In Capernaum the tribute money collector asked Peter whether Jesus pays tribute money, and Peter said that he pays. But before it is told to Jesus by Peter, Jesus took action as he knew the matter already, and asked Peter, who need to pay tribute money, whether citizens or strangers, and Peter replied, strangers. And Jesus said to Peter, though we are citizens, and we need not pay tribute money, yet not to offend them, let us pay it. Then Jesus gave a guidance to Peter how to pay the tribute money for Peter and Jesus.
The normal way is to collect it from the cashier Judas Iscariot and pay the tribute money, and not only for Peter and Jesus but for all with Jesus (John 13:29). But Jesus did not advise Peter to do so, but asked him to do in a different way! Jesus asked Peter to go to sea with a fishing kit and catch the first fish and open its mouth and he will find a silver coin of value equal to tribute money for two people. We read that Peter sincerely did what Jesus commanded him to do, and to his surprise, found a silver coin of value sufficient for two people and paid the tribute money for self and Jesus, and thereby avoided an offend.
Here a question comes why Jesus deviated from the normal way? Because in the normal way there is no effort needed to put for the tribute money! So Jesus advised Peter to put some effort to earn and pay the tribute money from the earning! This sounds like St. Paul said to Corinthians and some other few churches that he did not receive any offerings from them though he was worthy to do so but he worked with his own hands for his livelihood. Here Peter labored for the money required, and God blessed his hand work, and to his surprise he found a silver coin in the first fish, of value required for two people’s tribute money! Peter might had finished fishing as the requirement was fulfilled, and went to the tribute money collector and paid for self and Jesus and avoided the offending before the collector. Also this instance developed the faith of Peter, as he had faith in Jesus by seeing many mighty works of Jesus such as healing the blind, deaf, lame, hunch back, sickness, leprocy, even raising the dead alive etc. So to increase the faith of Peter, Jesus might have ordered him to fish. Another fact and possibility is that the silver coin came into the fish was by swallowing a silver coin by the fish or Jesus might have made a miracle. One more point was not to offend others and by this exercise, tribute collector or anybody else could not be offended on Jesus on this matter and Jesus was more careful about avoiding offending.
BIBLE REVELATION 