THE PARABLES | The Dragnet (Matt 13:47-50)
THE PARABLES | The Dragnet (Matt 13:47-50)
Again, the kingdom of Heaven is like a dragnet that is cast in the sea
and brings in a haul of all kinds of fish.
Matthew 13:47-48, The New Jerusalem Bible
and brings in a haul of all kinds of fish.
Matthew 13:47-48, The New Jerusalem Bible
Context: A dragnet, or seine net, has corks at its top and weights at the bottom, so that it stands, as it were, upright in the sea. Ropes attached to its four corners draw it through the sea in a cone shape, netting all kinds of sea creatures. Some fish without fins and scales were unsuitable according to the Mosaic Law and were discarded (Lev 11:9-12).
Meaning: There were divisions in the ancient Greek world between the Greek and barbarian; slave and free man; wise and ignorant. In the Roman world divisions between Roman citizens and the rest. In the Jewish world between Jew and gentile; men and women; Pharisees and “people of the land”; Law keepers and sinners. Today discrimination can be over race, ethnicity, gender, education, and social class. But there is no such discrimination in the preaching of the gospel. At Christ’s return, the “righteous” good fish are those who have been justified by faith in Christ. “The wicked” who do not put their trust in Christ remain unforgiven.
Application: The dragnet of God’s message of Christ moves through the sea of mankind and draws all men for final separation. Men presently may move about within the net as if they were forever free. The gospel may touch them from time to time, but they quickly swim away, not realizing they are inescapably encompassed in God’s sovereign plan. Even in the band of 12 there were 11 good "fish" and one bad, Judas. So today, becoming a member of a church or a Christian organization, is not the same as belonging to Jesus.
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A man’s reaction to Jesus Christ is the supreme ‘krisis’ or his judgment on himself.
A man’s reaction to Jesus Christ is the supreme ‘krisis’ or his judgment on himself.