Daily Bible Lesson.
THE HIDDEN POWER OF SALT IN THE BIBLE: WHY GOD USED SALT SO OFTEN

Have you ever wondered why salt appears over and over again in the Bible?

It was never just a seasoning.

From Genesis to the New Testament, salt carried deep spiritual meaning. It represented purity, preservation, faithfulness, covenant, wisdom, and even judgment.

Let's explore what God was teaching through salt.

1. ELISHA USED SALT TO HEAL THE WATERS OF JERICHO

2 Kings 2:19–22

After Elijah was taken to heaven, Elisha arrived in Jericho.

The people said:

«"The city is pleasant, but the water is bad and the land is unproductive."»

God instructed Elisha:

«"Bring me a new bowl, and put salt in it."»

Elisha threw the salt into the spring and declared:

«"Thus says the LORD, 'I have healed these waters; from now on neither death nor miscarriage shall come from them.'" (2 Kings 2:21)»

Immediately the waters became pure.

Notice something important.

The miracle was not in the salt.

The salt was simply an act of obedience through which God demonstrated His power.

Spiritual meaning:

God can cleanse what sin has poisoned.

He can restore what seemed permanently ruined.

When God speaks, even bitter waters become life-giving.

2. EVERY GRAIN OFFERING HAD TO INCLUDE SALT

Leviticus 2:13

God commanded Israel:

«"Season all your grain offerings with salt. Do not leave the salt of the covenant of your God out of your grain offerings; add salt to all your offerings."»

Why?

Because salt preserves.

It resists corruption.

It symbolized that Israel's worship should never become spiritually corrupt.

Spiritual meaning:

God desires worship that remains pure, faithful, and sincere.

Our devotion should not spoil with compromise.

3. GOD ESTABLISHED A "COVENANT OF SALT"

Numbers 18:19

God told Aaron:

«"It is a covenant of salt forever before the LORD."»

Again in:

2 Chronicles 13:5

God declared that He gave David the kingdom by a covenant of salt forever.

In the ancient world, salt was valuable and enduring.

A covenant sealed with salt symbolized permanence, loyalty, and faithfulness.

Spiritual meaning:

God does not abandon His promises.

What He establishes, He is faithful to keep.

4. JESUS CALLED BELIEVERS "THE SALT OF THE EARTH"

Matthew 5:13

Jesus said:

«"You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again?"»

Salt preserves food from decay.

Likewise, believers are called to preserve truth in a corrupt world.

We are meant to influence the world—not be influenced by it.

Spiritual meaning:

Christians should slow the spread of moral decay by living holy lives, speaking truth, and reflecting Christ's character.

5. JESUS SAID TO HAVE SALT IN YOURSELVES

Mark 9:50

Jesus taught:

«"Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness... Have salt among yourselves, and be at peace with one another."»

This points to inward spiritual character.

Spiritual meaning:

God desires hearts marked by wisdom, humility, holiness, and peace.

6. PAUL COMPARED OUR WORDS TO SALT

Colossians 4:6

Paul wrote:

«"Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt."»

Our words should preserve life, bring wisdom, and point people toward Christ.

Instead of spreading bitterness, believers should speak words that heal, encourage, and build others up.

7. SALT WAS ALSO A SIGN OF JUDGMENT

The Bible also uses salt to represent desolation when people reject God.

After the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah:

Genesis 19:26

Lot's wife looked back in disobedience and became a pillar of salt.

Her story stands as a warning against longing for the sinful life God has called us to leave behind.

Later, Scripture describes lands under God's judgment as barren and covered with salt.

Deuteronomy 29:23

Judges 9:45

These passages show that the same symbol could represent either blessing or judgment, depending on humanity's response to God.

WHAT DOES SALT REPRESENT IN THE BIBLE?

Salt symbolizes:

• Purity

• Preservation

• Faithfulness

• God's everlasting covenant

• Holiness

• Wisdom

• Gracious speech

• Healing through God's power

• A warning against corruption and disobedience

THE GREATEST LESSON

Salt itself has no supernatural power.

The Bible never teaches that salt possesses mystical or magical abilities.

Whenever God used salt, it was because He chose it as a symbol or as part of an act of obedience.

The power was always God's—not the salt.

Today, God still heals bitter lives.

He restores broken families.

He renews weary hearts.

He preserves those who remain faithful to Him.

