Casting The Net And Drawing In Good And Evil
Mt 13:47-50
By Brother Jim Cook
When the net is drawn which side will you be on ? Good or Evil!
The parable of the draw net is the sixth out of seven parables Jesus spoke about the mysteries of Heaven. As we begin this study, I hope by the time we are done you will know which side of the net you will be on when it is drawn in.
Mt 13:47 -50
Mt 13:47 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind:
48 Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away.
49 So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just,
50 And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
First lets look at the details of the parable, A "draw net" was cast into the sea. What is a draw net? It is defined as a large fishing net equipped with a weighted bottom edge for dragging the river or lake bottom. The top would have wooden floats allowing the net to be spread across a large area of water.
(Isa 19:8)
These type of nets were normally let down from a boat and then drawn to shore by a crew on the beach. If there was a large catch the net was hauled to shore by boat.
(Jn 21:6-8)."
After the draw net was drawn to shore, the fish would be separated. The ones good for eating were saved, the inedible ones were discarded. Now lets take a look at the meaning of the parable. The kingdom of Heaven, in its current state, will be a mixture of good and bad, just like a draw net gathers in both good and bad fish.
2 Ti 2:20-21 “some vessels are "for honor and some for dishonor
Mt 13:49 But in the future there will be a separation -
Mt 13:39-40 It will occur "at the end of the age"
Mt 13:41 The agents of this separation will be the "angels"
Mt 13:41 The "wicked" will be separated from the "just"
Mt 13:50 The punishment of the "wicked" is described
Mt 13:42a "cast...into the furnace of fire."
Mt 13:42b "There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth."
Jesus, in giving His explanation, we see the emphasis of Jesus in the parable. The emphasis is upon the future separation of those in the kingdom, and the punishment of the wicked. "The Parable Of The Draw net", also reinforces the spiritual truths taught in "The Parable Of The Wheat And Tares", especially those relating to the coming judgment and condemnation of the wicked. But that will be a later study. Jesus emphasizes the judgment and condemnation of the wicked in this parable and it ought to impress upon us that the "good news" of the kingdom of Heaven, also contains "bad news" for those who reject it. "Gathered every kind", here again, it is taught that, at the end of the world, the angels shall sever the wicked from the just. In the parable the sea is the world, and the net is the gospel with its ministers and ordinances. This parable shows the mixture of good and evil which will always exist in the visible church on earth. We should not get discouraged on account of the mixture of evil with good in God's church, for it has always been so, and will be so to the end of time. However we should make it our mission to bring the bad to the good by God's grace and salvation through Christ. Now stop and imagine the fisherman separating their catch. It is unremarkable. Imagine a couple of fishermen sitting on the beach tossing fish into different containers, while a couple more fishermen pull the nets in tighter as the fish get separated out. The ocean waves would be lapping onto the shore and the fishermen would be laughing and joking with each other, at ease because their day was almost done. If you try you can easily imagine such a scene. This is a very strange image of the last judgment, but it is the image that Jesus offers us in this context. From it we can begin to appreciate the insignificance of evil in the larger scheme because in the end God will remove it. But once the victory was accomplished, by Christ on the cross there was absolutely no question as to the final outcome. The kingdom of Heaven was established and the reign of God continued at a more profound level because now there was union between God and man through Jesus Christ. Evil is insignificant and it must be dealt with, but it has already been dealt with, the battle was won. But there is still simply the matter of separating the evil from the righteous, a housekeeping matter at the end of the day. While this particular image of the judgment is not a large matter from the perspective of the fishermen, it is certainly a big deal from the perspective of the fish. They will be separated and thrown in the fire of Hell where there will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. The picture of judgment will be terrible for those involved. This parable is very well a dire warning of the potential consequences if we are on the wrong side of the net. There is a second striking characteristic about this parable. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous. People will be judged. It is people who will be wailing and gnashing their teeth. It is the evil things being removed from the kingdom of Heaven. God searches after sinners, God waits patiently for sinners to return and then runs to meet them. It would logically follow that God mourns the loss of any sinner at the judgment, but once our decision to reject a relationship with God is made, we become like garbage fish separated from the good fish. Getting rid of that stuff is a necessary task at the end day. And in the end evil will be sorted out from righteousness, and those people who are unwilling to part with their pleasure will end up in the fire because they would not let go of the object that was being thrown in. God loves the world. God seeks the lost. In the parable of the prodigal son, God watches for the return of the sinner, and when he returns, throws propriety to the wind and runs to greet him. The real amazing thing is not that we are saved, but that some humans are so self-centered that they can resist and turn away from the reality of the kingdom of Heaven. A note to end on, put simply, let go of the sin in your life and and pick up the righteousness God has given through Christ Jesus. On that final day when the net is drawn and the separation begins be a trout, or a bass or something, don't be a jelly fish, put your faith in Christ. You want to be in the good pile that day. Amen!
