I spent last weekend in Saratoga, Wyoming, standing waist deep in a crystal clear river attempting to catch the elusive rainbow, brown, and cutthroat trout.  I am a rookie in the art of fly-fishing, but fortunately have friends that can tell me exactly what species of critter has just hatched on the bottom of the river and what corresponding fly needs to be attached to the end of my line to entice the fish to “strike.”  On a number of occasions I not only hooked a fish, I actually landed it – only to apologize to “brother fish” for causing him the pain inflicted by the hook in his mouth, which I then gently removed as I released him back into the river.

 

I find the experience of fly-fishing to be intensely spiritual.  The beauty of the environment, the sensation of the river flowing against my legs, the fellowship of good friends, and (periodically) the gratitude I feel when I catch a fish, all draw me into an experience of the numinous.

 

Upon reflection, I was also struck by how often water and fish play a role in the God story.  In my spiritual tradition, the word “water” first appears in the sixth verse of the first chapter of Genesis.  We are informed in that verse that God created "the waters."  Later on in that same chapter, the writer reports that God said, “Let the water teem with living creatures.”  It would seem that one of the few things both the evolutionist and the creationist agree about is that it was fish before man, and not the reverse.  From the time we are children, those of us in the Judeo-Christian tradition learn the stories of Noah and Jonah - who got more water and fish than they knew what to do with!

 

Jesus seemed to have a special fondness for water and fish – or at least fishermen.  He was baptized in the Jordan, turned water into wine, picked at least four fisherman to be part of the twelve disciples, moved his home base to the fishing village of Capernaum on the Sea of Galilee, pushed out in a fishing boat to give one of his early sermons, and told Peter to drop his fishing net again after being “skunked” all night, only to haul in a catch so big that it convinced Peter to leave everything and follow Jesus.  He told a man named Nicodemus that unless he was born of water and spirit he would never see the kingdom of heaven.  He poured a bowl of water and used it to wash the smelly feet of his buddies, and when they found themselves in big trouble in their boat because the waves were getting out of control, he walked across the water and calmed the sea.

 

I particularly like the final scene recorded in the Gospel of John where Peter and the other fellows decided to go fishing after the resurrection. It ended up being another of those times when they caught nothing.  In the morning, the risen Jesus shouted from the shore and told them to drop their net on the other side of the boat. They landed 153 fish!  I always wondered who stopped to count, that is, until I became a fisherman myself.  Now, I’m only surprised they didn’t stop to measure each one!   When they got back to shore, they found Jesus sitting by a fire, and the Good Book says, “with fish on it.”