Trong bài Tin Mừng hôm nay, Chúa Giêsu cho chúng ta biết rằng đối với Chúa là Thiên Chúa thì việc đóng thuế đền thờ không cần thiết, nhưng không phải vì thế mà Ngài sẽ làm gương xấu cho người khác, nên Chúa đã bảo Phêrô đóng thuế đàng hoàng hoàng (bằng đồng tiền lấy được từ trong miệng một con cá mới được câu lên.)
Trong thực tế, chúng ta cần phải thưc hành những nhiệm vụ của chúng ta một cách chu đáo, để chúng ta có thể làm gương cho những người khác bắt chước những gì mà họ nên phải làm, Có bao giờ chúng ta đã cảm thấy khó chịu khi trốn tránh trách nhiệm hoặc nghĩa vụ của chúng ta? Trong tin Mừng hôm nay, Các môn đệ cũng đã được Chúa Giêsu cho biết rằng, "Con Người" sẽ bị phản bội, bị chối bỏ và bị Xét xử v phải chết mọt cách đau đớn và nhục nhã trên Thập Giá. Tuy nhiên, Chúa Giêsu đã sẵn sàng chấp nhận cái chết với sự phản bội của các môn đệ, cũng như, chấp nhận những vấn nạn to lớn mà họ có thể phải nhận được trong một số phận tương tự trong cuộc sống trần thế khổ đau của chúng ta, chúng ta phải luôn tìm kiếm và Xin Chúa giúp chúng ta có thêm can đảm và sức mạnh để chịu đựng những thử thách trong đời này.
Giá cứu chuộc của Chúa Giêsu đã phải trả như là của lễ chuộc tội cho tất cả những tội lỗi chúng ta và để giải thoát chúng ta, Qua cái chết và sự phục sinh của Người, Chúa Giêsu đã cho chúng ta sự tự do vô biên, để chúng ta được sống như con cái của Thiên Chúa. Để giúp chúng ta luôn luôn có thể được sống trong tự do và được hướng dẫn bằng gương sáng của tình yêu và chân lý.
Throughout the Old Testament we see God's love for those who obey him and his punishment for those who disobey his commands. He has loved and fulfilled his promises to his chosen people, Israel, beginning with Abraham and Isaac. Led by Moses, God freed Israel from slavery in Egypt and brought them to their promised land. In the Gospel reading Jesus predicts his passion, death and resurrection. He also shows his respect for civil authorities by paying tax for himself and Peter, "The sons, then, are tax-free. But so as not to offend these people... take the coin [in the fish you catch] and let it pay for you and for me." Christians have to be law-abiding citizens of their countries: they are citizens of this world and of God's kingdom.
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.” Matthew 17:25–27
Prior to this minor miracle, Jesus had just told His disciples for the second time about His coming passion. Again, this was difficult for them to hear. Recall that after the first prediction of Jesus’ coming passion and death, Jesus took Peter, James and John up the mountain and was Transfigured before them. The Transfiguration was meant, in part, to dispel the fear of the disciples and to give them hope for that which was to come. And now, after Jesus’ second prediction of His passion, another miracle was performed for Peter, personally, to help encourage him and give him hope.
Imagine if you were Peter. Imagine following through with Jesus’ instructions by going to the sea, dropping in a hook, pulling out a fish and then opening its mouth. Peter must have been filled with hope and excitement as he pulled this fish in, wondering if Jesus’ words would come true. And as soon as Peter saw the coin, just as Jesus said, he must have been in awe. Slowly, the fear and anxiety he was experiencing at this second prediction of Jesus’ passion and death would have begun to subside as Peter witnessed yet another incredible sign from his Lord.
God performs miracles in our lives every day. The problem is that we often fail to discern them. Any time His glorious power works within us to strengthen us or fills us with courage, hope, charity and every other virtue, this is a miracle of transforming grace. God always knows what we need in life. He knows our struggles and doubts. At times, He is silent so as to draw us deeper through intentional prayer and acts of faith. And at times, we suddenly find that we receive a new clarity in life that is the result of His grace at work.
Jesus knew that Peter needed this extra grace of this personal miracle so that he could move beyond his fears and struggles and place all of his trust in Jesus. Jesus was trustworthy. This is the conclusion Peter would have arrived at. He was trustworthy. Therefore, everything He said should be believed. What a wonderful conclusion for us all to arrive at.
