The Importance of Little Things - Matthew 17:22-27
Former UCLA basketball coach John Wooden once said, “It’s the little details that are vital. Little things make big things happen.” There is a popular phrase that says “God (or the Devil) is in the details. The difference between good athletes and great athletes are little things. The difference between success and failure is in the little things.
This is also true of relationships. The more you know about a person’s life, the better you will understand what they do and say. For example, if you knew that someone had some serious relationship problems you would not be near as quick to take offense at the tone of some of the things this person says to you. If you know that someone is facing a physical crisis you are much more understanding. Details (little things) give us a clearer picture that enables us to understand more fully.
This morning we look at what seems to be a relatively insignificant situation in the life of Jesus. Matthew is the only one who records this incident. However, I hope to show once again that these details are instructive and add to our picture of the life of Jesus.
22 After they gathered again in Galilee, Jesus told them, “The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of his enemies. 23 He will be killed, but on the third day he will be raised from the dead.” And the disciples were filled with grief. (Matthew 17:22-23)
Jesus continued to try to prepare the disciples for His upcoming death. He told them He was going to be killed but . . . He would be raised from the dead on the third day. They were horrified by the idea of their Lord being killed. That would ruin everything!
Did they not hear that He would rise from the grave on the third day? Did they misunderstand what He was saying? Some believed the third day was the day the soul left the body. Did they think that is what He was referring to? Either way, they understood the bad news; they did not understand the good news.
The Question
Next Matthew adds an account that is unique to the Gospel of Matthew. Perhaps this story was significant with Matthew because his pre-disciple occupation was that of a tax-collector. Still, it is a seemingly insignificant account. Sometimes the seemingly insignificant accounts are the ones we need to listen to most carefully.
24 On their arrival in Capernaum, the collectors of the Temple tax came to Peter and asked him, “Doesn’t your teacher pay the Temple tax?”
25 “Yes, he does,” Peter replied. Then he went into the house.
But before he had a chance to speak, Jesus asked him, “What do you think, Peter? Do kings tax their own people or the people they have conquered”?
26 “They tax the people they have conquered,” Peter replied.
“Well, then,” Jesus said, “the citizens are free!
The tax being talked about here was not a tax from the Romans. It was a Jewish tax that was designed to maintain the temple and those who worked in and for the temple. It was based on the “redemption money” established in Exodus 30:11-16. Every male on their twentieth birthday was ordered by the Lord to pay this tax to support and maintain the sanctuary. The tax of a half shekel, was equal to two days of wages for the average worker. In Exodus, it seemed that men were to pay the tax only on their 20th birthday. Over time they changed the tax to every male during every census. Then the tax was to be paid every year. (This sounds familiar doesn’t it?) Rabbis were exempt, as were the priests who served in Jerusalem.
Since Jesus and the disciples had been in Gentile territory for a while, it is possible the time for the payment of the tax began while they were gone. So, when they enter Capernaum Peter is asked if Jesus plans to pay His tax bill.
Peter is quick to rise to the defense of Jesus. Whether this was right or wrong is not stated. Perhaps Peter thought Jesus had paid the tax; he may have seen him pay the tax in previous years; or he may simply have been trying to keep Jesus from getting in trouble (so the leaders would not be mad at Jesus and kill him).
Peter entered the house where Jesus was and before he could say anything about the conversation, Jesus asked Peter a question: “When a King taxes a people, does he tax his own people or the people he has conquered?” Peter answered that the King would tax the servants, not the citizens. Jesus pointed out that the citizens therefore would not be required to pay the tax. Does a King tax His family or His subjects? He taxes the subjects.
Jesus’ argument is this: If Peter was right about who Jesus was, “the son of the Living God” (and he was), then Jesus, as a child of God would be exempt. The temple and the sacrifices pointed to Jesus! The One the temple pointed to would not be the one who was taxed. The tax was given TO Him, not taken from Him.
In a not so subtle fashion Jesus affirmed his god-nature. He is a divine being. It may seem like we repeat this like a broken record. The reason for this is the importance of this truth. Because we forget who Jesus is, it is easy for us to begin relying on our own efforts. Because we forget He is God, the creator and redeemer, we sometimes relate to Him as a man,
We try to convince Him to do things our way
We justify and rationalize sin thinking we can fool Him
We make demands thinking we can assert our authority (which is non-existent) over Him.
