Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

Today is Mother’s Day, and I know that throughout the day today many of you have plans to celebrate and honor your mom or the mother of your children.

I also know that today is a very difficult day for many of you, and I want you to know that I’ve prayed specifically for you that the Lord would minister to you through his word and his Holy Spirit.

I know that many of you have lost your mother or maybe you’re a mother and you’ve lost a child, or you long to be a mother and for whatever reason in the providence of God that hasn’t happened yet, and so today is very difficult.

You are loved and cared for, dear sister.

But, what all of us know that have had a good mother in our lives one way or the other know that having a mother comes with privileges.

There are things that you’re momma will do for you that she wouldn’t do for any other person on earth, just because she loves you and she’s your mother and she wants to be a blessing to you.

I can think about my wife with our daughters staying up with them all night long and having to change shirts three times because she’s been puked on, but she keeps singing to them all night long and rocking them and comforting them because she’s their mom, and she will nurture them at all costs.

I can think about my mother-in-law coming and staying with me for four weeks while I recovered from my surgery and encouraging me and helping me out of the chair and praying for me, because she has taken me as a son.

I can think of my own mother who has received countless frantic phone calls from me and provided for me and doing without things so that I would have and sleeping beside my hospital bed in an uncomfortable chair for 6 days and refusing to leave, all because she is my mom and that comes with privileges and with a commitment to provide for and love me unconditionally.

And, in the Bible and in the NT especially, a healthy parent-child relationship is always intended to paint for us a picture.

If we are in Christ, then we are the children of God.

And being the children of God, comes with privileges that are not particular and extraordinary to us.

And, I think that is right at the very center of our text this morning.

This morning, we are going to see a powerful view of the supremacy of Christ, and at the very same time, a clear glimpse into the privileged position that we hold as God’s children.

God’s Word

Read

The Two-Drachma Tax

“the collectors of the two-drachma tax went up to Peter” So, this morning, we’re talking about taxes.

Won’t that bless you on Mother’s Day?

The account that we’ve read this morning is a peculiar text to say the least.

At least one Bible commentator called this ‘perhaps the strangest text in all of Matthew.’

On this day, a group of men called ‘collectors’ approached Peter about Jesus paying the Temple Tax, or the Two-Drachma Tax.

Now, when you think of this, don’t think of the tax collectors that are referred to as ‘sinners’ in , like Zacheus or even Matthew himself.

These are not the tax collectors that were viewed as traitors because they were collecting taxes on behalf of Rome; these are tax collectors for the Temple.

This was not a Roman tax; this was a self-imposed tax that the Jews charged themselves.

It finds its root in the book of Exodus in chapter 30 when Moses institutes a tax of this amount at every census to fund the work of the priests at the tabernacle.

It was carried forward by the Jewish people after the construction of the Temple and was by the time of Jesus being paid every year by all men over the age of 20.

And, it amounts to about two days wages.

These men do not carry with them the baggage of tax collectors of Mathew’s ilk, and they do not appear to have any particular malice in their hearts toward Jesus.

Jesus was Born Under the Law

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“He said yes” It’s interesting that when Peter responds to the question of the collectors question, he, apparently without hesitation, says “Yes.”

It is the assumption of Peter that Jesus will pay the Temple Tax.

In fact, it is likely that in his 2.5 years with Jesus that he had witnessed Jesus paying the tax.

Further, this was firmly rooted in the OT, and Jesus strongly upheld the OT as being the authoritative word of God.

So, in Peter’s mind, this is a no-brainer.

Jesus wasn’t one to back away from paying what He owed, and He certainly wasn’t one to shrink back from the Law of God.

Jesus’ reputation with Peter was that if God’s word said it; He would do it.

You see, Jesus was ‘born under the Law.’

In , Paul says, “But when the fulness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.”

Man, I think what Paul is saying here is right at the center of what’s going on in our text here.

Jesus was born under the Law.

The Law Giver, the Law Incarnate became one submissive to the very law He gave.

Jesus was born into the world that was under the oppression of sin and incapable of up-keeping the Covenant Law of God, and being born into that world, He did what no other man could, He kept it perfectly.

Jesus is the perfect law follower.

And, He must be so that He can be the perfect Law Fulfiller.

There was no law, ceremonial, civic, or moral from which Jesus excused himself.

