Text: Matthew 17:24-27 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, What thinkest 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.
A. The tribute here is a sort of tax. Probably it is
the half shekel “temple tax” of Exodus
30:11-16.[i] “Tribute” is a didrachma (δίδραχμα), which Strong’s
says is equal to one-half a shekel.
Peter was often quick to answer. Here his quick
answer was that, yes, his master did pay tribute.[ii]
However, Jesus stops him and questions him making him think more deeply about
it. If this supported the worship of the temple or synagogue, and he was really
who Peter believed he was – the Son of God (Matthew
16:16) – Jesus would not actually owe or pay the tribute. It is his
Father’s house! Nevertheless, Jesus said he would pay the tribute
because it could be an offense or obstacle. Not all would understand why he
should be exempt.
The money in the fish’s mouth is an obvious
miracle.[iii]
It demonstrates that, though Jesus has the position not to pay, but he has the
passion and power to pay anyway – confirming what he told Peter. Interestingly, the piece
of money is the Greek statera (στατῆρα),
which is equal to a
Jewish shekel. Therefore, it was enough to pay a half-shekel for
Jesus and a half-shekel for Peter, who owed the tax. The piece of money was just
enough to pay the tribute, accenting our Lord’s moderation. He had no love for
temporal things, and they had no hold on him (Proverbs
15:27).
Finally, the owner of all silver and gold (Haggai
2:8) did not have the money to pay the tax. Rather he borrowed it
from his creation (Genesis
1:20-23)! This reminds us that “though he was rich, yet for your
sakes he became poor” (2
Corinthians 8:9).
[i] It is not the Roman civil
tax, discussed elsewhere (see footnote 2), but for religious service; the point
of the story depends on that fact.
[ii]
On another occasion, Jesus supported paying the taxes of a temporal government,
Matthew
22:15–22.
[iii] Though perhaps only a miracle
of omniscience rather than a miracle of creation. That is, Jesus knowing the money
was in the fish’s mouth and providing that Peter catch that particular fish, as
opposed to creating the coin in the fish’s mouth as Peter caught it. It matters
little, in that the God who can do one can do the other. Compare Matthew
9:5.
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