Bible Animals Fish Stories

God commanded a prophet named Jonah to go to Ninevah and preach to them. Jonah refused and instead got in a ship and headed in the opposite direction. His disobedience put him in satan's reach, who is always seeking someone to destroy. A major storm erupted and the sailors were panicked at its ferocity. Fearing death, they sought the person responsible for such unnatural conditions. It was revealed that Jonah was the one who had sinned. He told them to toss him overboard. He would rather die in the ocean than preach to Israel's enemies. Jonah may have given up on life, but God had not given up on him. He had a giant fish ready to swallow Jonah and keep him safe. (Jonah 1)

Inside the fish, Jonah prayed and asked forgiveness. After three days, God commanded the fish to spit Jonah out onto the beach.

Jonah warned Ninevah, a city with over 100,000 residents, of the coming judgement if they did not turn from their evil ways. The message was heard in a big way. All the people called for a fast and repented in sackcloth for their sins. God heard their prayer and the destruction never came upon them.

Rather than rejoice in the success of his preaching and the love of God, Jonah pouted on a hilltop. He complained to God about the mercy shown to Ninevah. God even gave him an object lesson with a plant and worm to show him that he needed to rethink his priorites in life and show more compassion towards others.

Jonah does not come out looking good in this story. One of the things I like best about the Bible is it shows real people - the good, bad and ugly of mankind, so we can learn from all. In my opinion, the fish is the hero of the story. In complete obedience, the fish saves Jonah and takes him back to shore. There has been speculation for years about whether this was a fish or whale, but does it really matter? God could prepare or create whatever he needed to protect Jonah and save Ninevah from the coming calamity. It shows that one person, or even one fish, that is listening to God can make a difference, and even save a whole city.

For those that might doubt the veracity of this story, Jesus himself refers to it when he tells the religious leaders that the only sign they would get from him would be the sign of Jonah. Jonah spent three days inside the fish. Jesus would die on the cross and be resurrected on the third day. (Matthew 12: 38-41)

Some Reading Suggestions For Jonah:
Jonah, The Runaway Prophet - A paraphrase of the Jonah story The author subtitled it "The Chicken of the Sea."
Humongous Hollis - A story about the fish that swallowed Jonah. This adaptation of the Jonah and the great fish story includes a lesson on knowing God's will.

For additional Jonah and the whale resources

Image: Federico Stevanin/ FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Jesus was teaching near the Sea of Galilee and the crowds were overwhelming him. He saw some fishermen cleaning their nets and asked one of them named Peter to push out from the shore so he could address the crowd. After teaching, Jesus told Peter to head back out and cast your nets for a massive catch.

Peter was an experienced fisherman. He knew that catching fish in the daytime was virtually impossible in the clear waters of the Galilee. But he agreed to go back out. He threw out his net and immediately was overwhelmed with the number of fish that had filled the net. He called to his partners who came out in their boat and they filled both boats with fish. Immediately, Peter fell to his feet and worshipped Jesus. (Luke 5:1-11)

Later, after the resurrection, Jesus met the disciples on the beach while they were fishing. They had fished all night and caught nothing. Jesus told them to, "throw your net out on the right side of the boat and you will catch plenty of fish." The disciples obeyed and could barely lift the net it was so full of fish. Peter realized it was Jesus and jumped into the water and swam to shore where Jesus had bread and fish cooking on a charcoal fire. (John 1:1-14)

From both stories we can learn so much about Jesus and his love for us. He knew their needs before they even asked. When he told them what to do and they obeyed, even when it seemed ridiculous, they received an overflowing abundance, way beyond what they could ever have imagined. God is a God of abundance. Start expecting Him to provide over and abundantly more than you could ever imagine. He is that good!

Some Reading Suggestions For the Miraculous Catch of Fish Miracles:
Net Full of Fishes - A paraphrase of the big catch of fish miracle. The story of the great catch of fish in modern language.
Simon's Net-breaking, Boat-sinking Catch of Fish - A free online Bible story about the miraculous catch of fish miracle .
Fishers of Men - Another paraphrase of the miraculous catch of fish.

