April 29, 2026 - Good Morning! It’s Wednesday, April 29.
Symbols have been a part of human culture from our very beginnings. We see them in ancient cave paintings, on national flags, in ad logos, and on internet icons. Symbols come and go, appear and disappear. And sometimes they even change their meaning. When my parent’s generation (in the 1940’s) made the two-fingered V sign they were signaling victory - victory in war. Twenty years later, my generation turned that very same gesture into a symbol of peace. But some symbols remain for decades, even millennia. One of these is known as “The Jesus Fish”.
In the Greek language the word for fish is “icthus”. The five letters in that word are the first letters of the Greek words for Jesus, Christ, God, Son, and Savior. So, when the first Christians saw this symbol, they didn’t think “fish”, they thought “Jesus”. The early Church had no buildings, meeting instead in private homes or stables or even caves. This symbol would often be drawn on the entrance to those places to alert believers. And sometimes it would serve as a silent way to identify another believer. One person would draw half the symbol in the sand, and the other would complete the drawing.
Today the primary symbol for Christianity is, of course, the Cross. But often you’ll see a cross in the Jesus fish, where the eye would be. And sometimes the fish includes the name Jesus or the Greek letters for icthus. It is a symbol that has endured for 2000 years, and each time we see it, we’re reminded of our faith, and of those brave souls who risked their lives for their faith - those who began the journey that we still travel today.
Meet you back here tomorrow,
David
cindertex50@yahoo.com