Reflect, today, upon the ways that God has assured you of His divine presence and action in your life. Though the assuring miracles God has performed in your life may not be physical in their manifestation, God’s workings can be just as convincing if we clearly perceive them. What does God want to assure you of in your life? What struggle or doubt do you struggle with? If you struggle, turn your mind to the ways that God has been present and active in your life. Ponder His intervention and the ways He has cared for you and led you. Be grateful and allow the memory of what God has done to be your strength today and the source of hope when you need it the most.
My miraculous Lord, Your action in my life is truly glorious and amazing. You never fail to provide for me when I am in need. Help me to turn to You whenever I struggle so as to be filled with new hope in You. You are always faithful, dear Lord. I do place all my hope in You. Jesus, I trust in You.
Encountering the Word of God
1. The Prophet Ezekiel: The word of the Lord came to the priest Ezekiel while he was in exile in Babylon, in the “land of the Chaldeans.” The prophet heard God’s word and his call in 593 B.C., four years after being deported from Jerusalem into exile in Babylon. While the prophet Isaiah saw the Lord in the Temple of Jerusalem and heard the seraphim proclaim the holiness and glory of the Lord of Hosts, the prophet Ezekiel saw a vision of the likeness of the Glory of the Lord in a foreign land, outside the Temple. The Lord, the God of Israel and all creation is omnipresent: The winged creatures and coals of fire recall Isaiah’s encounter (Isaiah 6:1-8), and the fire, storm, and clouds reflect the revelation at Sinai (Exodus 19:1-25; 24:1-8). “But unique to Ezekiel are the images of chariot, wheels, and wings swirling together and offering a sense of the dynamic freedom and agility of [the Lord’s] splendor (cf 2 Kgs 2:11)” (Duggan, The Consuming Fire, 311).
2. Ezekiel’s Vision: Ezekiel's vision is both a sign of hope and a sign of judgment: hope because the Lord reveals himself to his people in exile; judgment, because the glory of the Lord is about to depart from the Temple in Jerusalem. “The movement of the Lord’s glory away from the Temple in Jerusalem and the promise of its returning to the restored Temple provide the framing of the text. By means of the Exile, the Lord will transform his people so that he will be able to dwell in their midst (48:35; cf. 3:12)” (Duggan, The Consuming Fire, 311). Ezekiel sees, above the firmament, above the angels, and seated on a likeness of God’s throne, a likeness in human form. Daniel will see one like a son of man come before God’s throne and receive dominion, glory, and kingship. John will see a similar vision in the Book of Revelation. Exiled on the island of Patmos, he will see one like a Son of man (Revelation 1:13). Like Ezekiel, John also sees four living creatures around God’s throne: one like a lion, one like an ox, one like a man, and one like an eagle. They sing: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!” (Revelation 4:6-8). When the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to God, the twenty-four elders fall down in worship, casting aside their crowns and singing: “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created” (Revelation 4:9-11).
3. The Second Foretelling of His Death and Resurrection: In the Gospel, Jesus foretells his death and resurrection a second time. The first time he did this, Peter reacted very strongly and took Jesus aside to rebuke him and say: “God forbid, Lord.” This second time no one opposes Jesus, but they become greatly distressed and overwhelmed with grief. The third time Jesus foretells his death, James and John affirm that they will drink the chalice of suffering with Jesus. Taken together, we can discern a movement along the way to Jerusalem from forceful opposition, to anguished resignation, to shared acceptance. In his first announcement of his death and resurrection, Jesus said simply that he must suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes and be killed. The second time, Jesus says that as the Son of Man, he must be delivered into the hands of men and that they will kill him. The third time, he says that the chief priests and scribes will condemn the Son of Man to death and deliver him to the Gentiles to be mocked, scourged, and crucified. The third provides details about his upcoming suffering and indicates how he will be killed. Jesus’ discussion with Peter also reveals his divine sonship. He asks Peter: Do the kings of the earth take tolls or census tax “from others” or “from sons”? While kings take tolls and taxes from their people and from the nations they rule, no king taxes his own sons and daughters. They are exempt: “The king in this analogy represents God; Jesus as God’s Son (3:17; 17:9) is the Son of the King. Just as the royal sons in a secular kingdom are exempt from paying the king’s taxes, so too Jesus, as God’s Son, is free from paying a tax for God’s house, the temple” (Mitch and Sri, The Gospel of Matthew, 223).
Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, I have been given the awesome gift of divine sonship. I am sure I do not fully comprehend all that this means. One day, seeing the Father, you, and the Holy Spirit, face to face, I will truly know what it means to be a child of God.
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