"Surely God Himself will provide," said the other disciple.
Michael was a poor man, and knew not how to prepare the usual feast for himself; for he had shrunk from spending his precious shekel. But here the need was the Lord's; and should he not give to the Master of the very best that he had? How could his precious coin be better bestowed? So in lowly faith and love, the poor artisan gave his all to supply the table of the dear Master. Michael little knew that he was paying for the bread and wine which, at the Last Supper, should be distributed as emblems of His own sacred body and blood by the Lamb about to be slain.
Michael was no loser by his free-will offering of love. All the words which had before been engraven on the shekel were now clearly written in his own heart, as if by the pen of an angel. A thousandfold blessed was the man who had given what he most prized to the Lord.
And even of the fish that had unwittingly helped the Master, the legend says that it had been reserved to be used again in His service. When the disciples were gathered together after the Resurrection of Christ, and their Lord appeared amongst them, the broiled fish which formed part of the repast was that which had borne in its mouth to Peter the wonderful shekel.
"I have been thinking," said I, as Percival concluded, "what kind of moral one could draw from your legend, which one could imagine some monk in the dark ages composing in his cell."
"To me it seems to convey the lesson that a blessing may be gained, even by a surrender of some spiritual privileges for the service of the Lord," said Lady Mar.
"The quiet, peaceful Sabbath evening given up for the Sabbath class in some heated, crowded room; the congenial society of God's people surrendered for that of rude, ignorant unbelievers, either at home or abroad—such sacrifices are well-pleasing in His sight. Few earnest followers of Him who left Heaven and its angels to toil amongst wicked men but know something of what it is to surrender the precious shekel, and gain a thousandfold in exchange."
[CHAPTER IX.]
The Night after the Crucifixion.