Through the eyes of Jesus
Parable of the Dragnet
Matthew 13:47 – 50
April 24, 2011
A couple weeks ago, Judy asked me if I was still going to keep following through on the teaching of the parables as she realized that this one fell on Easter. As you can see, I kept to the path I was on and you may be asking why nothing on the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus this day.
I don’t think that there is a person living in America that has not heard the story about Jesus Christ being crucified, buried and rising on the third day, the question that needs to be answered is do they know or understand the story.
The eunuch as he was riding in his chariot as he left Jerusalem that day had heard the message, but he did not know the message, that is until Phillip explained it to him.
Today we look at what most consider to be the final parable in this series of parables, The Parable of the Dragnet. Gregory the Great ((Pope Gregory, 590AD – 604AD) 540 AD – 604AD) says this parable was; “to be trembled at rather than expounded.”
As in many of the teachings of the Bible, I feel that we have really failed at understanding the emphasis behind these parables. We see them too often as simple stories rather than what they are, warnings about future events.
This Parable is often associated with the Parable of the Wheat and the Tares. Both of these parables show the good and bad living together and at the appropriate time separation.
As we open this parable we have three main components to it.
In this area we have two components
A) Sea B) Net
The sea when it comes to Biblical interpretation represents the mass of human existence.
Isaiah 24:13 - 14
13For thus shall it be in the midst of the earth among the peoples, as the shaking of an olive-tree, as the gleanings when the vintage is done. 14These shall lift up their voice, they shall shout; for the majesty of Jehovah they cry aloud from the sea.
Daniel 7:2 - 3
2 Daniel spoke, saying, “I saw in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the Great Sea. 3 And four great beasts came up from the sea, each different from the other.
Revelation 13:1
. . . And I saw a beast coming up out of the sea, having ten horns, and seven heads, and on his horns ten diadems, and upon his heads names of blasphemy.
The word that Jesus uses in the parable for net is one that means a dragnet.
This type of net is a very large net that is spread or cast over a very large area.
On the top rope is some kind of flotation device to keep this rope on the surface. On the bottom rope is attached weights to pull it to the bottom of the water. The two ropes are then attached with multiple smaller ropes that from a webbing. When this assembly is pulled or drug through the water it then traps all the fish that are too large to fit through the small openings.
The design of the dragnet was not to just cover the shallows, but also the depths. It is also designed to not pass by those too bad or those that were too good. It was designed to catch all that came into its wide path.
This spreading of the net is then very similar to the first parable of the spreading of the seed as it is cast across the field or in the case of the truer understanding the spreading of the gospel. The purpose of both was to cover as much territory as possible to have as great effect as possible on the area being covered.
In this area we have two components
Unlike the other parables, this one here takes a slight twist. Up to this point all the main characters have had a singular nature, meaning that it was one person or identity doing or representing the doing, here Jesus makes the activity a plurality.
Look closely at verse 48
48 which, when it was full, they drew to shore; and they sat down
Matthew 4:19 - 20
19 Then He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” 20 They immediately left their nets and followed Him.
Mark 1:17 - 18
17 Then Jesus said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” 18 They immediately left their nets and followed Him.
As much as these parables are about Jesus and the fulfillment of the Kingdom age, Jesus is setting the stage by saying you are an important part of this work also.
Remember, the first four men Jesus called were literally fishermen. They were the initial recipients of the casting of His net into the sea of men. Little did they fully understand what was to come of their lives, but here in this parable Jesus is giving them one more indication that they were going to be involved in His work.
What is the ultimate responsibility of fishermen; to catch fish.
When a fisherman tosses a dragnet into the waters, he basically knows one of two things are going to happen.
The challenge with catching nothing is a lot of work was expanded for no result.
The challenge with catching something is he has no control over what he will catch. Meaning in his net he will have good fish (saleable product) or bad fish (non saleable product). The good fish were placed in a container for safe transport while the bad fish were cast aside.
At some point, every fishing adventure brings a time when decisions have to be made. If you are out by yourself with a single fishing pole it must be made as soon as you pull the fish in, do I keep it or do I let it go. What does Jesus say was the result of the casting of this dragnet into the waters? “gathered some of every kind”. So too will a decision have to be made about the fish that are in this net.
Before we go there, what does this kind of fishing tell us?
This gives us three pieces of information.
Meaning just because the gospel is spread, does not mean all people are affected by it.
Just because people are in the church does not also mean that they are true Christians.
When it comes to those in the church net, there will be a separation between the true and the false Christians.
As the fishermen pulled these loaded nets from the waters, they had to come ashore and then separate the good fish from the bad fish. The one thing that we need to take into account here is this is where this parable again takes a turn like in the parable of the Wheat and the tares, the responsibility of separating the good from the bad when it comes to humanity will not be yours and mine to do.
Matthew 13:49
49 So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come forth, separate the wicked from among the just, 50 and cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.”
Final separation or determination of the good and the bad is NOT YOUR RESPONSIBILITY.
The thing that we need to be concerned about is in which direction will the angels cast me?
As I mentioned a few minutes ago, this is the first time where parable is not centered around the Son of Man, Jesus Christ, it is centered around “They”, that is you and me.
They fished. They pulled the net.
Luke 5:4 - 11
4 When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.”
5 But Simon answered and said to Him, “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net.” 6 And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking. 7 So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. 8 When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!”
9 For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish which they had taken; 10 and so also were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men.” 11 So when they had brought their boats to land, they forsook all and followed Him.
Simon and the others that night had been fishing their way, the way it has always been done. They knew the facts for they were fishermen as were their fathers before them. But as Jesus told them, you need to stop fishing based on your know how and do as I say. What was the results? A catch so big that their boats were on the verge of sinking.
As often as we focus on the facts of Easter, the betrayal, the scorn, the flogging, the cross, the burial and the resurrection, the ultimate question comes down to one simple question; “What does it mean to me?”
Its’ one thing to know the facts of Easter, but to have experienced the reality of those facts is another. So as you exit this Easter season, let us stop using the barbed hook or spear of a single fisherman and become part of the team that cast the net of forgiveness. For by doing so, the net the angels will one day pull in will be overflowing with souls. May it be filled with more good than bad.