Matthew 7:10

Wednesday, 5 February 2025

 

Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? Matthew 7:10

 

“And if fish he may ask, not serpent he will give him?” (CG).

 

In the previous verse, Jesus questioned His disciples, asking what man would give his son a stone when he had asked for bread. He now repeats the sentiment to emphasize His words, saying, “And if fish he may ask, not serpent he will give him?”

 

Both creatures are introduced into the New Testament. The first is the ichthus (or ichthys), fish. For several of the disciples, this would be a personal example because they were fishermen in the Sea of Galilee. The second is the ophis, snake. It is derived from optanomai, to appear or gaze. The connection is the idea of sharpness of vision.

 

The snake is used not only to describe the creature but also sly or cunning people, such as in Matthew 23:33, and of the devil (Satan) as in 2 Corinthians 11:3 and elsewhere.

 

The thought Jesus presents is similar to the first because, depending on the fish, it can somewhat resemble a snake. It would be a close but mocking response to the request. Further, a snake is unclean according to the Mosaic law. Therefore, if this is all he had to eat, it would cause the son to purposefully violate the dietary prescriptions found in Leviticus 11:42 –

 

“Whatever crawls on its belly, whatever goes on all fours, or whatever has many feet among all creeping things that creep on the earth—these you shall not eat, for they are an abomination.”

 

Life application: The word translated as fish, ichthus (ichthys), eventually became the symbol of Christianity. Today, the “Jesus fish” is seen on the back of cars and other conspicuous places as displayed by Christians.

 

The fish had a prominent role in Jesus’ ministry because He had called some of His disciples out of their boats as they fished, asking them to follow Him. He used fish in the multiplication of food when feeding the five thousand and then the four thousand. In fact, the two things Jesus uses in His example in Matthew 7, loaves of bread and fish, are the two things He used in the feeding of these masses.

 

Jesus also used the fish to teach Peter a lesson concerning who He is in Matthew 17:27. His miracles, where an abundance of fish was gathered in the nets of the disciples, are taken as a metaphor for the abundance of souls that would be saved through Him. It is because of these things that the fish took on the symbol of Christianity.

 

But along with that, the word ichthys, was turned into an acrostic to refer to Jesus –

 

Ἰησοῦς Χριστός, Θεοῦ Υἱός, Σωτήρ (Iēsous Christos, Theou Yios, Sōtēr), which translates into English as “Jesus Christ, God’s Son, Saviour.”

 

Hence, this is the reason why there are often Greek letters inside of the ichthus fish on the back of cars and elsewhere.

 

Unfortunately, variations of the Jesus Fish, such as the Darwin Fish, have arisen in modern times to mock Christianity. Despite this, displaying the Jesus Fish is something we can do to let the world know that we are Christians.

 

Lastly, the Roman Catholic tradition of not eating meat (Catholics 14 and older) on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, as well as Fridays during lent, and other Fridays, and instead eating only fish, is nonsense. It is unscriptural and has nothing to do with faith in Jesus Christ –

 

“One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind. 6 He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord; and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it. He who eats, eats to the Lord, for he gives God thanks; and he who does not eat, to the Lord he does not eat, and gives God thanks.” Romans 14:5, 6

 

We are so grateful to You, O God, for the freedom we have in Jesus. We are not bound to the Law of Moses, and we are not subject to the inane doctrines of aberrant sects and denominations that refuse to accept the grace and freedoms revealed in Your word. Thank You that through Christ Jesus we can live for You and worship You in spirit and truth. Amen.