Sermons by Mike Blume

I want to pay strict attention to the last phrase in the last passage of scripture I quoted.

Concerning Tribute money, or temple atonement tax, Jesus told Peter, " take, and give unto them for me and thee."

We have spoken much lately about ATONEMENT and even about the tribute money in Matthew 17 for atonement, as first referenced in Exodus 30.

Exodus 30:12-16 KJV When thou takest the sum of the children of Israel after their number, then shall they give every man a ransom for his soul unto the LORD, when thou numberest them; that there be no plague among them, when thou numberest them. (13) This they shall give, every one that passeth among them that are numbered, half a shekel after the shekel of the sanctuary: (a shekel is twenty gerahs:) an half shekel shall be the offering of the LORD. (14) Every one that passeth among them that are numbered, from twenty years old and above, shall give an offering unto the LORD. (15) The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less than half a shekel, when they give an offering unto the LORD, to make an atonement for your souls. (16) And thou shalt take the atonement money of the children of Israel, and shalt appoint it for the service of the tabernacle of the congregation; that it may be a memorial unto the children of Israel before the LORD, to make an atonement for your souls.

Our souls are tragically doomed for death due to sin in our lives.

Ezekiel 18:4 KJV Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.

And ATONEMENT is substitutionary sacrifice for such a death, that our sins which caused our deaths might be dealt with.

Death had to occur one way or another.
And atonement sacrifice stood as that death.
Now, this sacrifice of temple tribute tax, was a different form of atonement, but it was atonement nevertheless.
Atonement was given in many forms in the old testament.
And each of these forms actually foreshadowed the REAL atonement that would come in the form of Christ's atonement sacrifice of Himself.

So paying atonement money was one of the many forms of a SOUL REDEEMED.

This is very important to understand.

The atonement sacrifice was by way of an animal's death and money.

And we know it is a sacrifice to PAY.
Payment is part of our livelihood.
It's taking from ourselves!
It's like the animal sacrifices that were the BEST and FIRST of the flocks.
Like tithes are the FIRST TENTH, before anything else is spent.

Recall a our previous service when we preached about the MOUNTAIN OF REVELATION.

The very mountain where the temple was built by David was decided upon after David came to understand ATONEMENT on that very mountain.
He numbered Israel without paying the temple tribute tax money.
He saw no need for atonement, and God taught him a hard lesson until he was willing to cause atonement for Jerusalem with his own life!
Keep this in mind as we go along tonight.

Jesus spoke to Peter about a revelation Peter received.

And Jesus proceeded to give him additional revelation.
But upon recognition of peter's insight about Jesus, Jesus specifically called him a certain name.

Matthew 16:15-21 KJV He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? (16) And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. (17) And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. (18) And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. (19) And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. (20) Then charged he his disciples that they should tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ. (21) From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day.

"BAR" in Hebrew, means "SON OF".

Jesus used that again here:

John 21:15 KJV So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs.

SIMON SON OF JONAS.

SIMON BARJONA

Same thing.

Peter's father may have been a man named Jonah, but this is the exact same name that is in the hebrew belonging to the man who was swallowed by a great fish.

We all know about the story of Jonah and the whale.
And something associated with Jonah's story is found in Jesus' words to Peter.

"and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it."

Jonah 2:6 KJV I went down to the bottoms of the mountains; the earth with her bars was about me for ever: yet hast thou brought up my life from corruption, O LORD my God.

Matthew 12:39-40 KJV But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas: (40) For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

Jesus said this was a sign of Jesus Christ's truthfulness.

He would resurrect from the dead after three days and nights as Jonah did.
Jonah is hereby indicated as a foreshadow of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

And Jesus was ATONEMENT for our souls through this death and resurrection.

Romans 5:11 KJV And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.

Keep in mind that ATONEMENT through Jesus' resurrection was foreshadowed by Jonah's experience from DEATH.

THE EARTH'S BARS were about him forever, Jonah said.

He knew the whale's belly would be his grave.
Like a man laid in a grave, with earth's BARS like a prison house locking him in death, Jonah was going to die.
In fact the GATES OF HELL is actually GATES OF THE GRAVE in Greek.
Sometimes HELL indicates a fiery place of torment, and at other times the GRAVE.
In this instance it is the GRAVE.

And so Jesus calls Peter a SON OF JONAH, who, like Jonah, would not have the gates of the grave hold him down since he would be in the church upon a rock!

The rock of salvation is the TRUTH of Jesus dead and resurrected to have a church united to HIm in resurrection power.
Since he would resurrect from the grave, His church united to Him would have resurrection power so that the gates of any grave COULD NOT HOLD ANYONE IN THAT CHURCH DOWN.
JESUS determines who stays and who does not stay in the grave!
I am glad that one day every saint of God's body will break out of the graves at the last trump!

Jesus spoke of the second revelation concerning his death, and Peter rejected that one.

Jesus rebuked him.
Satan tried to get Jesus away from the cross and tempted him to bow down to him and get the kingdoms of the world then without the cross.
And the Father gave the same revelation He gave Peter in Matthew 17, atop Mount of transfiguration.

Matthew 17:5 KJV While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.

And Jesus AGAIN proceeded to give the second revelation about his death.

Matthew 17:9 KJV And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying, Tell the vision to no man, until the Son of man be risen again from the dead.

