Scripture is clear that, for those who follow the Lord Jesus and proclaim the riches of his saving grace, causing some offence is unavoidable. “For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing; to the one an aroma from death to death, to the other an aroma from life to life” (2 Cor 2:15–16). In other words, Christians stink and only the perfume of Spirit-wrought regeneration can transform that stench into a sweet-smelling fragrance.

Indeed, some offence is inevitable. But there is also some offence that can and should be avoided. There are battles that don’t need to be fought and confrontations that don’t need to be sought. In fact, when believers fail to recognize these distinction they can risk overshadowing, confusing, and distracting from the gospel itself. And it takes humility and discernment to know which are which.

SERMON MANUSCRIPT

The passage we are studying this morning is the shortest we’ve looked at in our study of Matthew—only four verses. However, it also may be the most immediately applicable and potentially confrontational. I was praying this week that God would give me the discernment to be able to walk the line today between the twin cliffs of, on one side, holding back, not telling the whole truth, and pulling punches, and, on the other side, being overly political and pointed.

In other words, my prayer has been to appropriately, and not unnecessarily, offend. In fact, that’s what this text is about—knowing how to pick the right battles to fight as followers of Christ in a world that hates Christ. We know that for those who follow the Lord Jesus, some offence is unavoidable (2 Cor 2:15–16). Christians stink and only the perfume of Spirit-wrought regeneration can change that stench to a sweet fragrance. Some offence is unavoidable.

But there is also some offence that can and should be avoided. There are battles that don’t need to be fought and confrontations that don’t need to be had. And it takes humility and discernment to know which are which. And that’s what we’re going to find this morning.

Here’s today’s sermon in a sentence: God’s people are to avoid unnecessary offence by voluntarily submitting and humbly depending. You and I, as individuals and as a church family, are to avoid unnecessary offence. How? By cultivating a posture, first, of voluntary submission to those around us and, second, of humble dependance on God to provide. Let’s break that sentence down into parts.

Avoid unnecessary offence …

First, God’s people are to avoid unnecessary offence. Verse 24 sets the stage for potential conflict as the first-century Israeli CRA approach Peter to make sure Jesus has filed that year. (It’s interesting that, of all the gospel accounts, only Matthew records this interaction. You’ll remember that he had been a tax collector. Maybe this scene piqued his interested.)

This two-drachma tax, equivalent to about two-days wages, is one that all Jewish males between twenty and fifty paid and was used for maintaining the temple and its services (see Ex 30:13–15).

Apparently, Peter and Jesus hadn’t paid yet that year so the taxman comes knocking and ask a question that feels like an accusation. In fact, the question could be translated this way: “Your teacher does pay the two-drachma tax, doesn’t he?” Jesus had developed a reputation for playing fast-and-loose with the law (see 5:21, 31; 12:8) so this group is worried they aren’t going to get their donation. Whatever the case, (v. 25a) Peter affirms that Jesus does and would pay.

When government demands money, there’s always the potential for conflict, right? But what did Jesus do (v. 27)? We’ll get to the details in a moment but, for now, just notice Jesus’s motivation: so that we do not offend them, let’s pay them. Let’s avoid an unnecessary offence. 

Now, at this point of Matthew’s gospel, if there’s one thing we know about Jesus it’s that he doesn’t always mind offending (see 11:6; 13:57; 15:12–14). Jesus is not primarily concerned about hurting feelings or being politically correct. But, in our text today, he makes a concession and in so doing, avoids unnecessary offence.

Followers of Christ, growing evermore in the likeness of Christ, will offend like Christ. It’s unavoidable if we’re being faithful.

Some of you know exactly what I mean. You’ve “hurt” friends with your unwillingness to participate in certain activities. You’ve “harmed” relationships with your unwillingness to affirm particular expressions of depravity for which our culture demands celebration. You’ve “judged” family members with your unwillingness to let them remain ignorant of the salvation available. Some offence is unavoidable for Christians. We stink like life and many can’t stand the smell. 

But the question becomes, do we add unnecessary offence? Are the things that I’m saying, doing, boycotting, protesting, posting, affirming, or peddling in any way hindering, confusing, or distracting from the understanding and reception of the simple gospel?

When a surgeon works on a patient they’re going to do all the harm needed to bring healing but also as little as necessary. To fix a heart valve, they’ll break some ribs but probably not the fingers. Trauma is necessary to bring life, but only particular trauma. The rest is superfluous, adds to the recovery and, in extreme cases, can hinder it.

Christians must offend because the gospel is offensive. And only through the trauma of gospel confrontation comes life. But, like Jesus in this passage, we should also strive to avoid unnecessary offence.

… by voluntarily submitting …

But how? That’s the question! First, going back to the text, we find it’s by voluntarily submitting. This is what we see Jesus doing, after all.

After the taxman has left, they go inside and Jesus, recognizing a teachable moment, brings it up with Peter (v. 25b). (Remember, we’re in a section of Matthew in which Jesus is focused on training the twelve. So, this fits right in.)

