He did it to give Peter a simple sign to encourage and reassure him.Īs he did for Peter, Jesus will give us signs occasionally to reassure us and to remind us that we belong to him. Imagine how Peter must have felt when he pulled that coin from the mouth of the fish-especially given all the recent drama he had experienced! Jesus hadn’t performed this miracle to keep the authorities happy they had no idea where the money had come from. Yes, there would be missteps, as when, just a couple of days prior, God himself had to correct Peter for wanting to build a monument to Jesus’ transfiguration (Matthew 17:4-5).Īnd yes, there would be times when Peter would get things spectacularly wrong, as when he tried to keep Jesus from the cross (Matthew 16:21-23).īut through it all, one thing would never change: Peter was still a citizen of the kingdom of heaven. Yes, there would be challenges, like the one Peter had just experienced with the tax collectors. Jesus was giving Peter an illustration of what a life of discipleship meant: We can read today’s Gospel as a simple story about a fish miraculously dispensing a coin, but this wasn’t a magic trick. He then arranged for a little miracle so that Peter could pay the tax-for both of them. He was “exempt” from the tax (Matthew 17:26). Some officials had demanded to know whether Jesus had paid the annual Temple tax-as if Peter had any idea! Probably surprised by the question, Peter answered with a brief yes and continued on his way (Matthew 17:25).Ĭlearly, though, Peter had no idea, because when he returned home, Jesus used a parable to tell him that no, he hadn’t paid. Not a subscriber? Subscribe for only $12 (Save $4). Subscribers: Please log in to view the Mass readings. DAILY MASS READINGS AVAILABLE WITH A SUBSCRIPTIONĪccess daily Mass readings, meditations and articles, as well as special resources, by becoming a subscriber or logging in.
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