Matthew 17:25-26

Matthew 17:25-26

[25] He saith,  Yes.  And  into  the house,  Jesus  prevented  him,  saying,  What  thinkest  Simon?  of  whom  the kings  of the earth  take  custom  or  tribute?  of  their own  children,  or  of  strangers?  [26] unto him,  Of  strangers.  Jesus  saith  unto him,  Then  the children  free. 

What does Matthew 17:25-26 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

Jesus turned this inquiry from the tax collector into a teaching situation for Peter and presumably the other disciples. Jesus changed the tax from a religious one to a civil one to make His point clearer. The principle is the same in both cases, but it was easier to illustrate in the civil arena of life.
Jesus" point was that as the sons of kings are exempt from the taxes their fathers impose, so He was exempt from the taxes His Father imposed. He meant the temple tax. The temple really belonged to God ( Malachi 3:1). Jesus was teaching Peter the implications of His deity. He was not teaching Peter to fulfill his civic responsibility.