The Miracle of Trust

11.24.14

Matthew 17.27 27 However, not to give offense to them, go to the sea and cast a hook and take the first fish that comes up, and when you open its mouth you will find a shekel. Take that and give it to them for me and for yourself.” – Jesus (ESV)

I like miracles – I think. Miracles are often hard to understand and sometimes the outcome of the miracle is harder to deal with than the miracle itself. If someone is healed by some means other than modern medicine, we might categorize it as a miracle. Some would gladly accept it as such, and others may view it with suspicion: he wasn’t really sick in the first place… like I said, sometimes the outcome of a miracle is harder to deal with than the miracle itself.

In this passage in Matthew 17 we see what appears not so much to be a miracle, but an unusual occurrence regarding a mundane thing. The Temple Tax collectors came along to get the tax from Jesus. Peter happened to intercept them and when questioned as to whether or not his Teacher gave, Peter assured them He did.

I don’t know if there was just no money in the coffers, but apparently a half-shekel was needed to pay the tax bill and apparently, no one in the group had any money to pay. The story really raises a lot of questions. Bottom line: somebody needed to come up with some cash to take care of Jesus and this tax. So, Peter goes to Jesus to see what to do. Jesus tells him to go fishing and all that was needed would be supplied; some fish had a stash of cash.

As I said, I like miracles – I think. The rest of the story (we assume) is that Peter did indeed go fishing and did indeed find the coin and did indeed pay the tax for himself and for Jesus. Was it a miracle that the coin was in the fish’s mouth? Not necessarily. Was it a miracle that Jesus knew the coin would be there and it would be the first fish Peter caught? (If it was me Jesus sent to fish it would be a miracle that I caught anything at all…)

I think about what this did to Peter and his faith. I wonder why this story isn’t shared in Mark, the gospel that Peter allegedly dictated. I wonder what would happen to me if this happened to me today. I’m just glad that when I humble myself and ask God for help, I always seem to locate my car keys, or my wallet, or my glasses…

The miracle is this: God can be trusted to provide whatever we need. God owns the cattle on earth (and the cattle on a thousand hills). And God cares for you and me. Today, I need to remember this account and remember that even in the smallest things, God is there and He cares about us. Sometimes He uses miracles to help us and sometimes it’s simply a coin caught in the mouth of a fish that a fisherman knew how to catch.

Father in Heaven, You know my needs today and one of the biggest is my need to trust You for what I need. I have bills to pay and food to buy and, and, and… You know it all. May I trust You today to supply all I need. Thank You for Your wonderful care over Your child – he really does appreciate it. Amen.