Good morning.  Well, as we continue in our series Gone Fishin’, we come to our next fishing experience this morning.  In fact, today we will learn that Professional Anglers today are not the first fishermen that got paid for fishing.  Today we will read about the first time probably that a fisherman was awarded a sum of money from fishing.  We will look at one of the instances that Peter caught a prize winning fish, and was able to pay off a few people’s taxes with his winnings.

Before we begin, let’s open with a word of prayer

Our text for today will be found in Matthew 17:24-27.  Here in this passage we learn about the temple tax.  We learn how Peter responded to a question, and we learn of the lesson that Jesus had to teach him.  Here in Matthew 17:24-27 it says, “1”

Did you catch all of that?  Now I know that this is just a short 4-verse passage, but did you catch all there was there?  What I want to do is I want us to just read this passage one more time in order to grasp the miraculous event that really did take place here.  Once again, in Matthew 17:24-27 Matthew says, “1”

To start, here is some background on that passage.  The temple tax was collected from each adult male and was used for public sacrifices, for upkeep of the Temple, and for the upkeep of Jerusalem.  Huge sums of money came in each year from this tax – which amounted to about 2 days wages for each person to have to pay.

Peter answered the question posed to him without consulting Jesus first – but then Jesus uses the opportunity to once again make the point that He is the king of a different kingdom.  In that day, the children of the ruler were exempt from taxes – and since Jesus, and by extension His followers, are children of the King of Kings – then they too should be exempt from a tax on the Temple of God, right?

But notice what Jesus does – He says to pay the tax anyway – so as not to “offend” anyone.  And it is neat to look at the meaning of that word offend.  The word “offend” in the Greek literally means to “cause to stumble.”  So Jesus is saying that in order to keep people from stumbling, or looking down upon them, they are going to pay the tax anyway.  Even though they are exempt, Jesus orders Peter to go catch a fish, get the coin, and pay the tax.

Now, how many of you have heard of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs?  What this is, is the ordering of all the things that we need in order to make life happy.  They range from Physical Needs, to Emotional Needs, and even Spiritual Needs.  If we have these needs, then we will live life happily.

So how many of us have some of those same needs?  How many of us could use some help physically?  How many of us could use some help when it comes to our emotional needs?  And how many of us could use some help when it comes to physical needs?  My guess is that we could all use some help in there areas.

Well, today we are looking at an interesting miracle and a neat story of Jesus’ that demonstrates that Jesus Understands and that He Provides for our needs, even needs that are not of spiritual matters.  As we look at this story I want you to notice 3 things with me this morning.

First, He Knows What We Need Before We Even Ask Him.

In Isaiah 58:11 it says that “He {The Lord} will satisfy your needs.”

And now here when Peter came into the house, notice that Jesus was the first to speak.  Peter was troubled.  He defended Jesus to the critics and he doesn’t really know how to approach the subject with Jesus.  He doesn’t want to accuse Jesus of tax evasion, but at the same time, if they don’t pay the tax it may reflect badly on Jesus’ ministry.

But notice that Jesus already knows the turmoil within Peter before Peter even says or asks anything.  In the same way Jesus knows your needs and mine before we even ask….

Longtime missionary to Zaire, Dr. Helen Roseveare is someone who understands that the Lord knows what we need before we even ask.  She is still living today and loves to tell this story.  “A mother at our mission station died after giving birth to a premature baby.  We tried to improvise an incubator to keep the infant alive, but the only hot water bottle we had was beyond repair.  So we asked the children to pray for the baby and for her sister.  One of the girls responded, “Dear God, please send a hot water bottle today.

Tomorrow will be too late because by then the baby will be dead.  And dear Lord, send a doll for the sister so she won’t feel so lonely.”  That afternoon a large package arrived from England.  The children watched eagerly as we opened it.  Much to their surprise, under some clothing was a hot water bottle!

Immediately the girl who had prayed so earnestly started to dig deeper, exclaiming, “If God sent that, I’m sure He also sent a doll!”  And she was right!  Our Heavenly Father knew in advance of that child’s sincere requests, and 5 months earlier He had led a ladies’ group to include both of those specific articles in their care package.”

What needs did you bring here with you this morning?  Do you have Physical Needs, Spiritual Needs, Family Needs, or maybe you have some Emotional Needs that you have carried in here with you today?  Jesus knows what you need even before you ask Him.  He even knows what you need even before you know what it is that you need yourself.  And in Matthew 6:8 Matthew says, “Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.”

But then people will say, well then why doesn’t He fix it?  Why doesn’t this god that knows my needs before I do fix them and not make them be a need for me?  Well I often think it’s because, as Peter learned, and our second point, He Uses Our Needs To Teach Us.

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?”  “From others,” Peter answered.

“Then the sons are exempt,” Jesus said to him…

The need for the taxes was an opportunity for Jesus to teach Peter something.  First of all that He wouldn’t have to pay the tax, but the more important lesson that Jesus is teaching Peter is that rights are less important than relationships.

Jesus is trying to say that it’s NOT OK to force your rights on others when it damages your reputation in someone else’s eyes.  He says as to not offend them it would be better to pay the tax.  If you remember, Paul says something about offending others.  Paul writes that if it would offend others, even if it is not sin to you, to not do it so that you do not lead others astray.

So Jesus tells Peter that even though He is not required to pay the tax, He will do so.  Why, because He does not want to offend others.  He also again uses this opportunity to teach Peter something about His ability to meet our needs, no matter what they are.

