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"Fishing Lessons"
Gospel:
St. Matthew 17: 22-27
Theme: The miracle of the 'tax fish' teaches us about the attributes of our
wonderful Redeemer, Jesus Christ.
It all began when someone - somewhere - lost some money.
* * * * * * * * * *
We don't know how it happened, or who it happened to. But somewhere, either upon
or by the shores of the Sea of Galilee, someone lost hold of a Greek stater - a
coin that was worth the rough equivalent of two average days' wages for a common
working man - and watched it fall into the water. Perhaps as they were walking
along where the boats were docked, they flipped their coin or handled it
casually and lost control of it. Or perhaps they were out on a fishing boat, and
were doing some business, or getting paid, or even paying off on a bet; and they
fumbled the coin and it slipped out of their hands and into the water. Perhaps
someone had set the coin on a rail or on the prow of a boat, turned around to
talk to someone, and accidentally brushed it off so that it fell into the sea.
However it happened, we could safely imagine that they heard their coin - two
full days' earnings - fall into the water, watched helplessly as it sank out of
sight . . . and went home kicking themselves.
Now; imagine that coin as it sank in the sea - twirling and whirling in its
descent; glistening and flashing as it captured the reflection of the sunlight
above. Imagine the large fish that came swimming by at just that moment. Imagine
how it was attracted to the sparkling object that descended before it. Imagine
how it instinctively struck and swallowed the object - only to be surprised (as
much as a fish can be surprised) by the fact that it was hard and cold. Imagine
the fish, doing its best to spit out the coin that was now lodged in its gullet
as it swam away to other regions beneath the Sea of Galilee - searching for a
more digestible tidbit than the one that was now stuck in its mouth.
And now; know that all of these seeming insignificant events - the wage-earner
who accidentally lost his wages; the sinking of the coin down to a particular
spot in the sea; the fish that came by to swallow it and swim away - were all
under the control of a sovereign God. Know that all of these things were the
part of His purposeful plan.
And see how they all come together purposefully in this morning's passage.
In Matthew 17:24-28, we read of the continuing story of our Lord and His
disciples; and we find these words:
When they had come to Capernaum, those who received the temple tax came to Peter
and said, "Does your Teacher not pay the temple tax?" He said, "Yes." And when
he had come into the house, Jesus anticipated him, saying, "What do you think,
Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth take customs or taxes, from their
sons or from strangers?" Peter said to Him, "From strangers." Jesus said to him,
"Then the sons are free. Nevertheless, lest we offend them, go to the sea, cast
in a hook, and take the fish that comes up first. And when you have opened its
mouth, you will find a piece of money; take that and give it to them for Me and
you" (Matthew 17:24-27).
* * * * * * * * * *
Out of all the Gospel writers, Matthew is the only one that tells us this
remarkable story. One reason that it might have caught Matthew's attention was
because he himself was a tax-man by trade. When Jesus performed a miracle with
taxes, He was probably speaking Matthew's 'love-language' - just as He was
probably speaking Peter's 'love-language' when He performed a miracle with fish.
But I think that the chief reason Matthew was led by the Holy Spirit to tell
this story, when the other Gospel writers did not, is because it spoke
particularly to his Jewish kinsmen about Jesus Himself.
You see; the tax that was being collected in this story was a tax that had its
roots in the Old Testament Jewish law. At the time when the law was being given
by God through Moses, God commanded that a particular tax be collected any time
that a census of the people was taken. Exodus 30:11-16 contains this command
from God:
Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: "When you take the census of the children
of Israel for their number, then every man shall give a ransom for himself to
the LORD, when you number them, that there may be no plague among them when you
number them.1 This is what everyone among those who are numbered shall give:
half a shekel according to the shekel of the sanctuary (a shekel is twenty
gerahs). The half-shekel shall be an offering to the LORD. Everyone included
among those who are numbered, from twenty years old and above, shall give an
offering to the LORD. The rich shall not give more and the poor shall not give
less than half a shekel, when you give an offering to the LORD, to make
atonement for yourselves. And you shall take the atonement money of the children
of Israel, and shall appoint it for the service of the tabernacle of meeting,
that it may be a memorial for the children of Israel before the LORD, to make
atonement for yourselves" (Exodus 30:11-16).
