God’s kingdom is like a fishnet cast into the sea, catching all kinds of fish. When it is full, it is hauled onto the beach. The good fish are picked out and put in a tub; those unfit to eat are thrown away. That’s how it will be when the curtain comes down on history. [Matthew 13:47-49 MSG]
The imagery of a net being cast into water taps into something familiar to Jesus' listeners.
Like the farmers listening to parables about seeds fishermen were drawn into this story.
I love the way that Christ knows his audience and how to communicate to them.
These fishermen daily cast their nets and sorted out the fish that were edible.
Ones that did not have fins and scales were not to be eaten but thrown away.
The message here is that people will eventually be sorted out by God.
At the end of our lives we will be like those fish Jesus speaks of.
Those who have been born from above will continue to live spiritual lives.
Anyone not already spiritually alive will simply cease to exist.
Lead me Lord. Not into temptation but deliver me from evil.
... this devotion is part of the Red Letters series. Click here to read more.
Jesus understood the value of a good visual aid. As I read this, I picture a fisherman in the background, doing exactly what Jesus was saying.
ReplyDeleteI find it interesting that the bad were thrown away. They were not returned to the water, perhaps because they were of no use and as such, the fishermen did not want them to thrive and survive.
So my prayer is that the Lord will find me useful on that day. Perhaps that is where some of the anger is from, being hauled in with the good, only to find out they were useless, not wanted.