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Matthew 17:22-24
New Catholic Bible
Matthew 17:22-24
New Catholic Bible
22 Jesus Predicts His Passion a Second Time.[a] When they were together in Galilee, Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is going to be handed over into the power of men. 23 They will kill him, and on the third day he will be raised.” And they were overwhelmed with grief.
24 Jesus Pays the Temple Tax.[b] When they arrived at Capernaum, the collectors of the temple tax came up to Peter and asked, “Doesn’t your teacher pay the temple tax?”
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Matthew 17:22 This is the second of Christ’s three predictions of his Passion (see Mt 16:21-23) and the least detailed. The disciples are overwhelmed with grief.
- Matthew 17:24 On reaching the age of twenty, every Jew had to pay two drachmas each year (Ex 30:13; 2 Chr 24:9; Neh 10:32). It was approximately two days’ wages and was used for the upkeep of the temple. The two drachmas had to be paid in Jewish money; this explains the presence of money changers in the entrance halls of the temple (Mt 21:12; Jn 2:15). Silver coin: literally, a “stater,” which was worth four drachmas, or twice the amount of the tax.
Jesus submits to the law out of respect for others, but he affirms that as Son of Man he is not bound by it. Christians who obey the law remain free with respect to all authority and are subject to God alone.
