And when they were come to Capernaum, they that received tribute money came to Peter.
Christ and the tribute money
I. On what principle christ claimed exemption. This tax levied for temple services. On no principle but that of His being essentially Divine, and therefore not bound to contribute towards services virtually rendered to Himself. Christ was His own Temple.
II. The principle on which, nevertheless, he determined on paying the tax.
Not to put an occasion of stumbling in the way of others. How unwilling we are to withdraw pretensions. It requires Christian discretion to know when to give way. Christ surrendered no principle; He did not say that He was not the Son of God. He forbore from asserting it.
III. The miracle by which he procured the requisite money. Though the Proprietor of all things, He had made Himself poor for our sakes. He here gave proof of superhuman endowments; omniscience and omnipotence. He knew the money was in the mouth of the fish; His power was felt in the waters. There was propriety in the miracle when we consider which apostle our Lord dispatched on this errand. Had St. Matthew been sent the money would have been got differently, as he was a tax-gatherer; St. Peter was a fisherman, hence he got the money from a fish. Christ put honour on this honest occupation. We are not to neglect means because we seem to need miracles. (H. Melvill, B. D.)
The hidden coin
1. The Divine knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.
2. A lesson of moderation. The coin was only enough to pay the tax. Christ had am desire for earthly possessions.
3. For the purpose of supporting the ordinances of religion.
4. Learn to trust our Lord in trying circumstances. (C. J. Maginn, M. A.)
Peter’s money-fish
Christ here showed His Divine knowledge, and especially His power over the natural world.
1. Obedience to law is the true guarantee of individual safety, the preservation of justice and right, the peace of society.
2. Christ will use His mighty control of the material world to care for His followers as He did for Peter.
3. Let Christians remember, Christ has moved His treasury from the mouth of the fish to the loving hearts and purses of His people.
4. Now every Christian must cherish the idea, and act upon the recognized principle that God has right of property in all of ours as well as of ourselves, and that we are but agents to distribute, as God wills, what He has placed us in charge of as stewards. (W. H. Anderson, D. D.)
Notice respecting our Lord
I. His poverty. Hence learn: Contentment and resignation, benevolence and liberality.
II. His peaceable spirit. Hence take example-Of a candid spirit towards brethren who differ from us, particularly in meats and drinks; of prudence in our intercourse with the world, especially in attempts to do good.
III. HIS divinity. Learn, hence, that He is an all-sufficient Saviour and an Almighty Friend, a formidable enemy.
IV. His sympathy. He took on Him our nature, that He might sympathize with our weakness and suffering; He gives us a share in all His possessions (John 17:24; John 14:2-3). (J. Hirst.)
Nature attesting Christ’s lordship
An old ballad represents one of our English kings as losing his way in a wood, and becoming parted from his retinue. A countryman, who met him, began to pick up acquaintance with him in an easy, familiar style, not knowing his dignity. But when the nobles, having discovered their missing monarch, came riding up, with heads uncovered, and lowly homage, the countryman trembled at his mistake. So the laws and powers of nature did homage before Christ, attesting Him to be their Sovereign, and authenticating the apostles as His servants and messengers.
The lessons taught by this episode and miracle
I. The freedom of the Son. To this position and privilege Christ here lays claim for Himself. What a deduction must be made from the wisdom of His teaching, and from the meekness of His Spirit, if that claim was an illusion! For what did He reply?
1. That He had no need of a ransom for His soul.
2. That He needed no temple to worship in.
II. The voluntary submission of the Son to the bonds from which he is free. Self-sacrifice even in the smallest details of His life.
III. The supernatural glory that ever accompanies the humiliation of the Son. He so submits as, even in submitting, to assert His Divine dignity. In the midst of the act of submission, majesty flashes forth, A multiform miracle-containing many miracles in one-a miracle of omniscience, and a miracle of influence over the lower creatures, is wrought. The first fish that rises carries in its mouth the exact stun needed. The miracle was for a trivial end in appearance, but it was a demonstration, though to one man only at first, yet through him to all the world, that this Christ, in His lowliness, is the Everlasting Son of the Father.