Matthew 17:12 KJV But I say unto you, That Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. Likewise shall also the Son of man suffer of them.

They started to talk about Elijah and He would veer the thought back to death again.

They had to get this revelation.

Matthew 17:22-23 KJV And while they abode in Galilee, Jesus said unto them, The Son of man shall be betrayed into the hands of men: (23) And they shall kill him, and the third day he shall be raised again. And they were exceeding sorry.

And then we come to the part of the message that deals with the tax tribute money.

Matthew 17:24-27 KJV And when they were come to Capernaum, they that received tribute money came to Peter, and said, Doth not your master pay tribute? (25) 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? (26) Peter saith unto him, Of strangers. Jesus saith unto him, Then are the children free. (27) 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.

"Peter," said the tax man. "Does your master, Jesus, have enough ethics and righteousness to pay the tribute tax we all have to pay?"

The man obviously was like the pharisees who often sought to catch Jesus up in something so as to discredit anything else he might say.
And Peter, without knowing Jesus' views on this, said He most certainly did.
Peter perhaps uttered a "Humph. So, there!" as he left the man.

But Peter was once again wrong.

Jesus said the temple TAX was not required of Jesus any more than a KIng's children have to pay taxes to the palace.

He is God's SON!
BUT....
LEST THEY SHOULD BE OFFENDED....

Get the picture.

Jesus does not have to pay.
But He said He would.

And notice where Jesus told Peter to get the ATONEMENT MONEY for their souls.

Keep in mind that this was the atonement for the soul from Exodus 30.
FROM A FISH'S MOUTH.

And how much atonement money would Peter find?

Enough for HIM and JESUS,

And this takes us back to Christ's words to PETER as SON OF JONAH.

ATONEMENT MONEY FOR TWO WOULD COME FROM THE MOUTH OF A FISH!
JESUS AND PETER.
And since ATONEMENT stands for the SOUL of the person offering it, JESUS WAS ONCE AGAIN PULLING JONAH'S STORY INTO THE PICTURE FOR PETER ABOUT HOW THE GATES OF DEATH WOULD NOT PREVAIL AGAINST A CHURCH united to christ in his resurrection power.

Since it was ATONEMENT MONEY for Peter and Jesus, there is a powerful message here.

Jonah foreshadowed Jesus coming from the fish' mouth in a foreshadowing resurrection from the grave.
ONE PERSON COUNTS BY WAY OF ATONEMENT MONEY FOR ONE PERSON -- 1/2 SHEKEL.
So getting atonement for TWO out of the fish's mouth indicates TWO COMING OUT OF THE FISH'S MOUTH.

It's so perfect a picture!

Atonement money would get a SOUL out of the payment of DEATH for SIN as Jonah got out of the grave of the fish's mouth!
Jonah experienced ATONEMENT, so to speak.
And it was only by God's MERCY!

In fact look at the words of Jonah:

Jonah 2:9-10 KJV But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that that I have vowed. Salvation is of the LORD. (10) And the LORD spake unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land.

The last thing he said before the fish vomited him out, was SALVATION IS OF THE LORD.

The name JESUS means GOD IS MY SALVATION.
So it is as though as soon as Jonah cried "JESUS!", the whale vomited him out his mouth!
PRAISE GOD!

And the reason Peter got atonement payment for himself and Jesus from the fish's mouth was because FROM EACH OF OUR PERSPECTIVES, WHEN JESUS CAME OUT OF THE GRAVE IN RESURRECTION POWER, "I" CAME OUT WITH HIM!

Jesus indicated to Peter, by a very spiritual picture which Peter could not have grasped at that time, but which we can see now, looking back, of how PETER WOULD BE UNITED TO JESUS IN ATONEMENT FOR PETER'S SOUL, when Jesus would die, be buried and resurrect again from the dead!

WHEN JESUS CAME OUT, PETER CAME OUT AS WELL.
A DOUBLE PORTION!

Throughout the bible a double portion is mentioned.

In each case, if you have eyes to see, you will see a picture of YOUR UNION TO JESUS IN ATONEMENT FOR YOUR SOUL.
And it is all through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ!
CRUCIFIED WITH Him.
BURIED WITH Him.
RISEN TOGETHER WITH Him.
YOU AND JESUS!

Perhaps that is why God chose 1/2 SHEKEL for atonement, to indicate WE ARE ONE HALF AND JESUS IS THE SECOND HALF, AND TOGETHER we are a UNIT.

Jonah foreshadowed Christ's resurrection from the earth.

And Christ was OUR ATONEMENT in doing so.
The picture is YOU AND CHRIST rising again.
Two united as one.
He raised not Himself alone, but we were raised together with Him.
TOGETHER WITH HIM indicates a DOUBLE PORTION.
And THAT is equivalent to atonement money for TWO PEOPLE.

He did not need atonement.

He did not need to die and rise again.
In both cases of atonement payment and death on the cross, JESUS DID NOT REQUIRE IT.
But, He experienced it FOR THE PURPOSE OF US UNITING OURSELVES TO HIM THROUGH IT ALL, and thereby being saved.
So, Jesus and YOU came out of the fish's mouth, so to speak!
WE came together out of the grave!
The gates of hell cannot prevail against the church, because we are united to Christ, like a church built on the rock, who broke through the grave and resurrected!

ATONEMENT FROM THE FISH'S MOUTH