Gettin’ Fishy with Jesus?
Jesus created everything (John 1:1-3) (Colossians 1:16) in the beginning of creation including the Fish.
In the beginning of the bible in the book of Genesis chapter one verse
twenty, fish are the first creatures to be mentioned to appear and are
the only species not taken into the ark. (Genesis 1:20) Then
God said, “Let the waters abound with an abundance of living creatures,
and let birds fly above the earth across the face of the firmament of
the heavens.”
A Fishy Town and Fishermen
Jesus
gets a little more fishy. And, most importantly, Jesus choose fishermen
for the monumental job of spreading his word and building his church. (Luke 5:1-11)
The Sea of Galilee is also know as the Sea of Tiberias, the Lake of Gennesaret and (in Hebrew) Lake Chinnereth or Kinneret.
This “heart shaped” freshwater
sea is located in the northern hills of Israel. The Sea of Galilee is
mainly fed by the Jordan River. It is also drained by it since the lake
serves as Israel’s chief water reservoir. It is and was the hub of
commerce in the lands. Jesus made the fishing town of Capernaum the
center of his ministry in Galilee. Jesus used the lake, its boats, its
shores, its men, and its fish to spread his Gospel of Good News.
This is where Jesus…..
Calmed the storm (Mark 4:35-41)
Walked on the water (Matthew 14:22-33)
Fed the multitudes bread and fish twice (Matthew 14:13-20) (Matthew 15:32-39)
Taught The Parable of the Sower (Mark 4:1-9)
Told the disciples to cast out their nets (John 21:6) (Luke 5:1-22)
Call Four Fishermen to be His Disciples (Luke 5:1-11)
Has fish for Breakfast with the disciples after His resurrection (John 21:1-14)
And………………Well we could keep going and going. The point is that Jesus did some very fishy things in and about The Sea of Galilee.
Some Fishy Money
There
are about 27 species of fish in the lake, the best-known is nicknamed
St Peter’s Fish. This species (Sarotherodon galilaeus galilaeus) belongs
to the genus Tilapia. Its Arabic name of musht which means ‘comb’
refers to its comb-like tail.
This
nickname comes from the Gospel passage in which Temple tax collectors
ask Peter whether Jesus pays the Temple tax. When Peter goes home Jesus
already knows what is on his mind and tells him to he needs to go
fishing. Jesus tells him to go to the lake and cast a hook, take the
first fish, open its mouth, take the four-drachma coin he finds in the
fishes mouth and go pay the two-drachma temple tax for them both.
Paying the Temple Tax (Matthew 17:24-27) When
they had come to Capernaum, those who received the temple tax came to
Peter and said, “Does your Teacher not pay the temple tax?”
He said, “Yes.”
And
when he had come into the house, Jesus anticipated him, saying, “What
do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth take customs or
taxes, from their sons or from strangers?”
Peter said to Him, “From strangers.”
Jesus
said to him, “Then the sons are free. Nevertheless, lest we offend
them, go to the sea, cast in a hook, and take the fish that comes up
first. And when you have opened its mouth, you will find a piece of
money; take that and give it to them for Me and you.”
Take Note: Jesus immediately practices what He is preaching when he says to to Peter, “Then the sons are free.” as
Lord and King He provides for His child. Peter’s tax is paid free!
Jesus provides for us his children. This also shows us proof that the
ruling sect of Sadducee and Pharisee who impose the Temple Tax do not
recognize Jesus as the Son of God.
A Fishy Aquatic Chicken?
There
is a peculiar breeding habit of this species of Tilapia (musht) being,
that it is a mouthbrooder. The female holds her eggs in her mouth for
three weeks until they hatch; the baby fry swim back into her mouth when
danger threatens. When this danger comes and in a time of panic the
fish is also known to pick up small stones, bottle tops and other
objects in its mouth. When the fry are mature enough to be on their own
the parent fish takes and stores pebbles into her mouth so that ‘home’ isn’t so comfortable anymore.
