A Fabulous Find and Pickled Hot Peppers 😊 The parable of the Dragnet

Matthew 13:47-50 

⁴⁷ “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet cast into the sea, and gathering fish of every kind; ⁴⁸and when it was filled, they drew it up on the beach; and they sat down and gathered the good fish into containers, but the bad they threw away. ⁴⁹So it will be at the end of the age; the angels will come forth and take out the wicked from among the righteous, ⁵⁰and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

This parable immediately calls to mind Jesus’ explanation of the Parable of the Wheat and the Tares in Matthew 13: 36-43 that we studied last week.

Yet there are significant differences, that I want to point out: 

For example: 

In “The Parable of the Wheat and the Tares” the focus is upon the intervening time between Jesus’ inauguration of the kingdom and the end of the age, during which both He and the devil are at work in the world leading up to a final judgment.

While the focus of the Parable of the Dragnet is on the future judgment itself.

Now, the second point I want you to notice is that - the although Parable of the Wheat and the tares includes the destruction of the wicked, the emphasis of the parable is on that “the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father,” and the promise of a glorious future for believers.

While today’s parable - the Parable of the Dragnet, places the emphasis upon the destruction of the wicked.

Now, I want to take a moment and explain that there were 2 different kinds of nets used by fishermen is Jesus’ day...  There is a ‘casting net’ which was a smaller net that an individual could use it by themselves.  Then there was another kind that was a drag-net. 

In those days a drag-net could cover as much as 1 square mile of water surface area.  The net was long and would have weights on it. They would spread out the drag-net between two boats and would drag it toward the shoreline.  By the time they got the net to shore it would be filled with all sorts of sea creatures. 

So, the primary focus of today’s parable is on the future and final judgment of the wicked. 

Today’s parable reveals to us what God is doing among lost people today.  And that the Kingdom of God involves two things: invitation and then separation.

The “sea” in today’s parable is representative of lost humanity. 

It’s a sea of despair and hopelessness.  It’s a deep, dark abyss of iniquity.

The “net” is the church, extending the gospel invitation. 

In this day of grace God is using us to throw out the gospel invitation. 

And what a privilege it is for us to live in this age of grace…

Where we are able to freely tell others about the gospel of saving grace.

Because there will come a time… once we get to the shore… there will be a separation.

For the gospel is available to the entire sea of humanity, people of every kind.  Nobody is so high the net cannot reach them, and none are so low that the net cannot descend to them.  None are so small that the net cannot embrace them.  None are so big that the net cannot wrap around them. 

I pray that none of us never get tired of casting the net… and witnessing to others in the sea.

Now look at verse 48… Once the net was on the shore there is a “gathering” 

Notice that although fish of every kind were gathered, it does NOT say that every fish was gathered.  Not everyone will be saved. 

We are not called to Christianize the world; we are called to Evangelize it.

Now in  verse 49, there is the separation –

The interpretation of this parable reaches out into the future.  Someday a great separation will take place, and it won’t be the good people going to heaven and the bad to hell. 

No, it’s the separation between the saved and the lost.  Between the sheep and the goats, the just and unjust.

This separation will be final.  There will be no appeals, v. 49, says, “so shall it be” there are no loopholes, there is no way out…for now it is too late.

And it will be factual.  God cannot make any mistakes.  He knows who is saved and who is not.

The conclusion to this message, and its obvious application… is to see this parable for what it is, a clear warning about the certainty, finality, and horror of the coming judgment of God.

This is no joking matter, and, however unpopular this subject is, or however uncomfortable it may be for us to think about it…

Jesus demands that we do so!  

After all, the eternal destiny of each and every person is on the line!

And like I say… Life Happens… and this parable should burden us to respond…

for life is precious and we need to witness like there’s no tomorrow… for there may not be… after all listening to the news is like a rundown of the book of Revelation. 

We as the church of Jesus Christ must cast the net and give the invitation before the day of separation comes!  And extend our friendship… our time and the gospel to the lost before the great separation takes place!