Pick Your Battles

Most of us have heard the idiom, Pick Your Battles. In this Gospel passage, we see Jesus live out this idiom. Strictly speaking, he does not have to pay the temple tax. Yet fighting the Pharisees on this point would serve absolutely no purpose. What they were asking of him was not immoral, and it harmed no one. Therefore, a confrontation on this issue would have been of no value. How many times do we find ourselves enraged over an issue that ultimately does not matter? Hold that thought as you read this Gospel and its analysis.

Gospel - Matthew 17:22-27

As Jesus and his disciples were gathering in Galilee,

Jesus said to them,

"The Son of Man is to be handed over to men,

and they will kill him, and he will be raised on the third day."

And they were overwhelmed with grief.

When they came to Capernaum,

the collectors of the temple tax approached Peter and said,

"Does not your teacher pay the temple tax?"

"Yes," he said.

When he came into the house, before he had time to speak,

Jesus asked him, "What is your opinion, Simon?

From whom do the kings of the earth take tolls or census tax?

From their subjects or from foreigners?"

When he said, "From foreigners," Jesus said to him,

"Then the subjects are exempt.

But that we may not offend them, go to the sea, drop in a hook,

and take the first fish that comes up.

Open its mouth and you will find a coin worth twice the temple tax.

Give that to them for me and for you."

Scriptural Analysis

This section of Matthew’s Gospel marks Jesus’s second prediction of his passion. Jesus will be handed over to men, and they will kill him. This is a direct and blunt prediction of what is to come. Enduring this trial will require far more faith on the part of the disciples than they have exhibited thus far. However, Jesus provides the disciples with a note of hope, mentioning that on the third day he will be raised from the dead. However, the disciples’ response indicates that they do not understand what he is talking about, nor do they have confidence in God’s plan. The disciples respond with grief and distress over this prediction. They were so caught up in his prediction of his death that they either missed his victorious prediction of his resurrection, or their faith did not allow them to comprehend it.

Jesus and the disciples arrive at Capernaum, likely at the house of Peter. The fact that the collectors of the temple tax came to Peter to ask a question indicates that they were aware of his leadership role among the apostles. They ask Pete if Jesus pays the temple tax: the two drachma, a Greek monetary equivalent of the Jewish half-shekel. This represented about two days wages and was the amount that all Jewish men over the age of twenty gave each year to support the temple.

The temple tax appears to be a later development in Jewish religious practice: possibly after the exile. There was also a disagreement on whether or not it was lawful. The Pharisees seem to link it to the Mosaic law: “Each who is numbered in the census shall give this: half a shekel according to the shekel of the sanctuary (the shekel is twenty gerahs), half a shekel as an offering to the Lord. Everyone who is numbered in the census, from twenty years old and upward, shall give the Lord’s offering.” (Exodus 30:13-14) They called for the tax to be paid annually. However, the Sadducees opposed this practice as something invited by the Pharisees. The hostile tone of the tax collectors indicates that they expect Jesus to pay the tax.

Jesus responds to their inquiry using an analogy regarding the “kings of the earth.” The translation used in the New American Bible contrasts how kings collect taxes from foreigners but not from their subjects. This translation is poor. Foreigners would be better translated as “from others” while subjects should be translated “sons.” Therefore, what Jesus is contrasting is the king collecting taxes from others as opposed to his own sons. The point Jesus is trying to make is that a king will collect taxes and tolls from the people they are ruling; no king taxes his own sons. The sons of the king are exempt from taxation. In the analogy, the king represents God. Jesus, as the Son of God, is the Son of the King. Therefore, Jesus is exempt from paying a tax for God’s house.

However, Jesus does not seek out controversy for controversy’s sake. He certainly is not afraid to challenge the religious leaders, but does so when there is a point to make. In this case, although he is exempt from paying the tax, he is willing to pay it to avoid tension. Giving money to the temple does not harm, nor does it violate any moral principle. Therefore, he orders Peter to get a coin from a fish to pay the tax. This tells us that Jesus did not have a lot of money on hand. It also shows his unique foreknowledge, knowing that Peter will catch a fish with a coin in his mouth that will be enough to cover the tax.

Daily Application

Consider how often we get engaged over something that does not matter. You are driving down the road, and someone cuts you off or does not yield, even though it was your turn to go. Does this situation, or one similar to it, cause you to get upset? Do you find yourself yelling at the other driver or doing something worse? Now ask yourself, what if that person is not a Catholic? How does your behavior make Catholics look? If they found out you were Catholic and acted like that, would they be drawn to the Church? Finally, what does that expression of anger do to the state of your soul?

Throughout life, we will be faced with a myriad of situations and issues just like this. Taken in isolation, the actions of the individual were wrong. It was wrong for the Temple Tax collectors to ask Jesus to pay the tax. Yet if Jesus chose to respond negatively to their demand, it would have caused a far greater controversy than his paying the tax.

We must pick our battles in life. Our ultimate goal is to get to heaven. In the process of trying to live a Gospel based life, we should be focused on sharing that Gospel with others. If we spend our time fighting with everyone we meet over insignificant issues, we won’t be able to convert souls. Now, certainly, there are those issues we can’t compromise on. For example, we can never ignore the injustice of abortion. However, when an issue is not immoral and ultimately is harming no one, will the fight cause more harm than good? We must be prudent like Jesus and pick the right battles.