It
is real easy to see that Jesus could use this fish’s mouth as a coin
purse if He wants to. Just as Jesus is also capable of providing
provisions for His children (Christians).
The
Tilapia is also know as an aquatic chicken. Just as chicken is fair in
flavor, cost effective, and neutral to most environmental opinions.
Tilapia is very mild flavored fish and is the number one table fare for
export the world over. Several coins have been reportedly found in the
mouths of Tilapia during the course of the commercial fishing industry.
Some Fishy Resurrection Appearances
Jesus
eats Fish with His disciples after His resurrection. Once to have
fellowship at the seashore and another time to show them that His body
is a real resurrected and redeemed body.
If
you truly love the taste of fish you can eat it morning noon or night.
Hey who said it has to only be steak and eggs for breakfast anyway? For
me it is nice to know that I will break bread and eat fish with Jesus in
a redeemed body. My kind of Heaven! Do you think Jesus will take us
fishing on The Sea of Galilee to get our main course?
Early morning breakfast meal. (John 21:9-13) Then,
as soon as they had come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and
fish laid on it, and bread. Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish
which you have just caught.” Simon Peter went up and dragged the net to
land, full of large fish, one hundred and fifty-three; and although
there were so many, the net was not broken. Jesus said to them, “Come
and eat breakfast.” Yet none of the disciples dared ask Him, “Who are
You?”—knowing that it was the Lord. Jesus then came and took the bread
and gave it to them, and likewise the fish.
Late evening meal. (Luke 24:40-43) When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet. But while they still did not believe for joy, and marveled, He said to them, “Have you any food here?” So they gave Him a piece of a broiled fish and some honeycomb. And He took it and ate in their presence.
Jesus left a fishy legacy
Nero Claudius Caesar was
born in December of 37 A.D. at Antium and reigned as the fifth emperor
(Princeps) of Rome, from 54-68 A.D. Nero took the throne approximately
two decades after Christ was crucified.
Christianity
was still in its infancy and Jesus Christ’s Crucifixion was still fresh
on everyone’s mind. However, Christianity was spreading rapidly during
this time. Approximately fourteen of the New Testament’s twenty seven
books were written in whole or in part during Nero’s emperor-ship.
Nero was the “Caesar” to whom Paul appealed for justice during his trial in Jerusalem (Acts 25:10-12)
In
fact, during Nero’s reign the apostle Paul was confined to house arrest
in Rome (A.D. 60-63) This is when and where he wrote Ephesians,
Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon in a his rental house. (Acts 28:16-30)
In
64 A.D. a devastating fire swept through Rome destroying everything in
its path burning nearly half of Rome. Everyone thought that Nero had
started the fire so that he could rebuild a more beautiful city,
including his Golden House.
Roman
historian Suetonius makes the accounted recording that Nero sang and
played the lyre while Rome burned. As a result of a rumor Nero felt that
everyone had turned against him. Nero found himself a scapegoat to bare
the blame for the fire, the Christians. He persecuted Christians
severely and had many of them burned alive or torn apart by wild beasts.
It is believed that the apostles Paul and Peter were martyred during
this persecution.
The symbol of a fish was used by persecuted Christians as a code for Christ in order to avoid arrest and execution by Roman authorities.
According
to ancient tradition, when a Christian met a stranger in the road, the
Christian sometimes drew one arc of the simple fish outline in the dirt.
If the stranger drew the other arc which intersected the others to
complete the symbol of a fish, both believers knew they were in the
company of a follower of Jesus.
Ichthys (also Ichthus or Ikhthus /ˈɪkθəs/[1]), from the Koine Greek word for fish: ἰχθύς,
(capitalized ΙΧΘΥΣ or ΙΧΘΥϹ) is a symbol consisting of two intersecting
arcs, the ends of the right side extending beyond the meeting point so
as to resemble the profile of a fish, used by early Christians as a
secret Christian symbol known the “Jesus fish.”
Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς Θεοῦ Υἱὸς Σωτήρ pronounced Iēsoûs Khristòs Theoû Hyiòs Sōtḗr
“Jesus Christ, Son of God, Saviour.” As an acronym: ΙΧΘΥΣ (Ichthys) — “fish”.
