relational.
Think of His argument: earthly kings don’t tax their own children. They tax subjects, not sons.
So what does that say about God the Father? If the temple belongs to God — and it does — then why would the Son of God be required to pay a tax to maintain it?
Jesus is saying: I don’t owe this. I am the King’s Son. The tax isn’t for me.
But then comes the surprise: in verse 27 He says,
“However, not to give offense to them, go to the sea and cast a hook and take the first fish that comes up, and when you open its mouth you will find a shekel. Take that and give it to them for me and for yourself.
He doesn’t insist on His rights. He doesn’t make a public scene. He doesn’t start a protest about unfair taxation. He pays the tax, even though He’s free — not because He’s obligated, but because He’s operating in love.
So let’s answer the question: What is Christian freedom?

A. Christian freedom is rooted in sonship.

Jesus is free because He is the Son — the rightful heir of the temple, the beloved of the Father. But then He draws Peter into that freedom too. He says, “Then the sons are free.” Not just “I” — but “the sons.” Peter is included. Why? Because he belongs to Jesus.
This is true for every Christian: if you are in Christ, you are no longer a slave. You are no longer under law. You are no longer paying a price to belong to God. You are a child of the King.
Paul puts it this way in Galatians 4:4–7:
“But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons… So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.”
This means your relationship to God isn’t transactional — it’s not based on performance, or payment, or earning your place. You are not a subject paying dues — you are a son or daughter with full access to the household of God.
That’s the foundation of Christian freedom: a new identity.
You don’t belong to the law anymore. You belong to Jesus.

B. Christian freedom means you are free from religious obligation — but not from love.

This is where the distinction between temple tax, tithe, and civil tax helps us.
The temple tax, again, was an obligation under the old covenant — required by the law for the upkeep of the temple. The tithe, which means “tenth,” was also part of Israel’s covenantal life — supporting the Levites, the poor, and the festivals. But in the New Testament, neither the temple tax nor the tithe is required of Christians. Why?
Because Jesus fulfills the temple. Because we are under a new covenant. Because the priesthood has changed. Because the household of God is no longer bound to a building, but built on the cornerstone of Christ Himself.
That’s why Paul never commands Christians to tithe — instead, he calls them to generous, joyful giving in response to grace (2 Corinthians 8–9). And it’s why Jesus doesn’t pay the temple tax as a legal obligation, but as an act of freely chosen love.
Christian freedom is not about what you have to do. It’s about what you’re free to do — because you already belong to God.
So here’s the bottom line for this point:
Christian freedom is not freedom to ignore God — it’s freedom to belong to Him without fear, without striving, without payment. It’s the freedom of sons and daughters.
You are free — not to sin, not to boast, not to rebel — but to live in the security of God’s love, and to follow your Savior wherever He leads.

II. Christian Freedom Is a Sacrificial Freedom

So far we’ve seen that Christian freedom is rooted in our identity as sons and daughters of God. Because we belong to Jesus, we are no longer under the law in the way Israel was under the law. Like Jesus says to Peter — “the sons are free.”
But what does Jesus do with that freedom?
Look again at verse 27:
However, not to give offense to them…”
That little word — “however” — is huge.
Jesus has just declared, rightly, that He is exempt. He owes nothing to the temple system. And yet… He pays the tax.
Why? Because freedom in the kingdom of God isn’t about insisting on your rights — it’s about laying them down in love.
Jesus says He will pay “so as not to give offense.” Now, this isn’t about compromising truth. It’s not about people-pleasing. The Greek word here — skandalizō — means to cause someone to stumble or be spiritually hindered. Jesus chooses not to let this minor issue of money become a major obstacle to someone’s faith.
This is the heart of Christian freedom: it is not a freedom from responsibility — it is a freedom to love, to serve, and to sacrifice.

A. Christian freedom lays down rights for the sake of others.

This is exactly the kind of freedom Paul talks about in 1 Corinthians 8–10, the same chapters you've been thinking about.
Paul says, essentially: “Yes, I’m free to eat meat sacrificed to idols. Idols aren’t real. I have liberty. But if eating that meat causes my brother to stumble, I won’t eat it.”
Why? Because he understands that Christian freedom is not self-centered. It’s others-oriented. It’s guided by love, not law.
In 1 Corinthians 9:19, Paul says:
“Though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them.”
This is what Jesus models here: though He is free from all, He becomes a servant to all. He pays the tax He doesn’t owe, to remove an unnecessary barrier.
This kind of freedom might look, on the outside, like self-limitation. Like giving something up. But in reality, it’s the deepest kind of liberty — the liberty to love fully, without fear of condemnation or failure. The freedom to be bound by nothing except righteousness in Jesus Christ alone.
It’s the freedom that comes not from defending yourself, but from knowing who you are and whose you are.