The same God who healed the waters of Jericho is still able to transform what seems impossible.

August 15, 2026 (day 227/365)
SATURDAY

GOD'S WORD FOR THE DAY

“Set Apart for God”

Leviticus 12:7

“He shall offer them before the Lord to make atonement for her, and then she will be ceremonially clean from her flow of blood. “ ‘These are the regulations for the woman who gives birth to a boy or a girl.”

This is the Word of God. Leviticus 12 describes the purification process after childbirth and reminds Israel that approaching God was to be taken seriously. The required offering also shows God's provision for restoration and renewed fellowship.

For us, it points to the importance of recognizing our need for God's cleansing and grace. We do not approach Him because of our own perfection, but because He graciously provides a way for us to draw near.

May God help us value His holiness, depend on His grace, and live each day set apart for Him. Amen.

Have a blessed day with the Lord.

-- Pastor Emmanuel Serto

THE TRUTH ABOUT THE RAPTURE

WANTING TO BE TEACHERS, BUT NEED TO BE TAUGHT.

Hebrews 5 : 12-14

[12] For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.

Many so-called preachers call themselves teachers, but have need of to be taught God's Word.They need the milk of the Gospel to understand God. Because they have not been taught God's Word to understand the Gospel from the perspective of God's Word.

[13] For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.

Those so-called preachers can only give you The Gospel (Milk) because they do not know God's Word. They are unskilled in what God has said.You are listening to baby talk.

[14] But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

Strong meat is the whole counsel of God's Word and the ability to teach it!

Only those who have learned the whole counsel of God's Word have the skills to speak with certainty of what is right and what is wrong

When it comes to The Rapture this is the case. Those who are babes want to keep everyone in fear. Teaching that the Lord can come anytime and sound a trumpet.

This is not the truth of God's Word.

1 Thessalonians 4 : 15-17

[15] For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.

[16] For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:

[17] Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

This is The Rapture, it is the day when The Lord Jesus Christ will come for His Church. It is a day that cannot happen any day. This day has a set time to occur. A set day already determined by God's Word.

This is the difference between milk and meat of God's Word.

On this day, it does not say trumpet sounding. It says, with The Trump of God, The Lord will descend with a shout. It will probably sound like thunder this shout. It does not say with a sound of a trumpet.

The Trump of God refers to a certain day.

Leviticus 23 : 23-24

[23] And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

[24] Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall ye have a sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, an holy convocation.

In God's Word this is the day of The Feast of Trumpets. A Holy Day God commanded The Israelites to keep every year.

In Leviticus 23, God lists His Feast Days. The word Feasts in Hebrew can also be translated as Set Times. The Lord's Set Times.

The Lord's Set Times are these: Passover, Unleavened Bread, First Fruits, Pentecost, Trumpets, Atonement, and Tabernacles.

Each of these Set Times was a certain day to be fulfilled by THE LORD HIMSELF.

The first four were fulfilled by THE LORD HIMSELF in one year, 33 AD on their specific day that year.

These Set days were types of what The Lord was to do in the redemption of mankind. Salvation is the work of THE LORD only.

When THE LORD JESUS CHRIST comes for His Church it will be on this day, the day of The Feast of Trumpets. To fulfill the type in the Old Testament. This is why Paul says, with The Trump of God. He is coming on this day some year to fulfill this type or shadow that He said back in the Old Testament just like the ones He fulfilled in 33 AD

The Feast of Trumpets is the next on the list to be fulfilled. Whatever day that is this year look for Him then. If He does not come, then we have a whole year to wait for Him to come and fulfill that day next year.

Do not let these so-called preachers and teachers keep you in fear that The Lord can come at any time, they just want to keep you in fear and their control.

Who The Son sets free is free indeed.

Live your life and watch for The Lord's return because we that are awake and are not walking in darkness know the time of His Coming.

This is the meat of God's Word concerning The Rapture.

By the way, the Feast of Trumpets is September 11, 2026, also known as Rosh Hashanah.

The Pure in Heart Shall See God

As we study the teaching of the Kingdom of Heaven given by our King, Jesus Christ, we are learning the kingdom principles He taught His disciples on the Sermon on the Mount. Matthew records these teachings as masterpieces. They help us understand what Jesus teaches and why He calls followers to live differently.

