Take The First Fish You Catch

Matthew 17; Matthew 18; Matthew 19
Click Here To Read Today’s Daily Bible Reading

Scripture

The Temple Tax

Matthew 17

24 After Jesus and his disciples arrived in Capernaum, the collectors of the two-drachma tax came to Peter and asked, "Doesn't your teacher pay the temple tax?"
25 "Yes, he does," he replied.
When Peter came into the house, Jesus was the first to speak. "What do you think, Simon?" he asked. "From whom do the kings of the earth collect duty and taxes—from their own sons or from others?"
26 "From others," Peter answered.
"Then the sons are exempt," Jesus said to him. 27 "But so that we may not offend them, 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."

Observation

I love this story mainly I guess because it is about fishing. Peter went hook and line fishing for this fish. He didn’t use the nets that the fisherman used in the other passages that dealt with fishing.

I think it is interesting that Jesus tells Peter to look in the mouth of the very first fish that he catches. Jesus made it very easy for Peter. I wonder if Peter kept fishing after he caught the first fish. If he did I wonder if he looked in the mouth of the next fish to see if there was any money in its mouth. Like we did when we used to go by a phone booth or sometimes when you pass by a soda machine or snack machine and check to see if there is any change in it that someone has left.

Jesus can and will take care of our needs and he can do it in a million different ways. He can and usually will do it in a way that we didn’t plan. God is so good. We are sons of the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.


Application

I will look to Jesus to meet every one of my needs because He is 100% faithful, 100% reliable and loves to provide for us.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank you for your word. You are the Great Provider. Nothing is too hard for you. There is not one thing in my life that is too big for you. You take such good care of my family and me. I pray that you will help me depend on you, give me the faith I need to trust you with every detail of my life. As I visited Earl Conner in the hospital this morning I marvel at how you care for your children. You would have never thought that 91-year-old Earl just had by-pass surgery this week. You are Amazing. You are Wonderful. Amen.


Today’s "Life Journal" Daily Bible Reading can be found on Line. Click Here!