Fish

In the grand architectural sweep of scriptural typology, the motif of the fish⁠—and the waters that sustain them⁠—serves as a profound thread linking the cosmic dawn of Creation to the ultimate eschatological fulfillment of the temple. It is highly instructive that the very first divine blessing uttered in the scriptural record does not fall upon humanity, but rather upon the inhabitants of the deep: "Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the sea" (Moses 2:22). While casual readers often relegate the fish of the Gospels to mere didactic props⁠—assuming the literal creatures vanish the moment Jesus invites His disciples to become "fishers of men"⁠—a closer reading of the ancient texts reveals a persistent, physical reality. From the bursting nets of the Galilean apostles to the healing currents of Ezekiel’s visionary temple river, the scriptures inextricably bind the spiritual gathering of scattered Israel to the temporal, physical abundance of the earth's waters.

Fishers of Men

Jesus called fishermen to a work of gathering that Latter-day Saints connect with Jeremiah's promise of a scattered Israel brought home.

Walking by the Sea of Galilee, Jesus found Peter and Andrew casting a net and told them, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men" (Matthew 4:19). Jeremiah had foretold that Israel would return "from all the lands whither he had driven them," and that the Lord would "send for many fishers… and they shall fish them; and after will I send for many hunters" (Jeremiah 16:15-16). Many commentators read the fishers and hunters as agents of judgment, since the following verses speak of iniquity recompensed. Latter-day Saint missionaries have read them since the 1830s as a description of their own work, searching out scattered Israel on islands and coasts and gathering them to Zion. Jesus extends the image in a parable, comparing the kingdom to "a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind" (Matthew 13:47). Some time after the resurrection of Christ, the same disciples return to the lake, and the net fills with literal fish.

The Net That Did Not Break

John's account of the risen Christ's last miracle hearkens back to the first calling of the fishermen and points toward Ezekiel's temple river.

It has long been recognized that the miraculous catch in John 21 mirrors the catch Luke places at the calling of Peter. In both accounts, the disciples have taken nothing all night, Jesus tells them where to cast, and the haul is enormous. In Luke, "their net brake" (Luke 5:6). In John the net is drawn to land "full of great fishes, an hundred and fifty and three: and for all there were so many, yet was not the net broken," and the risen Lord, who has fish already cooking on a fire of coals, says, "Come and dine" (John 21:11-12).

Fill the Waters

The first blessing of creation sets a standard that modern fishing falls short of and that new technology could help meet. Mormon transhumanists count science and technology among the means God has given to renew the world, and fishing offers clear cases. Machine learning applied to satellite imagery can now expose dark fleets, selective breeding and closed-system farms can raise fish with less waste, and cell-cultivated seafood may someday spare wild stocks altogether. Each has a shadow. Coastal fish farms can foul the waters around them and often feed their stock on wild-caught fish, and the same tracking that exposes illegal fleets can serve whoever controls the data. Industrial fleets that strip distant waters take most from the coastal poor who depend on them.

Ecological Stewardship

To be true "fishers of men" in the latter days requires participating in the restorative work of Ezekiel’s visionary river⁠—leveraging inspired innovation to heal the ecological dead zones of our world. The spiritual gathering of the human family and the physical redemption of the oceans are inextricably linked; we cannot fully accomplish the one while forsaking the other.

See also: Bioengineering, Body, Evolution, Health, Nature/Natural