New Testament

To avoid offending the Pharisees, Jesus pays the temple tax (with a coin from a fish’s mouth) but offers a subtle lesson in hypocrisy (Matthew 17:24 – 17:27).

After Jesus and the disciples arrived in Capernaum, the collectors of the two-drachma temple tax went to Peter and asked, “Doesn’t your teacher pay the temple tax?” “Yes, he does,” he replied. When Peter went into the house, Jesus was the first to speak. “What do you think, Simon?” he asked. “From whom do the kings of

Pharisees ask for a sign – Jesus gives them a weather lesson because they are unable to interpret the signs of the times (Matthew 16:1 – 16:4).

The Pharisees and Sadducees (prominent religious leaders in ancient Israel) came to Jesus and tested him by asking him to show them a sign from heaven. Jesus sighed and said, “When evening comes, you say, ‘It will be fair weather for the sky is red’. When morning arrives you say, ‘Today it will be stormy for

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