B. Christian freedom is never an excuse for selfishness.

Let’s be honest: most of the time, when we talk about “freedom,” what we really mean is personal autonomy.
We want to be free to do what we want, when we want, how we want, with no one telling us otherwise.
But that’s not Christian freedom.
Christian freedom is not a weapon to fight off accountability or responsibility. It’s not an excuse to disregard others. It is not, to use Paul’s words in Galatians 5:13,
“…an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.”
Jesus does not exploit His freedom. He exercises it through humility. He uses His status as the Son — not to dominate, but to give.
This is freedom shaped by the cross — and we know that’s the backdrop, because the cross is what Jesus just predicted in verse 22.
He doesn’t just give up a coin in this passage. He will soon give up His very life. And not because He had to — because He chose to.
Christian freedom looks like Jesus willingly paying a tax He does not owe.
But even more, Christian freedom looks like Jesus with a cross on His back.
It’s the freedom to say, “No one takes my life from me — I lay it down of my own accord.” (John 10:18)
So if you want to live in Christian freedom, don’t ask, “What am I allowed to do?” Ask, “How can I love God and others well?”
That’s what Jesus does here. And that’s what He calls us to do, too.

III. Follow Jesus in the Freedom He Shows Us

We've seen that Christian freedom is rooted in identity — we're sons and daughters of God, freed from the law's condemnation. And we've seen that Christian freedom is sacrificial — not used selfishly but given away in love. Now, Jesus invites us not just to observe this kind of freedom, but to walk in it.
This is more than paying word-service, or giving offerings to God. It’s a call to discipleship.
Remember how this passage begins. Jesus tells His disciples:
“The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men…” (v. 22)
That’s where He’s going. And if you're going to follow Him, that’s the direction you're headed too.
The cross isn't just what saves us — it shapes us. It molds us in Christ’s image.
So what does it look like to follow Jesus in this kind of freedom?

A. Live as free people — but live for others.

1 Peter 2:16 puts it like this:
“Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God.”
You are not under the weight of the law. You are not enslaved to your sin. You are not bound by the systems of this world. You are free.
But now, use that freedom to serve.
This means there will be times — like Jesus in this story — when you could insist on your rights, but instead you choose to lay them down. Not because you have to, but because love for God and for others drives you there.
Sometimes this will mean sacrificing preferences for unity in the church.
Sometimes it means enduring misunderstanding with grace rather than retaliating.
Sometimes it means paying a cost — financially, socially, even physically — to avoid becoming a stumbling block for someone else.
Jesus didn’t have to pay the tax — but He still did it. Not because He was weak and afraid of what they would do to Him, but because He was free enough to love.
Are you?

B. Don’t use your conscience to bind others.

And though Christian freedom means recognizing where we are not bound — it also means that we do not bind others where God does not bind people.
Paul addresses this directly in Romans 14 and Galatians 5. When it comes to matters of conscience—what we eat, drink, celebrate, avoid—we must not confuse our personal convictions with God’s commands.
Jesus didn’t bind others with laws that weren’t in Scripture. He didn't use His influence to burden people unnecessarily. And neither should we.
That means:
If Scripture calls something sin, we must speak clearly.
But if Scripture allows freedom, we must not create new laws.
Let’s not replace one kind of legalism with another. Let’s walk in grace and leave room for each other to grow, wrestle, and live out our faith with integrity.
As Paul says in Rom 14:4:
“Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls.”
And as Gal 5:1 reminds us:
“For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.”
True freedom doesn’t enforce uniformity—it doesn’t say “my way or the highway”—it creates space for Spirit-led obedience in different lives and different contexts, united by one Lord and one gospel.