Several times in this command from the Lord, reference is made to the
significance of the collection of the half-shekel for each man. It was given as
a "ransom". It was an offering to the Lord "to make atonement" for themselves.
God counted that half-shekel as a "ransom" for the life of the man who gave it -
the life that was being 'numbered' in the census.
And it's not mere coincidence that attention is drawn to Jesus through the
performance of a miracle with respect to this particular 'poll-tax'. That tax
from long ago pointed ahead to Jesus as the "ransom" for the life of every
person who placed their trust in Him. The Bible tells us that "there is one God
and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a
ransom for all, to be testified in due time" (1 Timothy 2:5-6). Jesus Himself
said that "the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give
His life a ransom for many" (Mark 10:45).
This story isn't just meant to tell us where a really great and valuable fishing
spot might be found! It's meant to point our attention to Jesus Christ. It's
meant to speak particularly to the Jewish people; but it is also meant to speak
to all of us who need redemption. It's about Jesus - who is not only the
long-awaited King of the Jews, but is Himself the Atonement for sin and the
Ransom for the soul that the Jewish law was meant to point to.
I invite you to look closer at this passage with me. Let's learn together some
of the lessons it has to teach us about the attributes of our wonderful
Redeemer.
* * * * * * * * * *
The first thing that it has to teach us concerning Jesus is . . .
1. HIS OMNISCIENCE: JESUS KNOWS THE THOUGHTS OF HIS DISCIPLES (vv. 24-25a).
We can see this in how He greeted Peter - as soon as Peter walked into the
house.
Jesus and His disciples had just returned from their travels up north. They had
gone to the mountain where He had revealed Himself to Peter, James and John in
glory at His transfiguration. And no sooner do they return to Capernaum - along
the shores of the Sea of Galilee - than Peter is confronted by those who
collected the half-shekel tax for the temple.
Now; two things need to be noted. First, this was not the same as the sort of
tax that Matthew collected. He collected a tax from his own people on behalf of
the occupying Roman government. The tax in our passage this morning is not the
tax that Matthew collected. Rather, this was a tax collected by the Jewish
people, from the Jewish people, for the benefit of the Jewish people's temple.
The Jews objected fiercely to the tax that Matthew collected. But they would not
have objected to the tax that was being collected in our passage this morning.
They would have felt an obligation to contribute to the maintenance of the
temple.
But a second thing to note is that this tax - though based on the Old Testament
law - was not fully in keeping with the requirements of the Old Testament law.
That Old Testament passage from Exodus required that this tax be collected
whenever a census was being taken. But here, we see no census being taken at
all. Some New Testament scholars have speculated from this that the paying of
the tax we read about in this passage had become, over the years, a voluntary
custom rather than a legal requirement. There wasn't any actual legal
requirement to pay it; even though there was strong social pressure to do so.
This pressure stands behind the question that those who collected the tax asked
of Peter: "Does your Teacher not pay the temple tax?" (v. 24). Their question
was constructed so as to anticipate a positive answer. It could be translated,
"Your Teacher does pay the temple tax (or "the two-drachma tax" as it is called
in some translations) . . . doesn't He?". Such a question wouldn't have needed
to be asked if the tax were obligatory. But perhaps the tax gatherers were
entertaining doubts as to whether or not Jesus would do what other Jewish men
felt obligated to do. After all, Jesus was gaining a reputation as a breaker of
the Sabbath. He was often found to be at odds with the religious leaders of the
day. Perhaps He also thought Himself to be above paying the customary temple tax
as well.
And when they asked Peter, Peter told them, "Yes". Perhaps he said this in part
to protect his Master from the scrutiny of the tax collectors - eager to defend
the reputation of Jesus as the Messiah. And it may even be that Peter said
"yes", in part, to get the tax collectors off his own back as well. In any case,
after leaving them, he walked into the house where Jesus and the others were
staying.
