Money in a fish's mouth

Isaiah 45:3 “I will give you the treasures of darkness, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the Lord, the God of Israel, who summons you by name.

Isaiah 60:5 " Then you will look and be radiant, your heart will throb and swell with joy; the wealth on the seas will be brought to you....."


When I was young we used to play
We looked for treasures on the way
We checked for change in old pay phones
But now I’m older and my faith has grown

You’ve heard the story of Apostle Peter?
Before he became a great church leader.
His problem? Taxes as the story goes ...
In a fish mouth he found some gold

I've often wondered when hearing this
From that point on, did he check each fish?
Just like I checked those old pay phones?
‘Cause Peter’s faith must have grown

I found it once,It can be done!
Growing faith is the best income.
So try to hear all our Lord might say.
Look for treasures hidden in each day.

cjb


I wrote this poem and then recently read the following:

FACTS ABOUT THE BIBLE – BY JOHN LEHTI
MONEY IN A FISH’S MOUTH!

Aramaic, the language which Jesus spoke, is still used in parts of Syria today in its original form with the same idiomatic phrases and slang.
One old expression is “you can find a shekel in the mouth of a fish.” Meaning: If you catch a good fish you can always sell it easily at the market.......
.......When Jesus was in Capernaum and the Roman tax-collector asked for the head tax everyone paid to Rome (two silver coins, worth a shekel), Jesus told Peter, who was a fisherman, to go- catch a fish which would have a piece of money in it’s mouth (Matt.17:27) Many authorities are agreed he was using the slang of the day- in other words, to catch a fish good enough to sell on the market for a shekel and thus pay their tax. During the 1st century A.D., when the Greeks were translating the Gospels into their own language, they had no understanding of the true meaning of these Aramaic expressions and so the story came out as though Peter actually caught a fish swimming around with a piece of money in its mouth- which doesn’t mean Jesus COULDN’T work a miracle in this case, for he raised the dead and healed many who were blind and lame, but it is interesting to note he never performed miracles for his own comfort and benefit!


I found this article interesting. I don’t like when people explain away the miracles of God but this one is different for me. I like the fact that he says, “it doesn’t mean Jesus couldn’t work a miracle in this case.”
This explanation makes sense to me especially after learning another language and a different culture’s slang. Since Peter was a fisherman that makes sense too. I think Jesus was practical as well as miraculous!
What do you think?