The miracles of Jesus - Classical Christian Literature by Athleo.net

342 THE COIN IN THE FISH'S MOUTH
kingdom would seem to have taken possession of
their thoughts, and led to disputes who amongst
them would occupy the principal places in it (Mark
* x -
33) 34)- Of these disputes Jesus took no notice
at the time, but from St Matthew it
would seem that
the incident before us had some bearing on them, as
he represents the disciples coming immediately
afterwards to their Master with the question,
" Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven
(compare xviii. i). The point will come up again.
In the meantime we must notice the exact
the incident itself.
nature of
In the course of their journeyings Jesus and His
disciples had reached Capernaum, where, in Peter's
And
house the Saviour had found a temporary home.
no sooner was their arrival known than Peter was
waited upon by certain tax-collectors with the question,
" Doth not your Master pay the half-shekel "
Much confusion has been caused by the idea that
the reference here is to some civil impost which the
Lord was owing to the Roman government, like the
denarius that is afterwards spoken of (Matthew xxii.
19). And the idea is encouraged by the erroneous
translation " tribute" in our Authorised Version.
But
the word actually employed is didraclima, or " halfshekel,"
and there can be no doubt that it is a
religious and national, and not a civil, payment
that is pointed to. From time immemorial every
Israelite above twenty years of age had been in
the habit of paying into the treasury of the
tabernacle, and afterwards of the temple, " half a
shekel after the shekel of the sanctuary '
as
" a
ransom for his soul unto the Lord ,! (see Exodus