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One of the more innocent memories I have of my girlfriend's car was the slightly rusted Jesus fish attached to the trunk of her old beat up Honda Civic. I asked her what that exactly meant, and she replied that "Jesus is the fisher of men."
Jesus of Nazareth was according to the Gospel of Luke as a traveling messiah, the Christ, son of man, Son of God. Looking at the Gospel of Luke, from strictly a political standpoint, Jesus was nothing more then a dangerously persuasive radical that represented a great danger to the traditional, religious and political foundations of society at the time. Although it is difficult to read the gospels and think of the political aspects of them, if one would ignore the supernatural aspects of Jesus's travels, one might see a more conceivable picture of this religious leader. Think if you will as Jesus being a political leader searching for power in the area of Palestine. Through his influence and sermons, he makes a strong stance and unlike any of the prophets before him, proclaims himself not merely another prophet, but the messiah, Christ himself. Rumors of his "miracles" by the masses increase support his god-like stance. He catches the attention of thousands of followers, some of which become his disciples, simultaneously creating a strong opposition to himself from the existing roman tetrarchs, wealthy Pharisees, and the current religious leaders. With his growing support, he prophesizes the coming of god, which sounds very much like a prophecy for war.
The saying "Fisher of men" suggests a more spiritual meaning then a political one, but consider the fact that there have been several religious leaders that eventually assume political power over a nation or country. Think of the Japanese emperor circa 1941, The Pope, the Fundamentalist leader of Hamas, Nation of Islam, The Christian coalition, the Democrat, Republican, or independent politician running for office. He or she catches our souls, but at the same time he catches much more along with them. |