ST. PETER'S FISH

By the Sea of Galilee stands a cafe called St. Peter's Restaurant. The
menu has a delicacy called St. Peter's Fish. I was told that it tastes
excellent. Apparently, this fish is caught in the Sea of Galilee but this is a
strange fish. The fertilized eggs of the fish are held inside her mouth. When
the eggs are hatched, the minnows stay there until they are ready to go into
the water for a quick swim. If danger is evident or they need
nourishment they quickly go back into their mother's mouth. There comes a time when
the mother says enough of that and she literally spews them out of her
mouth since she can't take "the big mouth" stuff anymore.

But having an empty mouth all the time bothers her, so very often, she
will pick up a bottle cap or a coin and keep it in her mouth like a
soother. As a matter of fact, St. Peter's Restaurant states that 1 out of every 3
fish caught today have a bottle cap or coin inside the mouth of the
fish.

Back in Jesus' day, as the Bible records in Matthew 17:24-27, the tax
collectors of the Temple came to Peter and asked if his teacher paid the
temple tax lately. Peter said that Jesus did but to make sure, he went
to Jesus. He was about to speak but Jesus, who knew what was on Peter's
mind already, said, "What do you think, Simon Peter? From whom do the
kings of the earth collect duties and taxes--from their own sons or from
others?" Of course Peter replied, "From others." Jesus said, "Then the
sons are exempt."

I imagine Jesus had to laugh here because that statement had a double
meaning. We are also the sons of the King. But I do not want you to
think that we should not pay our taxes. Jesus did supply the much needed
Temple Tax in a most unusual way. He told Peter to go fishing and yes, Peter
caught St. Peter's Fish. The fish had a four-drachma coin inside it.

Peter must have been overwhelmed. This was twice the amount required
for his temple tax. But then he realized that Jesus wanted Peter to pay
the tax for himself and Jesus.

Friend, God will supply in most unusual ways. You may be depressed at
this time of year because of financial restraints, broken relationships, ill
health or abuse. God will not give you all your material desires, but He
can restore you from within. Just as it took you a while to get into your
predicament, it may take time for you to overcome your circumstances.
God doesn't have quick-fix-it answers. Peter had to go out and catch the
fish. You might not be able to catch St. Peter's Fish but I'm sure that
God will be able to supply since-- as the Bible says-- He owns the cattle
on a 1,000 hills. We can belong to a King who definitely is rich!

A prayer: Jesus, thank you for this story that shows you can supply all
of my needs. I realize that I can't do it on my own and there are so many
obstacles that obstruct my focus. It's like I can't see anymore. I need
you to regain my focus. I know that there is a lot of mess and garbage in my
life so could you please clear it out and make me clean. Then I can
respect myself once more. Let the broken relationships mend, my finances be in
order, my health improve and may I forgive the abuser in my life. I am
sorry for the wrongs that I have committed against You. Set me straight
and give me a new life. In Jesus' name, Amen.