MAY GOD BLESS YOU
Mt 13:47-50
By Brother Jim Cook
When the net is drawn which side will you be on ? Good or Evil!
The parable of the draw net is the sixth out of seven parables Jesus spoke about the mysteries of Heaven. As we begin this study, I hope by the time we are done you will know which side of the net you will be on when it is drawn in.
Mt 13:47 -50
Mt 13:47 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind:
48 Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away.
49 So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just,
50 And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
First lets look at the details of the parable, A "draw net" was cast into the sea. What is a draw net? It is defined as a large fishing net equipped with a weighted bottom edge for dragging the river or lake bottom. The top would have wooden floats allowing the net to be spread across a large area of water.
(Isa 19:8)
These type of nets were normally let down from a boat and then drawn to shore by a crew on the beach. If there was a large catch the net was hauled to shore by boat.
(Jn 21:6-8)."
After the draw net was drawn to shore, the fish would be separated. The ones good for eating were saved, the inedible ones were discarded. Now lets take a look at the meaning of the parable. The kingdom of Heaven, in its current state, will be a mixture of good and bad, just like a draw net gathers in both good and bad fish.
2 Ti 2:20-21 “some vessels are "for honor and some for dishonor
Mt 13:49 But in the future there will be a separation -
Mt 13:39-40 It will occur "at the end of the age"
Mt 13:41 The agents of this separation will be the "angels"
Mt 13:41 The "wicked" will be separated from the "just"
Mt 13:50 The punishment of the "wicked" is described
Mt 13:42a "cast...into the furnace of fire."
Mt 13:42b "There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth."
Jesus, in giving His explanation, we see the emphasis of Jesus in the parable. The emphasis is upon the future separation of those in the kingdom, and the punishment of the wicked. "The Parable Of The Draw net", also reinforces the spiritual truths taught in "The Parable Of The Wheat And Tares", especially those relating to the coming judgment and condemnation of the wicked. But that will be a later study. Jesus emphasizes the judgment and condemnation of the wicked in this parable and it ought to impress upon us that the "good news" of the kingdom of Heaven, also contains "bad news" for those who reject it. "Gathered every kind", here again, it is taught that, at the end of the world, the angels shall sever the wicked from the just. In the parable the sea is the world, and the net is the gospel with its ministers and ordinances. This parable shows the mixture of good and evil which will always exist in the visible church on earth. We should not get discouraged on account of the mixture of evil with good in God's church, for it has always been so, and will be so to the end of time. However we should make it our mission to bring the bad to the good by God's grace and salvation through Christ. Now stop and imagine the fisherman separating their catch. It is unremarkable. Imagine a couple of fishermen sitting on the beach tossing fish into different containers, while a couple more fishermen pull the nets in tighter as the fish get separated out. The ocean waves would be lapping onto the shore and the fishermen would be laughing and joking with each other, at ease because their day was almost done. If you try you can easily imagine such a scene. This is a very strange image of the last judgment, but it is the image that Jesus offers us in this context. From it we can begin to appreciate the insignificance of evil in the larger scheme because in the end God will remove it. But once the victory was accomplished, by Christ on the cross there was absolutely no question as to the final outcome. The kingdom of Heaven was established and the reign of God continued at a more profound level because now there was union between God and man through Jesus Christ. Evil is insignificant and it must be dealt with, but it has already been dealt with, the battle was won. But there is still simply the matter of separating the evil from the righteous, a housekeeping matter at the end of the day. While this particular image of the judgment is not a large matter from the perspective of the fishermen, it is certainly a big deal from the perspective of the fish. They will be separated and thrown in the fire of Hell where there will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. The picture of judgment will be terrible for those involved. This parable is very well a dire warning of the potential consequences if we are on the wrong side of the net. There is a second striking characteristic about this parable. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous. People will be judged. It is people who will be wailing and gnashing their teeth. It is the evil things being removed from the kingdom of Heaven. God searches after sinners, God waits patiently for sinners to return and then runs to meet them. It would logically follow that God mourns the loss of any sinner at the judgment, but once our decision to reject a relationship with God is made, we become like garbage fish separated from the good fish. Getting rid of that stuff is a necessary task at the end day. And in the end evil will be sorted out from righteousness, and those people who are unwilling to part with their pleasure will end up in the fire because they would not let go of the object that was being thrown in. God loves the world. God seeks the lost. In the parable of the prodigal son, God watches for the return of the sinner, and when he returns, throws propriety to the wind and runs to greet him. The real amazing thing is not that we are saved, but that some humans are so self-centered that they can resist and turn away from the reality of the kingdom of Heaven. A note to end on, put simply, let go of the sin in your life and and pick up the righteousness God has given through Christ Jesus. On that final day when the net is drawn and the separation begins be a trout, or a bass or something, don't be a jelly fish, put your faith in Christ. You want to be in the good pile that day. Amen!
MAY GOD BLESS YOU
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