A Tax Bearing Fish

 

“Doesn’t your master pay taxes?”

Was what they posed to Peter,

His answer to them was yes

And then he went to Jesus

But before Peter could ask

Jesus had read his mind

And asked him a related question

To which Peter rightly opined.

Of whom do the kings take tribute?

From their own or from strangers?

Peter’s response was strangers

And Jesus acknowledged his answer.

  

But though the children were free

Jesus acceded to their wish

Whereupon Peter went and took it

From the mouth of a waiting fish.

Thus, their temple tax was paid

Thank God for this obedient fish,

Though Jesus was not a stranger

The authorities still got their wish.

Stewart Russell © June 2020

The Widow’s Mites

Let’s examine the widow’s mites

For me, it’s another favourite,

I am particularly impressed this time

At Jesus’ brand of Mathematics.

The citizens were paying taxes

A percentage of their income,

The rich gave out of their abundance

Making for a hefty sum.

This poor widow came along

And threw in her last two mites,

If you make that one hundred percent

This time you got it right.

 

She gave more than any of them;

This was Jesus’ assertion,

For they cast in of their abundance

While she gave her entire life-portion.

One hundred percent she gave

That’s what Christ demands,

Her two mites were more than all the rest

She held nothing more in hand.

Stewart Russell © June 2020