The Symbols We Carry

Have you ever wondered what those Jesus fish are? You know, the ones you see on the backs of cars? There's actually a fascinating history behind that symbol. But even that fish is only one in a long line of symbols that Christians have used throughout the centuries—symbols to identify ourselves with each other and with Christ.

Recently, I had the chance to explore some of these rich symbols and how they have made their way down to us.

A Subversive Cross

Don’t get me wrong, the cross is beautiful. I know some have compared wearing it to donning an electric chair around your neck—and in a way, that comparison isn't wrong. The cross was a method of execution. There is something shocking about transforming an instrument of death into a symbol of life. And yet, isn’t that the most profoundly subversive act of all?

To take a symbol of death and reframe it as life? That is resistance. It is a quiet but powerful pushback against everything in our world that promotes, produces, and profits from death.

So, let me go on record here: we should keep the cross. And don’t worry—it will be back next Easter.

When Jesus Chose a Symbol

But here’s the thing. When Jesus told us how he wanted to be remembered, it wasn’t the cross he pointed to. It was something else. And that’s okay.

Christianity has a whole vocabulary of symbols. The diversity of them is its own kind of beauty.

The Chi-Rho and the Alpha & Omega

Take, for example, the Chi-Rho. It looks like a stylized "P" overlapping an "X" and is often paired with what looks like an "A" and an upside-down "U." In Greek, that "X" makes a "ch" sound, and the "P" is an "r" sound. Together, they form the first two letters of "Christ."

Beside them, the alpha and the omega—the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet—remind us that Christ is the beginning and the end of all things.

In old illuminated manuscripts, you’ll often find the Chi-Rho at the top of the page, beautifully decorated, inviting the reader to search for Christ throughout the text.

That Little Fish on the Bumper

Then there’s the ichthus—the fish. Maybe you've seen it on a car. Personally, no chance I would put that on my vehicle. Not because I’m ashamed of my faith, but because I’m ashamed of my driving. I wouldn't want that associated with Jesus.

Still, it’s a beautiful symbol. It comes from the Greek acronym ICHTHUS: Iesous Christos Theou Yios Soter—"Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior." The first letters of each word spell "ichthus," which happens to be the Greek word for fish.

Legend has it that during times of persecution, early Christians used this symbol to identify themselves. One would draw the first swoop of the fish, and if the other person completed it, they knew they shared the same faith.

An Older Version: The Wheel

Interestingly, there may be an even older version of this symbol. Some graffiti found in Ephesus shows a wheel with eight spokes. At first glance, it just looks like a wheel. But hidden within it are all five letters of the ICHTHUS acronym.

Each letter is cleverly tucked into the spokes, forming a unified whole. This time, the symbol doesn’t just spell out the phrase; it encircles it—a visual representation of all things held together and sustained in Christ.

The Symbol Jesus Gave Us

All of this is more than just historical trivia. It’s a reminder that our faith has always been expressed in diverse, creative, and sometimes hidden ways. That our ancestors found beauty in symbol and meaning in metaphor.

But as rich and compelling as these symbols are, they are not the one Jesus gave us.

Because that was—and still is—the table.