Jesus begins the Beatitudes by declaring, “Blessed are the poor in spirit,” followed by those who mourn, the meek, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, and the merciful. Now He teaches, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” (Matthew 5:8). These blessings reveal the character God desires in His people.

God is holy and just, and He calls His children to holiness according to His standard, not the world’s. Yet, in ourselves, we cannot achieve holiness. Because of our sin, we need God’s grace. Through the cross, Jesus took our punishment and opened the way for reconciliation with God. His blood cleanses us from sin, and the Holy Spirit leads us toward a sanctified life.

As 1 John 1:7 reminds us, when we walk in the light, the blood of Jesus cleanses us from sin. Scripture declares, “You shall be holy, for I am holy” (Leviticus 11:45). Therefore, purity of heart is not merely outward religion but inward transformation.

As children of God, let us pursue holiness, love God, love people, and walk faithfully in His light. May our lives reflect His holiness so that, by His grace, we may see God.

. THEY LOVE THEIR PORK
THE PIG IS SPEAKING TO YOU


1. I eat my own offspring if it is weak and diseased.

2. I eat my own feces.

3. I will eat the corpse of a dead human, dog, rats, you name it.

4. I am a garbage disposal on four legs.

5. I have one of the poorest digestive systems known to man.

6. I have no sweat glands (like the Camel) and so I maintain every drop of toxic poison in my flesh, and it is passed on to you.

7. I eat poisonous snakes and they bite me but cannot hurt me as their venom goes straight to my fat cells.

8. I am raised in a cage in modern processing plants which stresses me out and makes me crazy.

9. I chew on the bars of my cages until my face is a bloody mess.

10. I hope you know the parasites and worms in my flesh are so strong that it's nearly impossible to kill all of them while cooking me to eat.

11. I have next to nothing left in the way of nourishment for you by the time you're done cooking me to "recommended temperature." You might as well eat the sole of your shoe.

12. I find it hard to believe that you are unaware that 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄/YaHWaH our Creator never intended for me to be food (meat) for you, and HE informed you of that in the 11th chapter of LEVITICUS, and the 14th chapter of DEUTERONOMY.


THE PIG HAS STOPPED SPEAKING

UNDERSTANDING CLEAN VS UNCLEAN

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https://m.youtube.com/watch?t=28s&v=eDX6TgwC-84



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Peter’s Vision & God’s Dietary Laws: How Could the Churches Get This So Wrong?

There's a teaching in Christianity that totally contradicts what scripture itself says. It is more than just taking it out of context. They teach that when a sheet full of all kinds of animals came down from heaven and a voice told Peter to kill and eat, the ancient dietary laws were thrown out right then and there. According to the Church, the line between clean and unclean animals was erased, making all meat ok to eat. This is taught so much that people don't even question it. But Peter himself tells exactly what the vision meant, and his answer has nothing to do with food.

Long before Peter ever goes up on that roof to pray, it starts back in Caesarea with a man named Cornelius. Acts 10:1-2 introduces him as a Roman centurion, a devout man who feared God with his whole house, gave generously to the needy, and prayed to God all the time. The entire chapter is deliberately set up around this Gentile from the very first verse. This tells us the vision Peter has a little later wasn't random. Heaven is already moving to reconnect two worlds, and the focus is already on a non-Jewish believer.

While Cornelius's men were on the way, Peter went up on the housetop to pray around the sixth hour, and while they were preparing the meal, he became hungry and wanted to eat. Falling into a trance, he sees a great sheet come down filled with all kinds of four-footed animals, crawling things, and birds. In Acts 10:14, when the voice tells him to rise, kill, and eat, Peter refuses, saying, "Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean." Even with hunger pressing on him and a voice from heaven speaking directly to him three times, the man who is supposedly getting permission to eat whatever he wants still refuses to touch what God called unclean. If the dietary laws were being thrown out, this was the perfect moment for him to give in, but he treats the levitical dietary instructions as binding and never gives in.

After the vision Peter was confused about what it meant. He couldn't figure it out. But when the men sent by Cornelius show up at the gate, the Spirit speaks to Peter, telling him to go down and go with them without hesitating, because God sent them. The arrival of these Gentile visitors matches the timing of the vision on purpose. The Spirit intentionally links the unclean animals in the sheet with the "unclean" Gentiles standing at the gate.

