And He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of people.”… “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that was cast into the sea and gathered fish of every kind.” [Matthew 4:19, 13:47 (NASB)]
Fish play a prominent role in Scripture, especially in the New Testament. Jesus preached from a fishing boat, the first disciples were fishermen, and Jesus called them to be fishers of men. It was at His instruction that Peter found tax money in the mouth of a fish and the disciples netted two miraculous catches of fish. Jesus multiplied a few fish and loaves into food enough to feed thousands not once but twice! He compared the Kingdom of Heaven to a fishing net and, after His resurrection, Jesus even ate fish twice with the disciples. The frequent mention of fish in the New Testament, however, doesn’t fully explain how the fish symbol (ixthus/icthus) came to be one of the most recognized symbols of Christianity today.
Shortly after Jesus’ resurrection, the Roman senate declared that following Christ to be an “illegal superstition.” But, because Christianity was viewed as an inconsequential sect and a passing trend, its prohibition wasn’t fully enforced. After Rome burned in 64 AD, however, Christ’s followers were mercilessly persecuted throughout the empire. Depending on the emperor, for the next 250 years, they either were barely tolerated or viciously persecuted! Fearing mass arrests, trials, and brutal executions, Christians lived in fear and didn’t worship openly. The fish symbol, consisting of two interwoven crescent moons, became a secret way they could identify other believers and meeting places.
Aside from its tie-in with Scripture, why the fish? The fish symbol had been used by Greeks, Romans, and other pagans to represent fertility long before Christ, so it wouldn’t attract undue attention (as would a cross or a loaf and cup). The innocuous fish painted or etched on the outside of a house let other Christians know they would be safe and welcome inside. The walls of the ancient catacombs in Rome are filled with images of fish painted or carved there by Christians hiding from persecution. The ixthus also has been found on ancient seals, jewelry, urns, and tombs.
The fish symbol also may have been a way to distinguish friends from foes. According to an ancient story passed down through the centuries, when Christians met a stranger, they would draw an arc in the dirt with their feet. If the stranger completed the fish with a second arc, they knew they were in the company of another believer. If there was no response, the arc was easily erased by stepping on it.
The fish also symbolized the early Christian creed. The Greek word for fish is ichthys (ΙΧΘΥΣ) and when early Christians turned its letters (iota, chi, theta, upsilon, and sigma) into an acrostic, it became Iesous Christos Theou Yios Soter, which translates as a confession of faith with the words “Jesus Christ, God’s Son, Savior.”
It wasn’t until 313 AD, when Constantine legalized Christianity and promoted religious tolerance, that Christians could worship openly and no longer needed a secret symbol to identify themselves or their places of worship. Nevertheless, we see the ixthus on everything from pendants, earrings, and Christmas ornaments to car emblems, lapel pins, and key rings. Jesus’ harsh words about those who practiced their “righteousness” before men when God wasn’t in their hearts tell me that He’s no more impressed by an ixthus on our business cards or tee shirts than He was by the show of extra-wide prayer boxes, extra-long tassels, and extra-loud public prayers of 1st century Judah.
Following Christ is a great deal more than sporting an ixthus on a car bumper or having it tattooed on an arm. Jesus’ concern is our inward experience of the Holy Spirit’s presence and power rather than any outward shows of religion. Before displaying an ixthus or any other Christian symbol, we better know the risen Jesus Christ, obey Him as the Son of God, and trust Him as our Savior. Otherwise, we’re nothing more than “whitewashed tombs”—looking good on the outside but dead on the inside!
It is not the being seen of men that is wrong, but doing these things for the purpose of being seen of men. The problem with the hypocrite is his motivation. He does not want to be holy; he only wants to seem to be holy. He is more concerned with his reputation for righteousness than about actually becoming righteous. The approbation of men matters more to him than the approval of God. [Augustine]
Devotions of the Heart 