Another Lesson on Flawed Questions

Scripture: When they reached Capernaum, the collectors of the temple tax came to Peter and said, "Does your teacher not pay the temple tax?" He said, "Yes, he does." And when he came home, Jesus spoke of it first, asking, "What do you think, Simon? From whom do kings of the earth take toll or tribute? From their children or from others?" When Peter said, "From others," Jesus said to him, "Then the children are free." Matthew 17:24-26

Observation: At this time, the 'temple tax' was a Jewish tax specifically for the upkeep of the temple. Priests were exempt from paying. For this reason, this again is a kind of trick question posed to Peter ... the officials are effectively asking Peter if Jesus believes himself to be a priest or not. By his answer, Peter accidentally denies Jesus' "status" as a religious leader.

The lesson here is about understanding how to respond to challenging questions about faith in Jesus. Peter felt intimidated into needing to respond to the question with an affirmative. He felt a 'yes or no' question about Jesus required a yes or no answer. He failed to recognize that the question itself was based on an incomplete understanding of Yahweh (that Jews paid a temple tax, and only God's priests were exempt). Jesus actually pointed out this flawed logic in his lesson ... that God's son was certainly exempt also, and therefore it was the temple tax collector who did not understand the truth about the nature of Jesus.

Application: So many challenges against Jesus these days are based on totally flawed assumptions, logic, and understanding of God. Even just yesterday I heard a message about a totally different topic, talking about God's goodness, that went into the failed understanding of how badness can exist in the context of God's good.

Am I prepared to respond to flawed questions with the proper clarification? I believe I am better prepared to do than I was years ago before reading the bible regularly. I do want to be able to engage in constructive conversations when led into such situations by the circumstances God presents.

Prayer: Lord, may I always be prepared to give an account for my faith in you, as I am guided by the Holy Spirit. I am here to respond to others today and every day, if you so desire. Amen.