Matthew the apostle wrote while Jesus and His disciples, “abode in Galilee, Jesus said unto them, The Son of man shall be betrayed into the hands of men. And they shall kill him, and the third day he shall be raised again. And they were exceeding sorry. And when they were come to Capernaum, they that received tribute money came to Peter, and said, Does not your master pay tribute? Peter said unto him, Of strangers. Jesus said unto him, Then are the children free”, and in chapter seventeen and verse twenty-seven of his book, Matthew shares how Jesus told Peter to go fishing to pay their tribute where we read:
Notwithstanding, lest we should offend them, go you to the sea, and cast an hook, and take up the fish that first comes up; and when you have opened his mouth, you shall find a piece of money: that take, and give unto them for me and you.
The verse reads, “Notwithstanding, lest we should offend them, go you to the sea, and cast an hook, and take up the fish that first comes up;”. Matthew began with the word, “notwithstanding” or “nevertheless, moreover and”, “lest” which means “not so that or in order that”“we should offend them” or “Jesus and Peter put a stumbling block or impediment in the way of those who collected the temple tax”, “go you to the sea” which means “depart to the sea water”, “and cast” or “and throw out and let go of” “an hook” which means “a bent fishing hook” “and take up the fish” or “raise upwards or draw up the fish” “that first comes up” which means “that Peter first catches”. Matthew shared how Jesus instructed Peter to go fishing, put in his hook and do the following with the first fish he catches.
The verse continues, “and when you have opened his mouth, you shall find a piece of money: that take, and give unto them for me and you.”. Matthew added the words, “and when” or “at the time and moment” “you have opened” which means “Peter opens” “his mouth” which refers to “the mouth of the fish”, “you shall find” which means “Peter would discover, notice and discern” “a piece of money” which means “a stater or coin that is equal to four Attic or two Alexandrian drachmas or a Jewish shekel”: “that take” or “carry the coin” “and give” which means “and grant, supply and furnish” “unto them” or “to the people who collect tribute money” “for me and you” which means “for Peter and Jesus”. Matthew shared how Jesus instructed Peter to open the mouth of the first fish he catches and a piece of money will be there. Afterward, Peter was to carry that piece of money to the “tribute collectors” and pay the “temple tax” for himself and Jesus.
When we think through Matthew's words in this verse, we see how Jesus demonstrates once again that He is the Messiah. He knew the first fish Peter caught would have a coin inside it's mouth, and Peter was to retrieve it and pay the “temple tax” for Jesus and himself. Jesus was concerned not to “offend” those who collected these taxes even though He argued that the “children are free” and should not be charged the “tribute”. God desires a relationship with every person through His Son Jesus, and as we discover Jesus had an answer to every situation He and His disciples faced, we should be convinced that He has an answer for ours as well.
Next time we begin a new chapter and see Matthew share how Jesus' disciples ask Him, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until
tomorrow…there is more…
Look for the daily devotional book
“Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the
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Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms
Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County"
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