When Peter gets to Cornelius's house, he finally explains the true meaning of the vision in his own words. Talking to the crowd gathered there in Acts 10:28, Peter said to them, "You yourselves know how it is an unlawful thing for a man who is a Jew to join himself or come to one of another nation, but God has shown me that I should not call any man unholy or unclean." This ties the whole account together. Peter doesn't say God showed him it's okay to eat pork and shellfish; he says straight out that God showed him not to call any human being unclean. Peter doesn't stop there. He keeps going in 34-35, saying, "Truly I perceive that God doesn't show favoritism; but in every nation he who fears him and works righteousness is acceptable to him." This is Peter telling us in his own words what the vision was about. It wasn't about animals being acceptable to eat.

It was about people from every nation being acceptable to God. It is worth noting what kind of law Peter is talking about. When he calls it unlawful for a Jew to associate with a foreigner, he is not referring to anything written in the Torah. Nowhere in the Law of God did He ever forbid His people from entering the home of a Gentile or sharing a meal with one. This was a man-made tradition built up over centuries, an extra-biblical command. So the wall the vision tears down was never a wall God put up in the first place.

This explanation is reiterated in the very next chapter. When Peter goes back to Jerusalem in 11:1-3, the circumcision party confronts him, wanting to know why he went to uncircumcised men and ate with them. Peter responds by telling the whole story of the vision from start to finish, landing on the same conclusion. When the believers in Jerusalem hear this in 11:18, they glorify God, realizing that God has also granted the Gentiles repentance.

Two times the vision is explained in the text, and both times the conclusion is strictly about including the Gentiles. On top of that, the Jerusalem believers don't raise a single question or objection about food, proving they understood the matter was about fellowship with people as well.

Looking closely at the story makes it clear what the vision did and didn't change. It changed who Peter could walk into a house with, sit next to, and share a meal with, breaking down centuries of unbiblical man-made tradition. It did not change what YHVH defined as food in Leviticus 11. Years after this happened, the book of Acts still shows the believers keeping the Torah.

The foundation of clean and unclean animals goes back before the covenant at Sinai. We see this in Genesis 7:2 when God tells Noah, "You shall take seven pairs of every clean animal with you, the male and his female. Of the animals that are not clean, take two, the male and his female." Notice that no explanation is given to Noah at all. God speaks of clean and unclean animals as something Noah already understood, generations before Sinai and long before Israel existed as a nation. People often try to claim this difference was only for sacrificial purposes, but the text never states that.

Jesus says in Matthew 5:18, "For faithfully I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not even one smallest letter or one tiny pen stroke shall in any way pass away from the Law, until all things are accomplished." As far as I can tell, heaven and earth are still here.

This is one of those things that honestly blows me away, how and why can Christians continue to defiantly and blindly say that the text means something other than what it plainly says?

Ultimately, the vision given to Peter was not a cancellation of God's instructions, but a powerful confirmation of His inclusive truth for all people

Need to know.
THE TEN COMMANDMENTS: GOD'S STANDARD OF JUDGMENT FROM GENESIS TO REVELATION.

"And God spake all these words, saying..." (Exodus 20:1, KJV)

Many people claim that God's law has been abolished. Yet from Genesis to Revelation, God judges sin according to the very principles found in the Ten Commandments. Before Sinai, people were already held accountable because God's moral law reflected His holy character (Romans 2:14–15).

The Bible is clear:

«"Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil." — Ecclesiastes 8:11 (KJV)»

God's judgment may not always come immediately, but no sin goes unnoticed, and no sin will ultimately go unpunished unless it is repented of and forgiven through Christ (Acts 17:30–31; Romans 6:23).

1. "Thou shalt have no other gods before me." (Exodus 20:3)

God has always judged idolatry.

Israel worshiped the golden calf (Exodus 32:1–35). About 3,000 people died, and the Lord sent a plague upon the people.

King Solomon turned to other gods (1 Kings 11:1–13). God declared that the kingdom would be torn from his son.

Nebuchadnezzar exalted himself and set up a golden image for worship (Daniel 3). God humbled his kingdom, and later, because of his pride, he lived like a beast until he acknowledged the Most High (Daniel 4:28–37).

Lesson: God alone deserves worship.

2. "Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image." (Exodus 20:4–6)

God condemns image worship.

The golden calf brought immediate judgment (Exodus 32).

