Mateus 17

Mateus 17

Utley - Many have criticized this account because it seems to be Jesus using His Messianic powers for personal purposes. It was the ongoing exercise of Jesus’ miraculous powers that was used to train the disciples and increase their faith. In this account, Jesus showed His power over nature and His foreknowledge which would help Peter in the days to come when he experienced difficult times in his own pilgrimage of faith. Spurgeon's Commentary - 27. Our Saviour would not willingly give ground for offence. He was not bound to pay; but rather than raise a scandal, he would pay both for himself and for Peter. How gracious were his words: “Notwithstanding, lest we should offend them”! If the question had remained by itself, clear from other circumstances, our Lord might, on principle, have declined to pay the tribute-money; but Peter’s rash declaration had compromised his Lord, and he would not seem to be false to the promise made by his follower. Besides, Peter would be involved in a dispute, and Jesus will far rather pay than leave his servant in a difficulty. When the pocket is involved in a matter of principle, we must be careful that we do not even seem to be saving our money by a pretence. Usually, it will be wisest to pay under protest, lest it should appear that we are careful of conscience in a special degree when we can also be careful of our cash. The manner of payment prevented the act from compromising our Lord. Very interesting was the hooking of the fish which brought the silver in its mouth. “Take up the fish that first cometh up; and when thou hast opened his mouth, thou shalt find a piece of money.” Very remarkable the providence which, caused the shekel to fall into the sea, and made the fish first to swallow it, and then to rise to the hook as soon as Peter began his angling. Thus the great Son pays the tax levied for his Father’s house; but he exercises his royal prerogative in the act, and takes the shekel out of the royal treasury. As man he pays, but first as God he causes the fish to bring him the shekel in its mouth. The piece of money was enough to pay for Peter as well as for his Lord. Thus did our Lord submit to be treated as one who had forfeited life, and must have a half-shekel paid as redemption-money for him. This he has done for our sake, and in association with us; and we are redeemed by his act, and in union with him: for he said of the piece of money, “That take, and give unto them for me and thee.” There were not two half-shekels, but one piece of money, paid for Jesus and Peter: thus we see that his people are joined with him in the one redemption. “He bore on the tree the sentence for me, And now both the Surety and sinner are free.” The obvious moral lesson is,—Pay rather than cause offence. But far greater and deeper truths lie slumbering down below. They are such as these: the glorious freedom of the Son, his coming under tribute for our sakes, and the clearance of himself and us by the one payment which he himself provided. Spurgeon's Commentary NET NOTES - The four drachma coin was a stater (στατήρ, statēr), a silver coin worth four drachmas. One drachma was equivalent to one denarius, the standard pay for a day’s labor (L&N 6.80). Offend (4624) skandalizo from skandalon= a trap = put a snare or stumbling block in way; English = scandalize = to offend the moral sense of) means to put a snare (in the way), hence to cause to stumble, to give offense. To entrap, trip up, or entice to sin, offend. So here in Mt 5:29-30 skandalizo is used in the active sense which conveys the idea to cause to do wrong, to entice to commit sin. In the passive sense it be means to be led into sin, to be caused to do wrong. In the passive some uses mean to be offended (Mt 11:6), the idea being that one is taking offense at Jesus and/or refusing to believe in Him. Finally, skandalizo can mean to furnish an occasion for some to be shocked, angered, or offended (Mt 17:27). Stephen Olford - According to Your Word: Morning and Evening “Nevertheless, lest we offend them, go to the sea,cast in a hook.”—Matthew 17:27 In this verse, the Lord practices his own teaching on offending, and takes every step to avoid offense. Some of the most severe language the Lord ever used in His teaching was in connection with the offending of little ones. “Whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him, that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea” (Matt. 18:6, KJV). The apostle Paul similarly teaches this important truth, and indeed more—he lived it. He says that even if it were merely in the eating of meat that he made his brother to offend, he would cease to eat altogether. Note the solemn words in 1 Cor. 8:12: “When you thus sin against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ.” O, that I might have the wisdom to live a life without offense, and yet not compromise Your Holy Word. Vance Havner - For Me and Thee" "... give unto them for me and thee." Matt. 17:27 Taxes are due and our Lord bids Simon do the amazing thing of catching a fish with the money in its mouth. So the tribute is paid both for Simon and his Lord. Has the Lord bid you to do the unprecedented thing, the irregular, the thing that takes your breath? If you are with him in blessed partnership, if he commands you, then you share with him the consequence, it is "for me and thee." We do not think of him as sharing with us such prosaic matters as taxes. Some time ago I listed my taxes too highly through ignorance of the rules. I wondered, when time came to pay them, whether I should be able to straighten out my mistake. I knew the Lord didn't want his money wasted on expenditures one didn't really owe so I set out for the office with a prayer. When I got there I was met by a friend who piloted me through and I saved what was to me a sizable difference. I came away thankful for the Lord's guiding hand. If we are in his hand, his affairs are ours and ours are his. No matter is so