24 After Jesus and his disciples arrived in Capernaum, the collectors of the two-drachma temple tax came to Peter and asked, “Doesn’t your teacher pay the temple tax?” 25 “Yes, he does,” he replied. When Peter came into the house, Jesus was the first to speak. “What do you think, Simon?” he asked. “From whom do the kings of the earth collect duty and taxes—from their own children or from others?” 26 “From others,” Peter answered. “Then the children are exempt,” Jesus said to him. 27 “But so that we may not cause offense, go to the lake and throw out your line. Take the first fish you catch; open its mouth and you will find a four-drachma coin. Take it and give it to them for my tax and yours.” (Matthew 17:24-27)
According to the Old Testament, every Israelite over the age of 20 must pay a two-drachma tax to the temple every year. But the Lord Jesus is the Lord of the temple, and he does not need to pay the temple tax. So the Lord Jesus said: Others need to pay taxes, but children do not need to pay taxes. But in order not to offend them, the Lord Jesus asked Peter to catch a fish and get a coin from the fish’s mouth to pay the temple tax for the two of them. Here the Lord Jesus performed a wonderful miracle.
17 Tell us then, what is your opinion? Is it right to pay the imperial tax to Caesar or not?” 18 But Jesus, knowing their evil intent, said, “You hypocrites, why are you trying to trap me? 19 Show me the coin used for paying the tax.” They brought him a denarius, 20 and he asked them, “Whose image is this? And whose inscription?” 21 “Caesar’s,” they replied. Then he said to them, “So give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.” 22 When they heard this, they were amazed. So they left him and went away. (Matthew 22:17-22)
Here we see the Pharisees and Herodians came to test the Lord Jesus and asked him whether he should pay taxes to Caesar. Caesar was the Roman emperor, and at that time Israel was under the rule of Rome. The Lord Jesus asked them to show him a denarius, the denarius was with the image and inscription of Caesar on it. The Lord Jesus said, “So give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.” They were amazed to hear the Lord Jesus’ answer, and left him.
Give to everyone what you owe them: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor. (Romans 13:7)
Here Paul says in Romans that give to everyone what you owe them, if you owe taxes, you should pay taxes.
May God bless you and your family!
