Why didn’t He just tell him to get a coin from Judas, he did after all have the bag of money, or why not just hand Peter one out of thin air, as it were, why send him down to the lake.
Peter lied to those who asked about whether or not Christ paid the tax, and Jesus did not need to be in hearing range to know that, but whether you count it as polite or not, the Lord did let him know that He knew, asked him a question, and then told him what to do. But why like that, why not just say that He knew what Peter had done, it is in essence the same thing, why the side shift to a question-and-answer moment.
Most people that are familiar with the Scriptures are well versed in this passage in Matthew 17:24-27, it is even taught in Sunday school class to small children, but have you ever seen the look in Peter’s eyes when the Lord said to him, “Why did you lie to them.”
You should know by now, if you have been saved by His grace for any length of time that you can’t hide anything from the Lord, it does not matter what it is, He knows, and there is always a price to pay when we are disobedient, always. But that is a subject for the religious organizations, let them live in fear, we repent, (1 John 1:9) we move on.
So then, why the fishing story, there was no need for another “Here, let me prove to you again who I am by another miracle,” so why send him to the lake. How far do you suppose it was, how long did Peter have to contemplate what he had done as he walked down there, and no offense, but have you ever considered that the Lord knew that Peter just happened to have some fishing gear in his pocket. He was, after all, a fisherman I guess.
I think he was a little nervous, perhaps even upset with himself, in fact, he may have missed something that was going on that he wanted to be a part of, and now instead he was on his way to catch a fish with a coin in its mouth. His thoughts when he cast that line into the water? A mild case of fear perhaps, to say the least, nervous, anxious, not a lot of happy here, there never is when we have to pay for the consequences of our actions.
That is one thing that many believers tend to forget I think, we can and are forgiven each time that we repent of our sins, but there is always the consequence of those sins. You cheat on your wife, you can and will be forgiven, but you might end up getting divorced, you wreck the life of someone intentionally and with malice, come to your senses, as the prodigal did, (Luke 15:17) and return, the hurt caused by you does not disappear just because you repented.
The moment that fish took the hook, the moment Peter felt tension on the line and started to bring the fish to shore, he knew. He knew what he had done was wrong, but think of the shaking hands that picked that fish up, that held it and looked it in the eyes and knew that when he opened the mouth of that fish there would be no surprise, no doubt, there was going to be a coin in there. I wonder just how gently he placed that fish back in the water, how long he stared at the spot where it finally disappeared from his view, if he gripped that coin so tightly as he walked back to those he had spoken to that it left the imprint of it in his hand.
There was no pride in his eyes as he handed that coin over, there was probably not even any need for words, humility was being taught, and in a very aggressive way. And the look the Lord gave him when he arrived back to where the others were, beyond love, beyond compassion, but also that penetrating stare that said, “Did you learn something.”
There are always consequences to our actions, there is always forgiveness, but there are also the consequences. “But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the LORD: and be sure your sin will find you out.” (Numb. 32:23) Be glad it does my friends; it is how He draws us back to Himself.
