Passage of the Day:
After Jesus and his disciples arrived in Capernaum, the collectors of the two-drachma temple 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 children or from others?” 26 “From others,” Peter answered. “Then the children are exempt,” Jesus said to him. 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,” Matthew 17:24-27.
Reflection:
Unless you live in a tax-free state, you’ll be paying income, property or sales tax annually, monthly or daily. Matthew, a member of the priestly tribe introduces the temple tax to his readers. Rather than using money earned from His years as a carpenter, Jesus has a more creative method to make His payment. Jesus tells Peter to go to the lake, throw out your line and you’ll find a fish which has swallowed 4 coins. This is how Jesus paid his dues to the local temple.
Prayerful Action:
He said, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.” When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish, John 21:6.
Developing the Spiritual Guts to Press On:
Faith is like going fishing with Jesus. When you cast your net where Jesus tells you and haul in a large catch, your belief and confidence will grow each time you go fishing. However, if you give up before you catch anything, your confidence will begin to erode. Since Peter was a member of Jesus’ inner circle with James and John, he kept on witnessing miracle after miracle. If a friend told me to cast my line over there and you’ll catch a fish that is full of enough money to pay your temple dues, I wouldn’t believe him. Yet, when Jesus told Peter to cast his nets in a certain spot, his doubt was replaced with faith and fortitude.
Song of the Day:
Final Thoughts:
Every once in a while, I’ll come across a song with a concept that I’ve never heard of. May the words of Fishing in the Sky give you the faith and fortitude to believe that God will provide for your needs.
by Jay Mankus
ExpressYourself4Him 