Often the point of our need becomes a “teachable moment,” a time when we are especially able to comprehend new or deeper truth.

Bill and Gloria Gaither have written many wonderful Christian songs.  1 that Gloria wrote in the late 1960’s came while she was expecting a child.  The couple was going through some terrible problems.  Bill had been seriously sick, their music had been attacked as not being spiritual.  On New Years Eve night, Gloria sat in a dark room experiencing a time of torment and fear.

She said, “I sat alone in the darkness thinking about the rebellious world and all of our problems - and about our baby yet unborn.  Who in their right mind would bring a child into a world like this?”  She was at the height of her fear and then something happened.  She said, “I can’t quite explain what happened in that next moment, but suddenly I felt released from it all.

The panic that had began to build inside was gently dispelled by a reassuring presence and a soft voice that kept saying, “Don’t forget the empty tomb, don’t forget the empty tomb.”  Then I knew I could have that baby and face the future with optimism and trust for I had been reminded that it was all worth it just because He lives.”

And with those thoughts on her mind, she wrote: “How sweet to hold a newborn baby, and feel the pride and joy he gives; but greater still the calm assurance, this child can face uncertain days because He lives.  Because He lives I can face tomorrow, because He lives all fear is gone, because I know He holds the future.  And life is worth the living just because He lives....

A dark time in Gloria’s life became a teachable moment, and Jesus used it to draw her near and remind her of the Power of His resurrection.

And the last thing that I’d like you to notice with me this morning is that this story demonstrates what Jesus does.

He Can Provide “Miraculously”
Verse 27 again says, “1”

Think of all the times throughout scripture that Jesus has provided for a need in a miraculous way.  He feeds many with little, He has a small man defeat a giant in battle, and He does things like parting the Red Sea.  Jesus is defiantly the type of person that provides things in a miraculous way.

And here in this passage we see Jesus provide for the need by causing a fish to have a coin in its mouth.  Now I don’t know about you, but I think that that is a pretty interesting way to provide for a need—one that leaves no doubt how it’s been met.  Only Jesus could have predicted that the fish would have the coin in its mouth, and only Jesus would be able to perform the miracle and meet this need.

I mean can you imagine hearing Jesus say to you, go down to the Ohio River, throw in your line, and the first fish you catch stick you hand in it’s mouth and pull out a coin.  Then use it to pay our tax so that we don’t offend anyone.  Now I don’t know if I would want to put my hand down in the mouth of a fish from the Ohio River in the first place, but do you see how out there this statement must have been for Peter to hear?

Often times God turns the ordinary into extraordinary when meeting our needs—like the story of the Hot Water bottle sent to a missionary.  Other times he just breaks the rules of physics outright and places a coin in a fish’ mouth.

Mark Lemos, a missionary to Brazil, shared this story about Missionary Orla Spencer Boyer: They were missionaries in the northeastern part of Brazil.  No rain had fallen for a long, long time.  As a result, the crops were drying up and dying.  If rain didn’t come soon, there would be no food for the people to eat.

Days passed and still no rain.  Finally, Brother Boyer needed to get food for his family.  The food in their home was almost gone.  So he set out on his mule in search of food.  He traveled for several days until he found a sack of rice and a sack of beans that he could buy.  He loaded up the food on his mule and headed back home.

As he arrived in the town, he could see the looks on the people’s faces as they saw him carrying food on his mule.  He had food.  They had none.  Where could they get food they thought to themselves?  They had no money and no crops because there was no rain.  They would starve to death.  Missionary Boyer knew he didn’t have enough food to feed everyone in town.  All he could do was pray.

Missionary Boyer and his family prayed to God for a miracle.  Somehow, some way, God needed to provide food for the starving people of this town.  As they were praying, Missionary Boyer heard God tell him to put the sack of beans and the sack of rice in the window of his home.  He then was to tell the people in the town to come and get what they needed to feed their families.  This would mean that his family would have less to eat, but he knew God had spoken and he wanted to obey God.

The 2 bags of food weren’t enough to feed the whole town, but the missionary trusted God for a miracle.  What would God do?  As the people lined up at the missionary’s house, food was given out to each person.  At the end of the day, the sacks were still full!  Missionary Boyer could hardly believe his eyes.  For hours he had given out rice and beans from the sacks, yet the sacks were still full.

The next day, people started lining up again for more food.  All day long, food was given out to the people.  Yet at the end of the day, the sacks were still full!  This continued day after day and the sack of rice and the sack of beans never emptied.

This continued for over a month until the rains came and the crops started to grow again.  God miraculously provided for His people.  Their lives were spared because God provided food for them to eat.  God showed the people of that town that He was real and that He loved them.  Many people started to believe in Jesus and they began to follow Jesus because of the great miracle that had happened in those days in that town.

In conclusion, in this short 4-verse passage we see that God knows our needs without us asking Him.  We see that He uses our needs to teach us.   And we see that He can provide for our needs in a miraculous way.  And these needs that God meets are not restricted to spiritual needs only.  They are financial, relational, emotional, physical and spiritual.

So, what needs do you have today?  If you have a need He has the supply to meet that need.  It may not be a bottomless bag of beans, but ordinary or extraordinary, God is able to provide miraculously everything that we need.  He can provide all things from the food we eat to the physical touch we need, and especially to the Spiritual strength that we need in order to be able to say, “Because He lives, I can face tomorrow.”

Let’s Pray