Matthew 17:24-27 (v. 24) “And when they were come to Capernaum, they that received tribute money came to Peter, and said, Doth not your master pay tribute?”
Those whose job it was to collect the tax (having a beef with the Lord) took their complaint to Peter.
Was there something about the Lord’s person that made them afraid to confront him to his face?
Was Peter the kind of guy who seemed easy to talk to, or maybe the type not to resist in a direct confrontation?
The real issue here is not that Peter neglected to pay the tribute, but that his “master” did not do so.
1st Timothy 6:1-10 “For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.”
The Way It Is
Ecclesiastes 10:19 “A feast is made for laughter, and wine maketh merry: but money answereth all things.”
Hebrews 13:9 “Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines. For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace; not with meats, which have not profited them that have been occupied therein.”
IN THE BEGINNING
Genesis 1:29-30 “And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat. And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so.” Continue reading Meats→
John 7:16-18 “If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God. . . .”
OBSERVATIONS ON MARRIAGE IN CHRIST
Genesis 5:1-2 “This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him; male and female created he them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created.”
(“walking the middle of the road,” or “straddling the fence”)
Matthew 12:30 “He that is not with me is against me. . . .”
Revelation 3:16 “So then because thou art lukewarm . . . I will spue thee out of my mouth.”
Deuteronomy 6:5 “And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and . . . soul, and with all thy might.”
10:12 “And now, Israel, what doth the Lord thy God require of thee, but to fear the Lord thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul. . . .” Continue reading Lukewarm→
John 13:34-35 “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you. . . .”
1st John 3:22-24 [Believing on the Lord is connected with loving one another and keeping his commandments.]
5:2-3 “By this we know that we love the children of God, when we . . . keep his commandments.”
[This truth might not be immediately obvious, but think of your reaction when one of the church members claims that when he committed adultery, it didn’t have anything to do with his lack of love for the brethren.] Continue reading Love of the Brethren→