2 Tim 2:15 "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."
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A NET CAST INTO THE SEA: ITS MEANING
LORD’S DAY, APRIL 19
Matthew 13:47-50
Memory verse: Matthew 13:49
“…the kingdom of heaven
is like unto a net,
that was cast into the sea…”
A NET CAST INTO THE SEA: ITS MEANING
The Kingdom of Heaven is like unto a net. The illustration Jesus used was a net. The description of the net is a seine. A seine is “a large net with sinkers on one edge and floats on the other that hangs vertically in the water and is used to enclose and catch fish when its ends are pulled together or are drawn ashore.” [Merriam-Webster Dictionary] Using this method of catching, the fishermen would scoop up all kinds of sea creatures. When the net was full, they would haul the net to shore. The plural pronoun “they” is used here, implying that it was a large and heavy catch that required a few fishermen to draw it to shore. Once they had reached the shore, they sat down and began to separate their catch. The good would be placed in vessels for food or sale. The bad were cast away.
The biblical guidelines for separation are taught in Leviticus 11:9-12: “These shall ye eat of all that are in the waters: whatsoever hath fins and scales in the waters, in the seas, and in the rivers, them shall ye eat. And all that have not fins and scales in the seas, and in the rivers, of all that move in the waters, and of any living thing which is in the waters, they shall be an abomination unto you: They shall be even an abomination unto you; ye shall not eat of their flesh, but ye shall have their carcases in abomination. Whatsoever hath no fins nor scales in the waters, that shall be an abomination unto you.”
The person casting the net is omitted on purpose. There were many, as many drew the full net to shore. The focus is on the act of casting the net, what the net catches and the separation. This is the separation that takes place at the end of the world. This parable is similar to the Parable of the Wheat and Tares (cf. Matt 13:24-30; 36-43). The difference is that in the latter, the devil sowed the tares in the local churches. The parable of the net describes what happens when Christianity spreads to the whole world. The spread of the Gospel will result in genuine and false believers within the local churches or Christianity as a whole. In both cases, the separation will be done by angels at the end of the world.
THOUGHT: What kind of professing believer am I?
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, may I be honest with my soul before Thee, O God Most High, for Jesus’ sake. Amen.