Monday, August 8, 2016

Matthew 17: 22-27

As Jesus and his disciples were gathering in Galilee,
Jesus said to them,
“The Son of Man is to be handed over to men,
and they will kill him, and he will be raised on the third day.”
And they were overwhelmed with grief.

When they came to Capernaum,
the collectors of the temple tax approached Peter and said,
“Does not your teacher pay the temple tax?”
“Yes,” he said.
When he came into the house, before he had time to speak,
Jesus asked him, “What is your opinion, Simon?
From whom do the kings of the earth take tolls or census tax?
From their subjects or from foreigners?”
When he said, “From foreigners,” Jesus said to him,
“Then the subjects are exempt.
But that we may not offend them, go to the sea, drop in a hook,
and take the first fish that comes up.
Open its mouth and you will find a coin worth twice the temple tax.
Give that to them for me and for you.”

Jesus became like us in all things and subjected willingly to all things required of us. He did not use divine privilege for anything. Because of this he is the greatest of mediators before the Father. He is a divine person so he can speak directly to the Father in the language of God, yet, living a fully human life he can speak with the full understanding of what it means to be human. Jesus can speak to us as God in the language of man. In himself he bridges the gap that existed between God and man since man was first created.

Something built into creation was a desire to be with like kind. Although Adam had the perfect relationship with God, God and man were not of like kind. There was always a divide between the two. Jesus bridged that divide when he became human. Through Jesus we can have the perfect relationship with God for through him we are like kind. Jesus also has the perfect relationship with the Father for he is one with him.

People who believe that they do not need a church and only need to have a relationship with Jesus alone separate themselves with the divide that existed at creation. If Jesus is one with the Father and one with us then it cannot be just you and Jesus alone. Being one with Jesus makes you one with his Father, the Holy Spirit, and his people, the Church. Being one with Jesus makes you one with the entire family of God. You cannot forsake any member of the family without making yourself forsaken. The hand cannot move without the arm and even the head needs the neck to turn. Just as the body without the head is lifeless so too is the hand without the body.