However, there is another portion in Matthew 17, a portion describing another event which occurred a short time after the transfiguration. “And when they came to Capernaum, those who received the half-shekel came to Peter and said, Does not your teacher pay the half-shekel? He says, Yes. And when he came into the house, Jesus anticipated him, saying, What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth receive custom or poll tax, from their sons or from strangers? And when he said, From strangers, Jesus said to him, Then the sons are free. 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” (Matt. 17:24-27).
At this time, Jesus and His disciples were within a house, and a poll-tax collector came. As always, Peter took the lead and confronted this man. If he had not taken the lead, I do not think that he would have gotten himself so involved. The tax collector asked Peter if his teacher paid the half-shekel for the poll tax. This half-shekel was the offering given to God by all His people for the expenses of maintaining the temple. In both Exodus 30:11-16 and Nehemiah 10:32-33, the record of this regulation is given. Every Israelite was required to pay this half-shekel.
Once again, Peter was too quick to speak. When the tax collector asked Peter if Jesus paid the half-shekel, immediately Peter answered, “Yes!” Did Peter not receive the revelation in chapter sixteen? Did he not see the transfiguration on the Mount? The central point of that revelation and of that vision of transfiguration was that Christ was the Son of God. “This is My beloved Son.” The half-shekel was collected for keeping the house of the Father. Should then the Son of the Father pay the half-shekel? Of course not! Therefore, Peter was careless, not paying attention to what had been revealed to him, nor to what he had seen in the vision of the transfiguration. What he did was to keep the tradition! Tradition dictated that every Israelite pay the tribute. Peter’s thinking was that since Jesus was an Israelite, surely He must pay. He answered the question based upon traditional knowledge, forgetting what he had seen and heard. He saw the vision, and he heard the voice, but he did not apply what he saw and heard.
Many times we may have seen the vision, and we may even have heard the voice, but we simply do not apply what we have seen and heard. The reason we will not apply it is that we are still so traditional. Have you seen that all the members of the church should function? Surely we all will answer, “Amen.” Then why do you not apply this vision? Since you have seen that all the members of the church need to function, why do you not function? Such a thing happens because, on the one hand, you have seen the vision, but, on the other hand, you are still in the old tradition.
Sometimes in the meetings we are on the Mount; we have really seen something. However, when we get home, the tax collector meets us. We feel that we still remember what we have seen, but the Holy Spirit sends the tax collector in an unexpected way. This is a test to us. If the Lord Jesus had warned Peter that he would be put on the test by the coming of a tax collector before the tax collector came, I believe Peter would not have been so careless. Many times, however, the Lord does not give us any forewarning. I am sure that Peter still rejoiced concerning what he had seen on the Mount. He may have said, “Hallelujah, I have seen that it is a matter of Jesus only!” Then the tax collector came. “Does not your teacher pay the half-shekel?” Peter may have said to himself, “Surely we are Israelites and so is He. As an Israelite, He would pay. This is the commandment of Moses, and this is the regulation of the law.” Therefore, we see that we may have seen the vision, but when we are put on the test, it is a different matter. Merely to be clear concerning the vision is not trustworthy. We need to be tested, and we need to learn how to apply what we have seen.
What should Peter have done when he was asked this question by the tax collector? He should not have answered according to tradition, because he had seen the vision and heard the voice from the heavens. He should have answered according to what he had seen and heard. Peter, however, was careless. He immediately answered according to his traditional knowledge. Then he turned and entered the house. I believe his intention was to tell the Lord that He must pay the tribute. The Lord Jesus, however, prevented him from saying anything by asking him a question first. “From whom do the kings of the earth receive custom or poll tax, from their sons or from strangers?” Of course, Peter answered that it should be from strangers. The Lord Jesus replied, “Then the sons are free.” He said, in effect, “Do you not know that I am the Son? Did you not hear the voice saying that I am the Son? Then why did you tell the tax collector that I would pay?” Peter was caught. He erred by forgetting what he saw in the vision and heard from the heavens. He answered in the old way, in the traditional way. He made the mistake innocently. Nevertheless, whether it was innocently or otherwise, Peter made a great mistake.