The miracle of the coin in the fish's mouth took place in the last six months of Christ's ministry on earth. Enlightened by the Spirit of God, Peter had just confessed Christ to be the Son of God (16:16) – a glorious confession. Yet he still had so much to learn, both about himself and about the Savior. Let's study four lessons we see Peter learning in this passage of the next miracle Jesus performed.

An All-Wise Prophet⤒🔗

While they were in Capernaum, those who collected tribute money approached Peter and asked, "Doth not your master pay tribute?" (v. 24). This tribute was not a civil tax but a religious tax, also known as the temple tax. The amount due was a coin known as a didrachma, the wages of about two days work for a day laborer. It was based on Exodus 30:11­-16, which required every adult male to pay half a shekel as ransom money towards the building of the tabernacle. It is not clear from the original text whether this was to be an annual tax or, more likely, just a one-time tax towards the making of the tabernacle (Ex. 26:20-25; 38:25-31). Later, a similar tax was levied for the rebuilding of the temple (Neh. 10:32-33).

Peter, without much thought, it seems, answered the question in the affirmative (v. 25). But when he went to tell his Master, who must have been in another part of the house, Jesus "prevented him," or "anticipated him," showing thereby His omniscience. Wherever we are, Christ indeed is the silent witness of all our words and thoughts. Jesus put the issue to Peter succinctly:

What thinkest thou, Simon? Of whom do the kings of the earth take custom or tribute? Of their own children, or of strangers?Matthew 17:25

In other words: "Kings don't charge tax to their family, but to their subjects. Which am I?"

This question is all the more poignant in light of the previous chapter, when Peter had confessed so beautifully, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God" (16:16). Now Peter's life lags behind his confession. Disciples of the Lord still today often live so differently from their con­fession without thinking twice about it. Perhaps you can remember a situation in which you carelessly followed others' expectations or example without considering whether you were in line with Scripture. Later you realized what a fool you were (Ps. 73:22). It's not without reason that Jesus uses Peter's old name, "Simon" (v. 25). Peter acted so eas­ily and quickly according to his old nature. God's people need so much more "renewing of their mind" (Rom. 12:2). Christ says to Peter, "What thinkest thou?" or, "What are you thinking?" What a mercy it is that the Lord is such a patient teacher.

Note here that, like Peter, if we profess the name of Christ, all our actions testify of our Lord and Master. By his quick "yes," Peter gave a wrong impression of His Mas­ter to the tax collectors. In essence, he had added to His humiliation by making Him seem less than He truly was. We should think of that the next time we act in a way that makes Christ look small. What we say or do either magni­fies the Lord or diminishes His glory. May the Lord forgive us for doing the latter so much, so unthinkingly, so easily.

A Humble Servant←⤒🔗

Remarkably, Christ was willing to submit Himself to an ordinance that made Him seem more a subject than the Son that He really was. Of course, He remained Lord over all, even of the temple, but He was willing to make "himself of no reputation and took upon him the form of a ser­vant" (Phil. 2:7). According to His own words, He was even "greater than the temple" (Matt. 12:6); yet He still stooped to pay the tax like everyone else did.

But He did not pay it for the reason Peter wanted Him to. He did it "lest we should offend them" (v. 27). Two people can do the same things for different reasons, and the one would be right while the other would be wrong. Christ's heart was such that He would forego His own rights in order to serve the good of others, as Paul later instructed Chris­tians to do (Rom. 14:21; 1 Cor. 8:13; Gal. 5:13). He came not to do His own will, but the will of His Father (John 6:38) and to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10).

The lesson for us is obvious. If the Son of God did not insist on His rights but gave them up in order to avoid put­ting a stumbling block before ignorant sinners, how can we not do the same? "Owe no man anything, but to love one another" (Rom. 13:8). Rather than flaunt our royal rights before the world, giving cause for the gospel to be poorly spoken of, let us follow the Master in lowliness of mind, esteeming others better than ourselves (Phil. 2:3).

An Omnipotent Lord←⤒🔗

Just to show Peter again what a glorious Lord He was, Jesus commanded him to go "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" (v. 27). This miracle proved the Lord's omniscience, for He knew of this fish in the sea with a coin in his mouth. Moreover, it proved the Lord's omnipotence, for He made it come to Peter's hook. Christ speaks to Peter with such calm confi­dence. Surely, He is a free Son of the Lord of Lords and the Creator Himself. He is the One of whom the Psalms sing, "In his hand are the deep places of the earth ...The sea is his and he made it" (Ps. 95:4-5).

If the Lord could discern the money of the fish in the sea, could He not discern your need, child of God? And if the Lord could provide in this need, would He not know how to provide in your need? He is at no loss to provide in our needs, temporal or eternal, since truly nothing is too hard for the Lord (Gen. 18:14).

A Redeeming Savior←⤒🔗

There is even more to this miracle. The coin that Peter found in the fish was worth twice what was necessary. The Greek word for the coin is a stater, which is double the value of the didrachma. Thus Christ says, "That take, and give unto them for me and thee" (v. 27).

Christ would pay for Peter, both now and forever. Peter might have been able to pay this tax himself, but Christ wanted him to know that, as the Lord of heaven, He had stooped to pay for the sins of people like Peter, so that their spiritual debts might be paid in full. Christ would become poor, that through His poverty Peter might become rich.

Peter came to understand this; we see proof of that when he writes in his first epistle, "Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot" (1 Pet. 1:18-19).

Before God, Peter could never have paid his own ransom price, much less that of anyone else. Psalm 49:7 explains: "None of them can by any means redeemed his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him." Yet as the One greater than the Temple, Christ could, for He had come "to give his life a ransom for many" (Matt. 20:28). He would pay the ransom price for Peter, and He would make Him a free child of the King. Back in verse 26, Christ had spoken in the plural: "Then are the children free." Because of Christ's finished work, Peter was now His child, "and if a child, then an heir" (cf. Rom. 8:17). Peter was free because of Christ, and Peter was also free now to serve Christ. Peter was no longer his own. He had been bought with a costly price (cf. 1 Cor. 6:19-20).

Questions←⤒🔗

1. Think of a time in which you quickly agreed to something but later realized your decision, while well-intentioned, was not the best. How does  Romans 12:2 address this?
    
2. Christ knew Peter's thoughts before he even uttered them. In fact, He discerned Peter's own thinking better than Peter himself. How might we live differently if Psalm 139:23-24 were our daily prayer?
    
3. Give a practical example of how Christians should not insist on their rights when it would offend oth­ers. How does this passage show that our motives for doing something are important?
    
4. In what ways are Christians "free" (v. 26)? You might find the Westminster Confession, chapter 20, helpful.
    
5. We have seen four things Peter learned about the Savior. What were the four things Peter could have learned about himself in the process?