God & Fish: Scripture and the Sabbath

Leviticus 11:12: “Anything living in the water that does not have fins and scales is to be detestable to you.”

Some fish with commercial potential, such as catfish, had to be tossed back in the water, because they didn't have both fins and scales. (The poor catfish! I’m glad I’m not detestable!)

My Leviticus 11:2 NIV Bible study note has this to say, for all of you who are baffled by clean and unclean:

“The main reason for the laws concerning clean and unclean food is the same as for other laws concerning the clean and unclean – to preserve the sanctity of Israel as God’s holy people…Some hold that certain animal life was considered unclean for health considerations, but it is difficult to substantiate this idea. Uncleanness typified sin and defilement.”

I’ve often heard that clean and unclean is a poor translation, simply because there is no corresponding English word. ‘Pure’ and ‘impure’ would be closer, according to the opinions of many.

Is it possible Jesus ordered Peter to catch a fish forbidden by Jewish law? Perhaps, but it seems unlikely given his general concurrence with Jewish law.

The Temple Tax Fish: A Sabbath Food?
Two kinds of barbels (the trout-like Long Headed Barbel and the stout Scaly Barbel) were often Sabbath food, and I find the idea that Jesus picked a symbol of something holy to pay the Temple tax interesting. The great Temple in Jerusalem was considered the most sacred place on earth, the dwelling place of God Himself, but it was also a cause of much oppression. In an agrarian society, where subsistence living and brutal taxation was the norm, the religious taxes would have put some people over the edge.

The Temple’s actions didn’t contribute to its holiness either; the high priesthood, ordained by God to stay in the Zadok family line throughout history, was bought and sold among the four families representing the highest echelons of wealth. Jesus freaked out over its financial methods a couple of times, overturning tables and raging at the moneychangers in its courts. Yet, by this idea, he paid the Temple tax with something representing holiness.

The Sabbath, frequently ignored by Christians today, was a big deal in first-century Galilee, a weekly holiday and celebration designed to honor God. A woman couldn’t sew two stitches, a man couldn’t tie knots, you could only walk a short distance, you couldn’t light the fire, etc. Even in modern Judaism restrictions are very tight: you can’t press an elevator button, so they have special Sabbath elevators that stop at every floor, regardless of whether anybody’s there. (It’s very frustrating if your room is on the eighth floor!)

The Hafafi Barbel, which was neither delectable Sabbath fare nor regular dinner fare, sounds quite unappetizing by its consumption alone: decaying matter found in mud! Gross. It is yellow, which sounds gross too, small-scaled and soft-bellied. While it’s possible Jesus used this fish, it’s unlikely; coins resemble snails a lot more than they resemble decaying matter!