We feel we can debate with Him as with equals.
If we remember who Jesus is, we will relate to Him differently. We will relate to Him with reverence and respect.
We come before the Lord to seek His wisdom, guidance, and direction for our lives. We won’t do this unless we understand who Jesus really is: the Son of God!
Avoiding Offense
Jesus had not forgotten the tax issue. Next He addressed the problem.
However, we don’t want to offend them, so go down to the lake and throw in a line. Open the mouth of the first fish you catch, and you will find a large silver coin. Take it and pay the tax for both of us.” (17:27)
There is a debate about whether Jesus was sending Peter to a miraculous catch of fish. Those who tend to resist the supernatural say that Jesus was using a figure of speech to say: “Peter, take some time and go fishing. Sell the fish you catch and you will have enough money to pay the tax for both me and you. Those who hold to this interpretation point out that Jesus would not condone an attitude that simply waited for a miracle to pay their bills. He wants us to be responsible.
I believe the better approach (and it is always the better approach in reading the Bible) is to understand the passage as it is written. The principle is stated this way, “If the plain sense makes sense, seek no other sense. In other words, Peter did go get a pole, he caught a fish, in his mouth was a silver coin, and he paid the tax in a way that showed Peter once again that Jesus was Lord over all creation.
The real lesson here and the “little thing” that we must pay attention to is the reason Jesus gave to pay the tax. “We don’t want to offend them . . . so”.
When you first hear that you may think, “Wow, if our goal is to not offend anyone we can’t even talk about our faith!” However, the Greek word that is translated “offend” is the Greek word skandalon (from where we would get our word scandal or scandalous).
This word is never used in the New Testament for something that merely offends. The word denotes something that would cause someone to stumble or spiritually trip up. The principle is one that is repeated in the letters of Paul: we should be willing to give up our personal rights to keep from causing someone else to stumble in their spiritual life, or to damage God’s reputation. In 1 Corinthians 9:12 Paul said “We put up with anything rather than hinder the gospel of Christ.
John Ryle writes:
There are matters in which Christ’s people ought to sink their own opinions, and submit to requirements which they may not thoroughly approve, rather than give offence and “hinder the gospel of Christ.” God’s rights undoubtedly we ought never to give up; but we may sometimes safely give up our own. It may sound very fine and seem very heroic to be always standing out tenaciously for our rights! But it may well be doubted, with such a passage as this, whether such tenacity is always wise, and shows the mind of Christ. There are occasions when it shows more grace in a Christian to submit than to resist.3
Paul addressed this problem in Corinth. The people were debating if they should eat meat that had first been sacrificed to idols. Paul said there was nothing wrong with eating such meat. Idols were nothing. In other words, the meat had been offered to nothing . . . so . . . there is no problem.
However, said Paul, if you know that a fellow believer is troubled or convicted about eating meat that had been sacrificed to idols, you should be willing to give up your “rights” and instead act in a way that was sensitive to the conscience of your brother or sister in Christ.
That’s what Jesus is doing here. Because of who He is, He was not required to pay the tax to support the temple. However, because Jesus did not want people to have a reason to reject Him; because He didn’t want them to think that He was ignoring or disrespecting the Law of God, He had Peter pay the tax.
This very attitude was behind Jesus coming to earth. In Philippians 2 Paul quoted one of the earliest teachings of the church,
Though he was God,
he did not think of equality with God
as something to cling to.
7 Instead, he gave up his divine privileges;
he took the humble position of a slave
and was born as a human being.
When he appeared in human form,
8 he humbled himself in obedience to God
and died a criminal’s death on a cross.
Jesus gave up His own rights as God to save us. And that is what He wants us to do also. The principle seems to be this: we should care more about God’s glory and the advance of His Kingdom than we do about our “rights”.
There will be times in any church, organization, community, or country when you will disagree with what is being done. You may feel the decisions made are foolish or even wrong. The question that must be addressed is: “Are these things violations of God’s Law (which makes it non-negotiable) or is it something that you simply don’t like or agree with? Is it an issue about essential doctrine (like whether or not Jesus really was God; or if the Bible is reliable) or is it about something that is secondary? If it is the latter, it may be better to “suck it up” and endure the wrong to avoid making a stink that would harm your Christian testimony.
