Thoughts for the Day

‘Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and caught fish of every kind; when it was full, they drew it ashore, sat down, and put the good into baskets but threw out the bad. So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous and throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

‘Have you understood all this?’ They answered, ‘Yes.’ And he said to them, ‘Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like the master of a household who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.’ When Jesus had finished these parables, he left that place.

(Lectionary, New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

Jesus brings together his teaching about the Kingdom of Heaven with two important parables that should speak to each one of us today.

The first is the 'Parable of the Dragnet'. The dragnet or seine is the oldest type of fishing net and was used in Galilee up until the 1950s. The seine is a 250 metre long piece of netting with a rope weighted with sinkers, and a head rope with cork floats. The net is spread a hundred metres from the shore and hauled in by a team of as many as sixteen men. The net catches fish of all kinds, which are then sorted into those to be kept and those to be thrown away. The message for us is one for the whole Church. As the dragnet brings in all kinds of fish, good and bad (ie edible and inedible) so God's Church will draw in all kinds of people, good and bad, but it is not our task to judge their commitment to Christ. That task will be God's at some point, ours is to continue sending out God's message of love to the people of the world.

The second parable or illustration, comes after Jesus has asked his disciples if they have understood his words. They indicate they have, and Jesus says they are to imagine a Scribe who has worked all his life to understand the Law and the Prophets. Such a man is like a householder who has accrued many old and new treasures, which he can display or use as he wishes. In other words, Jesus has illuminated the learning the disciples already had from their earlier life with fresh insights.

Today, Jesus does not expect us to put aside all we have learnt when we come to him, but to continue building on what we possess when we come into his service. Now we are to use the talents and gifts that we have gained during our life in the world, for God. The classic example would be Jesus calling those disciples who were fishermen with the words: ‘Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.’ (Matthew 4.18-20)

Lord Jesus Christ,
teach us not to be judgemental about others,
but to reach out to them whatever their situation.
May we look honestly at our own weaknesses
and to reject all that do a disservice to You.
Help us to use our gifts and talents wisely
in our Church and community,
both now and in the future.
Amen.