Matthew 17:27 (Today's New International Version)
27 "But so that we may not cause offense, go to the lake and throw out your line. Take the first fish you catch; open its mouth and you will find a four-drachma coin. Take it and give it to them for my tax and yours."
I've been reading the Bible for quite a long time but never came across this verse. The Bible never ceases to amaze me. You can actually get coins out from a fish. Now I thought this will happen only in fairy tales. Well after reading this verse what do you think?
When the tax collector came for the "two-drachma" tax, Jesus gave Peter very interesting instructions on how to obtain the necessary funds.
With all the power of Creation at His disposal, Jesus could have produced any number of coins and made them readily available. Yet, with the tax collector waiting by the door, Peter was told to excuse himself and take a fishing line down to the lake. Why go through all this trouble with the fish?Our walk with Christ involves continually developing and growing our faith. It would have taken very little faith for Peter to pick a coin off the table and pay the tax. He was therefore given the "opportunity" to strengthen his faith as he trusted Jesus and not his own understanding (Proverbs 3:5-6).
Peter's faith grew, and therefore his closeness with Jesus, as he obeyed and cast out his fishing line.Jesus is able to fully meet all our needs (Philippians 4:19). But He loves
us enough to lead us to specific action; "faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead" (James 2:17). The specific actions or accomplishments are never really the issue; rather, it's the growth in our relationship with Jesus which is important. Our faith becomes alive and we
grow closer every time we obey, follow, and take the step!
Special Thanks to God's Daily Word for this special lesson.
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