Fish

Fish were an important food for the Jewish people. Hooks, nets, and spears were used to catch fish. Fish are mentioned in many parts of the Bible. One of the plagues against Egypt was the killing of all fish in the Nile River. Jonah was swallowed by a great fish. And at least seven of Jesus’s disciples were fishermen. After He was resurrected, Jesus appeared to His disciples while they were fishing.

The fish is also used as a symbol. When it was illegal to worship Jesus, Christians in the Roman Empire used secret codes to announce meeting places. One of those secret codes was the Greek word for fish: ICHTHUS. The letters of that word in Greek were also the first letters of the words “Jesus, Messiah, God, Son, Savior.”