The use of fish in the Bible to represent mankind is common. In Mark 1:17 / Matt 4:19 we read, “And Jesus said to them, Follow me and I will make you become fishers of men.” In Matthew 13:47-50 we read of Jesus talking to His disciples in a house after having addressed thousands by the Sea of Galilee: “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net which was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind; when it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into vessels but threw away the bad. So it will be at the close of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous, and throw them into the furnace of fire; there men will weep and gnash their teeth.”
The sign of the fish was the standard symbol for Christians, “Jesus Christ, Son of God, Saviour” Have you seen this sign before. I am sure you have. It is not a modern promotional gimmick. It has been around for centuries. How many of you have a fish bumper sticker on your car, or a sticker somewhere – on your Bible? Well, you have a sticker that has the symbol for the fish and in it is written the Greek word Ichthus. Ichthus is the Greek word for fish. It was used as a symbol of the Christian. In the second and third centuries it was a secret sign for Christians. When they saw the fish sign it meant there were Christians there. And those letters are the first letters of “Jesus Christ, Son of God, Saviour”. It is like a Mnemonic and behind it is this symbolism. It is being used through out Christendom today.
They were told to fish on the right side. There is symbolism in all of this. Right is the side of power and authority in God.
Not only is the large catch of 153 fish significant, so is the fact that the net didn’t break. John makes it a point to explain that the net didn’t break. “So Simon Peter went aboard and dragged the net to the shore. There were 153 large fish, and yet the net hadn’t torn.” John 21:11
Add to that John’s theme seen in the following verses.
And this is the will of God, that I should not lose even one of all those He has given Me, but that I should raise them up at the last day.
John 6:39
During My time here, I protected them by the power of the name You gave Me. I guarded them so that not one was lost, except the one headed for destruction, as the Scriptures foretold.
John 17:12
He did this to fulfil His own statement: “I did not lose a single one of those You have given Me.”
John 18:9
“None were lost” except Judas. It is an important theme of John’s and therefore brings the fact that the net did not break into significance. In this case it is important that the net didn’t break to fit the theme of “none being lost.”
Continuing story next Gem . . .
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Your vision is only as powerful as your commitment to pursuing it!
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