“And when they were come to Capernaum, they that received tribute money came to Peter, and said, Doth not your master pay tribute? He saith, Yes. And when he was come into the house, Jesus prevented him, saying, Whatthinkest thou, Simon? of whom do the kings of the earth take custom or tribute? of their own children, or of strangers? Peter saith unto him, Of strangers. Jesus saith unto him, Then are the children free. Notwithstanding, lest we should offend them, go thou to the sea, and cast an hook, and take up the fish that first cometh up; and when thou hast opened his mouth, thou shalt find a piece of money: that take, and give unto them for me and thee.” (Matthew 17:24-27)

In Matthew’s Gospel, we find a fascinating clue to Jesus’ method of ministry. In many people’s minds, the disciples were mature men. Most imagine them to be around Jesus’ age of thirty when He began His ministry. They are portrayed that way in popular TV shows and movies. However, this verse shows us that the disciples were probably much younger than Jesus, perhaps in their mid-teens. It is yet another reason why believers should not let Hollywood or Renaissance paintings dictate their understanding of the Scriptures.  

The Disciples of Jesus Were Young Men

In Exodus, every man over the age of twenty was required to give a half shekel for the building of the Tabernacle (38:26). Over time, this requirement was shifted and used for the maintenance of the Temple in Jerusalem. However, Jesus only provided for Himself and for Peter, and not the other disciples. The opening words of the following chapter read: “at the same time came the disciples unto Jesus…” From this we know that they were present in Capernaum at that time. Jesus did not wish to cause offense, so He instructed Peter to go fishing. The first fish he caught on a hook and line would have the required coin in its mouth. If Jesus had only provided for one of His disciples, He would have certainly caused offense, not just among the receivers of tribute, but also among His own disciples.  

Beyond this, Jesus called His disciples children (Luke 10:21, John 13:33, John 21:5). Churches and commentators tend to interpret those verses figuratively, but a literal reading better fits the culture of the day. Itinerant teachers were not uncommon in first-century Israel. The custom was for a boy to follow his rabbi from his early teens or even childhood. His goal was to be just like his rabbi, and to learn that properly, he would have to start at a young age. Any such boy would have the goal of one day being just like the rabbi and making his own disciples.  

Peter was the only disciple who had to pay the tax, and he is the only one who is known to have had a wife. Being married young, usually at age eighteen, was customary in that place and time. All of these points toward the disciples being younger than twenty, and likely even younger than eighteen. The Bible also gives plenty of circumstantial evidence of their youth when it tells of their repeated immature thinking and behavior.  

The Principle: God Meets the Need 

This verse shows us that Jesus will provide for our needs. Beyond that, He shows us how to reach the world with the Gospel: by reaching and training young people. When He stood on the Mount of Olives and sent them into all the world to make disciples, they were probably not an impressive group, with their cracking voices and scraggly beards. However, God chose the weak things of the world to confound the strong.  

It is a reminder to us that revival often starts in the youth department. Indeed, many great missionaries go to the field as barely more than young people. Too often, young people believe that God cannot use them until they are older, but Matthew teaches us differently. God shook the world using a small handful of men and women in their teens and early twenties. If you are young, in your teens, or even younger, please know that God wants to use you now for His kingdom.  

If you are not a young person, I urge you to follow in the footsteps of the Apostle Paul, who was “born out of due time” (I Corinthians 15:8). He spent his youth learning from a different rabbi, the eminent Gamaliel, but once he met Jesus, he switched His allegiance to the true Teacher. If you have spent your life following any other teacher, be like Paul and forsake everything to follow Him.   

“Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.” I Timothy 4:12 

About John Buckner

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