Jeroboam's golden calves led Israel into sin, bringing God's judgment upon his house (1 Kings 12:26–33; 1 Kings 13:33–34; 1 Kings 14:7–16).

Lesson: Worship belongs to the Creator, not created things.

3. "Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain." (Exodus 20:7)

God holds His name sacred.

A man blasphemed God's name and was put to death by God's command (Leviticus 24:10–16, 23).

Hophni and Phinehas, the sons of Eli, treated God's worship with contempt and dishonored His name through their wickedness. God judged them, and both died on the same day (1 Samuel 2:12–17, 22–25, 34; 1 Samuel 4:11).

Lesson: God's name must never be treated lightly.

4. "Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy." (Exodus 20:8–11)

God blesses obedience and judges deliberate rebellion.

A man gathering sticks on the Sabbath was judged according to God's command and stoned (Numbers 15:32–36).

God warned Israel that Sabbath-breaking would bring national judgment (Jeremiah 17:21–27).

The Babylonian captivity came in part because Israel neglected God's Sabbaths (2 Chronicles 36:20–21).

Lesson: The Sabbath is holy because God made it holy.

5. "Honour thy father and thy mother." (Exodus 20:12)

God blesses honor and judges rebellion.

Absalom rebelled against his father David and died tragically (2 Samuel 15–18).

Children mocked Elisha, saying, "Go up, thou bald head." Two she-bears came out of the woods, and forty-two youths were mauled (2 Kings 2:23–24).

Lesson: God expects respect for parents and those He has appointed.

6. "Thou shalt not kill." (Exodus 20:13)

God judges murder.

Cain murdered Abel, and God cursed him and drove him from the ground (Genesis 4:8–12).

David arranged Uriah's death. Though forgiven, he suffered severe consequences in his household (2 Samuel 11–12).

Lesson: Human life is sacred because it bears God's image.

7. "Thou shalt not commit adultery." (Exodus 20:14)

God judges sexual immorality.

David committed adultery with Bathsheba, and the child died. The sword never departed from David's house (2 Samuel 11–12).

Judah and Tamar (Genesis 38). Judah acknowledged, "She hath been more righteous than I." His sin was exposed publicly. Scripture records the shame of his actions, though it does not say he was judged for "ten generations."

Lesson: Sin may be forgiven, but it often carries painful consequences.

8. "Thou shalt not steal." (Exodus 20:15)

God judges theft.

Achan stole what God had devoted to destruction. Israel was defeated at Ai, and Achan and his household were judged (Joshua 7:1–26).

Gehazi deceitfully took gifts from Naaman and was struck with leprosy (2 Kings 5:20–27).

Lesson: Nothing can be hidden from God.

9. "Thou shalt not bear false witness." (Exodus 20:16)

God judges lying.

Ananias and Sapphira lied to the Holy Spirit and died immediately (Acts 5:1–11).

Jezebel arranged false witnesses against Naboth, bringing God's judgment upon her and Ahab's house (1 Kings 21).

Lesson: God is a God of truth.

10. "Thou shalt not covet." (Exodus 20:17)

Coveting leads to destruction.

Ahab coveted Naboth's vineyard, resulting in murder and God's judgment (1 Kings 21).

Judas Iscariot's love of money led him to betray Christ and perish (Matthew 26:14–16; Acts 1:18–20).

Lesson: Coveting begins in the heart but produces deadly fruit.

The Ten Commandments in the Final Judgment

The Bible ends where it began: God's law remains His standard of righteousness.

Romans 2:12–16 — God will judge the secrets of men.

James 2:10–12 — We shall be judged by the "law of liberty."

Ecclesiastes 12:13–14 — "Fear God, and keep his commandments... For God shall bring every work into judgment."

Revelation 20:12–13 — The dead are judged according to their works.

Revelation 22:14 (KJV) — "Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life..."

Conclusion

From Genesis to Revelation, God has never treated sin lightly. Every violation of His holy law brings guilt, and every act is recorded in heaven. Some judgments come immediately, while others are reserved for the final judgment. Yet God's mercy is available to all who repent and believe in Jesus Christ.

The cross did not abolish God's law—it revealed how holy it is. Christ died because the penalty of sin is death (Romans 6:23). Through Him we receive forgiveness, and through His grace He writes His law in our hearts (Hebrews 8:10).

"Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil." — Ecclesiastes 8:11

Do not mistake God's patience for approval. His mercy invites repentance, but His judgment is certain. Therefore, let us fear God, trust in Christ, and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man (Ecclesiastes 12:13–14).

