“Jesus Christ, Savior”

Scripture: John 21:3-6, Matthew 13:47-50

The Fish

The sign of the fish has been a part of the Christian faith since the beginning. It was used as an introduction of one Christian to another when they met as strangers on the road. 1 person would scribe one side of the “fish” in the dust of the road, and in response, if the other person was also a Christian, he would scribe the other side, making a fish. The dust would then be quickly spread around, obliterating the sign from the prying eyes of other travelers.

But why a fish? Why not a cross, or some other unmistakable sign? First, the fish wouldn’t be as obvious as a cross, because anonymity, in those early days, was vitally important for the lives of these followers of “The Way”. But also, when the first letters of the Greek words for “Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior” were placed together as one word, it would spell “ichthys”, which is the Greek word for - “fish”, so it was also a testimony for these early believers!

Today, we still see the sign of the Fish on car bumpers and other places of prominence, as a sign that we are looking at a Christian.

Today’s Christian sign is the Fish.

Read John 21:3-6

This, of course, is the time, following Jesus’ resurrection, when the disciples had gone back to the Galilee, waiting for Jesus to come to them again. It had been a turbulent month, first with their struggle over Jesus arrest, trial, scourging, and crucifixion, then the fear of discovery, and the possibility of their own execution at Calvary as the result. Then the joy came with God’s revealing of the resurrected Lord, his appearance in the locked room, and the many other sightings of the Living Jesus. It had been like an emotional roller coaster, and they could only imagine what was going to happen next. But they hadn’t seen him since they left Jerusalem, and the anticipation was beginning to wear on their nerves.

I’ve never been much of a fisherman, even though I did manage to cast a line or two when I was growing up. It takes a certain amount of patience to wait for that nibble on the bait, but once you manage that, the peace that comes greatly outweighs the wait, and when a fish hits your line, the thrill is unlike anything in this life. For these 8 disciples, many of whom had been commercial fishermen, restlessness led them out to the Sea of Galilee for an evening of relaxation and stress relief.

But after an entire night of fishing, there was nothing to show for their efforts. Until, that is, the stranger on the shore told them that they were casting their nets on the wrong side of the boat! It appears that a few feet make a huge difference when it comes to fishing. So if this is true in fishing, imagine what a minor deviation from the truth makes in our faith? Everything that Jesus taught during his three years of ministry was very direct and specific. Consider his parables – stories that related to everyday activities that the people understood very well. They were pointed and specific, like the lost coin (Luke 15:8-10), the weeds (Matthew 13:24-30), the unjust Judge (Luke 18:1-8), the forgiven debts (Luke 7:41-43), and many more. The lessons were poignant, and the truths that each contains can never be discounted as we grow in faith and trust of Jesus. When it comes to our faith, there is no fence sitting, no being good enough, no blending of the Lord’s words with the words that come from our culture. Whether it is being a few feet off in fishing, or only coming close to Jesus, neither one of them will ever suffice.

And when these men listened to Jesus, their catch was so large, that even when all of them pulled, they couldn’t bring the net into the boat. Later in this passage, we read that 153 fish had been caught in one cast! Just as in our walk of faith, when these men listened to Jesus’ direction for their fishing, great things happened, and that night, not only did the Lord show them where to fish, but he fed them a breakfast of fried fish and fresh baked bread.

When we follow the Lord’s guidance for our ministry, we not only discover great victories in our humble efforts, but he nourishes us and feeds us to strengthen us in faith. And that will be enough!

Read Matthew 13:47-50

This is one of those teaching parables that comes to us from Jesus. It is based in an activity that several of the disciples understood very well, but it was never intended to be limited to a worldly perspective only. Every story, every sermon, every encounter that we read of in the gospels is based in human reality, but each also has a spiritual message that must never be overlooked.

This parable, while on the surface is about fishing, is really teaching us what the Church should be about. The net doesn’t care what fish is being trapped within its strands – whether good eating or bad, whether big or small, whether healthy or sick, the net doesn’t care – it gathers them all in and is incapable of discriminating between the desirable fish and the rejects.

The Church, too, must be open to all. When we reach out to others, those who have either been hurt by the Church and have shut the door on faith, or those who, for whatever reason, have never been invited to give Jesus a chance, we don’t get to be selective as to who we share Jesus with. But why?
First, we never know who will discover that the Lord is the best Person that they will ever come to know. Just because we only know them through their lifestyle or reputation, it can never be the reason for us to decide that they will never have a place in Christ! In Matthew 7:1-5, we read that judgment has no place in our lives, and especially not in our ministries.
And second, we don’t get to decide who will eventually reject the ways of Jesus and leave his Church. Our only part in their lives is to give them every reason to stay and learn and accept Jesus as their own Lord and Savior – and not just for this life, but for eternity.

The next lesson that this parable offers us is that even though we are not to judge, there will be a Judgment one day. This Judgment will be at the hand of God Himself, and will not be based in how much good we have done, or how strong we have been in ministry, or how many sermons we have preached, or how many people we have brought into the Lord’s Presence. The only examination that we will be subjected to will be whether we have followed the Lord’s lead for our lives, or not – whether we have accepted him as Lord and Savior, and have been faithful to his teaching, or if we have given our lives over to the world and its ways.

The symbol of the FISH is about each and every one of us. The only difference is that we have the choice to either be saved, or to remain on the outside looking in.
The net is about the Church, except the Church can choose to bring all the fish into the shore, or to let holes develop that let many of them to get away, which will, in and of itself, be a denial of all that Jesus would have us be.
And Jesus is the fisherman. When the Church is faithful, Jesus is the one who keeps it in good repair, and never lets it miss proclaiming hope to all. And when the fish choose to be caught up in the glory and power of Almighty God, Jesus is the one who welcomes them and saves them for the best of all outcomes.

Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior. Where will we be this day? Caught up in Christ, or letting the currents of earth carry us away from him and eternity?