A “Normal” Miracle

Tuesday, March 31, 2020  Some material taken from Miracles Over Nature by Sam Nobles
But so we won’t offend them, go to the sea, cast in a fishhook, and take the first fish that you catch. When you open its mouth, you’ll find a coin. Take it and give it to them for me and you.  Matthew 17:27 CSB

A “Normal” Miracle
The miracles of Jesus can be put into three primary categories: miracles of healing, miracles over nature, and miracles of casting out demons. However, the greatest miracle of Jesus was His resurrection from the dead. From now through Easter, we will take a look at the different kinds of miracles that Jesus performed and how they make a difference in our lives today

This past Sunday Sam Nobles preached a message on one of the miracles over nature (a miracle performed over natural things) that Jesus performed.  Miracles over nature usually involved human ability to participate and a command for the people involved to use whatever means they had.  Nothing was provided for these miracles to take place.  These were supernatural miracles performed by a supernatural God through normal people and everyday things.

This particular miracle takes place in Capernaum where Jesus spent time at the home of Peter. It seems there may have been many there that day.  Maybe they were there because Jesus was in town and they wanted to visit with him.  Jesus was inside and Peter was outside when a tax collector came by and asked Peter if Jesus paid the temple tax?  The temple tax was two days wages that were paid toward the upkeep of the temple.  Peter immediately responded with “yes”, possibly not really sure if that was the correct answer.  When he went inside, Jesus asked Peter where kings get tariffs or taxes from – their sons or strangers?  Peter answered strangers because Kings do not tax their children.  Jesus is the Son of God, so should the Son of the King of Kings have to pay earthly taxes?  In order to make a point that He is the Son of God, and He is the temple, he performed a unique miracle.

Jesus told Peter to go fishing - He says to the fisherman, “Go fishing”.  This is an example of how miracles over nature involved human ability to participate and the use of whatever means they had. Peter went fishing and he found the money to pay the tax in the fish’s mouth.  Jesus didn’t really have to pay the tax; He knew that to not pay the tax would cause a problem and would be a stumbling block by offending His fellow Jews.  Christ’s omniscience and power were displayed because He knew there was fish nearby that had the exact amount of money needed in its mouth, and He caused that fish to bite Peter’s lure.  God used something that was a very ordinary part of Peter’s life to do something extraordinary.

Like Peter, probably the last place we would look for a miracle would be in the things we do every day, the monotonous, humdrum, routine things of our lives.  But this is so often where the miracles are, and where we are most likely to miss them.  God uses our normal to perform His supernatural.  We usually want a miracle in the form of something that is not currently a part of our life.  We ask God for big things and there is nothing wrong with asking God for miracles.  But we need to be aware of the miracles that are happening right before our eyes that we may not recognize.  God chooses to primarily work and move through the natural actions of human vessels on this earth. As man does his natural part, God does the supernatural.  The natural always precedes the supernatural; therefore, in your praying and seeking God to do something supernatural in your life, the supernatural will be found in doing what you naturally do.

The Lord is capable of meeting all our needs, just as He provided the money for the temple tax.  He may not always provide for us supernaturally, but perhaps He does more in our lives supernaturally than we realize.