Jesus uses a diverse set of characters and settings in these short parables of the Kingdom… agriculture, baking, real estate, commerce. And now we enter the realm of the fisherman, a category he must have come to know well. (I wonder why the carpenter never told a recorded parable about woodworking…).Let’s examine this one, which brings us back to those lovely Last Judgment themes:
‘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.'
On the surface, this one seems pretty clear – we can all understand sorting. This story, like the one about the weeds and the wheat, depicts that aspect of the Kingdom that deals with final judgment. But here we get the angels in waders (anglers!), picking the good fish from the bottom feeders.
What can we see in this simple tale when we sit with it?
Well – there’s a randomness to the catching process, isn’t there? The kingdom of heaven doesn’t seem to have very discerning technique – that net is thrown into the sea, the sea perhaps representing the entire creation, and any old fish can swim in. What constitutes a fish worthy of keeping and those to be tossed is not articulated in this story – once again, it is not for us to judge our fellow fish, but to love.
I also notice that the net is not drawn onto land until it is full. New Testament writings offer several hints that God is in no hurry to ring down the curtain on this age, preferring to wait until all have received and responded to the invitation to new life. It’s up to us to extend that invitation. That is called evangelism.
Some people to evangelism to save people from the fires of hell. I prefer to stress the joys of heaven, and the experience of God-Life we can begin to enjoy in this world. Offering other fish a swim in the Water of Life is a gift we can share. (I’m seeing the net as a good thing in this context…)
Are you feeling fishy today? Willing to pray as a fish - which can breathe under the water, undisturbed by turbulence on the surface? Are you willing to be caught? Is there anyone whom you’d like to invite into the net with you?
Some fish, as we know, will hop right into the frying pan, no matter what invitations we extend. Many others, I pray, will choose to join us in the life-giving waters of baptism.
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