Matthew 13:47-50–Daily Scripture Reading and Meditation

Posted by Seth on Apr 5, 2010 in Bible Study, Daily Devotions |

Matthew 13:47-50–Daily Scripture Reading and Meditation

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Welcome to today’s Daily Scripture Reading and Meditation covering Matthew 13:47-50 wherein we hear of a great net to be drawn and a final judgment given.

Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind. When it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into containers but threw away the bad. So it will be at the close of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

In my growing up years, I did a fair amount of fishing. I even got to go along on occasion with my dad and uncles to do a thing called hogging. Basically what this entailed was making one’s way down a river, finding areas where larger fish would congregate around fallen trees or certain bends, feeling slowly, gently, and blindly around the bottom for them, quickly shoving one down into the mud when found, and then hauling it up to the surface…no joke! Much of what was caught and thrown into the mesh bag were either catfish or carp and the former was the more desirable catch. Carp were known for having hundreds of tiny little bones, making them difficult to clean and a pain to eat. But we’ve all seen a wonderfully golden, boneless, catfish fillet in our favorite family restaurants.

Jesus used a fishing illustration here that would have spoken to a people well acquainted with the industry. Nets that were thrown out didn’t discriminate on what kinds of fish were brought in from an area, but the fishermen did once the nets were brought back up. There were keepers and ones to discard. Where Jesus then takes this illustration doesn’t seem all that politically correct, but such wasn’t generally the concern of Jesus. In reality, it was very kind of Him to warn people then and now about a coming time of judgment. The “net,” in fact, is right now filling and will be drawn to the shore for sorting on a day only known by the Father in heaven. This should move our hearts in a number of ways. There are those who need to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ that they might be “good” on the day of judgment, having received His righteousness through faith in Him as the Savior. There are those who have heard but have yet to respond who, by perhaps hearing again even now, need to repent and avoid the eternal weeping and gnashing of teeth that lies ahead. And then for everyone, we should recognize our own weakness as we think about the angels who will stand mightily over even the strongest of men and sort them as easily as a seasoned fisherman handles a helpless fish out of water.

The question of what we will do with Jesus continues through the gospels. At this time, as the net fills, we are confronted by Him. We do well to take that much needed step outside of ourselves and this world to look in at the sea of souls unaware of the wrapping that will suddenly be drawn around them. At that moment when the ropes become taut and reality sets in, change or escape will be too late. But for those who know and love the Savior at that moment, the drawing will come as a great welcome and fulfillment of all that has been waited for. In light of this, let us take whatever must be our appropriate action today.

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