Clearly, Peter intended to mention the tax collectors to Jesus. But it's then
that we see this clear indication of Jesus' 'omniscience'. We're told that Jesus
"anticipated" him; or as the King James Version has it, He "prevented" him.
Literally, Jesus "anticipated" him "beforehand"; and He spoke before Peter
spoke. He knew the thoughts of His disciple Peter before he even had a chance to
utter a word; and asked about the very subject that Peter had in mind.
And He does this to Peter in order to teach him something. He asks a question
about what was on Peter's mind in order to set Peter thinking about it even
more.
* * * * * * * * * *
In John 2:24-25, we're told that Jesus "knew all men, and had no need that
anyone should testify of man, for He knew what was in man." The Bible even tells
us that Jesus knew the thoughts of those who were His enemies (Matthew 12:25).
And if we are out of fellowship with Jesus Christ, or if we are in a state of
enmity against Him, this should disturb us greatly.
But if we are open and up-front with Him, and if we seek sincerely to follow as
He leads, it shouldn't disturb us at all. In fact, it is reason for us to take
comfort. Jesus knows what's in our hearts even better than we do. He is able to
answer our deepest questions before we even know to ask them. We can be an
utterly open book to Jesus; and say to Him - as King David wrote in Psalm 139;
O LORD, You have searched me and known me.
You know my sitting down and my rising up;
You understand my thought afar off.
You comprehend my path and my lying down,
And are acquainted with all my ways.
For there is not a word on my tongue,
But behold, O LORD, You know it altogether.
You have hedged me behind and before,
And laid Your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
It is high, I cannot attain it (Psalm 139:1-6).
All our questions, all our doubts, all our fears, all our temptations, even the
most intimate thoughts of our minds - even the things we're so ashamed of that
we dare not express - all are known to Jesus.
And He loves us anyway.
* * * * * * * * * *
Now; Jesus didn't anticipate Peter's question in order to make a fool out of
him. He showed that He knew Peter's thoughts in order to teach Peter what he
needed to know about His Lord and Master. He asked Peter, "What do you think,
Simon?"; not because He wanted Peter's opinion, but because He wanted to steer
Peter's thinking in the right direction about Himself.
And this leads us to the second thing that this story reveals to us about Jesus
- the thing that Jesus wanted Peter to understand about Himself . . .
2. HIS DEITY: JESUS HOLDS SUPREMACY AS THE SON OF GOD (vv. 25b-26).
I think it's interesting that Jesus used Peter's old name. He called him
"Simon". Back in chapter 16, Jesus gave him the name Peter in order to emphasize
that he was a a "rock" of a man who stood strong upon the solid confession of
faith in Jesus as "the Christ, the Son of the living God". But I think that He
called Peter "Simon" here, because he was behaving like his old self - and not
like a "rock" of a man. He was, once again, being mindful of the things of men
and not the things of God (Matthew 16:23). He was not evaluating Jesus rightly.
You see; Peter had assumed that Jesus felt Himself to be obligated to the
poll-tax that everyone else felt obligated to. He had assumed that, in that
respect, Jesus was just like everyone else. But that's when Jesus surprised him
with a tax-question that revealed Jesus' supremacy over such obligations. "What
do you think, Simon?", Jesus asked. "From whom do the kings of the earth take
customs or taxes, from their sons or from strangers?"
Do you think there were times when Peter was a little afraid to answer questions
from Jesus? He certainly knew the correct answer; but may not have been sure
where this was all going. And it may just be me; but I wonder if Peter didn't
answer the question with a little uncertainty in his voice: "From strangers - ?"
Apparently, he gave the right answer. And Jesus said to him, "Then the sons are
free." The implication of Jesus' answer was that He was the Son of God - which,
of course, Peter already knew; and that as the Son of God, was under no
obligation at all to pay a tax collected among men for the upkeep of the temple
of His Father.
This was nothing less than a bold assertion of Jesus' supremacy as the Son of
God over the temple tax - and even over the temple itself.