For additional miraculous catch of fish miracle resources

Image: vitasamb2001/ FreeDigitalPhotos.net

The religious leaders were continually looking for some way to accuse Jesus of breaking their rules. While in Capernaum, they approached Peter, a disciple of Jesus, and asked if Jesus paid the Temple tax. Peter answered, "of course!"

Before Peter could even ask Jesus about his declaration, Jesus asked Peter a question, "Do kings tax their own people or foreigners?" Jesus was of course exempt from the taxes, but he did not want to cause offense. In order to get the money needed, he sent Peter to the Sea of Galilee and told him there would be a coin in the mouth of the first fish that he caught. He was to retrieve that coin and pay the tax for both of them. (Matthew 17:24-27)

I have always loved this story. It is interesting to ponder what might have happened if Peter had kept fishing. Jesus said there would be a coin in the mouth of the FIRST fish. Why the emphasis on first? Was he supposed to keep on fishing!? Telling Peter that it would be in the first fish was a way of getting Peter's expectation up. He had to go to the water's edge convinced that what Jesus said was going to happen. The Word and Peter's faith would work together to bring everything to fruition.

Jesus didn't even mention any bait. And I wouldn't be surprised if Peter just dropped that line and hook in the water without any, expecting God to meet his needs as promised. After all, as an experienced fisherman he had witnessed the Word of Jesus and his faith fill two boats with fish from one net in the middle of the day! Why would it be so hard to believe that he could catch a fish without bait? I'm heading into speculation, but it would not surprise me one bit if this was the case. Nothing is impossible if you believe in Jesus!

Some Reading Suggestions For Peter and the Coin Carrying Fish:
Tasha, The Catch Of The Day - A story about the fish that brought the coin to Peter. This adaptation of the Peter and the coin carrying fish story includes a lesson on faithfully serving God.

For additional coin carrying fish resources

On two separate occasions, Jesus took a few loaves of bread and some fish and fed several thousand people. Although not necessarily a fish story, both miracles prove again that God is so very much concerned about even the smallest details of your life. And he is God of abundance. He took just a few loaves and fish and fed thousands, with plenty leftover.

In the first story, found in all four Gospels (Matthew 14:13-21, Mark 6:30-44, Luke 9:10-17, John 6:1-14), Jesus instructed his disciples to give the people something to eat. They argued with him that it would be too difficult to feed over 5,000 people. They looked at their own resources and saw no way to feed the crowd. But with Jesus, there is always a way.

The disciples found a boy willing to share his lunch of 5 small barley loaves and 2 fishes. Jesus took that small gift and thanked God for supplying food for the crowd. After everyone was full, they had 12 baskets remaining!

At a later time, Jesus was concerned for the 4,000 people that had been listening to him. They were in an isolated place with no access to a large amount of food. They gathered a few loaves of bread and some fish and distributed it all until everyone was filled. Again, they even had 7 baskets left over! (Matthew 15:32-39, Mark 8:1-9)

Some Reading Suggestions For Jesus Feeding the Multitude:
Feeding the Crowds - A brief retelling of the Jesus feeding the multitude story.
Jesus Feeds the Multitude - A paraphrase of the Jesus feeding 5,000 people story. Includes song and discussion questions.
The Amazing Multiplying Meal - Another fun paraphrase of the Gospel account of Jesus feeding the multitude.
The Gift That Kept Giving - An Animal Parable based on the Gospel account of Jesus feeding 5,000 people. Includes a lesson on spreading the Good News.

For additional feeding the 5,000 resources

What types of sea creatures were considered clean and could be eaten by the Jews under the Old Covenant? (Leviticus 11:9-12), (Deuteronomy 14:9-10)

How many days was Jonah inside the fish? (Jonah 1:17)

What was the only sign Jesus promised the religious rulers? (Matthew 12:38-40)

After his resurrection, Jesus met his disciples on the beach. What did he cook for breakfast? (John 21:1-14)