This week's "Theology Thursday" is occasioned by a recent fishing outing taken by the rookie writer and his expert friend…
The New Testament's well known Sea of Galilee (a.k.a.Lake Kinneret/Lake of Gennesaret) supported several kinds of commercially important fish. One larger kind is now known as the "St. Peter's fish" because tradition links it to Jesus' amazing coin-in-a-fish's-mouth miracle involving that apostle (Matthew 17:24-27).
On two separate occasions Jesus miraculously multiplied a few loaves of bread and a few fish to feed thousands. (See Matthew 14:17ff; Mark 6:38ff; Luke 9:13ff and Matthew 15:34ff; Mark 8:1ff.) The kind of fish involved was probably the Kinneret sardine. This is a small species caught in large quantities to this day. In Jesus' earthly days, it was preserved by salting, drying, or pickling rather than eaten fresh.
At least four of the twelve men Jesus called to be His apostles were fishermen, and Luke (24:41,42) describes as follows the appearance of the resurrected Christ to some of those men: "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."
As with all Scripture, God made fish and the world of fishing a part of the Biblical record for our instruction. Instruction can come in the way of warning, like this one from the lips of the Savior:
"…Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that 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 containers but threw away the bad. So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." (Matthew 13:47-50)
Thankfully there is a Way to be sure you will be found in that great and glorious "container" called Heaven and not thrown into the furnace! Jesus also used the figure of a fishing net at the beginning of His earthly ministry. While walking by the Sea of Galilee, Jesus saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And he said to them, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." (Matthew 4:18,19)
What did Jesus mean? The Gospel is the God's good news to humanity, full of His mercy and grace. It is like a great spiritual net continually being cast out into the vast ocean of the world until that great day of separation. Like a net encloses fish, it irresistibly gets a hold of the hearts of men and women, revealing to them their lost state and convincing them of their need of the redemption which comes through Jesus the Lamb of God.
Since the days of those fishermen brothers, the Gospel has been declaring Jesus' substitutionary death and victorious resurrection on behalf of helpless sinners who can no more earn a right standing with God than a fish can swim on land.
That Gospel proclamation is, "believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved!"