Most of us are familiar with this phrase
We either are guilty of it ourselves
Or we know people who regularly do it
But what about…?
“Jesus said to him,
“Then the sons are free.
Nevertheless, lest we offend them,
go to the sea, cast in a hook,
and take the fish that comes up first.
And when you have opened its mouth,
you will find a piece of money;
take that and give it to them
for Me and you.””
(Matthew 17:26 – 27)
Have you ever thought of
“Money in Mouth”?
This is one of those stories that
Seems “strange” in the Bible
But as always we NEED to THINK…
Nothing is given to us in the Bible
By accident.
Everything is there for a purpose
Maybe God is simply showing us
That He has a “sense of humour”
On a practical level God is able
To provide for ALL our needs
Even though the source of the
Supply may come from a strange place
No stranger than money in the mouth
Of a fish
But let’s consider this story from
Another point of view…
Peter’s trade and expertise was FISHING
He knew everything about it
How to fish
Where to fish
When to fish
The equipment needed for fishing
How many helpers you needed…
Peter knew it ALL – about fishing
But I am sure that Peter NEVER
In his wildest dreams
Ever before thought of looking
Into the mouth of a fish
To GET money!
There is another story when Jesus
Told Peter to cast his nets on the
Other side of the boat to catch fish
Just after a night of fruitless fishing
NOW…
How many of us are experts
In our field of work?
We KNOW how to DO what we do
We know how it operates
If God told us to do something strange…
Would we?
It may be too difficult for us to even
Imagine what I am trying to say
But try to understand that the
Apparently simple thing that Jesus
Was asking Peter to do
Was so ALIEN to him from his
Past life of fishing…
Perhaps the simple lesson that Jesus
Was trying to teach Peter was
OBEDIENCE
Would WE question such a request?
Would we reason, shake our heads
And think “How silly is that”?
Even if WE did obey…
Would WE really expect to FIND anything?
Let alone catch a fish in the first place…
So for today…
Let me challenge you to THINK…
THINK about what you are
Reading in the Bible…
Reconsider this passage about
The money in the mouth of a fish
And SEE where the Holy Spirit takes you
Whatever you think about…
Ask Him to explain it to you
Simply spend time with Him
And learn from Him…