From whom do kings of the earth take toll or tribute? From their sons or from others?” And when he said, “From others,” Jesus said to him, “Then the sons are free.
Jesus was in fact one greater than the temple (see Matthew 12:6). As the Son of the true King of kings he had no obligation to pay the temple tax. Such taxes were levied, in effect, to aid in the worship by signs and symbols which ultimately pointed toward him.
Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” (see John 2:19).
Jesus was the true temple of containing in himself the fullness of the Godhead, but who himself needed no coins for the sake of upkeep. He did not need them for himself, though as the King's Son he certainly a right to them. Since he was so entirely sufficient unto himself because of his royal identity he did not need to insist on his rights. He did not need to worry, for instance, that his actions would imply that he was something less than he was, even though a strict and literal reading of him paying the temple tax would seem to point to that. Instead, since not paying the tax would cause more misunderstanding than paying it, he was willing to do it so "that we may not offend them".
Sometimes we want to insist on fully displaying our Christian freedom out of a misplaced sense of obligation to the truth. The point is that in some cases to insist on our freedom will do more harm than good. At such times we should be more concerned not to give offense. There are times when it is worth giving offense, to be sure, to make the truth known. But such times are times when it is indeed the truth and not simply misunderstanding that will be made known.
Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother. I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself, but it is unclean for anyone who thinks it unclean. For if your brother is grieved by what you eat, you are no longer walking in love. By what you eat, do not destroy the one for whom Christ died (see Romans 14:13-15).
We must be prepared to speak up for the truth when we are called to give testimony. But there are many things which are to greater and lesser degrees related to that core truth which we may not be called to say or to shout out or upon which to insist, instead acting with mildness, to avoid misunderstanding, to avoid giving offense. If we have the assurance of own own status as sons and daughters in Jesus Christ we will be able to do so with the same grace with which Jesus himself did.
The holiness of God means that he does not play favorites or accept bribes. He wants us to be like him, able to love others regardless of their status, including widows, orphans, and aliens. To be holy like this we can't be so insistent on our Christian freedoms that we do damage to the souls of others for whom Christ died. We must distinguish between those things which we want merely for our self-image or convenience or pride, and those truths which are non-negotiable for bringing others into relationship with the Lord.
So you too must befriend the alien,
for you were once aliens yourselves in the land of Egypt.
The LORD, your God, shall you fear, and him shall you serve;
hold fast to him and swear by his name.
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