“For Me and You”—A Fishing Lesson - All The LORD is near Daily Devotionals for 2026

Lest we offend them, go to the sea, and cast in a hook, and take the fish that comes up first. And when you have opened its mouth, you will find a piece of money; take that and give it to them for Me and you.
Matthew 17:27

"For Me and You"—A Fishing Lesson
This was not Caesar's money (22:21) but the temple's. When those who collected it insinuated the Lord Jesus did not pay it, Peter hastily assured them that He did (17:24-25), forgetting that Jesus had called the temple His Father's house (Jn. 2:16). No doubt, he wanted to maintain his Master's honor but inadvertently spoke of Him only as a good Jew.

The way the Lord Jesus corrected Peter teaches us how we should deal with each other. No one else had heard the exchange, so there was no need to make it public. Instead, He took him aside before they entered the house where He and the disciples were staying and quietly explained to him that kings and their sons are free from such obligations (Mt. 17:25-26). This not only instructed him but prevented him from recounting to the others what he had said to the collectors, which would have required an embarrassing public intervention.

But what of the claim Peter had made to the collectors? Rather than maintain His own rights, the Lord Jesus gave no offense and paid what His disciple could not afford (19:27). But in so doing He showed him His personal greatness, for He used a fish in the sea to provide the piece of money equal to two people's tax. There are no simpler or more endearing words to express His readiness to join His strength to our weakness than "for Me and you." He must come first, but He associates us with Him in what He does. All Peter had to do was accept the reproof and obey Him, a fine piece of fishing! What lessons he learned that day about himself and His Lord! May we learn them too.

Simon Attwood