Amazing Love

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Matthew 17:24-27

Now that the transfiguration is over and Peter is sufficiently humbled by speaking where silence would do nicely Jesus and his apostles reach Capernaum. And of course, the Jewish leaders there are looking for any reason to trap Jesus they could find so they lean on the temple tax.

Understand this, through God's law and precepts the temple was cared for. The priests had an income, the instruments were created hundreds of years earlier. This was an annual tax, it was called an offering, but it is spelled out in Exodus 30.

Exodus 30:12-16
[12] “When you take a census of the sons of Israel to count them, then each one of them shall give a ransom for himself to the Lord, when you count them, so that there will be no plague among them when you count them. [13] This is what everyone who is counted shall give: half a shekel according to the shekel of the sanctuary (the shekel is twenty gerahs), half a shekel as a contribution to the Lord. [14] Everyone who is counted, from twenty years old and over, shall give the contribution to the Lord. [15] The rich shall not pay more, and the poor shall not pay less, than the half shekel, when you give the contribution to the Lord to make atonement for yourselves. [16] And you shall take the atonement money from the sons of Israel and give it for the service of the tent of meeting, so that it may be a memorial for the sons of Israel before the Lord, to make atonement for yourselves.”

The leaders continually fail in challenging Jesus’ teaching so they are left with nitpicking on matters of the law. And Moses was given detailed instructions on matters of law. Here it is 2 drachma, in Exodus it was half a shekel, in truth, it was an offering equivalent of two days of wages once annually for every male over the age of 20. It is an offering and is also called a ‘ransom’ for the people.

So before anyone tells you that God does not care about what we give Him regularly think back on this. God specified a set amount (2 days wages annually) in addition to tithes and offerings in Leviticus. (10% of revenue of everything else.) If you believe that God cared this much in the Old Testament about how much and how often His people gave money and all of a sudden in the New Testament He's changed His mind, there may be a flaw in your thinking.

Despite the excuses we make, God expects regular giving from Christians. A tithe of 10% is bare minimum, and does not cover our offerings over and above that. But offerings are still expected. And this ‘tax’ was actually an offering that was taken from what was earned.

Jesus illustrates this by telling Peter to go fish. You see, by now, Jesus and the apostles were sustaining themselves solely with the offerings the early believers gave. And since Jesus told Peter to pay for himself and Jesus with what he pulls from the water. The reason that Jesus didn't tell Peter that he should wait until he has enough to pay for all 13 men, is likely because the apostles, with the exception of Peter, could have all been under the age of 20. Note the Jewish leaders were not questioning the apostles giving the temple tax, just Jesus.

So they ask Peter, so does your rabbi pay the temple tax? Peter's immediate answer is, “YES HE DOES!” Then Peter comes to Jesus kinda like the confident 5 year old checking on the accuracy of statements he’s already made. And Peter doesn't even get the question out because as soon as Peter enters, Jesus knows what he was going to ask.

And Jesus gives Peter the lesson going back to Jesus’ identity as divine. Jesus clearly asserts that he is not obligated to pay because he's the Son, not a stranger. However, He doesn't want to offend someone with such a trivial matter. So He arranges to pay.

It's at this point that my ADD/ADHD brain starts annoying me. And I have to ask myself a question, the answer to which doesn't make a bit of difference to the story at all. And that question is this, did Jesus know somehow that there was currently a fish swimming around with the exact amount required to pay for Him and Peter? Or did He cause the coin to miraculously appear in the fish the moment Peter caught it? Is God intimately aware of all things all animals have swallowed ever at any time or is this a specific miracle to this fish and this fisherman?

How it got there doesn't matter. But I'd still like to know.
Wouldn't you?



[24] Now when they came to Capernaum, those who collected the two-drachma tax came to Peter and said, “Does your teacher not pay the two-drachma tax?” [25] He *said, “Yes.” And when he came into the house, Jesus spoke to him first, saying, “What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth collect customs or poll-tax, from their sons or from strangers?” [26] When Peter said, “From strangers,” Jesus said to him, “Then the sons are exempt. [27] However, so that we do not offend them, go to the sea and throw in a hook, and take the first fish that comes up; and when you open its mouth, you will find a stater. Take that and give it to them for you and Me.”