Matthew 16:13-17

¹³ Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” ¹⁴ And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” ¹⁵ He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” ¹⁶ Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah,^[c] the Son of the living God.” ¹⁷ And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven.

The “sign of the fish” that Brett Hunter placed on his confirmation stole is an ancient Christian symbol that takes a little unpacking. As a more discreet symbol than a cross, a simple fish could be traced on the ground or on a person’s home to indicate to others of the faith that you had met a Christian.

But, why a fish? The Greek word for fish is ICHTHUS (see the 5 Greek letters on the stole image that we transliterate I – CH – TH – U – S). Again, in the Greek, those become the first letters of the words of an old affirmation of faith Jesus Christ God’s Son Savior.

By simply presenting the sign of the fish, Christians showed one another that they shared the belief that Jesus Christ was God’s Son and their Savior.

Prayer

Wonderful God, we come to faith as we share with others that Jesus is our Lord and Savior. We thank You for those who communicated that secret message at time of turmoil for Your followers. Help us to claim publicly that we too hold Jesus as Your Son, our Savior. Amen.