What Kind Of Fish Did Jesus Eat?
Photo taken on April 22, 2010 by Derick McKinney / Unsplash In my last entry, I amazed at the concept of Jesus preparing me breakfast. Wow! Jesus was frying fish over a fire on the coast of the Sea of Tiberias when he made his third post-resurrection appearance to the apostles.
Which species did Jesus catch?
Israel, which houses some of the holiest places for Christianity, Judaism, and Islam, is the location of St. Peter’s Fish – The Sea of Galilee. Its warm, pristine waters are also perfect for the growth of Tilapia. Jesus is said to have fed the crowds of Tabgha, an ancient city on the northwestern coast of the Sea of Galilee, with tilapia that was caught by Saint Peter in the Sea of Galilee.
When Jesus fed the multitude, he did it using loaves and fishes (John 6: 1–13). The fish referenced in these passages were salted or dried and required grilling to be consumed. According to John 21:9, Jesus fried fresh fish beside the lake for breakfast.
- The fishing boat seen in James Tissot’s The Supper of Our Lord and used by Peter and Andrew would have been 23 feet long and 7 feet wide.
- It had a crew of five: four rowers and one steerer and catch supervisor.
- Additionally, the supervisor had to keep a tight eye on the weather, as storms may rapidly form over the Sea (Matthew 8: 23–27).
The boat could accommodate a half ton of fish or 11 to 13 passengers; it was large enough for Jesus to sleep at the bottom (Mark 4:38). The fisherman utilized flax or linen nets. The majority of fishing was conducted at night so that fish would not notice the nets and avoid them.
Modern nylon nets prevent this issue, and daytime fishing is permitted where it is allowed. The fishing business of Jesus’ day was immensely lucrative, but it was physically demanding and required extensive organization. Two or three boats would work together to put up a net in deep water and then pursue fish into the net.
This would be repeated seven or eight times during the night, allowing the fishermen to catch a half-ton of fish by dawn. The men were busy during the daytime. Fish had to be processed for sale, nets had to be washed in the lake to remove silt, and holes in the nets had to be repaired.
The nets were then strung to dry and folded in preparation for the following catch. Peter and Andrew were partners with James and John, the sons of Zebedee, in their fishing enterprise (Luke 5:10). During the busy fishing season, they needed to employ day laborers (Mark 1:20). The fishermen maintained their own schedules, and there are complaints in the record that they chose to attend synagogue and pray on the Sabbath rather than fish.
Peter and his companions were free to begin fishing whenever they want (John 21:1–3) and cease work whenever they desired (Luke 5:11). When Jesus sought the first disciples to assist him in proclaiming his message, he picked these intelligent, diligent, strong, and independent men.
| Jim Campbell looks out to sea from one of his favorite spots, Asilomar, California. |
Biblical Fishing Basics Capturing the Initial Fishers of
What did Jesus drink for dinner?
The Last Supper was the last time Jesus shared bread and wine with his 12 disciples or apostles before his death.