Immediately after the record of the Lord’s transfiguration on the mountain, we have the record of the healing of a demon-possessed person (Matt. 17:14-21). Following this, the Lord spoke to His disciples the second time about His crucifixion and resurrection (Matt. 17:22-23). Then we have the incident regarding paying the half-shekel (Matt. 17:24-27). As we read chapter seventeen, it may be difficult to understand the connection between all these things. If we would understand the Gospel of Matthew, we need to remember that Matthew puts different facts together to reveal a doctrine. Although the three disciples, who represented the other disciples, had been in the miniature of the manifestation of the kingdom, there was still the need for three things: the dealing with the demon-possessed person, the revealing of the Lord’s crucifixion and resurrection, and the paying of the half-shekel to the tax gatherers.
We have pointed out that the coming of the kingdom in Matt. 16:28; 17:1-2 was not the coming of the kingdom in full; it was simply a miniature and a foretaste. The prophecies concerning the manifestation of the kingdom have not yet been completely fulfilled. When we get out of the sphere of the transfiguration, out of the atmosphere of the manifestation of the kingdom, we face the power of darkness outside the kingdom. Demon possession signifies the power of darkness. In the realm of the Lord’s transfiguration there is glory, but outside this realm there is the power of darkness. While we are enjoying the transfiguration on the mountaintop, others are in the valley suffering from demon possession. During an inspiring conference or training, we may have the sense that we are on the mount of transfiguration. However, when we return home, we realize that the power of darkness is still all around us. To deal with the power of darkness there is the need of the exercise of the authority of the heavenly King (Matt. 17:18). We can exercise this authority only through prayer and fasting. As the heavenly King, the Lord has such authority, but we need to pray, even with fasting, to execute the Lord’s authority.
In 17:22 and 23 the Lord said to His disciples, “The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men, and they shall kill Him, and on the third day He shall be raised up.” When the disciples heard this, “they were exceedingly grieved.” The transfiguration on the mountaintop was not the full transfiguration. Christ still had to pass through crucifixion and enter into resurrection. Matthew specifically says that the disciples “were exceedingly grieved.” According to the concept of Peter, James, and John, the Christ who had been transfigured on the mountaintop did not need to be crucified. Thus, they might have said, “Christ has already been transfigured. Why does He still need to pass through crucifixion and resurrection?” Because the disciples had a mistaken concept, they were grieved at the Lord’s word.
We also may have times when we have a foretaste of the transfiguration. Afterward, however, we still need to descend from the mountain and bear the cross in the presence of our husband or wife. No matter how excellent the experience of transfiguration might be, we still need to stay under the killing of the cross. By bearing the cross we pass through crucifixion into resurrection. This is the connection between these three sections of Matthew.
Unless we receive light from the Lord, it is difficult to see the connection between verses 1 through 23 and verses 24 through 27. In 17:24-27 we have the matter of paying the half-shekel to the poll-tax gatherers. This is a test to determine whether or not we know how to apply the revelation and vision concerning Christ. In chapter sixteen Peter received a clear revelation from the heavenly Father regarding Christ as the Son of the living God. From that time onward, Peter was certain that Christ was the Son of the living God. Following this, on the mountaintop he saw a vision of Christ manifested as the Son of the living God. Therefore, he both received the revelation and saw the vision. It is possible to have a revelation without having a vision. What Peter received from the heavenly Father in chapter sixteen was merely the revelation. In chapter seventeen he saw the Son of God manifested and expressed through the man Jesus of Nazareth. Nothing could have been more clear than this revelation and vision.
Peter, however, had to be tested regarding the application of the revelation and the vision. To receive the revelation and to see the vision is one thing, but to apply them in a practical way is another. For example, we probably all have received the revelation from Galatians 2:20 that we have been crucified with Christ and that Christ lives in us. Perhaps even the weakest one among us has received this revelation. However, when your wife or husband gives you a difficult time, can you still say, “It is not I, but Christ”? When you are with your wife or husband, the revelation of having been crucified with Christ and of Christ living in you may vanish. Very few who have received this revelation apply it to the practical matters in their daily living. Peter might have been like this. He might have said, “I have received the revelation that Jesus is the Son of the living God, and I saw Him transfigured on the mountain. This is very clear to me. Perhaps you have not seen this vision, but I have.” For Peter to receive the revelation and see the vision was wonderful. But now he had to be tested by those who collected the poll tax.