All 633 commandments of Moses were abided by perfectly in Christ, not only in behavior and action, but also in spirit and attitude.

Jesus gave every offering, and He never did it with anything less than a cheerful heart.

Jesus kept perfectly the Sabbath, and rested body, mind, and soul in the goodness of God.

No unclean food ever touched his lips, and no unclean thought ever passed through his mind.

Never for a single second of his life did He love something or prioritize something even one fraction of a MM more than He loved God.

Jesus was never jealous of his neighbor's wealth or success, and Jesus never disobeyed his parents, even though He was perfect and they were flawed.

Jesus was a perfect worshipper, a perfect neighbor, and a perfect citizen of the nation of Israel.

Jesus truly delighted in the Law of God.

In action, in motive, and in attitude, Jesus perfectly fulfilled every iota of the Law of God.

You Aren’t Good

Jesus is the perfect law follower.

And, He must be so that He can be the perfect Law Fulfiller.

There was no law, ceremonial, civic, or moral from which Jesus excused himself.

All 633 commandments of Moses were abided by perfectly in Christ, not only in behavior and action, but also in spirit and attitude.

Jesus gave every offering, and He never did it with anything less than a cheerful heart.

Jesus kept perfectly the Sabbath, and rested body, mind, and soul in the goodness of God.

No unclean food ever touched his lips, and no unclean thought ever passed through his mind.

Never for a single second of his life did He love something or prioritize something even one fraction of a MM more than He loved God.

Jesus was never jealous of his neighbor's wealth or success, and Jesus never disobeyed his parents, even though He was perfect and they were flawed.

Jesus was a perfect worshipper, a perfect neighbor, and a perfect citizen of the nation of Israel.

Jesus truly delighted in the Law of God.

APPLICATION: And, this is why we need Jesus!

Not only do we not fulfill the Law, we are incapable of fulfilling the Law.

And yet, this is how most people are trying to live their lives.

They are trying to live their lives for the purpose of convincing themselves, and perhaps even convincing God, that they are a good person.

But, if you’d be honest with yourself this morning, you know that you really aren’t a good person.

You might be a good person in comparison with other people your know, but the doesn’t make you a good person; that you makes your slightly more moral than another bad person.

Let’s just look at the second greatest commandment: love your neighbor as yourself.

Most of us would consider ourselves good neighbors, but are we really good?

If you were to give money to a neighbor in need, can you say that you would honestly give it to him cheerfully?

When your neighbor needs help with their children, do you help them without judgement?

When you give your neighbor the shirt off of your back, are you doing it so that your neighbor might be taken care of and so that God might be glorified, or are you doing it so that you neighbor will think that you are great and tell everyone how wonderful you are?

You see, one of the ways that we know that we aren’t good is by the fact that even the good that we do is corrupted.

To live your life trying to get to heaven based upon your own good actions and moral standards are an offense to Jesus and his cross.

You are declaring with every self-righteous action that you do not need Jesus and this cross was a cruel and unnecessary death for him to endure.

Friends, stop running yourself ragged trying to measure up and be good enough.

Jesus has fulfilled the Law for you!

Come to Jesus and be set free from chasing after a standard of goodness you will never attain.

Jesus’ Humility is Absurd (The Gospel is Absurd!)

To live your life trying to get to heaven based upon your own good actions and moral standards are an offense to Jesus and his cross.

You are declaring with every self-righteous action that you do not need Jesus and this cross was a cruel and unnecessary death for him to endure.

Friends, stop running yourself ragged trying to measure up and be good enough.

Jesus has fulfilled the Law for you!

Come to Jesus and be set free from chasing after a standard of goodness you will never attain.

“From whom do the kings of earth take toll or tax?” Now as sure as Peter’s response of ‘Yes’ was to the collectors, Jesus’ response must’ve certainly surprised him.

Jesus seems to have known what happened without having even been apart of the conversation.

Jesus asks Peter a rather strange question: ‘From whom do the kings of earth take toll or tax?

From their sons or from others?’

And, Peter gives the obvious reply of ‘Sons?’

And man, you’ve got to believe that Peter is on his heels at this point, don’t you?

Is Jesus going to make a liar out of him?

He’s probably thinking, ‘I just keep opening my big mouth!’

But, Jesus is teaching him here.