Verse 27 says, “But that we may not stumble them, go to the sea and cast a hook, and take the first fish that comes up, and when you open its mouth you will find a shekel; take that and give it to them for Me and you.” After convincing Peter that He did not need to pay the half-shekel, the Lord, as the New Testament Law-giver, today’s Moses, gave the command to Peter to pay it for Him. The Lord did this purposely to teach Peter that in God’s New Testament economy, He is the unique One; neither Moses, Elijah, Peter, nor anyone else has the position to speak or to give a command.
After shutting Peter’s mouth, the Lord, as the New Testament prophet, today’s Elijah, told him to go fishing to obtain a shekel in order to pay the tax. This prophecy was fulfilled. No doubt Peter was troubled about having to go fishing and perhaps having to wait a long time for a fish to appear with a shekel in its mouth. While the Lord was correcting and teaching Peter, He took care of his need. This is always the Lord’s way in dealing with us.
When Peter answered yes, the Lord said no. But when Peter was convinced that the Lord did not need to pay the tax, the Lord told him that He would pay it. Perhaps Peter was about to go after the poll-tax gatherers and tell them that the Lord did not need to pay the tax. Peter might have been considering this when the Lord charged him to catch a fish with a shekel in its mouth and to use that shekel to pay the tax. The tax had to be paid in order not to stumble others. We cannot subdue the Lord Jesus. Whatever He says is always right, and whatever we propose to Him is always wrong. Christ is today’s Moses; He makes the laws. When He says yes, the answer is yes; and when He says no, it is no. What we say means nothing. It is what He says that counts. The meaning of the vision on the mountaintop is that we should hear the Lord Jesus and not anyone else, including ourselves. Christ, not Moses, is the One to say yes or no. Regarding the same matter, the Lord may say yes to someone else and no to you. If he does this, do not argue with Him.
When Peter had to go fishing in order to find a half-shekel, he learned a lesson. Don’t you think that Peter was troubled by having to go fishing? Certainly he was. Although the Lord Jesus is kind and merciful, One who will not break a bruised reed or quench smoking flax, He sometimes deals with us in a hard way. When the Lord indicated to Peter that He would pay the temple tax, He did not reach into His pocket, take out a shekel, and give it to Peter. If He had done that, He would have been too easy on Peter. A shekel had been prepared by the Lord, but Peter had to fish for it. I wonder how Peter felt. Did he feel like laughing or weeping? I believe that as Peter was fishing, he was unhappy and very troubled. If I had been Peter, I might have said to the Lord, “Lord, since You can provide a shekel out of the mouth of a fish, why don’t You just reach into Your pocket and give me one? Why are You so troublesome? Now I must go down to the sea and fish. Maybe a storm will come while I am fishing. Lord, if You intend to perform a miracle, why not do it now?” Peter, however, had learned a great deal; and this time, instead of saying a word, he did what the Lord had told him.
I do not believe that the fish came immediately. Rather, I believe that the Lord exercised His sovereignty to keep the fish away for a period of time. Thus, Peter was waiting without any sign of a fish. As he was waiting, he might have rebuked himself and said, “Why did I answer so quickly? I shouldn’t have faced those tax gatherers. James and John didn’t get into trouble. But because I am so bold and so quick, I got myself into trouble.” Eventually, the fish came with a shekel in its mouth. This was sufficient to take care of both the Lord and Peter.
The record here is very simple, but the story is rich in its implications. It implies that Christ is the Prophet, for He told Peter to go fishing and that the first fish would have a shekel in its mouth. Was that not a prophecy? The Lord’s prophecy was practical, and it was fulfilled exactly as He had spoken. Thus, Peter’s experience here was a proof that the Lord is the real Elijah and that we should hear Him. This story also implies that the Lord is today’s Moses. It is not up to us to say yes or no; it is altogether up to Him. We simply need to do whatever He says. Moreover, we should not do what He doesn’t tell us to do.
Through this incident, Peter was tested that he might know how to apply the revelation and the vision concerning Christ. Through this experience, he came to learn what it means to “hear Him.” He realized that he did not need to hear Moses or Elijah, but to hear Him. For us today, Christ is our Moses and Elijah. He is our present, living Law-giver and our Prophet. Whatever He says, that is the law, the law of life. Furthermore, what He says is today’s prophecy to meet our present, practical situation. This is not merely a story; it is a lesson for Peter and for us as well.