"Fishers Of Men"

     This Christian fish symbol has an interesting history. It originated back in the 1st century A.D. when Christians were persecuted (and sometimes put to death) for publicly professing their faith in Jesus Christ. Believers would often times have to meet together secretly for worship and prayer, and would use the fish symbol, outside the door, as a sign for other believers to know where they were meeting.

This symbol is also known as the ichthys symbol, this means fish in Greek. The letters in the above symbol are an acrostic (meaning: a poem, word puzzle, or other composition in which certain letters in each line form a word or words), which stands for Jesus - Christ -  God's - Son - Savior. 

"And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. And He saith unto them, Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men. And they straightway left their nets, and followed Him."  Matthew 4:18-20  

1)   "for they were fishers":  These two brothers were simple fishermen, yet the Lord Jesus called them, and greatly used them in His gospel ministry. This is especially encouraging to me. Jesus could have called the wisest, the richest, the most highly educated, but He chose to call these two fishermen to be a part of His gospel ministry! "Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant (unschooled, ordinary) men, they marveled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus."  Acts 4:13.

        "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.":  Jesus still calls them fishermen, only now, He elevates this title to a far higher, more noble position. He is asking them to lay aside their fishing nets, and to start spreading the net of the gospel (or good news). 

3)     "And they straightway left their nets, and followed him." Jesus doesn't call all of us to serve Him the same way, some He does ask to go into full time service for Him, but for others, He wants us to serve Him right where we are. The important point in this, we must be obedient to His calling, whatever it might be, to be willing to "straightway leave our nets and follow Him".

"How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of him that brings good tidings, that publishes peace; that brings good tidings of good, that publishes salvation..."  Isaiah 52:7

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