matter-of-fact but he shares it. If all we have is his, all he has is ours; whatever he bids us do, the fruit thereof he enjoys with us. The servant shares with the master because the master is also brother and there is one father Adrian Rogers (p 66) - Dominion over the Fish of the Sea - Now, can you imagine that? Here’s this one fish; here’s some poor fisherman reaching in his pocket or whatever, and he drops this coin overboard. He watches it as it sinks to the bottom of blue Galilee. His heart is broken. But here’s this fish. Of all the fish in the sea, like a guided missile, he comes along. He sees that shiny thing on the bottom; he opens his mouth and picks it up. And then the Lord just guides him, as by radar, to the one hook sitting right there. And he bites that hook, and when he comes up, he’s got a coin in his mouth. Who engineered all of that? The Lord of glory. He had dominion. Jesus had dominion. ‎A Silver Shekel - Rome operated a mint in Tyre that produced silver shekels of high purity (94 percent silver or more). These and half-shekels were the only coins accepted by the temple in Jerusalem. The high priests paid Judas with silver shekels like this one to betray Christ (Matt 26:15). This was also the coin Jesus told Peter to find in the fish’s mouth (Matt 17:27). Big Fish Story Jimmy Smith developed an interest in foreign missions while attending Houston Baptist University. After learning of his interest, two missionaries invited him to visit their work in Guatemala. Money was very tight so he and his wife knew the trip would be impossible unless God intervened. Several weeks later, Smith went fishing with a deacon in his church named Gene Alexander. They talked about an upcoming fishing tournament offering a $20,000 prize for catching a particular fish. Gene knew of Smith’s desire to visit Guatemala and promised him $5,000 for the trip if he caught the fish. Upon learning of the prize fish, Mrs. Smith logged it in her prayer journal and began talking to God. Then on the day of the tournament, Gene reeled in the $20,000 fish as his first catch of the day. Officials speculated the odds of landing that fish as his first catch were 1 in 6.8 billion. Jimmy Smith and his wife made the trip and God confirmed his call on their lives. They later returned to Guatemala and served as foreign missionaries. Of course things like this have happened before. See Matthew 17:27 for the details.73 For me and thee. (Matt. 17:27) - L B E Cowman - Springs in the Valley Peter had been a fisherman. Jesus had said, “Follow me,” and Peter had given up his fishing business to follow. We read that straightway he forsook his nets, and followed. That must have been a tremendous experience for Peter—giving up his means of livelihood, upkeep of his home, not to mention the money for those taxes. Peter, the Fisherman, left all to follow Christ. The Lord knew that he had given up his means of livelihood to answer His call, and from the very thing that Peter had given up for His sake—fish—the Lord met His servant’s need when the time for paying the taxes came around. No servant of Christ will ever be the loser. So our dear Lord is always thinking in advance of our needs, and He loves to save us from embarrassment and anticipate our anxieties and cares by laying up His loving acts and providing before the emergency comes. “For me and thee,” He had said, bracketing those words together in a wondrous, sacred intimacy. He puts Himself first in the embarrassing need, and bears the heavy end of the burden for His distressed and suffering child. He makes our cares, His cares; our sorrows, His sorrows; our shame, His shame. The tax was due—the Master’s and disciple’s, And to the sea the Master strangely sent: A fish would yield the needful piece of silver! Strange bank, indeed, from which to pay that rent. “One piece of silver!” Not two equal portions! One piece of silver—one, and shining bright; “That use for Me and thee,” thus spoke the Master, “That claims on Me and thee we thus unite.” Blest, happy bond! May I thus sweetly know Him! Am I His servant? Hath He use of me? Then, O my soul, why shouldst thou own law’s limit, If thy dear Lord doth find delight in thee? If thou art His—joint-heir in all His riches, Then, O my soul, a simpler spirit grow; “How shall He not, with Him, why, give us all things,” All that we need, to do His work below! J. DANSON SMITH Big and Small Miracles More Precious Than Silver: 366 Daily Devotional Readings - Page 13 So that we may not offend them, go to the lake and throw out your line. Take the first fish you catch; open its mouth and you will find a four-drachma coin.—Matthew 17:27 If you made a list of all the big creation miracles Jesus did before he came to earth, what would be on it? My list contains galaxies, black holes, solar systems, the law of gravity, the law of thermodynamics, the atmosphere, the asteroid belt, constellations, and photosynthesis. All of them are God-sized wonders. When this same Lord lived in Palestine, he performed smaller-scale miracles: withering a fig tree; finding a coin in the fish’s mouth; healing Peter’s mother-in-law of a fever; restoring a man’s shriveled hand. He performed powerful miracles but at a different speed and on a smaller scale than when he created the cosmos. C. S. Lewis said the Lord’s earthly miracles are a retelling in small letters of the very same story that is written across the whole universe in letters too large for some to see. How exciting to look up into the heavens and realize that a personal God created in a personal way all that we see. Stars, suns, and galaxies are the very stamp of his power and personality. And this same Lord of creation loves you and me. But I think the most epic of all miracles will be raising us up and transforming our lowly bodies into glorious bodies like our Lord’s. Talk about power that’s personal! The law of gravity will be turned upside down, and the resurrection of the dead will be written across the