Satan’s Fishy Perversion
An enormous perversion of the Christian fish symbol comes from Satan’s successful attempts to twist the Christian believers use of the fish into a pagan ‘No No’. Likening it to an adaptation of a pagan symbol into a Christian symbol. The fact that Christians used this symbol or any others such as a cross is merely coincidental not intentional. There is no rule of thumb that states that a fish is an evil creature, creation, or symbol.
The fish was created as a nutritious and clean food for Mankind. Jesus used and ate fish as integral part of His ministry. It is Satan that has brought about the perversions and deceptions to undermine Jesus and the whole Christian movement. (Leviticus 11:9) ‘These you may eat of all that are in the water: whatever in the water has fins and scales, whether in the seas or in the rivers—that you may eat.’
Satan used the fish worldwide as a perverted religious symbol associated with the pagan “Great Mother Goddess.” Meant to represent the outline of her vulva. It is linked to the Age of Pisces and also has associations with the Hindu deity Vishnu.
The fish is most commonly associated with Dagon the fish-god of the Pagan sects of Philistines. The name Dagon is derived from the Hebrew term dâg which means fish. There have also been discoveries of the fish-god in sculptures found in Nineveh Assyria.
However,
Dagon has undergone several adaptations and perversions by Satan. Dagon
originally started off as a vegetation, grain and wheat, deity. The
name is very similar to the Hebrew word for “grain”, dāgān. This creates
an interesting irony in the Samson narratives, the bible tells us
Samson was forced to grind grains for the Philistines. (Judges 16:21) Then
the Philistines took him and put out his eyes, and brought him down to
Gaza. They bound him with bronze fetters, and he became a grinder in the
prison.
Something’s Fishy in the End
Jesus
taught several things in the form of parables which are simple stories
used to illustrate a moral or spiritual lesson. These stories were told
in a manner appropriate for ease of comprehension by all, no matter ones
education or age.
Jesus taught the Parable of the Dragnet
so that we could understand the consequences coming due to the great
perversions committed by Satan and believed by man. There is a time
coming when these sins receive judgment which will come to fruition.
Just
as there are mixed opinions about the fish and the fish symbols, namely
to the points of pagan and Christian uses. The whole world is mixed in
its opinions of God and gods, Heaven and Hell, and what is truly good or
bad. Satan has perverted mankind’s opinion of what is good and evil to
the point that the very things that are abominations to God are now
acceptable behaviors. (Proverbs 6:16-19)
The Parable of the Dragnet (Matthew 13:47-50)
“Again,
the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that was cast into the sea and
gathered some of every kind, which, when it was full, they drew to
shore; and they sat down and gathered the good into vessels, but threw
the bad away. So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come
forth, separate the wicked from among the just, and cast them into the
furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.”
This
parable is just like when the disciples went fishing and cast their
large dragnets which drew everything after it, suffering nothing to
escape. These nets did not discriminate as to which of the 27 species of
fish swimming in the waters were captured. All kinds of fish were
gathered the clean and unclean together. They were then separated out
into baskets or vessels according to the good and bad.
Jesus
is teaching that the final judgment will reveal those who are truly
Christians and saved. In the mortal visible Church there are many false
disciples. There are in our Churches both wicked men along with the
righteous good, sitting in its pews and standing in its pulpits
preaching the gospel. In the final judgment there will be a separation
between the two.
Our
Fruits often reveal both true and false disciples. We know the there
are some who seem to be genuine today that may not persevere to the end.
We also know that there are some who will become believers that may not
have heard the gospel yet.
Until
the final day, Jesus will continue fishing for and with sinners to seek
and save the lost. He is allowing the wicked and righteous to grow and
build churches together. In the end the final harvest of the saints will
separate us into Gods Kingdom. The wicked and false disciple sinners
will be cast into the lake of fire. (Matthew 13:30) Let
both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will
say to the reapers, “First gather together the tares and bind them in
bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.”’