Verse 24 says, “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?” The half-shekel was a Jewish poll tax for the temple (Exo. 30:12-16; 38:26). When Peter was asked this question, he immediately said, “Yes.” Peter did not know how to apply the revelation and the vision, and he was exposed. On the mount of transfiguration, Peter heard the voice from heaven charging him to hear Christ (17:5). If he had still remembered what had taken place on the mountain, he would have referred the question to Christ to hear what He would say. But instead of listening to Christ, he gave his own answer. On the mountain Peter heard the Father say, “This is My beloved Son, in Whom I delight; hear Him!” At that time, Peter talked too much, and he was rebuked for it. Now when the poll-tax gatherers asked him whether or not the Lord paid the half-shekel, he still had too much to say and did not hesitate to answer. If he had learned the lesson, he would have said, “Gentlemen, let me go to Him and hear Him. I need to ask Him whether or not He pays the half-shekel. I don’t have the right to say anything.” Peter, however, did not respond this way, and he was exposed by this test. It is the same with us today. After a conference or training, we may proclaim that we shall never be the same. But I assure you that after you return home, you will be exactly the same. However, do not let this disappoint you.
Verses 25 and 26 say, “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.” The poll-tax gatherers came to Peter because he was so prominent, like the nose on our face. The quick ones, the bold ones, are the “nose” in the church life. Whenever the church undergoes a test, the “nose” is the part that gets hurt because it is the first to bump into things. Because he stood out so much, Peter got into trouble. After telling the tax gatherers that the Lord Jesus paid the half-shekel, Peter came into the house. But as verse 25 says, Jesus “anticipated him.” Peter was quick, but the Lord was sovereign and did not give him a chance to say anything. On the mountaintop Peter was interrupted by a voice from heaven, and in the house he was stopped by the Lord. Peter had spoken presumptuously. Hence, the Lord stopped him and corrected him before he could speak to Him.
The Lord asked Peter whether the kings of the earth receive custom or poll tax from their sons or from strangers. The sons of kings are always free from paying custom or poll tax. The half-shekel was paid by God’s people for His temple. Since Christ is the Son of God, He was free from paying it. This was contrary to what Peter had just answered.
Peter had received the revelation concerning Christ being the Son of God (16:16-17) and he had seen the vision of the Son of God (17:5). Now, in application, he was put to the test by the poll-tax gatherers’ question. He failed in his answer by forgetting the revelation he had received and the vision he had seen. He forgot that the Lord was the Son of God who did not need to pay the poll tax for His Father’s house.
When the Lord asked Peter whether the kings of the earth received tax from their sons or from strangers, Peter answered, “From strangers.” Doctrinally and theologically Peter answered correctly. When the Lord said to him, “Then the sons are free,” Peter must have been stunned. It seems that the Lord was saying, “Peter, have you forgotten the revelation that I am the Son? On the mountaintop you saw Me as the Son.” The half-shekel was not a tax paid to the secular government. It was collected for the purpose of meeting the expenses of the temple of God, God’s house on earth. According to Exodus 30 and 38, every Israelite had to pay a half-shekel to care for the Lord’s house. Because Jesus is the Son of God, there is no need for Him to pay this tax. When the Lord said that the sons are free, He was indicating that He, as the Son of God, was free from paying the poll tax. After hearing this, Peter did not know what to say. He might have just agreed and said, “Yes, the sons are free. Since You are the Son of God, You are free. Lord, I am sorry for answering the way I did. I forgot the revelation and the vision. I received the revelation that You are the Son of God, and I saw the vision of You as the Son of God. But when the test came, I forgot all about it. Lord, please forgive me.”
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.
