What Kind of Fish are You?
The Life & Work of Christ - Kingdom Parables • Sermon • Submitted
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The parable in this passage wraps up Jesus’ teaching about the kingdom. It will also wrap up his private teachings to his disciples. The first four parables were spoken to the crowds, whereas the last three were spoken in private to his disciples. And since Jesus claimed that his disciples had the special privilege of knowing the hidden content about the kingdom, I believe these private ones are of special importance for all disciples to hear. It is important to listen whenever GOD speaks, but a general biblical concept is that when divinity repeats something, it is very imperative for everyone to pay attention. Because GOD will surely bring it to pass and he will do it quickly, and all that are accountable must take action (). Well what is Jesus repeating or reemphasizing about the Kingdom of Heaven that should move everyone to the appropriate action? The final round of life and what will happen in that round. He first mentions it in the parable of the wheat and tares. In this one, he gives a quick and full view of all that will take place from beginning to end, with emphasis on the end.
The Kingdom is like a dragnet. The typical fishing net used by one or more individuals was a casting net. A dragnet however was a much larger net, that was strung between two boats. It was designed with floaters across the top of the net to keep it at the water’s surface. While the bottom had weights attached to drag the bottom of the net across the floor of the sea (hence dragnet). Some were as long as a football field. So it was designed for a large catch. But it’s not the net itself that Jesus is comparing the Kingdom to, it’s the final activity of using the net. The casting of the net and it’s gathering of every kind.
Application: This is indeed the activity of the gospel to all nations. It should be appreciated that GOD intends to catch all kinds of fish. Different ethnicities, economic status, stature, upbringing, emotions, past life, etc. Marlin, sailfish, tuna, grouper, etc. This is a note for true workers of the gospel that it isn’t supposed to be discriminant. It is a message that is open to whoever from wherever and whenever.
But while I have the opportunity to make that quick application, the major emphasis Jesus is making is the next verse with the word “when”. That is a notation of time that Jesus is stressing. He wants his disciples then and now to understand beyond the casting, drifting, and gathering of fish. He wants you and I to understand what happened when the net was filled to its capacity. Well just as regular fishermen would do, they drag the net all the way to the shore. Now with our modern Mid-western fishing with rod and reels, this looks a bit different.
Example: I can remember when the limit on crappie in Kansas was 50, and me and my grandfather both caught our limit and had two five gallon buckets filled to capacity. But see every now and then, while your catching fish at a fast pace, a small unknown fish will hit your line. And he’s barely bigger than the bait your threw out there. Some days you catch a whole lot of small fish. And you know what we do when catch all those small irritating fish that waste your time and bait? Take them off the hook and throw em back in the water! Why? Because they are useless to keep! You can’t make half a sandwich with them by the time you clean and cook them! But those big ones, we put those in the basket or bucket to take home.
This was the same case with fishing in their day. A good fisherman would take his time and sort through all the fish in the net. This is an interesting case, because all that time, the net accumulated fish that the fishermen wanted and some that he had no use for. And although my illustration mainly focused on the size of the fish, that’s not always the case and definitely not the case here. It’s not the size, type, or species that matters. What matters is the quality of the fish, WHEN they’ve been brought to the shore!!
What’s your point Jesus? So it WILL BE! There’s no uncertainty about this matter. Just as all that GOD has ever spoken has come to pass, Jesus wants us to fully understand that the same process will happen with the kingdom at the close of all human affairs. Here’s the question of the day, what kind of fish are you? Here’s a weightier question, what kind of fish will you be? Everyone needs to constantly consider that the end is coming! There’s coming a time where time won’t tick anymore. Everything as we know it is going to stop!
Here’s the harsh reality. Is that for now, while the end has not come yet, in the Kingdom there is a mixture of wicked and righteous people. I know the common thread is that we like to think and even hope that everyone that professes Christianity and to be a member of the blood-stained Church of Christ is in good shape. But that is not what your or my bible teaches. Some have crept in. There are wicked people who have a stealth existence among saints! And many of them if not all will remain stealth until we die or all of us are pulled onto the shore. And when that happens, there will be a deliberate separation. There will be a gathering, but this gathering will be different from the fish gathered in the net. The angels are going to look at the kingdom net, and take out all of the wicked fish from the midst of the righteous fish.
Application: Wicked and bad here isn’t referring to those who have and might sin, for if that were the case every fish would be discarded. Similarly, righteous and good isn’t referring to those who think they’ve done so much good to deserve to go into GOD’s container. Nobody would be gathered. We should know that we are made righteous by having sincere faith and trust in all that Jesus has done, to the point that it drives us to obey him. Faith rescues us and obedience follows. But notice that in Jesus’ explanation of the parable, he doesn’t speak of what will happen to the good or righteous. Thus he is focusing on the fate of the wicked. And thus this serves as an extreme warning to the wicked. Well what is wicked? Wickedness can indeed include rotten moral behavior, but it also signifies a stubborn rejection of GOD and his purpose. See the wickedness in the Kingdom isn’t about someone struggling with sin today. It is vital to not become complacent with sin in any case. But Jesus hung around sinners and recognized they needed a behavior doctor! The wickedness that’s mixed in the kingdom today is stubborn hypocrisy! It is ravenous wolves in sheep clothing. It is this outward expression of belief, but full of greedy self-will on the inside. Paul greatly echoes this in , these types of people profess to know GOD, but they deny him in what they do. Jesus said in another sermon, not everybody who says “Lord, Lord” will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, that’s judgment time. Why, because he never really ruled in your heart. Therefore, the angels are going to throw them into a hot furnace for all eternity.
What can prevent this from happening? Notice one of principle messages that accompanied the announcement of the Kingdom: Repent! That message stands trustworthy today. But will you repent? Not report. Although some won’t even do that. Repentance means to change your mind! When one truly repents, GOD will transform ones condition. Will you repent?