馬太福音17: 24-27

 

17:24 到了迦百農，有收丁稅的人來見彼得，說：「你們的先生不納丁稅（丁稅約有半塊錢）嗎？」
17:25 彼得說：「納。」他進了屋子，耶穌先向他說：「西門，你的意思如何？世上的君王向誰征收關稅、丁稅？是向自己的兒子呢？是向外人呢？」
17:26 彼得說：「是向外人。」耶穌說：「既然如此，兒子就可以免稅了。
17:27 但恐怕觸犯（觸犯：原文是絆倒）他們，你且往海邊去釣魚，把先釣上來的魚拿起來，開了牠的口，必得一塊錢，可以拿去給他們，作你我的稅銀。」

 

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.”

 

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    「丁稅」是給聖殿的稅，不是給羅馬政府的稅，對猶太人而言是樂意繳納的！然而給聖殿的，等於是奉獻給上帝的，所以主耶穌會說：「西門，你的意思如何？世上的君王向誰征收關稅、丁稅？是向自己的兒子呢？是向外人呢？」「既然如此，兒子就可以免稅了。」

 

    雖然如此，主耶穌還是預備了「丁稅」，只是給的方式很特別，就是要彼得去釣魚從與口中取到「丁稅」，好讓收稅的人不為難！

 

    主耶穌這樣的舉動也是告訴我們：我們要遵行教會的規矩，不可以隨意而為，這樣才能使上帝的家運行正常，榮耀上帝的名！