The Jesus Fish
We can all agree on the central symbol of Christian faith, right? It is, of course, the cross, reminding us of Jesus’ substitutionary atonement for the sins of humankind. If someone asks a Christian what faith is all about, she can simply point to the cross.
But wait…What if I told you that the cross was not originally the central Christian symbol? In fact, it wasn’t. For the first few decades after Easter, the cross was too brutal a reminder of Jesus’ death, and it was still primarily associated with the execution of criminals. The physical symbol of the cross didn’t begin to become prevalent in Christian art and symbolism until a century later.
So what was the earliest central symbol of the Christian faith? It turns out it was the ichthys, the “Jesus fish” that we can see on so many car magnets and bumper stickers today. The ichthys was an acronym in Greek, with each letter representing a word. The whole acronym stood for “Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior.”
The simple drawing of the ichthys was made up of two curved lines that met to form the shape of a fish. In a time when it was at least socially unacceptable to follow Jesus and at worst an invitation for the Romans to abuse, Christians used the ichthys as a secret symbol. When two Christians met, one would draw the first line, and the other would complete the fish with the second line, letting both know that they could trust one another in their shared faith. The ruins of St. Peter’s house in Capernaum on the Sea of Galilee, considered by most archaeologists to be authentic, has first-century fish symbols carved into its walls by some of the very first followers of Jesus.
What difference does this make, the cross vs. the fish? A lot. First of all, even when St. Paul and other early Christians do talk about the crucifixion they are not talking about substitutionary atonement, about Jesus as a stand-in for us, taking on God’s wrath for our sin. That theology wasn’t fully developed until a thousand years after Jesus. It’s certainly not in the Gospels. Paul is instead talking about God’s victory in Jesus over death, God’s defeat of the powers that would seek to hinder God’s good purposes and harm God’s children. In other words, the cross was only meaningful when tied to the empty tomb of Easter. If we’re going to keep the cross in the center, let’s at least remember that.
But we should also reclaim the ichthys, not as a pithy bumper sticker, but as a reminder of all those fishing stories of Jesus. Remember Luke 5, when the disciples fish all night but fail to catch anything at all. Then Jesus appears and encourages them. They throw their nets wide, and they gather so many fish the nets almost burst. Remember also the Feeding of the Five Thousand, when, with Jesus, the fish are multiplied and all the hungry are fed.
The associations of the cross and the ichthys couldn’t be more different. The meaning of the ichthys points not to violence, abuse, blood atonement, or despondency but to the ways in which, by the grace of God, all are gathered together in love, and all are nourished. That was the lived experience of the earliest Christians even in most difficult times.
In the difficult times in which we find ourselves, it seems to me this should be in the center of our attention. Though we are physically apart, the net of grace is cast over each one of us, drawing us to God in love and reminding us that we are in this together. God’s grace continues to nourish our souls. Finally, the ichthys reminds us that we are not only fish but fishermen. It is our role, like the disciples, always to cast the net of grace to those in need. So in this season, maybe set the cross just a little to the side and remember the Jesus fish. You’ll be in good company if you do.
Worship Schedule for Sunday, August 23
This Sunday, August 23, our worship services will be live-streamed. Please join us from your home for Holy Eucharist, Rite I, at 11 a.m.; La Santa Eucaristía, Rito II, a la 1:00 p.m.; and The Well, Celtic Eucharist, at 5 p.m. We will not worship in-person this week due to COVID-19 conditions in Houston.
We also encourage parishioners to watch together on Facebook Live, where a Cathedral priest will be available to communicate with you during the service and take prayer requests, or on our website at the links above. Our Sunday formation offerings for kids and adults continue as scheduled with “This is My Story, This is My Song” at 10 a.m. on Zoom, and “Dean’s Hour Matinee” at 2 p.m. on Facebook Live. We will monitor conditions weekly, and as soon as we are able to return to in-person worship, we will do so.
Supporting the Cathedral
Even as we worship from home, the Cathedral is engaged in ministry. Our pastoral care, outreach, worship, and program ministries of the Cathedral carry on, and supporting Cathedral ministries is as important as ever. You can make your offering in any of these ways:
· Visit the Cathedral Give page to find out the many ways you can support our church.
· Make an offering or give in other ways using PayPal.
· Text the word “Give” to 888-998-1634.
Grace and Peace,
The Very Reverend Barkley Thompson, Dean
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