Pure Refreshment 2.04 -> Peter and the Fish

18 March 2007

Why do I like to read the Bible? What's in it that I can use? Is it some book that's full of nothing but ancient history (not that that's bad)? How can it be 'living and active' while being older than anyone I know?

Two reasons come to mind. One is that, quite simply, it contains the words of true life inside. The other involves my imagination.

Before you go "Huh?," allow me to explain what I mean by that. Some scenes allow my imagination to run free with information that is alluded to. In this case, there is the ability to jump into a world like ours but so unlike ours, discovering timeless truth, then bringing it to modern day and making some use out of what I've learned.

It's kind of like jumping into a time machine, setting the dials to whatever year the story takes place in, and pressing the go button.

Sometimes a whole story transfixes my mind. Sometimes it's a simple verse. Sometimes just a word or phrase.

I'll give you an example of what I'm talking about. There's a story found in Matthew's account of Jesus' life that is not discussed too often but has incredible significance in how we are to live our lives. It's also a fantastic example of faith in action, though it's not readily seen.

So let's step into the time machine and take a trip to the land of Israel around 0 BC.

Jesus and his band of twelve were in the town of Capernaum, about sixty or so miles north of Jerusalem. While there, a group of individuals came up to Peter and asked if Jesus paid the temple tax. This tax was a yearly requirement for anyone over the age of twenty and was used to help keep the temple in good condition. (At least it's a comfort to know that we're not the only ones who have had to pay taxes.) Peter replied that Jesus did pay the tax, though it seems that he didn't really know what he was talking about.

When he gets back to the house where they're staying, Jesus doesn't let Peter start the conversation. Instead, he asks him a rather interesting question: "Peter, what do you think? Do kings collect taxes from their sons, or from everyone else in their kingdom?"

Peter naturally chooses the correct answer: kings tax everyone in the kingdom except their sons.

Jesus hears this and says, "You're right. That means the sons don't have to pay taxes." Since God is king and creator of the universe, Jesus, as his son, is technically exempt from paying by this single virtue.

But then Christ says something that causes me to think, reflect, and imagine:

"But so that we may not offend them, 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 17:26-27 (NIV)

He's saying, "I don't have to do this, but I'm going to do it anyway." Think about that for a second: Jesus would rather do what isn't truly required than allow others to think less of him.

"Oh, and by the way, I'm not going to physically pay the tax. Peter, you are. Here's how: Grab a two-drachma coin from Judas Iscariot, who's in charge of the money bag. Then take that to the collectors and pay the tax for me."

But that's not what he said.

There would be some teaching that accompanied the paying of the tax. It involved a rather interesting series of instructions for Peter.

What he actually said was, "Peter, you're going fishing."

Fishing? For men?

No, for fish. Head over to the lake and throw out your line. When you catch your first fish, open its mouth and you'll find a four-drachma coin inside.

Fishing? A coin? In the first fish's mouth?

Then take that coin and go pay for my tax. . .

Okay-----

. . . and yours.

What? My tax? They were only asking for your tax! They didn't ask me to pay! What's going on here?

Peter now had a choice to make. He could consider the whole series of instructions to be unimportant since they made no sense to his human mind. Besides, Jesus didn't really have to pay the taxes based on being God's son. Or he could throw off all rational behavior, grab his line, and head for the lake (in this case, the Sea of Galilee) to catch the one fish that had a four-drachma coin in its mouth.

This is where Matthew's account of the story ends; nothing more is mentioned about it in the Bible. At this point, we can just imagine what happened. I'm sure there would be some similar elements to most people's thinking, even though we don't know what Peter ultimately did. We could guess with high probability that he did some fishing that day, caught a fish with a coin in its mouth, and paid the temple tax for two—for the king's son and himself. Yet I wonder . . .

• What was Peter thinking about as he walked out to the lake?
• What was he thinking about when he cast out the line?
• What were his thoughts when he held the fish in his hands for the first time?
• Did he hesitate in opening the fish's mouth, fearing that Jesus was wrong and there was no coin there?
• What if the coin was some other coin worth less (or more) than the four drachmas Jesus said?
• What was Peter thinking about as he returned to the tax collectors and paid the taxes?

Take some time to think about the answers to these questions.

Right now.

You don't have to jump in the time machine and return to 2007 just yet.

Stories like this one are, to me, definitive proof that the Bible is a 'living' book and can change the world by transforming the lives of those who read it.

The story of Peter and the fish is an incredible display of faith, power, majesty, and even commissioning, if you'd like to think about it that way.

I'm sure God did some refreshing in Peter's life that day. And I pray that he would do the same in yours. As he does, may you in turn refresh others.

