“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 KJV
Jesus said to Peter, “But so that we don’t offend them, go to the lake and throw out your hook, and the first fish that rises up will have a coin in its mouth. It will be the exact amount you need to pay the temple tax for both of us.” Peter had made a presumptuous statement to the tax collectors that Jesus would pay the temple tax. Peter hadn’t asked Jesus first, yet Jesus backed up Peter’s word and performed a miracle to pay the tax. Jesus got Peter “off the hook” by having him hook a fish with the exact amount of the tax for both Jesus and Peter! This miracle is a picture of the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus. The depth of the sea speaks to us of the depth of suffering Jesus passed through for us on the Cross. The fish was not “caught” but rose to the surface on its own! In the mouth of our Lord Jesus is the full price of our sin debt, for He has declared the work of redemption finished, and our “tax” has been paid in full. May we believe in Christ’s finished redemption for each of us personally. Amen!
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