After Jesus gave the Twelve His third prediction of His death and resurrection (v22-23), He gave Peter a private lesson in the believer’s obligation to human government for after He is gone.
耶稣给予十二门徒有关祂死亡与复活的第三次预言后（22-23节），为了预备他们耶稣离开后的生活，祂私下教导彼得信徒对于国民政府的职责所在。
- The Citizen’s Excise (Taxes) 国民的缴税 (17:24)
The two-drachma tax was a tax that the Romans allowed the Jewish religious leaders to collect for the operation of the Jerusalem Temple. Because the temple tax was to be paid by the time of Passover, collectors were sent throughout Palestine one month in advance. It was such tax collectors who came to Peter to ask. Peter knew Jesus had always paid taxes. Therefore he simply said yes.
丁税是罗马帝国允许犹太宗教领袖为耶路撒冷圣殿的运作所征收的税额。由于丁税应当在逾越节之前还清，收税人早在一个月前就开始遍布巴勒斯坦工作；他们就是向彼得收税的人。彼得知道耶稣一向来都纳税，因此答应了。
- The Son’s Exemption 人子的例外 (17:25-26)
In the ancient world, kings accessed taxes to support their families as well as their governments. It would not make sense for a father to collect money from his sons who depended on him. As God is the King of the temple, logically Jesus as His Son and all the believers will be exempted from paying the temple tax.
古时，君王使用税收抚养他们的家庭及支助他们的政府。因此，若要一位父亲向投靠他的儿子收钱，那是不合逻辑的。由于神是圣殿的王，作祂儿子的耶稣和众信徒理当无需缴交丁税。
- The Lord’s Example 主的例子 (17:27)
As a Son Jesus doesn’t need to pay the temple tax but in order not to offend them, He told Peter to go and take the first fish from the sea and there was the coin for temple tax. The lesson is that Christians should not fight for non-essential issues and create unnecessary stumbling blocks for others.
身为人子，耶稣是无需缴交丁税的；但为避免冒犯他们，耶稣叫彼得往海边把先钓上来的鱼拿起来，就有钱纳税了。这里的学习点是：基督徒不应该为无关紧要的事物争执，给他人制造不必要的绊脚石。
Praying the Scripture 用经文祷告
- What are your Earthly obligations as a citizen of your country? Do you fulfill these obligations willingly or grudgingly? Pray that the Lord gives you the right attitude toward earthly government.
身为你祖国的公民，你有什么属世的责任呢？你是否抱着乐意或是不愿的态度执行这些职责呢？请求主能让你对你属世的政府怀有正确的态度。
- “But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Phil. 3:20). How does it affect your way of life in this world, knowing that your true citizenship is in heaven?
“我们却是天上的国民，并且等候救主，就是主耶稣基督”（腓3:20）。得知你真实的身份是属天国的子民，这当如何影响你在地上的生活呢？
- Even though our true citizenship is in heaven, we know that every government is ordained by God for social order and so is to be respected and obeyed by His people even when it is unjust. Read 1 Peter 2:13-16 again and pray that God will help us to live as obedient citizens even in this corrupted world.
虽然我们是属天国的子民，我们也晓得神所指定的每一个政府是为保持社会秩序而设的；即便有不义，神的子民也当尊重与服从他们的政府。请再次阅读《彼得后书》2章13至14节，求神帮助我们即使在这败坏的世界中也做顺服的子民。