C. Don’t confuse Christian freedom with cultural freedom.

This is important: what Jesus shows us here isn’t the kind of “freedom” our culture celebrates.
We live in a world that equates freedom with individualism — with being your own authority, with rejecting obligation.
But Jesus shows us a different way.
Christian freedom is not a rejection of authority — it’s joyful submission to God's authority. It’s not absence of responsibility — it’s being entrusted with a better responsibility. It’s not doing what you want — it’s being set free to do what is right, with a heart that wants to.
And here’s the paradox of the kingdom: the more we follow Jesus into self-giving love, the more free we become.
It’s like Augustine said: “Love God, and do what you will.” Because if your heart is truly set on Him, your will begins to align with His.

D. This freedom is only found in Jesus.

Let’s be clear: you can’t achieve this kind of freedom by willpower. You can't earn it by good behavior. You can’t get it through politics or philosophy or pulling yourself up by your bootstraps.
This freedom comes only by union with Christ.
He’s the Son who became a servant. He’s the King who paid what He didn’t owe. And He did it to set you free.
If you are not a Christian, this is where you must begin — not with trying to live free, but with being set free.
“If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” (John 8:36)
Come to Him. Trust Him. Follow Him.
And if you are a Christian — you’re already free. You’re not under the law. You’re not a slave to sin. You’re not owned by your past or your shame.
Now walk in that freedom — the freedom of the children of God — not to live for yourself, but to lay your life down for others.
Because that’s what your Savior did. And that’s what He calls you to.

Conclusion

So what does this freedom look like in real life? Jesus is about to show us. Because right after this story — as we turn the page into Matthew 18 — Jesus begins to teach about life in the community of the kingdom. It’s not a place where people cling to status, assert rights, or demand greatness. It’s a place where the greatest is the servant of all. Where we welcome (both physical and spiritual) children, forgive one another, and guard each other from sin.
That kind of life can’t be lived by people who are enslaved to their rights or their pride — it can only be lived by those who are truly free in Christ. And that’s exactly who Jesus calls us to be.
This is not just a nice idea. It’s not a bonus feature for the super-spiritual. This is the way of Jesus. And this is what our King is calling us to.
He didn’t just talk about freedom — He walked it all the way to the cross. He didn’t insist on His rights. He didn’t demand what He deserved. He laid down His life so that you could be called a son or daughter of God.
But now the question is this: will you follow Him?
Will you repent of the ways you’ve used freedom for selfish gain? Will you repent of the ways you’ve withheld freedom, binding others where God hasn’t? Will you repent of the ways you've confused true freedom with worldly autonomy?
And will you come again — or maybe for the first time — to the One who gave everything to set you free?
If you're not a Christian, hear this: You are not free. You are bound in sin, enslaved by evil, guilty of rebellion against your good Creator, and headed for judgment. But Jesus has paid the price. He has died and risen again. And if you trust in Him — not your goodness, not your performance, but Him — you will be free indeed.
If you are a Christian, walk in that freedom. Don’t use it as a cover for sin. Don’t weaponize it against others. Let the cross shape the way you live, love, and lay your life down for the sake of others.
Because the King who set you free now calls you to follow. And in following Him — even into sacrifice, even into surrender — you will find joy, purpose, and life.
So come. Repent where you need to repent. Believe where you’ve struggled to believe. And walk in the freedom of the children of God.

Prayer

Gracious Father, Thank You for the freedom we have in Christ — not a freedom to serve ourselves, but a freedom to love. Forgive us for the ways we misuse that freedom, and strengthen us by Your Spirit to follow Jesus with willing hearts and open hands. Teach us to walk as sons and daughters of the King, for the glory of Your name. Amen.

Time of Confession

Almighty God, We confess that though You have set us free, we often return to slavery. We cling to our rights instead of laying them down in love. We bind others where You have not bound them. We confuse true freedom with self-will and live as though You are not enough. Have mercy on us, O Lord. Forgive us for our pride, our fear, and our unbelief. Cleanse us by the blood of Jesus, and restore to us the joy of walking in His freedom. Amen.

Assurance of Pardon

Christian, hear the good news from God’s Word:
Galatians 4:4–7 ESV
4 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. 6 And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” 7 So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.
In Christ, your sins are forgiven. You are no longer a slave but a child of God — and if a child, then an heir. Walk in the peace and freedom that are yours through Jesus Christ.

Benediction

Go now in the freedom of the gospel — not to serve yourself, but to love as you have been loved. May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you, now and always. Amen.
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