The Bible

 

Matthew 17:24-27 : The Temple Tax

Study

24 When they had come to Capernaum, those who collected the didrachma coins came to Peter, and said, "Doesn't your teacher pay the didrachma?"

25 He said, "Yes." When he came into the house, Jesus anticipated him, saying, "What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth receive toll or tribute? From their children, or from strangers?"

26 Peter said to him, "From strangers." Jesus said to him, "Therefore the children are exempt.

27 But, lest we cause them to stumble, go to the sea, cast a hook, and take up the first fish that comes up. When you have opened its mouth, you will find a stater coin. Take that, and give it to them for me and you."

Commentary

 

Incorporating the New

By Todd Beiswenger


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There's an old saying that says, "When the student is ready the master will appear." The idea is that the student must incorporate everything they've already been taught into their life before the next master will come to teach them the next steps. We see something similar in the Word, where Jesus opens the eyes of Peter, James and John to a new spiritual reality, but now they have a difficult time trying to synthesize what they've just been taught with everything they've always believed. (note - Todd offers his apologies for an error; where he mistakenly says in this audio that the "spiritual serves the natural"... he meant to say, "natural serves the spiritual.")

(References: Apocalypse Explained 64, 405; Arcana Coelestia 6394; Matthew 17:14-20, 17:24-27)

Commentary

 

Fish

  

Fish represent knowledge. Fish laid upon the fire, as in John 21:9, represent the reformation of the natural man by the good of love, of which description were all the men of that time, in consequence of the complete vastation of the church. Fish signify sensual affections which are the ultimate affections of the natural man. Fish sometimes also represent people in common truth or conversely in external falsity. Broiled fish, as in Luke 24:42, signify the truth of good relating to the natural and sensual man, and honeycomb, the good of the same truth. To make as the fishes of the sea, signifies to make altogether sensual. Fish, as in Habakkuk 1:14-16, signify people in faith separate from charity.

(References: Apocalypse Revealed 405; Luke 24)