Jesus and Teaching a Man to Fish

[cthulu2016]

Modern right-wingers are fond of saying that Christianity is about rugged self-reliance. I don't remember which stooge it was (Santorum?) but I recall one of these people claiming that Jesus, yes THAT Jesus, realized that if you give a man a fish you feed him for a day, but teach a man to fish and you feed him for life.

Did Jesus realize that? Hmmm... let's examine Jesus' attitude toward fish.

Jesus took the five loaves and two fish, looked up toward heaven, and blessed them. Then, breaking the loaves into pieces, he kept giving the bread to the disciples so they could distribute it to the people. He also divided the fish for everyone to share. Mark 6:14

Oddly, Jesus seems to have gotten a bunch of fish (via miracle) and just given them to people so they would eat for a day. (Thereby robbing those people of their dignity... or so I ave been told.)

But perhaps on other days Jesus was big on teaching people to fish. Let's see... there was a time Jesus spoke (spake?) to a group of fishermen. His advice to them was to quit their jobs on the spot and join him in wandering around depending on charity for their meals while trying to convert people to their new religion.

"Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." Mark 1:17

Hmmm... now I am getting confused. Quitting fishing is about the worst fishing advice I've ever heard. But surely Jesus taught some people how to fish. Republicans wouldn't just make stuff up.

Ah, here we go! Jesus was hanging out with some fishermen (trying to get them to quit their jobs) and he noticed that they were not catching any fish. They had their nets over the left side of their boat and there were just no darn fish!

Jesus said to them, "Children, have you any fish?" They answered him, "No." He said to them, "Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some." So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in, for the quantity of fish... But the other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, but about a hundred yards off. When they got out on land, they saw a charcoal fire there, with fish lying on it, and bread. Jesus said to them, "Bring some of the fish that you have just caught." So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, a hundred and fifty-three of them; and although there were so many, the net was not torn. Jesus said to them, "Come and have breakfast." John 21: 4-12

If you cast the net over the other side of the boat you will get 153 large fish! It's all in which side of the boat you throw the net over, apparently. Valuable fishing advice indeed, and sure to feed a man for life. (But strangely, even after Simon and Paul received this amazing fishing lesson they followed Jesus' advice and quit fishing and became reliant on hand-outs, just like Jesus.)

[hedgehog]

1. David James Duncan, in his novel The River Why, points out that someone

counted the fish that day on the banks of the Galilee. There they were with the Risen Lord, and they counted the fish!


If the number was a biblical number like 40 or 144, I'd say it was symbolic. Placing the count at 153 fish, and 153 large fish, is a hoot!

[EOTE]

7. What I think we have here is the first historical telling of "The fish was THIIIIIIS big!!!!" NT

[spin]

2. The "teach a man to fish" quotation is an ancient Chinese proverb ...

Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.

Chinese Proverb
http://www.quotationspage.com/quotes/Chinese_Proverb/

[FSogol]

5. Exactly, but if you ask most RW Christians, they think it is part of the Bible.

[MineralMan]

10. That's because RW Christians haven't bothered to read it.

Most of them, anyhow. They just remember the proof texts their pastor told them about whatever topic is current. I've heard quotes from Shakespeare attributed to the Bible, too.

Cmon, folks, read the book you say you believe is the word of God. How could you not?

[spin]

13. I think it may have been a line that Jesus said in some movie ...

but I can't find what movie.

Also some people have heard their minister attribute that quote to Christ in Church.

The interesting thing about Christians is when you ask them if they have read the Bible, only a few have. It's not an easy book to read and it contains a lot of contradictions.

If a person carefully studies the Bible it will probably cause him, at the best, to realize that the Bible is not the "actual word of God and is to be taken literally word for word."

[onethatcares]

15. that was until the rivers got polluted to the point

of no return and no one could eat any more fish out of them.

As a native American saying goes, "when the last fish is caught, the last tree felled and the last buffalo killed, then the white man will realize he cannot eat money".

I may be wrong in the exact wording but the meaning is still there.

[spin]

16. That was supposedly a Cree Prophecy ...

• When all the trees have been cut down, when all the animals have been hunted, when all the waters are polluted, when all the air is unsafe to breathe, only then will you discover you cannot eat money.
http://www.stevenredhead.com/Native/quotes.html

[kenny blankenship]

3. The text doesn't emphasize this aspect of Christ's ministry, but

Santorum is drawing on his knowledge of the Holy Fee Structure. Jesus got his followers, and multitudes who turned out to hear him preach, hooked on what seemed like endless loaves and fishes. Later, he activated monthly automatic drafting on their bank accounts for all the fish and bread they were into him for. The Apostles were brought into the sell side, following the usual multilevel marketing scheme. First you pay me, then you go forth and sell my shinola to the masses, after which you get to earn for yourselves an attractive percentage. Recruit other disciples to sell for you, and you earn off of what he earns as well as what you can sell yourself. The more an Apostle or Disciple earns the more he gets to keep, but of course Jesus gots to get paid off the top.

[meaculpa2011]

4. Give a man a fish...

and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and he'll sit in a boat all day drinking beer.

[The Magistrate]

8. There You Go, Sir

"For me, fishing is mostly an excuse to drink before noon."

[rustydog]

11. Actually, I'm debating going fishing right now!

[FSogol]

12. Take Jesus with you. He knows where all the fish are.

[EOTE]

6. Ah yes! The other side of the boat! Why didn't I think of that?

I'm totally using this one next time I go out for some bass. And all this time I thought I wasn't catching any fish because I was a really shitty fisherman. Thanks Jesus!

[Uncle Joe]

9. I believe it was Jesus that said

"Old fishermen never die, they just smell that way."

This is why he told the disciples to follow him and he would make them fishers of men, because fish stink, which is kind of ironic because one would think being in the water all day, fish would be clean and have a pleasant smell but nay, they're quite malodorous.

Thanks for the thread, cthulu.

[cthulu2016]

14. quite welcome!

[treestar]

17. Did you write that?

It's totally cool! I have some righties who need to see it!

They are forever using that quote about teaching a man to fish.