The theme for the tattoo is the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ!
Joey, being the only person to comment, hit several of the finer points on the head. On a side note, the other two individuals that helped Joey come to his final conclusions could post a comment once in a while themselves. Obviously, they have seen the blog, and more importantly they have an opinion or they wouldn’t have interjected. If anyone hasn’t figured it out, I strive on recognition… throw me a bone once in a while :-)
Now back to the tattoo…
-The center band of Fish- The black fish are ordinary people. The “Jesus Fish” in modern society has came to be synonymous with Jesus, God, and Christian, but in Mark 1:17 (NIV) ["Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men."] Jesus references all of the unsaved as fish, and if you follow his teachings you can witness to those individuals. Through witnessing (fishing) you can help people to know the love of Jesus Christ and ultimately assist in their salvation.
-The Red Fish- Is of course Jesus Christ. John 3:16 (NIV) [For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.] The red color also signifies the Blood of the lamb, 1 Peter 1:18-19 (NIV) [For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.]
-The Twisted Barbwire- Is a modern reference to the Crown of Thorns. John 19:2-3 (NIV) [The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head. They clothed him in a purple robe and went up to him again and again, saying, "Hail, king of the Jews!" And they struck him in the face.] I’ve always thought the Crown of Thorns was symbolism for sin, and foreshadowing the sin of man being placed solely on Jesus, 1 John 2:2 (NIV) [He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.] After all what is a king of the world but a king of sin? Jesus did not come to be king of Earth or anything in it. Every time one of those thorns pricked Jesus it stung and every time we sin it stings our Lord in Heaven.
-The Cross- The medium for the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. The Cross is a symbol, and reminder, to each of us the suffering and torment that Jesus endured to erase our sin before God. 2 Corinthians 5:21 (NIV) [God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.]
-The Blood Drop- In the final tattoo the tip of the cross will be drawn to appear to pierce flesh and a blood drop will flow from the piercing. John 19:32-34 (NIV) [The soldiers therefore came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with Jesus, and then those of the other. But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus' side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water.] This event is important because it show the fulfillment of the scripture in the Old Testament; Numbers 9:12 (NIV) [They must not leave any of it till morning or break any of its bones. When they celebrate the Passover, they must follow all the regulations.]
-Jesus’ Passage- Jesus, the Red Fish, and the Cross are 180 degrees apart from one another. Jesus was born a man, to travel through this world, and to bear the weight of our sins on the Cross. There is no shorter or easy way to save mankind from their sins. Luke 22:42 (NIV) ["Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done."] Not even Jesus wanted the pain and misery of being forsaken by our Holy Father; Mark 15:34 (NIV) [And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"—which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"]
-Orientation- I have the Red Fish, Jesus, facing out towards the world; John 8:12 (NIV) [When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."] I have the Cross close to my heart so I’ll never forget what Jesus did for me; Psalm 119:93 (NIV) [I will never forget your precepts, for by them you have preserved my life.]
I know this is really involved. Probably more in-depth then anyone would have thought. To be honest it is more complex then I had even realized upon first visualizing it. The designs came to me without much consideration. Only upon further analysis did the whole message unfold. I have spent considerable amounts of time in scripture just trying to understand the whole tattoo.
I’m not trying to imply that God has told me to get a tattoo… I have struggled with the idea of getting a tattoo for many years; just ask Angela. Only recently did I start praying about it. I think this is the answer to my prayers. God has shown me that if I’m going to get a tattoo, if I’m going to permanently alter his temple, then I should make sure that it glorifies him!
Also, I think it’s an awesome tattoo… very few people will be able to look at it without asking about it. What an awesome witnessing tool!
Sparky
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