IV. The sufficency for us all of what he provides. That which He brings to us by supernatural act, far greater than the miracle here, is enough for all the claims and obligations that God, or man, or law, or conscience, have upon any of us. His perfect obedience and stainless life discharged for Himself all the obligations under which He came as a man, to law and righteousness; His perfect life and His mighty death are for us the full discharge of all that can be brought against us. (A. Maclaren, D. D.)
Superfluities not to be coveted
The piece of money was just enough to pay the tax for Christ and Peter. Christ could as easily have commanded a bag of money as a piece of money; but he would teach as not to covet superfluities, but, having enough for our present occasions, therewith to be content, and not to distrust God, though we live but from hand to mouth. Christ made the fish His cash-keeper; and why may not we make God’s providence our storehouse and treasury? If we have a competency for to-day, let to-morrow take thought for the things of itself. (Matthew Henry.)
This singular miracle of finding the coin it? the fish’s mouth is unlike our Lord’s other works in several particulars
I. It is the only miracle-with the exception of the cursing of the barren fig-tree, and the episode of the unclean spirits entering into the swine-in which there is no message of love or blessing for man’s sorrow and pain.
II. It is the only miracle in which our Lord uses His power for His own service or help.
III. It is like the whole brood of legendary miracles, and unlike all?he rest of Christ’s, in that, at first sight, it seems done for a very trivial end-the providing of some three shillings of our money. Putting all these things together, the only explanation of the miracle is by regarding it as a parable, designed to teach us some important lessons with reference to Christ’s character, person, and work. (A. Maclaren. D. D.)
Tribute
The whole point of the story depends upon the fact that this tribute-money was not a civil, but an ecclesiastical impost. It had originally been levied in the wilderness, at the time of the numbering of the people, and was enjoined as to be repeated at each census, when every male Israelite was to pay half-a-shekel for “a ransom for his soul,” an acknowledgment that his life was forfeited by sin. In later years it came to be levied as an annual payment for the support of the Temple and its ceremonial. It was never compulsory; there was no power to exact it. Being an “optional church-rate,” Jews who were or wished to be considered patriotic would be very punctilious in the payment of it. (A. Maclaren. D. D.)
Christ identifies Himself with a life of poverty
The Prince is free, but King’s Son though He be, He goes among His Father’s poor subjects, lives their squalid life, makes experience of their poverty, and hardens His hands by labouring like them. Sympathy He learns in huts where poor men lie. (A. Maclaren. D. D.)
The payment of tribute
I. In what spirit was this question asked of Peter? It was asked, not by Roman tax-collectors, but by Jews. It is most natural to suppose that they asked the question in a captious spirit. Such a spirit is a bad sign of the state of the heart, and of the intellect too. This is not the right spirit for attaining to a knowledge of truth; it is very dishonouring to God, and very likely to endanger the stability of our faith.
II. What answer was given by Peter? The whole character of the man seems to come out in his eager, positive, instantaneous reply. He was sensitively anxious for the credit of his Master, and he spoke without thought.
III. How did our Lord prevent Peter?
IV. On what principle did our Lord claim exemption? As the Son of God He was necessarily exempt from an ecclesiastical tax.
V. The reason for his payment. “Lest we should offend them.” It is this delicate regard for the scruples of others which constitutes the occasion so signal an example to ourselves.
VI. Observe the dignity, as well as wisdom, of the miracle. It is Christ’s royal mode of answering all cavils. The very triviality (so to speak) of this miracle is part of its greatness. How minute is the knowledge of Christ! How vigilantly He watches all the things He has made! There is not a fish on a summer day under the shadow of a stone that is not God’s creature still. (Dean Howson.)
