Ezekiel was in exile, far away from his homeland. Sitting near the river Chebar, a canal along the Euphrates River in Babylon, he receives a vision when the heavens are opened and he sees a strange and dazzling vision of God's majesty. The prophet goes on to describe the details of his vision with care. Though his vision is not easily understood, it is clearly a sign that God has not abandoned His people. In the land of exile, where the ruling nation honours other gods, Yahweh comes to call a prophet for the community. Although the temple in Jerusalem is about 1,200km away, Yahweh's relationship with the people continues.

According to scripture scholars, the episode in the Gospel about whether Jesus paid the tax for the upkeep of the Jerusalem temple, provides us with an interesting insight. After 70 AD, when the Jerusalem temple had been destroyed by the Romans, the temple tax was still collected from the Jews but it was now diverted to provide for the upkeep of the pagan temple Jupiter Capitolinus in Rome. This caused great hardship and shame for the Jews. The episode is an advice for the Christians of Matthews' time that, although they are not obligated to pay the tax, they should do so in order to avoid further problems. More importantly, while the Jewish temple may have been destroyed, the true temple, Jesus Christ, continues to be present with them. God is always with us. Trust Him!