A CO N T INUOU S
Science and the Bible b y B o lton D avidh eiser Chairman, S cience Division Biola College (
MIRACLES
T h e r e is a r e a l and basic conflict between Scripture and science as understood by scientists. This is so because the Bible assumes belief in God and in the supernatural acts of God, while in practice the scientists oppose the possibility of miracles. The influence of science and the scientific method is so strong that every mira cle in the Bible has been “ explained” as no miracle at all. A number of commentators agree that the most difficult miracle with which to deal is that of the coin in the fish’s mouth.* Some allege that the Lord merely quoted a proverb to teach Peter that he should supply their needs by fishing. Others believe that the Lord intended Peter to catch a fish by hook and line and to ob tain the tribute money by selling it. Although the amount of the tax is not stated in the King James version, it is stated in the Greek, and the amount for two persons was equiva lent to the wages of a Roman soldier for four days. This much money could not be raised by selling one fish. One commentator mentions that a cod fish caught in modem times had a watch in its stomach, apparently im plying that for Peter to find a coin in the fish’s mouth should seem to him, and to us, unusual but nothing more! Many people completely miss the significance of the miracle because they think it was a Roman tax that is mentioned, and they believe that the incident teaches that we should pay our taxes. However, it was not a Roman tax at all, but a tribute paid to the Temple by every male Jew above 20 years of age. In the original Greek one reads that “ they who re ceived [the] didrachma came to Pet er.” This amount ■was equivalent to a half shekel. It was established by the command of God to Moses and recorded in Exodus 30:11-16. Even the Emperor aided the Jews of the Roman Empire to convey this tribute money to Jerusalem. But even though most commenta tors know that this was a tribute to the Temple, many of them still fail
to understand the significance of this passage. Some allege that it teaches that the early Christians were free of obligation to pay the Temple tax, which the Emperor required paid to the temple of Jupiter after the des truction of the Temple at Jerusalem. Many say that Christ and the disci ples should not have been expected to pay. Peter told the tribute collectors that the Lord would pay. The Lord asked him, “Of whom do the kings of the earth take tribute, of their own children or of strangers?” Short ly before this Peter had acknowledged to the Lord, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Thus Pet er should have known better than to expect Jesus to pay tribute to the Temple of God. Furthermore, this tribute was a redemption for the soul, and no one but the only-begotten Son of God could claim exemption on that ground. During the periods of time that the Jews were a subject people they were not permitted to coin silver, and therefore there were no shekels or half shekels available. For this rea son it was customary for two men to pay their tribute together with one stater, a coin equivalent to a shekel. Thus'the Lord told Peter he would find a stater in the mouth of the first fish he would catch. The half shekel tribute was a tok en of the price paid by our Lord on the cross for the redemption of souls. The rich were to pay no more and the poor no less, for all souls are of equal value in the sight of God. The Lord paid the tribute, though He had no need to do so, and He also paid for Peter as representative of those who acknowledge Him as the Son of God. He paid the death penalty for sin, for which the half shekel was a type, although He alone was ex empt from it. He did it for us and for all who will acknowledge Him as the only-begotten Son of God and accept His atoning death in place of the penalty they deserve. ‘ Matthew 17:24-27.
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FEBRUARY, 1963
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