Jesus here combines a rhetorical question with a parable. From whom do the world’s governments get their money? To Peter, the answer’s obvious and Jesus follows-up with the logical conclusion (v. 26).

Caesar’s children are exempt from taxes because they already own everything and because to tax them would be to take away from what will eventually be their inheritance. Well, guess what? The temple belongs to God. And Jesus, being the Son of God, is exempt because he already owns it and because one day he will inherit it (see Mal 3:1).

Jesus doesn’t have to pay anything. It’s all his. Which makes what he does in verse 27 even more staggering and convicting. So as to avoid unnecessary conflict, Jesus submits to the law of the day, he submits to the tax collectors, he submits to the cultural custom. And he does so 100% voluntarily, because he 100% owns 100% of all things. Like the owner of an airline paying to fly coach and subjecting herself to all the inconveniences and annoyances that come with air travel today. Jesus avoided unnecessary offence by voluntarily submitting himself.

Are there national, cultural, familial, or church customs and practices that annoy you, grind your gears, and maybe even make your life a little less convenient and enjoyable? You know, morally-neutral things you don’t like, things that you know, because of your freedom in Christ, are not required but are, nonetheless, commonplace and beloved by the people around you?

We are living in a cultural moment when it seems people are more ready than ever to stand up for their rights, get what’s theirs, make their voices heard, buck the trend, resist the norm, rage against the machine, be assertive, be a patriot, and tear down the establishment. 

At the very least, this passage today should cause us to pause and ask ourselves if there are areas in our lives, things we’re being expected to do that, if we’re honest, we know we don’t have to do, but could be opportunities for voluntary submission—for the freely laying down of rights for the sake of keeping the gospel undistracted and clear. (For examples, consider Acts 16:1–3 and 1 Cor 9:19–23.)

God’s people are to avoid unnecessary offence by voluntarily submitting. And, you may think that makes us really vulnerable, doesn’t it? Couldn’t we be taken advantage of and used and abused by a culture that already is offended by our stink? Yes, we could be and likely will be. That’s why this last point is so important and comforting. 

… and humbly depending.

God’s people are to avoid unnecessary offence by voluntarily submitting and humbly depending. We’ve already seen Jesus go out of his way to submit to the cultural  custom of the day even though he, of all people, doesn’t have to. He wants his disciples, those he’s preparing for life without him, to see him lay down authority for the sake of others, for the sake of the temple.

But he also wants them to see how the temple tax gets paid (v. 27). Jesus sends Peter, the fisherman, to do what he does best, and declares that, by divine power and what could only be attributed to God’s sovereignty and providence, the money will be provided to pay the tax and avoid the offence that he was well within his rights to cause.

If we, by faith, follow the example of Christ and humble ourselves to the point of voluntary submission, avoiding unnecessary offence so as to not distract from the true work God has put before us, that of the spreading of the gospel, we can trust that God will meet the needs that become exposed. We can humbly depend on him.

God’s people are to avoid unnecessary offence by voluntarily submitting and humbly depending. From my point of view, if there’s anything the last two years have exposed in the North American church it’s that we do not have a default posture of submission. We don’t like to be told what to do. We don’t like to have our autonomy trampled on. We may have a bit of an idolatry problem with personal freedom.

The bottom line is that we, as faithful Christians, will offend the world. In fact, we must offend the world. If we never offend we’re likely not being faithful because the message we herald is offensive.

Hear it afresh now: Christ died for your sins and rose from the dead. You are a sinner. Left to yourself, you will spend eternity apart from God and his goodness and love. You cannot help yourself. You cannot claim goodness or worthiness. You are owed everlasting death and the wrath of a holy God in on you now and for eternity.

But God so loved the world that he sent his Son, Jesus, to live the perfect life we’re called to live but fail to do and die a sinner’s death he didn’t deserve. The wrath of God was poured out on him so that we, the deserved, can find shelter in him. He was buried. But he rose from the dead, defeating death and providing everlasting life to all sinners who believe in him.

And the Christian life is one of submission—to Christ, certainly, but to one another, to governments, to enemies, to tax collectors.

See, the gospel is offensive. We don’t need to add to it with harsh rhetoric, political stances, and fights for personal liberty. Shame on us. If we can’t holster those inconveniences when the Lord Jesus himself, the one we claim to follow, did just that, then we need to reexamine our hearts. 

We have potentially elevated personal freedom, national pride, personal safety—none of which are unimportant and all of which are gifts from God to be cherished—but we have elevated them above the gospel itself. We’re more concerned for those realities than we are the one thing we’re actually commanded to offend with—that which actually brings life. We don’t need to break fingers to get to the heart. Just some ribs.

Brothers and sisters, let’s make our offences count!

Let’s pick our battles wisely and prayerfully. Offend when we have to offend and offend with the message we’re given with which to offend. For everything else, consider laying it down, voluntarily, so as to avoid unnecessary hurt, unnecessary division, unnecessary obstacles. We will offend. Let’s make them count.

 

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