Death and Taxes

The Power of Jesus over a Demon

¹⁴ When they reached the crowd,^(A) a man approached and knelt down before him. ¹⁵ “Lord,” he said, “have mercy on my son, because he has seizures^[a] and suffers terribly. He often falls into the fire and often into the water. ¹⁶ I brought him to your disciples, but they couldn’t heal him.”^(B)

¹⁷ Jesus replied, “You unbelieving and perverse generation, how long will I be with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring him here to me.”^{(C) 18} Then Jesus rebuked the demon,^[b] and it^[c] came out of him,^(D) and from that moment^[d] the boy was healed.

¹⁹ Then the disciples approached Jesus privately and said, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?”

²⁰ “Because of your little faith,” he^[e] told them. “For truly I tell you, if you have faith the size of ^[f] a mustard seed, you will tell this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move.^(E) Nothing will be impossible for you.”^[g](F)

The Second Prediction of His Death

²² As^(G) they were gathering together^[h] in Galilee, Jesus told them, “The Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men. ²³ They will kill him, and on the third day he will be raised up.” And they were deeply distressed.

Paying the Temple Tax

²⁴ When they came to Capernaum, those who collected the temple tax approached Peter and said, “Doesn’t your teacher pay the temple tax?” ^(H)

²⁵ “Yes,” he said.

When he went into the house, Jesus spoke to him first,^[i] “What do you think, Simon? From whom do earthly kings collect tariffs or taxes? From their sons or from strangers?”^[j](I)

²⁶ “From strangers,” he said.^[k]

“Then the sons are free,” Jesus told him. ²⁷ “But, so we won’t offend them, go to the sea, cast in a fishhook, and take the first fish that you catch. When you open its mouth you’ll find a coin.^[l] Take it and give it to them for me and you.”^(J)