The Temple Tax

Fishing

Fishing Story

For most of my life, I have not caught anything impressive.

Creek - Bread Falls

Feed Ducks, Fish for crawdads with hot dogs. etc

One day we were fishing and my roomate and I

This is a story about catching the unexpected and finding great joy from the catch.

Its not only a story of divine provision, but its a story about rest. And from that rest, and from this rest, we find our Joy.

The holidays are busy, and as advent approaches, we begin the season of looking for Jesus, and as his words beacon us to find freedom. And from that freedom, we find rest.

Roadmap

We’re going to be looking at Jesus’s prophetic announcement concerning his death and resurrection. and what it means

We’re going to be looking at the Temple and how this functioned as the place where man and God would worship.

Finally the resolution of how Jesus provides for his people and what this means for us as believers today

MAIN POINT : Jesus’s provision for us brings us not just financial stability, but true joy, true rest, and true worship.

True Joy : Grasping the Gospel

Problem: The disciples find distress even when he provides that he will be raised from the dead.

Explain: Grasping the gospel

Example: Anxiety

Why we must grasp the gospel

What does that mean?

This story is a

The disciples find distress even when he provides that he will be raised from the dead.

True Rest : The Temple Tax

Example:

Two-Drachma tax was about a half shekel. It wasn’t a heafty tax but rather uncommon. Think of a toll you pay when you cross a bridge.

Jesus was exempt from the tax being a rabbi.

Perhaps Jesus overheard the conversation and coming into the house Jesus turns to peter and asks him about the kings of the earth and where they take their toll or tax.

True Worship : Divine Provision

Example:

Jesus’s story comes full circle. The tax being held for the temple is really God’s tax. Therefore, Jesus the son is truly exempt.

But Jesus does something which is out of turn for just any old king. He pays the tax....with his life.

John says when we believe in Jesus we become heirs to the kingdom of God, we’re adopted like sons

We then fall exempt to the tax. Because Jesus pays it for us. We were bought with price, and so therefore we live differently, its why we sing songs, its why we gather at church, its why we go to youth group, or BSF or gary’s bible study. We wake up at 6am just to pray and read because we find our joy and rest in the work in what Jesus has done for us and we constantly forget it because we’re so busy.

Application

The Gospel is everything to the life of the christian. Our worship, worth and Identity lie around this reality

We are sons and daughters to the king of kings, therefore we too are exempt

Worship is everything to the life of humanity and the temple was a way for us to phisically remind ourselves

Christianity should never be something which taxes you. Following Jesus gives us freedom, it gives us rest, and we find our Joy sometimes in the most unexpected places

What to do if you feel taxed

Finding your rest this season of life

Closing Story: