Have you ever heard a big fish story? The biggest fish that are ever caught are usually the ones that got away. People will spread out their arms and say, “I caught one this big!” Most of those people exaggerate. But have you heard the story of the fish with a coin in its mouth?

    There are other fish stories in the Bible. Many people made their living then by fishing. On one occasion, Jesus met some fishermen who were washing and mending their nets. At this time, there was a great crowd around Jesus. Jesus got in Simon Peter’s boat and pushed away from the shore a short distance. Peter and others had fished all night and caught no fish. Jesus told them to lower their nets and they caught many fish. They caught so many that their nets began to break.

    There is also the story where Jesus fed five thousand people with two little fish and five loaves of bread. He was able to make the fish and bread multiply to feed all the people and still had some left over.       

    Getting back to the story about the coin in the fish’s mouth, you may say that’s impossible. It’s really true. Peter, the same fisherman mentioned before, was called by Jesus to follow Him. Jesus told Peter, “I will make you fishers of men.” He meant that He wanted Peter to bring others to the saving grace of Jesus Christ. Now Peter was a professional fisherman, but Jesus wanted to teach Peter something far greater than just 16 catching fish. 

    Jesus and his disciples had come to a place called Capernaum. The men that received the temple taxes came to Peter and asked if Jesus had paid His taxes. These taxes were due each year by every Jew. Peter told them “yes.” Jesus explained to Peter that since He was the Lord of the temple, He was not required to pay taxes, nor was Peter. Since Jesus did not want to offend anyone, he agreed to pay the taxes.

    Sometimes we have to go that extra mile to not offend someone. These men already didn’t like Jesus. Jesus didn’t want to give them any reason at all not to believe in Him. We need to learn to pick our battles. Jesus could have argued with these tax collectors and said that He did not have to pay the taxes and He would not pay them. Jesus didn’t do that. He wanted to go about this in a peaceable way. He wanted them to realize who He was -- the Son of God.

    Jesus told Peter to go to the Sea of Galilee and when he gets there to cast a hook (with a fishing rod) and take up the first fish that comes up and when it comes up, open its mouth and take out a coin to pay the taxes. I wonder what Peter thought when Jesus told him that. Who has ever heard of a fish being caught to pay your taxes? The taxes for each person was one-half shekel. The coin was one shekel which was enough to pay the taxes for Jesus and for Peter.

    How great Jesus is. He knows just what we need and knows how to get it to us; He knows where all the secret treasures are; He knows how to supply all of our needs; and He knows the treasures that we have inside of us just waiting to come out. Jesus knows everything about us!!!