what is the meaning of 153 fish in the bible

Joh 21:4 But when the morning was now come, Jesus stood on the shore: but the disciples knew not that it was Jesus. These similarities suggest the significance of the number 153 is to be found in the roles men will have in the judgement process. [3]. Likewise, if the man blind from birth was not the sixth sign, the symbolism fades. counted among the sons of God]. He certainly could not make you believe that the miraculous catch was 153 thousand fishes. With that background we can see the 153 fish. The current disciples have already been fed by Jesus and have received the Spirit of Truth. God told Abraham in a vision, just as the sun was setting to begin Nisan 15 on the Hebrew calendar, that his descendants would end up as slaves in a foreign country (Egypt). It simply means if you consciously fish you can catch all types of fishes. Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he girt [his] fisher’s coat [unto him], (for he was naked,) and did cast himself into the sea. Since these were "large fish" (John 21:11), Jesus and His disciples didn't eat all of them. "Large quantities of ink have gone into explaining why there should be 153 fish. The 36th of the series. God’s message in his word is clear. For the present discussion, I want to address how we view certain numbers when they show up in the text. No reason to follow rabbit trails to Wonderland. Specifically John notes the fish remained in the net and were dragged to shore, not put into boats. This is unlikely to be accidental. They did not walk in my statutes but rejected my rules, by which, if a person does them, he shall live; and my Sabbaths they greatly profaned. Craig R. Koester, Symbolism in the Fourth Gospel, Augsburg Fortress, 1995, p. 264 Certainly, the number 153 is interesting mathematically, as are a bunch of other numbers. He finishes the reconciliation with the dialog with Peter. 6,8,13,14,15,17). This is likely because the pastor gives his particular take on the meaning of the catch, and they want to see if it’s true. For 38-years the house of Israel did not walk in His statutes and they greatly profaned His Sabbaths. This means he not only selected the specific sign, he chose the number (seven), and determined their arrangement. The ichthus isn’t really two half circles, but two arcs. John recognizes the voice now. This leaves a remainder of 13, a number which can be connected to both the disciples and judgement: Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, in the new world, when the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. The first one he was heard, the second he was seen (examined his scars), and the third one he walked with Peter down the beach. (5:2-3,5 ESV). 8 On that day living waters shall flow out from Jerusalem, half of them to the eastern sea and half of them to the western sea. This time they did not. (20:30-31 ESV). The catch in John has been constructed with parallels to the Kingdom of Heaven parable; in particular it is men who drew the full net ashore where the fish are counted. Would you consider adding more details? That would have been not only miraculous, but beyond believable. *Two* miraculous catches of fish in John 21 and significance? At the purely historical level, it is unsurprising that someone counted them, either as part of dividing them up amongst the fishermen in preparation for sale, or because one of the men was so dumbfounded by the size of the catch that he said something like this: ‘Can you believe it? Eating is a metaphor for learning. The other six disciples could not pull in the catch of fish, but Peter did it single-handedly. Hi Ken, welcome to the site. The most obvious and straightforward interpretation of the 153 fish, is that it is meant to serve as an evidence that it truly was a large number of fish caught. The fish, the 'every word' that he fed them, came from him. Seven is recognized as symbolic because seven has previously been identified as a symbol. The 153 fish in John 21 is an allusion to Ezekiel 47 and the vision of the Spirit of God going out to water the earth. I wonder if Jesus is trying to tell us something and where would we find what He is trying to tell us? Peter must also tend his fellow disciples. The 153 fish. One other triangular number appears explicitly in the NT: the number of the beast 666 (Rev. Joh 21:15 ¶ ... Feed my lambs. In this case the failure to use a number is symbolic. There are 144 (12 x 12) for the dual-natured 12, God's people in the flesh and spirit, and 9 (3 x 3) more for the duel-natured 'fullness of God incarnate'; Christ in flesh and spirit. Here we have translated it “fish to eat” since some of the species of fish in the Sea of Galilee were not considered edible, and that is the point of Jesus’ question here. Their biggest need is “tending” not “feeding.”. https://books.google.com/books?id=So0hIAMtTs0C, https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/3133/fc31ad6a2df1ceb73ea480ea07dc04c81e89.pdf, https://www.umass.edu/wsp/publications/alpha/v1/a1-33-gematria.pdf, https://books.google.com/books?id=E9ItDwAAQBAJ, We're a little different from other sites, Visual design changes to the review queues, Opt-in alpha test for a new Stacks editor. {Children: or, Sirs}. Eph 5:32 This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church. You want proof? It is only mentioned in the Gospel of John. I’m willing to learn and even change my views. John 7:37-39. For Peter, John, James, and possibly others, their place within the collective Gospel narrative ends in a similar fashion to how it begins: with a miraculous catch after an unsuccessful night of fishing. The act of eating together is an act of forgiveness, because in that culture (even today) one does not