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Sep 21, 2014

A Coin From a Fish!?!

Passage: Matthew 17:24-27

Speaker: Rev. Vivian McCarthy, Pastor

Series: Tell Me the Stories of Jesus and Peter

Category: Discipleship

Keywords: jesus, peter, disciple, stories, money, miracles

A little known miracle story between Jesus and Peter helps us to learn that in order miracles to occur, they sometimes need us to play our part.

As miracle stories go, this one is not very well known, doesn’t appear in the lectionary, and seems a bit far-fetched at first glance. Once again, the brilliant theologians in the Iona community in Scotland have given us a peek at the scripture that is imaginative and probably timely for many of us.

Peter has a practical problem. He is the one the authorities have approached for payment of taxes, he knows the deadline is looming and Jesus’ first response is rather cryptic: who pays taxes? Children or subjects? Then Jesus sends Peter down to the lake to catch a fish, assuring him that the money for tax will be produced by the fish.

God will provide. Yay! Matthew Henry wrote a commentary on every verse of the Bible, published in 1706. I really appreciate what he had to say about this story:

The power of Christ, in fetching money out of a fish's mouth for this purpose. Whether his omnipotence put it there, or his omniscience knew that it was there, it comes all to one; it was an evidence of his divinity, and that he is Lord of hosts. Those creatures that are most remote from man are at the command of Christ, even the fishes of the sea are under his feet (Ps. viii. 5); and to evidence his dominion in this lower world, and to accommodate himself to his present state of humiliation, he chose to take it out of a fish's mouth, when he could have taken it out of an angel's hand. Now observe,

Peter must catch the fish by angling. Even in miracles he would use means to encourage industry and endeavour. Peter has something to do, and it is in the way of his own calling too; to teach us diligence in the employment we are called to, and called in. Do we expect that Christ should give to us? Let us be ready to work for him.

It is so easy to be weighed down by everyday, practical stuff we have to do. It is even easier to be weighed down by serious, overwhelming issues that life throws our way. This is a miracle story, but Peter has to do his part – and notice that he has all the tools he needs! He’s a fisherman for heaven’s sake! He knows how to cast a line into the sea and reel in a fish.

As often happens, this is one of those texts where God is speaking and I’m hearing two things:

Use the gifts you have to work with me and miraculous things happen! Friends, we have gifts to take to others, as we meditated on for a good part of the summer. The gifts we have to work with aren’t just for our personal benefit and satisfaction but they enable us to be the hands and feet – and ears, Jerry! – of Jesus. Simply receiving all of God’s gifts is not faithful to the call of God. You all know the image of the cup being filled – right? Once it gets to the top, there’s no room for more. We need to pour out some of that blessing or we get stale and stuffed.

Part two of this message is the “work with me” part. Expecting a miracle may be compared to living in hope – hope that things will get better, will turn around, especially when we are going through terrible things. This hope is active hope – not just sitting around worrying or giving in to feelings of hopelessness. It’s a knowing that, with God’s help, we can do what we have to do to get through. Jesus will help us in getting to a better place, but we have to help out – be active participants in making all things new.

A coin from a fish!?! Are you willing to cast a line in the water? Miracles just might come flooding in!