Matthew 17:27 Commentary - Dr Peter Masters

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Matthew 17:27

Comments

Why did Christ use this particularly elaborate and unlikely means of obtaining the tribute money? Why did he provide it by this extraordinary miracle? What was the lesson in this for Peter? The Lord does not want the disciples to misinterpret his paying the tax. This payment is, as he says, a concession to the ignorance of the authorities. They cannot be expected to grasp the true reason why it is not appropriate for him to pay, because they do not have faith to see who he really is – the one who is greater than the temple. Their ignorance must not be allowed to become a stumbling block to them, so Christ will pay. If they later come to faith, they will learn why he really made this payment. Furthermore, if he had exerted his right not to pay, it would have been greatly misunderstood and they would have thought he was against the Old Testament order. It would send out the wrong signal. Also he was under the law and in order to qualify as our Saviour he must keep all the Old Testament regulations. He lived a perfect life to be an atoning Saviour. The disciple must see that this concession does not take away from the fact that he is the Son of God, and so, on this occasion, he does not hesitate to use his miraculous powers to obtain a piece of money. That was something that he would never normally do, because his powers were not to be used for material gain, or to benefit himself. In the eyes of an unbelieving world, money is too readily identified with all that is good. To use miraculous powers to create earthly riches is of course what men dream of when they imagine themselves having such powers. It is the only thing they think they need. So just once in his ministry there is a miracle of this kind, but what was produced was no more than was needed to prove the point. It was exactly the right amount and no more to pay the tribute money for Christ and for Peter, so there was no possibility that anyone would think that Christ was enriching himself or the disciples by the use of his powers. Peter, the fisherman, is to do something with which he is so familiar, but with such an extraordinary result. He obtained the coin by following very precise instructions. First, he had to go down to the Sea of Galilee; secondly, he had to use a hook; thirdly he was to take the first fish he found; fourthly, he would find a coin in the fish’s mouth, and this he will use to pay the tax for Christ and himself. He was told in advance by the Lord what would be the outcome of what he was about to do. That was something so extraordinary that if it was anyone else who had told him to do it, he would have dismissed the idea as ridiculous; he would not seriously have carried it out, lest he seem a fool. But because it is the Lord he will do it exactly as he has said. As he obeys these instructions, he thinks about the one who is no longer with him, but is back in the house. If what is going to happen is what the Lord has said is going to happen, then who is it that that is back there in house? What knowledge and power are in him that he can predict such a thing, cause such a thing? How much knowledge does he have? Peter has looked into the darkness of the water many times and considered the fish down there which he cannot see. It is a world of mystery. He must have been amazed it worked out in this way. Who causes one fish rather than another to bite on a hook? Who causes a fish to take a coin into its mouth and keep it there? How did the coin come to be there? These things are even deeper mysteries because they are so out of the ordinary. Christ does not explain all these things, but he must have the answer to them all.We can imagine Peter carrying out these instructions. He goes down to the shore which has done thousands of times before. He is to cast a hook into the sea. This is not the way he fishes now, for as a fisherman he uses a net to catch quantities of fish, but as a child he would have done this many times. A fish bites, he pulls it in. Will the coin be there? The Lord cannot fail; the word of the Lord cannot fail. He opens its mouth and there it is: a coin, the right coin, the exact amount needed. It is a miracle, a miracle of God’s providence. One can understand it without anything new being created: without any limb being restored or dead being brought back to life. But the way God works is out of sight, beyond our understanding. We obey and we receive the blessing, but all that is done to prepare it for us is a mystery. He had needed to believe in carry out instructions in detail.

Application

It is important not to cause offence to the unlearned. On the same basis, Paul forfeited his right to be supported during his missionary work, and did not receive the support that he was entitled to. We must consider carefully how are actions will be perceived. We must at times adjust our actions to the take into account what others do not understand. Christ’s intention was not to put men off but to draw them to himself. Within the bounds of what is right, we do all that we can to dispel human prejudice.

There must be a response to the word of Christ. It is not meritorious but it must be done. People think salvation is by many optional means – you can choose your own religion; they all lead to God – but no, it is very precise. You must understand that you can only be saved through Christ and his death on Calvary. There is only one way that God is willing to deal with sinful human beings, and that is through the atonement made by Jesus Christ. You must approach in the right way. Are we ready to submit to Christ’s instructions in seeking him? It is essential to have repentance and faith. Are you ready to accept him as Lord over your life. Do you trust him enough to carry out his instructions precisely? We cannot come expecting God to receive us on our own merit. We have no righteousness of our own, nothing to commend us to him. If we were presumptuously to approach him as if we were good enough to stand in his presence, we would have no protection from his holiness – our God is a consuming fire.

What Christ provides for us is perfect; it is exactly what we need. This provision for Peter was full of lessons for him. The one he was following was omniscient, having divine knowledge. He taught Peter in the realm he was most familiar with, but he taught him things that Peter had never seen before. His evaluation of the situation was wise beyond measure, and Peter could come to his Lord with any difficulty he might face in life. His direction on the right course of action was what Peter must follow precisely if he was to be blessed.

Christ commands Peter to pay the tax. He makes right Peter’s word to the tribute collectors that his master, and therefore he also, pays the tax. The Lord will do nothing to cause us not to keep our word.

It is the same action that Peter had said he would take before Christ spoke to him, but it is now to be done for a different reason, with greater understanding. Peter will do this thing without being troubled by doubt, and with confidence that it is the right thing to do. Thus, as we are taught by the Lord and knowledge increases, many courses of action become clearer to us, and faith proceeds with great confidence that all of God’s ways are right and that the best route through life is for us to follow them. Those who do the right thing for the right reason are more comfortable than those who act in ignorance. We are intended to advance in knowledge and to do what we do with understanding and because we know it is right.

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Matthew 17:27 Commentary and Bible Study