eat with an enemy. Gregory the Great reaches 17 the same way, but multiplies it by 3, the number of the trinity, to get 51, and by 3 again, unto perfection, to get 153. The very next chapter after the untypical act Elijah performed (mercy) begins the "this is how you do it now" contrast between the law, obedience to it and judgment (Elijah and the old way) and continual demonstrations of undeserved grace to mere, scant demonstrations of others' faith (Elisha and the new way). It is a unique symbol. (John 21:11) Additionally, the catching of such a large amount of … "153 fish? A search of the internet of this passage will yield multiple interpretations of the real meaning behind the 153 fish. I would strongly recommend getting Richard Bauckham's "The Testimony of the Beloved Disciple" and reading the last chapter, "The 153 Fish and the Unity of the Fourth Gospel." The myriad interpretations of the catching of the 153 fish serve as a great reminder why we must not look for hidden messages in the Scriptures. Stack Exchange network consists of 176 Q&A communities including Stack Overflow, the largest, most trusted online community for developers to learn, share their knowledge, and build their careers. Did Hugh Jackman really tattoo his own finger with a pen in The Fountain? The notes from the Net Bible indicate the following direct implications: Given John's background as a fisherman, details like this would probably have been natural observations. [17] It reminded him that he could walk on water when he had his eyes on Jesus. The problem is that no one seems to have the key to interpreting the number. In John the main element is the exchange between Jesus and Peter where Jesus asks Peter three questions. The sign comes after Jesus spits on the ground, makes mud, and tells the man to go wash in the pool of Siloam. Peter jumps into the water to meet him. There is only one other place where that exact number is used, 2 Kings 1. [GR] > The Number 153 - I am the Lord Thy God: For I am the LORD thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour: I gave Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for thee.. Isaiah 43.3. But 38 and 153 are specific suggesting they are not chance numbers and since these numbers are hardly (if at all) used elsewhere in Scripture, prior use contributes little to the question of how John uses these numbers. The number 15 in the Bible pictures rest, which comes after deliverance, represented by fourteen. Tend My sheep alludes to Peter’s leadership position relative to the other disciples; feed My lambs and feed My sheep alludes to Peter’s role in sharing the Gospel. Mt 14:30 But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. Jesus had provided the meal. In John 7:38 we find Jesus at the Feast of Tabernacles making a comment on “living water.”. Simon Peter went up, and drew the net to land full of great fishes, an hundred and fifty and three: and for all there were so many, yet was not the net broken.. John 21.11 Hence, the 153 fish signify that all the elect are to be saved by the gift of grace (7) and the following of the commandments (10). Tell your Muslim friends who say that Jesus never claimed to be G-d that yes, He most certainly did! Is John 21 a later addition to the Fourth Gospel? That fish! That means that if you add all the numbers decreasing from 17, you get 153. To subscribe to this RSS feed, copy and paste this URL into your RSS reader. Fish Gate (AKA Ephraim Gate): Northwest, just northwest of the temple. Toward morning a voice calls out to them from the shore asking if they caught anything. But why would the meaning be hidden to us for over 2,000 years? Interpreters have attempted to find symbolic meaning in the five loaves and the two fish and make a … Wouldn’t God want us to know about it? 153 is the triangular of 17. The myriad interpretations of the catching of the 153 fish serve as a great reminder why we must not look for hidden messages in the Scriptures. 15 And he blessed Joseph, and said, O Elohim, before whom At this point in John’s last chapter, Jesus having died at the calculated age of 33, the new 12 need to take over for him, with Simon Peter leading. Apparent pedal force improvement from swept back handlebars; why not use them? 1. As the life of Elisha is followed, more and more examples of grace are demonstrated (axe head floating, poisoned pot fixed, Naaman, the barren woman plus her son's resurrection, resurrection of the enemy soldier who simply touched Elisha's bones); all very different than Elijah. How was the Holy Spirit being seen (perceived) in Acts 8? Peter first had to be reconciled to Jesus before he could do the special miracle of teaching; feeding the lambs and sheep. The number 13 is amenable to other interpretations. Fish represent 'every word which proceeds from the mouth of God'. Both water and dust are implied: "and a mist was going up from the land and was watering the whole face of the ground— then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground..." (Genesis 2:6-7 ESV) They answered him, No. 666 is also a triangular number. The Kingdom of Heaven parable is drawn from the catching fish used in the context of judgement found in the Old Testament: The sovereign LORD confirms this oath by his own holy character: “Certainly the time is approaching when you will be carried away in baskets, every last one of you in fishermen’s pots. In his article, Bauckham notes a number of other examples within John that also fit the 17 / 153 pattern. https://books.google.com/books?id=E9ItDwAAQBAJ. Bread represents the cross [14] and 'every word which proceeds from the mouth of God'. Jesus begins the reconciliation with a meat offering, which is a fellowship offering. He isn’t going to make it harder by expecting us to treat his word like a puzzle waiting to be solved. Another interpretation I found is that there were 153 nations known to the Greek/Romans at the time. 13:18).”