Matthew 13:47-50 47Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that was cast into the sea and gathered every kind. 48When it was full, drawing it upon the short and sitting down, they sorted the good into containers, but the worthless they threw away. 49So it will be at the close of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the midst of the righteous 50and throw them into the fiery furnace. There it will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
The next parable moves to the image of fishing. Many of the disciples were fisherman, and the rest were likely familiar with fishing because of their close proximity to the Sea of Galilee. The typical way to catch fish was using nets tied into small knots to create small openings. The nets would be cast out from a boat and then hauled into, thus dragging whatever got caught in the net. Undoubtedly, sometimes unwanted creatures were included. And so, the fishermen would need to separate the wanted from the unwanted.
This vivid imagery serves well Jesus’ application. This parable builds on the parable of the weeds in its eschatological application at the close of the age (verse 50 repeats verse 42). When Jesus comes again with his angels, there will be a separation of the wicked from the righteous. Everyone will be gathered before the throne of God. The Bible teaches that righteousness is both a gift of God’s grace received by faith and the human response of obedience. There is a strong ethical sense to the word in Jesus’ teachings. The righteous are those who accept him as Messiah and Savior and then live out this faith by obeying his commands. The focus of this parable is on those who reject Jesus. The sad outcome for the wicked is the fiery furnace. Weeping and gnashing of teeth express the pain and sorrow that will come as a result of judgment. Wicked and sinful activities may seem fun and fulfilling in this life but will lead to a sad ending.
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