* * * * * * * * * *
Do you remember when Jesus said something similar to this to the Pharisees? They
had accused Him of breaking the Sabbath because He and His disciples were
rubbing raw grain in their hands and eating the kernels. Jesus reminded the
Pharisees of how the law of God had permitted the priests who worked in the
temple on the Sabbath to "profain" the Sabbath by performing their duties and
remain "blameless". And then, Jesus shocked them all by saying, "Yet I say to
you that in this place there is One greater than the temple" (Matthew 12:6).
Similarly in our passage this morning, Jesus is saying that - as Son of Him who
is Lord of the temple - He is under no obligation to pay the temple tax. Such a
tax is only rightly collected from those who are "strangers", and not from those
who are sons. The astute Jewish listener might have recalled the prophetic words
of Malachi 3:1, where it says that "the LORD whom you seek, will suddenly come
to His temple"; and would then understand that Jesus is claiming to be that very
Lord of the temple! He is claiming to be exempt from the tax that should only be
levied on "strangers", and not on sons of the King.
And what's more, Jesus seems to be including Peter and the other of His
disciples in that status. He speaks of "sons" in the plural; and He goes on to
say, "Nevertheless, lest we offend . . ." This reminds us that, as it says in
John 1:12, to as many as received Jesus God has given the right to become
"children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of the
flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God". In Jesus Christ, we are not
outsiders to God's household; but are members of the family. The veil in the
temple doesn't block our way any longer, but has been torn down from top to
bottom (Matthew 27:51) so that we may freely approach the Father's throne for
grace in our time of need (Hebrews 10:19-22).
The temple was the place in which the sinner met a holy God to receive
forgiveness and favor. And everything that the temple was intended to achieve
for the sinner before Jesus came has now been accomplished by Jesus on the
cross. It is all now ours by faith.
As the Son of God, He is supreme in the Father's favor; and in Him, we now are
as free before the Father as He is!
* * * * * * * * * *
Now; keeping the supremacy of Jesus as the Son of God in mind - keeping His
absolute exemption from the obligations of men before us - let's marvel at the
next thing that this passage teaches us . . .
3. HIS MEEKNESS: JESUS CONDESCENDS TO THE SENSITIVITIES OF MEN (v. 27a).
Even though He is supreme, even though He is exempt from the temple tax as "the
Son of the King" - and even though He declares that Peter is exempt with Him -
Jesus says "Nevertheless, lest we offend them . . .", and sets Peter off to pay
the tax.
The word that is here translated "offend" means "to cause someone to stumble".
This suggests that, though Jesus is the Lord of the temple, and is under no
obligation to pay the temple tax, He nevertheless sees to it that it is done so
that an unnecessary stumbling block would not be placed before the Jewish
people.
In doing this, Jesus established the pattern of gracious sensitivity to the
weaknesses of others that the apostle Paul followed in his ministry. Paul wrote
to the Corinthians and said,
For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a servant to all, that I
might win the more; and to the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might win Jews; to
those who are under the law, as under the law, that I might win those who are
under the law; to those who are without law, as without law (not being without
law toward God, but under law toward Christ), that I might win those who are
without law; to the weak I became as weak, that I might win the weak. I have
become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some (1 Corinthians
9:19-22).
It was a great act of condescending love on the part of Paul to do this. But it
was an even greater act of condescending love on the part of the Son of God to
to it. He possessed all rights as the Son of God; but He didn't insist on His
rights. Instead, He complied with the sensitivities of men so as not to "offend"
them or put up any unnecessary road-blocks to their faith in Him.
And just think of how far He went in reaching out to serve us! As it says in
Hebrews 2:17-18, "Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren,
that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to
God, to make propitiation for the sins of people. For in that He Himself has
suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted."
* * * * * * * * * *
So; the Son of God - who knew the thoughts of His disciple Peter - established
that He is supreme over the temple tax. And yet, He meekly sent His disciple to
pay it, so as not to offend those He was seeking to reach.
And look at how Peter was to pay this! He said, ". . . [G]o to the sea, cast in
a hook, and take the fish that comes up first. And when you have opened its
mouth, you will find a piece of money; take that and give it to them for Me and
you" (v. 27).
That man who lost the money, that coin that fell into the water, that fish that
swallowed the coin and swam away - all of it was a part of the perfect and
purposeful plan of our Savior. This highlights yet another of His wonderful
qualities . . .
