WEDNESDAY - 30TH JUNE, 2021
MORNING WINGS DAILY DEVOTIONAL GUIDE - Olusola ADEJUMO
WHERE IS THE JEALOUSY FOR YOUR OWN CHILDREN?
Read Mathew 17:24-27
Matthew 17:25, KJV
"He saith, Yes. And when he was come into the house, Jesus prevented him, saying, What thinkest thou, Simon? of whom do the kings of the earth take custom or tribute? of their own children, or of strangers?"
Where we should meet wisdom at times, it is unfortunate if what we meet there is foolishness.
Obviously, out of a readiness to trap Jesus, He was visited for the necessary temple tax. When the collectors met Peter, they had said, "so, your own master is exempted from tax payment?" Their statement reveals that they were ready for trouble if Peter or Jesus had responded otherwise. That's why Jesus who might have seen into what the matter could likely become told Peter to go cast a hook and pay them so that they might not be offended.
If Jesus should work with the knowledge He had at hand: of children not paying tribute but strangers, a ruckus would have been stirred. In essence, Jesus was calling for a revisiting of the act that said citizens should pay tributes. He was merely challenging it and pointing to the fact that such has expired.
Let us ask ourselves the question Jesus asked Peter. If you want to inconvenient anyone, is it your own family members or those outside? Even kings don't collect tributes from their own citizens but other kingdoms. They spare their citizens and let them enjoy some freedom of gathering wealth and not working for another to feed on.
Jesus knew something was abnormal which was why he asked which was fit for practice. To collect from children of the soil or from strangers? Those that should be under tributes as Peter relayed ought to be all these conquered cities or nationalities. However, it was not so. It was children that tributes was being demanded of. If you're a leader, you must seek to make your citizens or your own enjoy certain privileges that others (especially strangers) won't enjoy. If you don't, children won't feel like children. It's of no use when the same fate that totally befalls strangers are those that befalls citizens.
When leaders should exercise jealousy over their own national citizens and seek to protect their lives and properties, it's these same leaders that are rather doing all to make life difficult for those they should make it easy for. Citizens trusted their being into their leaders hands but what if the leaders become the thorns in their flesh? Why should there be extortion of your own children even if you want to extort? Extortion is wrong but it seems unwise if the fellow doing it chooses his own as the victims. Why should you levy them this much? Why should you enact policies that won't make your very citizens flourish? These were the questions Jesus was asking Peter. Jesus was so concerned that He blocked Peter from having entrance into the house until he had shared in that matter occupying His mind up.
Foreigners are the ones easily discriminated against but if any should begin to discriminate against his own citizens, then we should worry.
So, reserve your jealousy for children while you treat everybody well. Under any circumstance must you treat citizens like any other. If you give birth to children and have adopted ones, you can't but still do at times to your biological children what would tell them you are their parents. It is not partiality. It is jealousy of a father. Even Jesus said to a woman, "children's bread aren't given to dogs! (Mathew 15:26).
PRAYER: Teach me to prioritize my own. Give me love for all but jealousy for my own. May all leaders enact laws that would bring comfort to their citizens.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 2 Kings 17:1-18:12, Acts 20:1-38, Psalm 148:1-14, Proverbs 18:6-7
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