"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me."
--Jesus, John 14:1 (NIV)

"God Himself paints Himself in the depths of our souls."
--Brother Lawrence

Pure Refreshment 2.03 -> The Seasons of Life

23 February 2007

From my desk perched on the second floor of our residence, I can look out at the single tree in our front yard. At this moment, it stands elegantly despite having surrendered its leaves a few months ago. Soon it will be dressed in the colors of springtime, as large green leaves sprout from its numerous branches and will remain that way through the dry, hot summer months—when drops of rain are incredibly scarce. Then, as the temperatures begin to fall, the leaves will take on vivid hues of yellow, orange, red, and brown. Winter will then approach and send the leaves cascading to the ground, leaving just the tree, bereft of anything but the quiet gracefulness it currently exudes.

The four seasons of the year allow the tree to put on a constant display of the greatness of God in addition to a gentle reminder about life. Similarly, we experience periods of time in life (seasons) where God has the opportunity to exhibit his plans for us. An often-quoted verse in the book of Jeremiah reveals the heart of God regarding this topic. It says, "'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future'" (Jeremiah 29:11 [NIV]).

Certain seasons of life are easy to determine, such as our childhood, our teenage years, and our adult life. However, these broad classifications hide additional seasons where God shares distinctive lessons to us in a real and meaningful way. Sometimes we may not realize that we are going through a season while in the midst of it, but only later on. At other times, we understand clearly (even if we cannot articulate it to others) what God is doing. In those cases, we need to follow the instructions he is giving us despite what others think or say.

A quick look though the Bible offers numerous examples of its characters going through the seasons of life. I present two (and recommend taking a look at the others for yourself):

Esther was a young woman suddenly elevated to the role of queen at a precarious time in the history of Israel. When her cousin Mordecai learned of a plot to exterminate the Jews, he sent Esther a message: you've got to speak up and do something about this. If not, our people will die—and you as well. He concludes by saying, "Who knows? Maybe you were made queen for such a time as this" (Esther 4:14 [Message]). After this, Esther begins to act, knowing that her actions would ultimately decide the fate of her people. Happily, the plot was exposed and the offenders were dispatched of quickly.

In the case of the apostle Paul, he wasn't exactly the person you'd want to meet in public if you claimed Jesus as Forgiver and Leader—at first. In fact, the early seasons of his life found him harassing, persecuting, and making life miserable for the early followers (see Acts 8:3-4). He was heading to Damascus to continue his campaign against Jesus, when he was confronted by Jesus himself! As a result of this encounter, he became a follower himself and began "preaching the faith he once tried to destroy" (Galatians 1:23 [NIV]). Before he began to tell others about Jesus, he went away for a period of time to Arabia—likely to be prepared by God for the tasks he was going to be doing (see Galatians 1:15-17). I'm quite thankful that he experienced each of these seasons of life, as they helped to bring countless numbers of people to a firsthand relationship with Christ himself.

But what about today? What do the seasons of our lives look like? In my case, the seasons of my life have been quite memorable, sometimes for reasons I'm ashamed to admit.

There was the 'season of relationship' where I was so enamored with a particular individual at my college that I lost sight of God's plans for who my wife was supposed to be. It took an infamous Valentine's Day talk with a friend for God to help me realize my error (I never did date the girl). I still fought the relationship question for two more years—until the month before graduation. That night, I gave up and told God, "If I'm supposed to remain single, then you've got a reason for this. I don't understand, but I'm going to trust you on this one." One week later, I went on my first date ever—with the woman that would become my wife.

There was the 'season of disorder,' caused by a seemingly odd event—a 70,000 pound crane barreling into the side of my car just yards from the hotel I was going to stay at while on the way to grad school. For the next two years, very little seemed to go as I planned, with even less making logical sense. Sadly, this season ended with me not learning the lessons upon the conclusion of my time in Illinois. It was a year later, as I stood looking out at the skyline of San Francisco, that God helped me to understand what was going on and begin reforming my life into what he intended it to be.

Finally, there was the 'season of recovery,' due in part to living in an area where we simply could not make ends meet each month. In this case, God provided a way for us to move to a new town, where we could get rid of debt while starting to save for the future and our daughter. As a result, our family has grown closer together, while my wife and I have rediscovered the passions for serving others that God had for us all along. We're not sure what the future holds, but it's an indescribable difference between worrying about things and simply trusting that someone bigger than yourself has things under control.

I'm sure you've had similar experiences and seasons in your life. I pray that you would take time this week to think about the journey of life you've been on so far. What has God been trying to tell you? What have you learned (or are learning) as a result?

And wherever you are in the seasons of your life, may God refresh you, that you in turn may refresh others.

"We humans keep brainstorming options and plans, but God's purpose prevails."
--Proverbs 19:21 (Message)

"All happenings, great and small, are parables whereby God speaks. The art of life is to get the message."
--Malcolm Muggeridge