A creature that carries meaning
The Fish
The fish swims through some of the Bible's most memorable moments, from the belly of a great sea creature to the nets of Galilee. It became a secret sign among the first Christians and a living lesson about Christ's death, resurrection, and mission.
“For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.”Matthew 12:40
The creature in Scripture
The creature in Scripture. Fish filled the Sea of Galilee, and fishing was a major trade in the region, so the Gospels are full of nets, boats, and catches. The most dramatic fish in the Old Testament is the "great fish" that God prepares to swallow Jonah, in whose belly he stays "three days and three nights" before being cast onto dry land (Jonah 1:17). In the Gospels, Jesus calls fishermen to follow Him, saying, "I will make you fishers of men" (Matthew 4:19). He fills empty nets to breaking with fish (Luke 5:6), feeds thousands with "five loaves, and two fishes" (Matthew 14:17), and tells Peter to find tribute money in a fish's mouth (Matthew 17:27). After His resurrection He stands on the shore, provides a miraculous catch of "an hundred and fifty and three" great fishes, and eats broiled fish with His disciples (John 21:11-13; Luke 24:42-43). Fish were also part of the law's clean and unclean distinctions, those "that have fins and scales" being permitted (Leviticus 11:9). The fish was ordinary food and daily livelihood, which is exactly why Jesus so often used it to teach.
What it comes to mean
What it comes to mean. The fish gathers several meanings, some stated and some drawn out. Jonah's great fish becomes, by Jesus' own interpretation, a sign of death and resurrection: as Jonah was three days and nights in the fish, "so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth" (Matthew 12:40). This meaning the text states plainly. The nets and catches come to signify mission, the gathering of people into God's kingdom, since Jesus makes His followers "fishers of men" (Matthew 4:19). The abundant catches picture God's provision and the fruitfulness that comes at Christ's word. The early church's use of the fish as a hidden emblem, tied to the Greek word for fish read as an acrostic for Jesus Christ, God's Son, Savior, is drawn from tradition rather than stated in Scripture, though it grew from these Gospel scenes. So the fish means resurrection foreshadowed, mission commissioned, and provision given.
How it points to Christ
How it points to Christ. Jesus makes the clearest connection Himself. Challenged for a sign, He points to Jonah: "For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth" (Matthew 12:40). The great fish that held Jonah and then released him alive becomes a picture of the tomb that held Christ and then gave Him up in resurrection. The fishing miracles point to Christ as the Lord of the harvest of souls, who turns fruitless labor into overflowing catches at His command (John 21:6) and who commissions His people to gather others to Him. Even the shared meal of fish on the shore testifies to His bodily resurrection, for the risen Christ "did eat before them" (Luke 24:43). What the early believers scratched as a simple fish on walls and tombs confessed their faith that this Jesus, God's Son and Savior, had truly died and risen. The fish, humble and everyday, kept pointing to the death and life of the Lord.
Questions people ask
What is the sign of Jonah?
When asked for a sign, Jesus pointed to Jonah, who spent "three days and three nights" in the great fish (Jonah 1:17). Jesus said the Son of man would likewise be "three days and three nights in the heart of the earth" (Matthew 12:40), foretelling His death and resurrection.
Why was the fish an early Christian symbol?
The Greek word for fish was read as an acrostic confessing Jesus Christ, God's Son, Savior. Growing from the Gospel fishing scenes, believers used the simple fish sign to identify one another. This tradition is drawn from history rather than stated in Scripture.
What does "fishers of men" mean?
In Matthew 4:19 Jesus tells the fishermen, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." He calls them to leave catching fish and instead gather people into God's kingdom, a picture of the mission He gives His followers.