47 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind. 48 When it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into containers but threw away the bad. 49 So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous 50 and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Matthew 13:47–50 ESV)
“The parable of the wheat and the tares (Matt. 13:24–30, 36–43) is probably not first and foremost about the presence of people who profess the Christian faith falsely in the institutional church. However, this does not mean that Jesus has nothing to say on the subject. The parable of the net apparently deals with the fact that those who do not really know Christ will “worship” beside true believers in the visible covenant community,” explains Dr. R. C. Sproul.
Jesus compared the kingdom of heaven to a fishing net. This net was thrown into the sea. This resulted in a gathering of various fish. As with the previous parables, Jesus used the object lesson of fishing to explain a spiritual truth. Fishing, along with farming and shepherding, was a familiar way of life for the Jew. They could relate to the plot, setting and characters of the story. The question would be if they would understand the biblical truth.
Jesus continued by saying that when the net was full, the fisherman drew it ashore, sat down and sorted the fish. They placed the good fish into containers and threw away the bad. How many fishermen in Jesus’ audience that day had not done the same thing (Matt. 13:1-2)? It was a common practice.
Jesus then explained the point of his parable. The gathering of fish illustrated the gathering of humanity at the end of the age and before the judgment seat of God. Jesus said that, “The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous 50 and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
“Our Lord’s contemporaries are again familiar with the imagery in this parable. Those who had worked on the seas knew well the task of sorting out the edible fish from those not fit for consumption (13:48), which is likened to the angelic separation of the righteous from the unrighteous when the kingdom is consummated (vv. 49–50),” continues Dr. Sproul.
“Like a net catching fish, the church will bring in many kinds of people. Yet just as not all fish are fit for eating, so too are not all members of the visible church fit for heaven. The church we can see is a mixed body until the Savior returns. All those whom we see professing Christ (the visible church) do not necessarily have faith; some join the church for motives other than serving Jesus. These false professors are mixed with true believers in the visible church, but not forever. For on Judgment Day those who never possessed saving trust in Christ will find eternal punishment (vv. 49–50).”
What kind of fish are you? He who has ears to hear, let them hear.
Soli deo Gloria!
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