4. HIS AUTHORITY: JESUS IS SOVEREIGN OVER THE DETAILS OF LIFE (v. 27b).
Just think. Jesus didn't tell Peter to throw a net into the water, and pull up a
bunch of fish. Instead, He sent Peter off to cast a single hook into the water.
He didn't even tell him where to cast the hook - just to go and cast a hook in.
And He didn't tell Peter to keep on casting the hook and keep on pulling out
fish until he found one with money in its mouth. He said to pull up the very
first fish, and that he would find the money in the mouth of the very first one
he caught!
And just think of the other demonstrations of Jesus' sovereign rule during his
earthly ministry. Just think of the ways that He demonstrated that He had all
things in perfect order, and arranged all the details of circumstances in such a
way as to accomplish His good purpose. Think of how, as He and His disciples
drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage at the Mount of Olives, He sent two
of His disciples out; saying, "Go into the village opposite you, and immediately
you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Loose them and bring them to
Me. And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, 'The Lord has need of
them,' and immediately he will send them" (Matthew 21:1-3). They found
everything just as He said.
Or think of how on the day of His last meal with them, as the disciples asked
Him where He wanted them to prepare the Passover meal, He said, "Go into the
city, and a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water; follow him. Wherever
he goes in, say to the master of the house, 'The Teacher says, "Where is the
guest room in which I may eat the Passover with My disciples?"' Then he will
show you a large upper room, furnished and prepared; there make ready for us"
(Mark 14:13-15).
The circumstances of life should never frustrate us when we walk with Jesus!
There is nothing that is not under the rule of our sovereign Lord and Master!
When He sends us out somewhere to serve His cause in some way, we arrive to find
that He had already been there - having arranged everything in advance! Every
day, you and I can affirm - as Paul did - that we are the workmanship of God the
Father, "created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand
that we should walk in them" (Ephesians 2:10).
* * * * * * * * * *
Before we depart from this passage, I can't resist pointing out just one more
wonderful attribute of our Savior that it reveals to us. We see, last of all . .
.
5. HIS COMPASSION: JESUS CARES FOR THE NEEDS OF HIS FRIENDS (v. 27c).
I don't think it's a small thing at all that Jesus - the sovereign Son of God -
mercifully tells Peter to catch the fish, pull the coin from its mouth, and give
it to the tax collectors, as Jesus says, "for Me and you."
He didn't have to do that. He could have told Peter, "The tax collectors were
asking if I pay the tax. Well; go catch that fish, and pay My tax for Me.
That'll teach them! As for you, though; you'll have to catch your own fish." But
Jesus didn't do that. He is a merciful Savior, who graciously provides not only
for His own needs, but also for those who follow Him and obey Him.
It doesn't tell us what happened next; but we're left with the impression that
Peter obeyed the Lord, and that everything happened as Jesus said. Did Jesus
also pay the taxes for the other disciples? It doesn't appear that He sent Peter
out to catch more fish with more coins. It appears that there was only a
provision for Himself and Peter. But He at least provided for Peter. This
teaches us that it pays to stay close to Jesus!
* * * * * * * * * *
So then; here's Jesus as He's revealed to us in this remarkable story. He is
omniscient - and knows our thoughts before we even utter them to Him. He is the
Son of God - and stands supreme above all things that might concern us. Yet, He
is meek - and condescends to stoop down to us in our weaknesses and
sensitivities. And He is authoritative - and reigns sovereignly over the details
of our lives. And then, to top it all off, He is compassionate toward us - and
gladly and graciously meets our daily needs as if they were His own!
I'm glad that, in the plan of God, someone lost that coin; aren't you? If it
hadn't been lost, we wouldn't have had this story about the marvelous attributes
of our Savior.
It was money well spent!
1King David disobeyed this clear command - taking a census of the people apart
from the Lord's will, and without the collection of the half-shekel for all
those numbered. And as a result, a plague was brought upon the people (2 Samuel
24; 1 Chronicals 21).
Copyright © 2007 Bethany Bible Church, All Rights Reserved
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