“Jesus saith unto him . . . Go thou to the sea, and cast a hook, and take up the fish that first cometh up; and when thou hast opened his mouth, thou shalt find a piece of money.”
Matthew 17:26-2726Peter saith unto him, Of strangers. Jesus saith unto him, Then are the children free. 27Notwithstanding, lest we should offend them, go thou to the sea, and cast an hook, and take up the fish that first cometh up; and when thou hast opened his mouth, thou shalt find a piece of money: that take, and give unto them for me and thee. (Matthew 17:26‑27)
History tells about the interesting fish called the carp living in the inland lakes and streams of China more than 2000 years ago. Since then, other countries in the Northern Hemisphere, including North America, have experimented with them in ponds, lakes and rivers.
Not only do people enjoy the sport of fishing for carp, some people, mostly Europeans, enjoy eating them fresh, smoked and canned. There is no way of knowing whether the fish mentioned in the above Bible verse was a carp, but it was probably similar.
Not everybody is happy with carp, partly because they multiply and spread rapidly in lakes and rivers. A female lays about 500 eggs at a time in clumps that stick to rocks or weeds near the bottom. Though carp are useful as food, they are also harmful because they destroy the eggs and breeding places of more valuable fish and deprive other fish of food and shelter. Carp destroy many water plants, making ponds and streams muddy that would otherwise be clear and attractive.
The carp, some as long as thirty-six inches and weighing as much as thirty to eighty pounds, can hardly be called a pretty fish. Most of them have large, coarse scales covering their bodies, with whiskers along the sides of the mouth and tough, bony fins. However, there are several varieties with just three or four rows of scales on the sides. One called the leather carp is nearly scaleless with only a few scales.
The carps’ method of eating is somewhat disgusting. With their whiskers and flexible lips, they feel along muddy areas for insects, fish eggs and other food. Now and then they suck up a mouthful of mud, then spit it out, apparently to see what they’ve caught. They finally swallow the food along with the mud, only slightly diluted. In spite of this, many people enjoy fishing for them, and they remain a profitable item in many fish markets of the world.
Though they are not popular, these fish serve a purpose in God’s creation. Just by observing their ways we can see the Creator’s wisdom displayed, as the following Bible verses point out: “Speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee; and the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee. Who knoweth not in all these that the hand of the Lord hath [made] this? In whose hand is the soul [life] of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind” (Job 12:8-108Or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee: and the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee. 9Who knoweth not in all these that the hand of the Lord hath wrought this? 10In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind. (Job 12:8‑10)).
Not only is the life of a carp in the Creator’s hands, so is yours! All His non-human creatures follow His commands, but His desire is that all humans would also follow His commands. Do you?
ML-06/01/2003