into the house) for that very purpose. — <rpoe<pda<Kv, prevented, an ticipated) Peter was wishing to ask [when Jesus anticipated him]. The whole of this circumstance wonderfully confirmed the faith of Peter. Our Lord's majesty shines forth in the very act of submission. — 2/><wi/, Simon) An address as it were domestic and familiar.1 — TiXq 5} xrivsov, custom or tribute, lat. vectigalia aut censum) i.e. land-tax and poll-tax. — aXkorpiuv, strangers) subjects who are not sons.
26. 'E\sv6spoi} free) The argument is as follows : Jesus is the Son of God (ver. 5), and the heir of all things ; but the Temple, for the sake of which the didrachms are paid, is the house of God : it behoved Jesus, on paying the didrachm, to do so under protest. They who received the tribute were not capable of comprehending (non capiebant) the protest, therefore it is ad dressed to Peter. They who pertain to Jesus, possess also the right of Jesus.
27. "Iva dz ph ffxavbaXiffupev av-roug, Sut lest we should offend them} Our Lord even performed a miracle to avoid giving offence; cf. ch. xviii. 6, 7. — aurovs, them) who were ignorant of our Lord's claims. Men who are occupied in worldly affairs, most easily take offence at the saints when money is in question. — -rlv ava[3a,vra vpurov, that first cometh up) A manifold miracle of omniscience and omnipotence: 1. That something should be caught ; 2, and that quickly ; 3, that there should be money in a fish ; 4, and that in the first fish ; 5, that the sum should be just so much as was needed ; 6, that it should be in the fish's mouth. Therefore the fish was commanded to bring a stater, or four-drachm coin, that very moment from the bottom of the sea. — avri 'E/AOU xat eo\J, for Me and thee) A pair of great dis parity ; for what was Peter compared to the greatness of Jesus ? Peter had a family of his own ; the other disciples2 were the family of Jesus (cf. Gnomon on Matt. viii. 14) ; therefore they said your, not tliy Master, ver. 24.
1 Ol pottrfttts TV; yq;, the kings of the earth) With these is compared the Lord Jehovah, for whose worship the tribute was paid. — V. g.
2 The other disciples, as we may reasonably suppose, had not yet passed their twentieth year ; and therefore were not yet bound to pay the sacred tribute. — V. g.