NONjoiner: Favor

Sons are Not of this World: They're Non-Joiners

When Jesus asked Peter in Matthew 17:25, “From whom do the kings of the earth collect duty and taxes—from their own sons or from others?” Peter answered, “From others.” Jesus then declared, “Then the sons are exempt.” This statement is far more than a passing remark about taxes; it reveals a profound spiritual truth about the identity and privilege of those who belong to Christ.

1. Exemption Through Sonship

Jesus was teaching that sons of the King are not bound by the same obligations as outsiders. In earthly kingdoms, children of royalty are exempt from paying taxes because they are heirs of the throne. Spiritually, believers are co-heirs with Christ (Romans 8:17), seated with Him in heavenly places (Ephesians 2:6). When they received Jesus they were given the power and right to become children of God [John 1.12]. This means the burdens, anxieties, and limitations that dominate the lives of those in the world and outside the Kingdom do not define the sons and daughters of God.

2. Freedom From Earthly Cares

The world is troubled by endless striving—working hard for money, worrying about provision, and being enslaved to survival. But Jesus demonstrated that sons of God live under a different economy. When money was needed, He told Peter to find it in the mouth of a fish (Matthew 17:27). When thousands were hungry, He multiplied a few loaves and fish to feed them all (Matthew 14:13–21). Elijah, too, was fed by ravens in the wilderness (1 Kings 17:6). These miracles show that God’s children are exempt from the crushing weight of worldly scarcity. Their provision flows from divine sources, not human toil.

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3. Exemption Does Not Mean Isolation

Yet Jesus added, “But so that we may not cause offense…” (Matthew 17:27). Though sons are exempt, He instructed Peter to pay the tax anyway. This reveals a balance: believers live in divine privilege, but they also walk humbly in the world. To avoid misunderstanding or stumbling others, we comply with earthly necessities, not because we must abide by the rules here but because we represent a higher standard of the Kingdom. We may work, pay bills, and fulfill obligations—not because we are bound by them, but to maintain peace and testimony before those who cannot yet grasp Kingdom realities.

If we choose to, we can opt not to be under their rule or laws but tap into the supernatural realms of God and use supernatural provisions. We may command nature and it will obey us. What is Jesus' is also ours.

4. Living as Sons, Not Strivers

The exemption Jesus spoke of is not an excuse for laziness or irresponsibility. It is a call to live from a place of rest and trust in God’s supernatural provision. Sons and daughters of God are not enslaved to the rat race, nor defined by economic systems. They are non-joiners. They are free to live generously, joyfully, and confidently, knowing their Father owns the cattle on a thousand hills (Psalm 50:10). This freedom empowers believers to give without fear, to serve without anxiety, and to walk in peace even when the world is in turmoil.

5. Practical Implications of Exemption

Financial Freedom: Sons of God trust that provision comes from heaven, not merely from human effort.
Emotional Peace: They are exempt from the crippling worry that dominates unbelievers.
Spiritual Authority: As co-heirs with Christ, they exercise dominion over circumstances rather than being crushed by them.
Generous Living: Exemption allows believers to give freely, knowing their supply is endless in Christ.

6. The Witness of Humility

Even though believers are exempt, Jesus modeled humility by paying the tax. This teaches us that divine privilege must be exercised with wisdom and love. We do not flaunt our exemption or despise those who do not understand it. Instead, we walk in humility, showing the world that our confidence is in God, while respecting earthly systems for the sake of peace and the weak in faith.

Conclusion

When Jesus said, “The sons are exempt,” He unveiled the glorious truth that believers are no longer bound by the anxieties and limitations of this world. As co-heirs with Christ, we share in His freedom, His provision, and His authority. Though the world is troubled by scarcity and endless striving, sons and daughters of God live under heaven’s economy, where provision flows supernaturally. Yet, in humility and love, we comply with earthly necessities to avoid offense and to bear witness to the Kingdom. The exemption cannot be changed—it is the eternal privilege of those who belong to Christ.

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How do you explain being blessed and not looking anything like it? Like when Christ lived an extremely humble life, born to poor parents in a poor village, and yet supposedly blessed. He himself said, "the Son of Man has no pillow to lay his head." That isn't what we would call "blessed" today. Even in church, we see those with big money and bountiful material possessions as blessed, not those who can't even afford a pillow.

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It's easy to be recognized as "blessed" if you have most everything you need and want within easy reach. People see it and believe you're indeed blessed. But what if the tangible proofs aren't there? What if, like Lazarus (the poor guy at the table of the rich man), you have nothing but dire poverty all your life? What if like the poor widow at the temple treasury all you can give are "two very small copper coins"?

Blessed and Miserable?

Depressed and frustrated. That was what most prophets were in the bible. Job was extremely downtrodden and even grossly misunderstood by friends, no less. Yet God said he was extremely blessed. He himself didn't believe it. He thought God was cursing him. His friends thought he was under severe punishment for his sins.

But Satan knew the real score. God had told him how Job was really His "favorite" even right during the peak of his miseries, while Job was suffering the brunt of the tests. Often I try to be in Job's shoes and couldn't get myself to believe I'd feel blessed in that condition. I'd feel like a jinx rejected by GOD and unfit to live, exactly how he felt and how his friends saw him. But believe it or not, he was God's favorite. He was extremely blessed.

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Looking accursed while really being blessed? Talk about extreme paradoxes. God is often fond of doing reversals like that. Blessed yet needy. Poor yet rich. Least and yet the greatest. Last but first. Underdog yet favored. Loser yet winner. Weak and despised yet power is perfected. Dead yet possessing life. Full yet empty. Empty yet full.

