Matthew 17:24 And when they came to Capernaum, they that received tribute money came to Peter, and said, Doth not your master pay tribute?
Matthew 17:25 He saith, Yes. And when he into the house, Jesus prevented him, saying, What thinkest thou, Simon? of whom do the kings of the earth take custom or tribute? of their own children, or of strangers?
Matthew 17:26 Peter saith unto him, Of strangers. Jesus saith unto him, Then are the children free.
Matthew 17:27 Notwithstanding, lest we should offend them, go thou to the sea, and cast an hook, and take up the fish that first cometh up; and when thou hast opened his mouth, thou shalt find a piece of money: that take, and give unto them for me and thee.
Jesus tells Peter to go fishing and the first fish he catches, open its mouth and there will be a coin in there and pay the taxes.
I can imagine Peter as he walked down the road and started to think about the first fish and a coin in its mouth. He was a fisherman and his brother also as well as James and John and he never heard of a person catching a fish with a coin in its mouth, especially the very first fish you catch.
I imagine he thought, what if there isn’t a coin in its mouth, do I fish for another?
Do I keep it up until I find a fish with a coin in its mouth?
But then Jesus did say the first one. What if I don’t catch a fish with a coin in its mouth, what do I do?
Should I go back and tell Jesus if there is not a coin in its mouth?
Peter knew that if he did go back to Jesus and tell him there was no coin in the first fishes mouth, then again Peter would hear Jesus say o ye of little faith.
I believe as Peter got close to the water he thought, what if there was a coin in the first fishes mouth that I catch?
And the more he thought about it, the more his expectations grew. And then he was full of curiosity as he drew closer to the water.
I’m sure he couldn’t wait to catch that fish and see if there was a coin in its mouth
I imagine as he pulled the fish out of the water he couldn’t wait to open the fishes mouth. As he opened its mouth, therein its mouth was a coin, just as Jesus said there would be.
Peter would never forget the time he went fishing for a coin to pay taxes. He thought that Jesus had to be the messiah and couldn’t wait to get back and tell the other disciples what had happened with the fish with the coin in its mouth.
Luke 1:37 “For with God nothing shall be impossible.”