Trusting Christ without Hesitation

Introduction

Matthew 17:24–27 “And when they were come to Capernaum, they that received tribute money came to Peter, and said, Doth not your master pay tribute? He saith, Yes. And when he was come into the house, Jesus prevented him, saying, What thinkest thou, Simon? of whom do the kings of the earth take custom or tribute? of their own children, or of strangers? Peter saith unto him, Of strangers. Jesus saith unto him, Then are the children free. 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.”

The tribute money was not a Roman tax; rather, it was a temple tax originally collected to make the tabernacle and then again when they were rebuilding the temple. Apparently, this tax had become a regular collection to benefit the temple in some way. When they asked Peter if his Master paid tribute Peter said yes without thinking about it.

When Peter came and told Peter Jesus asked him, Matthew 17:25 Jesus prevented him, saying, What thinkest thou, Simon? of whom do the kings of the earth take custom or tribute? of their own children, or of strangers?”

Jesus was making the point that Kings collect taxes of their subjects; not of their children. Peter had just pronounced that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the Living God. This made him royalty; heir to the kingdom of God. The son of the King need not pay the tax. Peter had diminished who Jesus was to the men that collected the tax by agreeing to pay it.

Matthew 17:27 “Notwithstanding, lest we should offend them,

Jesus chose to pay the tax to keep from offending the tax collectors.

He then gives Peter a responsibility to ensure the tax would be paid. It was an out of the ordinary command.

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.”

While Jesus was willing to get the tax paid he told Peter to go get it from the fish’s mouth that he first caught. What are some lessons we can learn from this story in Peter’s Journey of Faith?

Our Testimony Matters

What we say and what we do reflects upon the Saviour. Peter diminished Christ’s position by saying he would pay the tribute he did not owe as the Son of God. What we say can give honor and glory to God or it can diminish him in the hearts and minds of others.

Peter knew who Jesus was in this moment. Peter knew that it was a temple tax they were collecting. In haste he spoke something that diminished Jesus in their eyes. Peter had a lot to learn about bringing glory to God and uplifting the name of Christ.

Though Peter meant no harm and answered quickly without thinking this can teach us how quickly we can have either a positive impact for Jesus or a negative one. Everything that we say and do effects this and we have to be cognitive of this fact. What we do and say matters. It effects our testimony for Jesus Christ.

If we reflect on our own lives what can we pinpoint is diminishing Christ in the minds and hearts of others? What are we doing that lifts Jesus up for others to see?

Serving People Matters

Though Peter spoke quickly and was wrong Jesus was willing to pay the tax anyway. Jesus was willing to submit to an ordinance that he was not bound to. He chose to be a servant and live for others.

Philippians 2:7 “But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:”

Jesus came to this earth; not to be raised up as the King, but to be crucified for the sins of mankind. Challenging his need to pay the tax would have lifted him to his rightful place, but would not have served his purpose in giving himself as a servant to mankind by dying on the cross for them. Christ had the right to refuse to pay the tax, but put his purpose of serving people above his rights.

Sometimes we focus too much on our rights and not enough on how we can serve others. We focus on what we “deserve” rather than on how we can help others. Jesus was focused on the people and chose to pay the tax instead of offending them.

Obeying Christ Matters

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.”

To ensure that they could pay the tax Jesus tells Peter to go to the sea and go fishing. The first fish he catches will have a coin in it that would pay the tax for Peter and Jesus. It was certainly an odd command; go get money from a fish. Sometimes what God asks us to do doesn’t make sense to other people. Sometimes it doesn’t make sense to us. Sometimes it doesn’t make sense to our situation. What God tells us to do is always the right thing to do. It does not have to make sense to us or to others or to our circumstances.

Peter does not give any argument to Christ. There is no second guessing him. Peter accepted Christ’s rebuke regarding his answers. Peter knew, despite his answer to the original tribute question that Jesus was the Christ. When Jesus told him to go get money from a fish’s mouth Peter did not hesitate. He just went fishing, got the money, and gave it to the tribute collectors.

Conclusion

Peter’s journey of faith was one full of ups and downs. His journey is reflected by our own as we see much of ourselves in Peter. As Peter grew in his faith he figured out how to correct his behavior, serve others, and yield to the Lord as we live out our lives.

Peter’s trust in Christ had grown so much that Peter without hesitation went fishing for a coin in a fish’s mouth.

Our faith may sometimes be shaky, but as we grow in Christ our faith should strengthen to trust Christ without hesitation.

Where are you in your faith journey? Are you learning to trust the Lord more each day? Is your testimony liftin him up in the minds and hearts of others or are you diminishing Christ to them? Are you a servant to others? Are you obedient to the Lord Jesus Christ?