. In these lay a multitude of invalids—blind, lame, and paralyzed. He said to me, “This water flows toward the eastern region and goes down into the Arabah, where it enters the Dead Sea. It sounds like this is an argument about symbolism, but there aren't enough details to really know what this interpretation is getting at. Ps 23:5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Doing so can lead us astray of the intended, plain meaning of the text. Is there any significance to the number 153? Evagrius Ponticus considered 153 to represent a harmonization of contrasts, since 153 = 100 + 28 + 25 , with 100 representing a square, 28 a triangle and 25 a circle. The fish will be of many kinds” (Ezekiel 47: 10). Why certain numbers have more significance than others is a bit of a mystery. We must remember to read Ezekiel’s vision as a “vision” which is full of symbolism. (In Hebrew and Greek, the letters of the alphabet also serve as numerals, and so every word has a numerical value which is the sum of the numerical values of its letters).”. Jesus had already called the Apostles `Fishers of men' (Mark 1:17). They have caught 153 fish. ( Log Out /  If malware does not run in a VM why not make everything a VM? Symbols must be understood properly. The central theme of the Feast of Tabernacles is “water” and the Temple. The symbols also work to support the three instructions Peter receives. Is it dangerous to use a gas range for heating? Amazingly, the net is intact. [18]. The disciples, especially the seven (and most certainly three of the seven) met intimately with Jesus shortly before His ascension and session. Both the healing and the creation of the first man share common elements. In fact there is a present tense sense of the meaning of judgment: judge whether someone is a lamb or a sheep and now feed them accordingly. Tribe B and Morality: A Comparison of Non-theistic and Christian Approaches, Trump, the 2020 Election, and a Most Awful Dilemma, Saul and God’s Sovereignty (or, what happens when a movable object meets an irresistible force), The Ultimate Question Revisited: A Non-Calvinist Objection Answered, Christianity and Homosexuality, pt 4: The Gay Marriage / Interracial Marriage Comparison, Why I Don’t Believe in a Pretribulational Rapture of the Church, The Same God? What does it represent, that fish? Where else is that exact number, if at all, is used in the Septuagint?" Or perhaps they imply some cryptic, Messianic meaning. This was the third appearance of Jesus after the resurrection to the disciples. All of these taken together shows John has a symbolic use in view. Why was Hagrid expecting Harry to know of Hogwarts and his magical heritage? The 15th day of the 7th Hebrew month begins the Feast of Tabernacles, also a day of rest. Well, I wondered for years myself and by studying and looping 1 Samuel through Esther in my GoBible for almost three years during my daily workouts, I think that's why 153 is significant. 2c. Why did Peter et. Are SSL certs auto-revoked if their Not-Valid-After date is reached without renewing? Peter could not even feed himself through his old occupation of fishing, but Jesus was asking him to feed his sheep. Here is an important point about the word “Eglaim.” Scholars don’t know where “En Eglaim” is. https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/3133/fc31ad6a2df1ceb73ea480ea07dc04c81e89.pdf, [2] Richard Bauckham, The 153 fish and the unity of the fourth Gospel, Neotestamentica Vol. St. Augustine rightly observed its significance. For some reason this post about the 153 fish has gotten far more views than anything else I’ve written. In the Gospel of John , [5] seven of the disciples— Peter , Thomas , Nathanael , the sons of Zebedee ( James and John ), and two others – decided to go fishing one evening after the Resurrection of Jesus , but caught nothing that night. ), in his treatise On the Measurement of the Cycle, uses the whole number ratio 153:265 to accurately approximate the irrational ratio square root of 3, "the measure of the fish" or the vesica piscis. The argument that 153 is the 17th triangular number, and that since 10 (Law) + 7 (grace) = 17, that this is a picture of the Law and grace. But this is undefined, and the intersection can be anywhere (long tail, medium tail, short tail). Many scholars have noted John’s use of symbols. Joh 21:5 Then Jesus saith unto them, Children, have ye any meat? They had to catch 153 fish, they could not catch 152 or 154, the exact catch is important because of the Christian Fish or commonly called the Fish’s Bladder. For the purpose of this answer, I will call this composition feature "logonumerical structure", from "logos" = word. Note the symbols only work if they described and arranged in the manner found. The number 153 represented known people group in the world at that time, in other words the whole world. What does it mean for a Linux distribution to be stable and how much does it matter for casual users? The meaning of this would be to communicate the completeness of the river of life bringing life to the world. 153 large fish was dragged to shore. While some have argued for some kind of symbolism in the number shown here, there is no direct support from the text. John begins by describing a scene at the "House of Mercy" (the meaning of Bethesda) with five colonnades, or porches. What did John mean by “second sign” (δεύτερον σημεῖον) in John 4:54? follow the advice of a stranger who told them how to catch fish in John 21:6? The value of the 153 large fish in John 21:11?

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