Matthew 13.47-50

THE DRAGNET

PARABLE OF THE NET

Matthew 13.47-50

I have a bone to pick with God.

It is this.

Why do bad people appear to flourish, whilst good people appear to go unrewarded in this life?

I don't know about you, but I can think of many people who appear to get away with things, whilst

people, like myself of course(!!), struggle to live a good life and go unnoticed.

ooOOOoo

Now it was in answer to such a question that St Matthew recalls the story of Jesus about a dragnet.

In the story, Jesus likens the Kingdom of Heaven to a dragnet.

Now this image would have been a very familiar sight, especially to those disciples who were fishermen. It was usually a large net, which was hung between two fishing boats, with a weight in the bottom to weigh it down. As the fishing boats moved through the waters, it would catch fish in the net.

Once ashore, it was necessary for the fishermen to separate the good fish from the bad fish.

According to Jewish law, only fish with scales and fins were considered suitable for human consumption. The remaining fish would be thrown back into the sea.

And Jesus concludes the story with the words: ‘So it will be at the end of time. The angels will come and separate the evil from the righteous and throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth’.

In other words, Jesus is saying that the Kingdom of Heaven on earth may well appear to consist of good and bad people alike, but there will come a time of separation, but it is not for us to decide who is be included or excluded from the Kingdom. That is the responsibility of God alone.

ooOOOoo

And yet it must have been tempting for those early disciples of Jesus, whom he had invited to become 'fishers of men', to want to decide who was to be included, and who was to be excluded from the Kingdom of Heaven.

In the same way, it is tempting for us, who are also invited to become 'fishers of men', to want to decide who should be included and excluded from the Kingdom of God.

This tension between an inclusive church and an exclusive church, is something that goes back to the early days of Christianity when some wanted to include Gentiles within the church, and some wanted to exclude Gentiles from the church.

I am reminded of a story about an Anglican who went to heaven, and was greeted at the pearly gates by St Peter, who put his finger to his lips and said, 'Sssh'. When the Anglican asked why he should keep his voice down, St Peter replied that there were some Jehovah Witnesses on the other side, and they think that they are the only ones in heaven!

Like the Jehovah Witness in our story, we often assume that we are the only ones who are safe.

How often have you found yourself saying, 'Fancy him or her, saying such a thing, and they call themselves Christians’!

Or, 'I am committed in my discipleship’, thereby implying that others are not.

Or, 'Some people just use the church for their convenience - such as baptisms, weddings and funerals' - thereby implying that you do not.

Yes, most of us have an idea of what a real Christian should be like. Anyone who fails to come up to that standard, we often dismiss as a fraudster, an imposter, or a hypocrite.

And when we do that, we are playing God, who alone is responsible for passing judgement.

It is so easy, in our laudable desire to maintain standards, to forget those words of warning of St Paul to the early disciples at Corinth, when he wrote: 'Do not pronounce judgement before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness, and will disclose the purposes of the heart’.

ooOOOoo

You see, my friends, you and I see only the outward appearance of discipleship. We do not see the inward motivation of the heart. Only God, ‘unto whom all hearts are open, and all desire known, and from whom no secrets are hidden’ knows fully the circumstances surrounding the discipleship of those who follow him.

Tempting though it might be, it is not our prerogative to pass judgement, as the parable of the dragnet reminds us.

Our job, like that of the early disciples, is simply to be 'fishers of men' and women. To cast our evangelistic net as widely as possible, and not to anticipate the ultimate action of God.

ooOOOoo

And whilst we wait for that ultimate separation by God, bad people may well appear to flourish, and good people may appear to go unnoticed.

But who is to say that you and I are among the good fish?