A likeness between what God does and what man invents
They say the story of a fish with a piece of money in its mouth is more like one of the tales of Eastern fiction than a sober narrative of the quiet-toned gospel. I acknowledge a likeness: why might there not be some likeness between what God does and what man invents? But there is one noticeable difference: there is nothing of colour in the style of the story. No great rock, no valley of diamonds, no earthly grandeur whatever is hinted at in the poor bare tale. Peter had to do with fishes every day of his life: an ordinary fish, taken with the hook, was here the servant of the Lord-and why should not the poor fish have its share in the service of the Master? Why should it not show for itself and its kind that they were utterly His? that along with the waters in which they dwelt, and the wind which lifteth up the waves thereof, they were His creatures, and gladly under His dominion? What the scaly minister brought was no ring, no rich jewel, but a simple piece of money, just enough, I presume, to meet the demand of those whom, although they had no legal claim, our Lord would not offend by a refusal: for He never cared to stand upon His rights, or treat that as a principle which might be waived without loss of righteousness. I take for granted that there was no other way at hand for these poor men to supply the sum required of them. (George Macdonald.)
The payment of the tribute money
I. The extreme poverty of Christ.
II. The strict integrity of Christ, “render to all their due.”
III. The peculiar relationship of Christ, “The Father’s house.”
IV. The admirable prudence of Christ.
V. The wonderful knowledge of Christ.
VI. The boundless power of Christ. (Expository Outlines.)
Finding the tribute money
I. The modesty of Jesus. Rather than offend prejudice He would waive His claim-the children are free.
II. The poverty of Jesus.
III. The resources of Jesus. Though He had-not the money, He knew where it was. If God dare trust His people He would put them in the way of getting wealth that now lies waste.
IV. God does not often act without human agency. He uses the best means-Peter was a fisherman.
V. He who works for jesus is sure to get his pay. “And give unto them for thee and me.” Peter in obeying Christ paid his own taxes. In keeping His commandments there is great reward. (T. Champness.)
The Divine resource
This is true of everything that God needs. He can help Himself to what He wants out of Satan’s lockers. Was not Saul of Tarsus as much out of the Church’s reach as the piece of money many fathoms deep? And yet Christ put a hook in Satan’s nostril, and brought Saul to make many rich by circulating among the heathen. It may be that some of us may live to see the work of God carried on by hands now used to build forts for Satan to occupy. Was not Luther the monk as much hidden as the piece of money? And it may be that from the Romish communion we may get some one who shall be as effective as he was. (T. Champness.)
The Temple Tax: An illustration of the Sermon
Our Lord had been preaching humility to His disciples; now He exhibits it in His own self-humiliation. He would say in effect, “Were I covetous of honours I should stand on my dignity as the Son of God, and claim to be free from servile obligations; but I suffer my honours to fall into abeyance, and make no demands for a recognition which is not voluntarily conceded.”
I. The manner of payment was also so contrived by Him as to reinforce the lesson. He gave directions as the Lord of nature to whom all creatures in land or sea were subject. “Behold who it is that pays this tax and that is reduced to such straits; it is He who knoweth the paths of the sea.”
II. The reason which moved Him to adopt the policy of submission to what was in itself an indignity, “Lest we should offend.” How careful was our Lord not to offend. He did not take offence. He did not resent the demand for tax as an insult. The lowly one did not assume this attitude, but gave what was asked without complaint. It teaches the children of the kingdom not to murmur because the world does not recognize their status and respect their dignity. They must wait for the manifestation of the sons of God.
III. A lesson for those who consider themselves aggrieved by demands for “church rates” and “annuity taxes.” Let the children be free if possible, but beware of imagining that it is necessary for conscience’ sake always to resist indignities, and to fight for a freedom which mainly concerns the purse. It is not a mark of greatness in the kingdom to bluster about rights. The higher one rises in spiritual dignity the more he can endure in the way of indignity. The humility of Jesus was thus shown in not taking, so His love was manifested by His solicitude to avoid giving, offence. “Lest we should offend.” How happy for the Church and world if this conciliating spirit ruled. (A. B. Bruce, D. D.)