Unfortunately, we live at a time when asserting your freedom is lauded as noble. People are quick to take offense. Confronting those who might be stepping on your “rights” is something that makes people feel strong and a little self-righteous. I’m sure, like me, you have heard people brag about the fact that nobody is going to “mess with” them. In other words, those people are going to stand up to any perceived violation of “their rights”. The frequent refrain is “Nobody is going to tell me what to do.”
We are people big on protests, boycotts and confrontations. And because of that, the Kingdom of God often suffers.
I hope you see the principle Jesus is raising. There are times when you may not be doing anything that is wrong. You may be standing up for what is right. You may be doing something that you enjoy doing that is not at all sinful. Yet, you may be wrong in doing this thing because you are doing it at the expense of the Kingdom of God. Your actions may cause others to draw conclusions about God that turn them away from Him instead of drawing them to Him. It may compromise your witness and the witness of all who claim the name of Jesus.
You may just be friends with that member of the opposite sex. You may be doing nothing wrong. However, this relationship may be offensive to your mate or to the mate of your friend. It may look “suspicious” to your friends. You should give up your “freedom” here to preserve your testimony.
You may be following the business practice of all your competitors. But if you seem to be dealing unfairly with people, they won’t be back – and more importantly, it will give people a negative taste for the Christ you testify to. You should give up your “rights” to some of your profit to preserve your testimony about the love of Christ.
You aren’t doing anything sinful by have a beer or two. You are taking great precautions to make sure you do not become diminished. However, if you are with a friend who struggles with alcohol (or you have alcoholism in your lineage) you should refrain from drinking in that setting.
Someone makes a mistake and deserves to be chewed out. They make a foolish choice and have consequences to deal with. They had adversely affected your life also so you would be justified in sharing your anger. However, how you handle this situation is going to say more about grace and mercy than any sermons or instruction.
I started the message talking about the little things that make a big difference. Showing consideration for others; being willing to give up something you can rightfully claim to protect a brother or sister or to defend the message of the gospel are little things . . . but they are little things that make a huge difference in the lives of others, in the way others view you and in the impact God can make through you.
LESSONS
Let me leave you with three lessons from this simple text. First, we are reminded that the Lord has perfect knowledge of every circumstance. He knew what the tax collectors were saying to Peter. He also knows what you and I do in secret. He knows our real motives. He knows how devoted to Him we really are.
We would be wise to remind ourselves that we don’t go anywhere or do anything where we are not traveling with Jesus. If we remembered this, it might change some of the decisions we make.
We also need to remember this when we feel all alone or misunderstood. Our Lord knows what is going on. He knows the injustice you may be enduring. He knows the hurtful gossip you have to endure. He knows – and He cares.
Second, we are reminded that Jesus was no ordinary man. He is the Lord God in human form and we should respect and honor Him as such. We should not talk about Him in a flippant manner, we should not take His name in vain, and we shouldn’t relate to Him as an equal. We should always treat Him with humble respect.
And at the same time, we know we can turn to Him for help that no human being is able to provide. He is Lord over nature, over the schemes of men, and over our bodies. He can heal, restore, rebuild, and lead us as no one can.
Third, we are reminded once again that the true follower of Christ puts Him first in their life. He is more important than even life itself . . . or at least He should be because HE IS THE AUTHOR OF LIFE AND THE SUM OF LIFE!
If God gave us what we deserved, we would be cast away from His presence. If we demanded our rights when we stand before Him in Heaven we will not like what we get. As we live our lives the question we must keep foremost in our mind is this one: What do we want most? Our rights? Or His Kingdom?
We exalt Him best when we
Choose to forgive
Give to one who is in need
Truly seek Him in prayer
Are content to let another shine even though they shine because of what you have done.
Care more for others than we care for ourselves.
Would rather be wronged than give someone a reason to turn away from Christ.
These are little things. They are little adjustments that make a big difference in a person’s character. These are the things that make a person great. These are the things the Lord will look for in your life and in mine. The little things tell the true story of who we are and who or what we serve. It would be wise to do an inventory of these things in your life . . . BEFORE you stand before He examines you on the last day.
3 John Charles Ryle, Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: St. Matthew (Cambridge: James Clarke, 1974), 217.