The Enemy Knows

Because he sometimes manages to get a glimpse of truth in the spirit world, Satan knows you're really blessed though you don't look like it. God orients the devil before you're subjected to his tricks and stratagems, putting limits to what he can do to you to make you feel bad about yourself. God's idea is to show the devil why God has made you His favorite.

Worse is Jesus' case. God said plainly that Jesus was his "beloved Son" in whom He was "well pleased." Well pleased? Another favorite? So how come he was given a not-too-glamorous life on earth, without much fanfare and entertainment, not even the glamour of average middle-class perks? And he died like a criminal suffering the worst death penalty, besides having almost all his friends and supporters abandoning him. That's favored? Is that what it means when GOD is pleased with you?

Why not die of old age or as a war hero everyone loves? Why a gory and shameful death of a criminal? It would be easier to be deemed favored by God if you were a religious leader looked up to in church and then die while being busy in ministry. Why didn't Jesus die that way? It would've moved everyone's heart. No more persecution and cross.

The Wicked Prosper

Sometimes it drives you crazy to see how the wicked and mockers seem more blessed than you are, but then you read in Scriptures how God supposedly hates them. Isn't God very angry with sin and punished disobedient people in the bible, supernaturally wrecking their idols as well? How come idol worshipers today even get their prayers answered and their diseases healed? Well, that's what a lot of them claim. So, why does God allow that miracle effect produced?

Many times, we feel like just giving up. How can you remain competitive when God seems to support the enemy team? Why should I even take part in the competition? If God wants them to win, then let them. Why should I struggle? There they are, wicked, corrupt, boastful and all, and yet enjoying miracles, life favors, financial prosperity and career promotions. And here you are, believing God's Word and living it out, yet getting no miracles from God to back it up. I mean, I'd just be a jerk insisting on something that holds no water.

But actually I know the real score when the smoke clears. I mean, after a while of drooling over these crazy thoughts, I come back to my senses and know that God means the best for me despite what I see happening. I know that, though I don't feel or see it yet. I barely experience it. I know he blesses me and my family well, providing for everything, though frankly I see lacks more than I do abundance. Faith assures me that positives outnumber negatives, though for now I can't see how.

Lack is Opportunity for Glory

God is faithful though we often lack basic things. We lack money to pay for bills, for example, and miss out on what we direly, urgently need--like meds and treatment for illnesses we've been living with. Our wages disappear faster than our payables which grow in leaps and bounds while our pays remain dormant. Yet, in all these, we maintain that God's blessings are definitely more than our life woes. Blind faith? A big YES. Blind to the lies of the devil and having faith in what God says despite what we see to the contrary.

Often we either borrow money, take a loan, beg or make salary advances, and this makes us look so bad to most people, especially church people, like we have denied Jesus or committed blasphemy. They look at us as the scum of the earth, suffering want because of our unfaithfulness. But Jesus issued a warning against those “who are rich, for you have already received your comfort. 25 Woe to you who are well fed now, for you will go hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep. 26 Woe to you when everyone speaks well of you, for that is how their ancestors treated the false prophets," [Luke 6]. The warning came because these rich guys hated, excluded, insulted and rejected the poor, hungry and those who weep. That's plain in the passage context.

Sometimes we can't help but wonder about God providing our needs. Does he, for some reason, want us to lack finances or are we handling our money the wrong way? But how could we handle money the wrong way when there really isn't much to handle? There's just enough for food, bills, and our kids' daily allowances. I mean, most of us DO NOT live in luxury the way others do (probably at this point most readers would reason out that they aren't rich so the passage above is not for them). There's no way we can be mishandling money if the little we have always comes short of paying for basic needs. And with all this, how do we claim we're blessed?

The Poor are Unfaithful

Some of us would charge the poor of being unfaithful with giving. Well, to help open up your eyes a bit, we see poor people unable to be faithful with giving because we fail with giving, too--giving or sharing our blessings with them. God let's us see the poor so we can help them become faithful. In short, we should give them financial help. But we never see it this way. We'd rather blame the poor and take pride in our faithfulness and blessedness. Garbage. Really garbage.

Is there a thing as being partly blessed? Doesn't the bible say, "The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not lack"? The words "shall not lack" do not mean being partly blessed but fully blessed. However, when you have dire lacks and deficits that compound daily you can't look and feel and claim to be blessed. And yet the fact remains that in Christ you are a child of GOD--child of the extremely wealthy owner of everything. You are blessed. I know this is hard to swallow but we need to and insist on it in our minds.

Stick to Truth

Even if we see the proud and arrogant, wicked and corrupt, and those who misuse the Name of the Lord for their ulterior religious motives enjoying more than enough money to pay for all their needs and wants and desires and caprices, we should quietly believe that we are much more blessed. They have retirement plans, health cards and life insurances. They even have investments and money in the bank. Most of us have literally NONE of these. We probably have Php 3,000 or 2,000 in the bank, if any. I don't know. Probably less. But despite all this, we must believe and maintain by faith (as radical as Jesus' faith) that the Lord is faithful and provides everything we need. We must believe that with all our hearts even if our experience tells us otherwise.

We cannot adjust truth to our realities. We adjust our realities to God's truth. Being genuinely in Christ, you're God's "favorite" notwithstanding how you feel about it or what your situation is.

Sons Are Exempt: But They Comply Anyway