Does not your teacher pay the temple tax

When the Temple tax collectors cornered Peter, Jesus didn’t take the time to dispute with them.   By all rights, Jesus could have refused to pay the tax, but he didn’t want to get pulled into their petty drama.   His mission as well as the focus of all his attention was his upcoming passion, death, and resurrection.   So instead of taking the time to prove himself right in the matter, Jesus sent Peter to catch a fish, retrieve a coin, and pay the tax.   He had bigger fish to fry!

We can all think of examples of petty disputes: a married couple’s relationship sours because of a decades-old spat; two members of the parish council can not agree on the right shade of purple for the new Lenten banners; a father becomes disappointed with his daughter’s career choice.   Was one opinion better than the other?   Maybe.   But refusing to bend caused everyone to lose the bigger picture, and the result was division and bitterness.   And that made it harder for the love of God to shine.

Sometimes it’s best to keep the bigger picture in view.   Sometimes we just have to let things go, even if we’re “right.” Are you loving God with your whole heart?   Are you loving your neighbor as yourself? Is the other person trying to do the same?   In the end, those are the only questions worth asking.

Imagine how God deals with us.   He can see every one of our faults and failings, but he doesn’t bring every detail to our attention all at once.   Instead, he focuses on one area at a time, slowly polishing our rough edges.   He will get to everything in his own time, starting with the most important.   You never know; maybe those Temple tax collectors ended up embracing the gospel because Jesus refused to be baited into an argument.

So stay focused on what’s most important.   Focus on love, even when you disagree.   Pray for those who contradict you.   Let God smooth the rough edges.   He knows how to sort things out!

-word among us