whole universe in letters large enough for everyone to see. Make a point of looking up into the heavens tonight. Even if it’s overcast, there’s a magnificence to it all. Contemplate how marvelous God’s creation is, including you. Just as David prayed, thanking you for being mindful of him despite how infinitesimally small he was in light of your creation, I join him in that thought, Lord. Thank you that I am significant to you. R E Neighbour - “That take, and give unto them for Me and for thee.” (Matt. 17:27.) For Me and for thee: my bounty is thine, I give unto thee, the things which are mine; My storehouse shall prove thy gracious supply, The taxes together we’ll pay, thee and I; So look unto Me, and banish thy care, Together we’ll walk; together we’ll share. Me and Thee for it—the task and the toil, The burdens that press, from which we recoil; The work which we think can never be done, The fight which we say can never be won; ‘Tis then Jesus says, We’ll both undertake, Together we’ll toil, till victory break. Peter knew not what to do. How could he pay the demands of Rome from an empty treasury? The natural thing, and the right thing, was an appeal to the Master. The Lord met his exigency with the word that sent Peter fishing under orders to take the first fish “that cometh up.” In the fish’s mouth, Jesus said, “Thou shalt find a piece of money, that take, and give unto them for Me and for thee.” The tax-collector still comes! It is not for money that he now seeks. Sometimes he comes to collect our day’s quota of “patience,” “love,” “gentleness,” or “long suffering.” We have an empty heart; we cannot “pay.” What shall we do? The Master says, “Me and thee for it, we’ll meet this deficiency together.” All of His bounty is ours; it is even as He said, “for Me and for thee.” Our need is His; it is “Me and thee for it.” ‘Tis Me and thee for it, and not thee alone, ‘Tis for Me and thee, for we two are one; Though I am thy Master, I count thee as friend, So, each for the other we’ll be to the end. It is all too wonderful, this life unto which we are called. None ever had such a Companion as we. Our husband is our Lord. He is our Master and also our Friend. He undertakes for us, guides us, empowers us. Into our hands He places all His wonderful store of goods. He bids us to draw on Him for every kind of need. The Coin in the Fish By the shore, where the waters gleam, A lesson unfolds, a simple theme. The tax they ask, the toll they seek, But in His wisdom, Jesus speaks: "Go to the sea, cast in your line, For in the depths, My plan aligns. A fish will rise, a coin inside, Enough for you, and Me beside." A lesson taught through humble means, God's provision behind the scenes. Not wealth amassed, nor power displayed, But daily needs, by Him conveyed. The earth is His, the sea, the shore, The fish obey their sovereign Lord. No need too small, no task too slight, His hand provides, His ways are right. So when you doubt or fret the day, Remember the fish and the coin that lay. For God supplies in ways unseen, Through humble acts, His grace is keen. Trust His wisdom, His love so pure, For in His care, all needs endure. Like Peter’s line cast to the sea, God's provision flows for you and me. John Butler - MIRACLE MONEY Sermon Starters Matthew 17:27 “Notwithstanding, lest we should offend them, go thou 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; that take and give unto them for me and thee” (Matthew 17:27). The miracle of the coin in the fish is the theme of our text. It is a very instructive miracle. FIRST—THE POVERTY FOR THE MIRACLE “Give unto them for me and thee.” Christ did not live in affluent circumstances. He did not even have the small amount to pay the Temple tax. Christ was not like many religious charlatans who fleece their followers to line their own pockets with a fortune. However, Christ’s poverty was for our benefit. “Ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that he through his poverty might be rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9). What poverty have we experienced to bring honor to Christ? Ask yourself that question the next time the offering plate goes by. SECOND—THE PURPOSE OF THE MIRACLE “Notwithstanding, lest we should offend them.” The tribute will be paid even though Christ is actually exempt. Since the payment of the tax was not an evil thing and in principle went for a noble cause, Christ would not argue the case lest He unnecessarily offend others His action is a principle that requires much humility to practice and does not put first priority in life on one’s rights. In our day of “right emphasis, we know very little about practicing this principle. A. B. Bruce said, ‘It is not a mark of greatness in the kingdom to bluster about rights.’ This is not compromise with evil, however, for it did not break God’s laws to keep from offending others which is indeed wrong. It was a case of humility in not claiming one’s due. THIRD—THE PRECEPT FOR THE MIRACLE “Go thou …” We note two important lessons from the precept. • The essentialness of the precept. God’s miracles are often associated with God’s commands. If you have are short in God’s blessings maybe it is because you do not pay enough attention to His precepts. • The economy of the precept. It is most instructive to note the economy of Christ’s miracles. He did not do supernaturally that which could be done humanly. The fish did not jump out of the water onto the shore and spit up the coin, That was unnecessary as Peter could fish for the fish and take the coin out of the fish’s mouth. God never works miracles in a way that will make us lazy. FOURTH—THE PROOF IN THE MIRACLE “Give unto them for me and thee.” The fact that Christ condescended to pay the tribute could give doubt to Peter that Christ was all that He claimed to be. But Christ gave ample proof of His claims in providing the coin through the power of the miracle. The miracle would be proof that would be most assuring to Peter’s faith. F B