The Parables of the Net & the Householder

I. The Parable of the Net.

A. This is one of the last two parables we see in chapter eight.

1. Jesus uses something common to explain the kingdom. Peter, Andrew, James and John would have certainly related to this as they were fishermen. Also, Jesus had told them “Follow Me and I will make you fishers of men”. Jesus used fishing many times to get the attention of the disciples. He told Peter to cast his nets out one more time after a fruitless night of fishing. Peter reluctantly obeyed and was greatly humbled by the large amount of fish caught, so many it almost sank two boats! He told Peter to go fishing and catch a fish that would have tax money in its mouth. After his resurrection He told the disciples to cast their nets out one more time after another night of fruitless fishing and they hauled in 153 fish (John 21).

2. There were basically three ways to fish in Jesus culture. Hook and line-the method Peter used to catch the fish with the tax money (17:24-27). A cast net-used by one man that would wade into the water, sneak up on a school of fish and cast the net over them (4:18-19). This is what the disciples were doing when Jesus called them. A dragnet- a seine. Took a team of men to fish this way. Some were so large they would cover a half square mile. The net was pulled into a giant circle around the fish between two boats out in deep water, or by one working from the shore (one end attached to the shore other attached to the boat. The boat would make a large circle in the water and then come back to its starting place. Floats were attached to the top of the net, weights to the bottom. The net formed a wall from the surface of the water to the bottom. Everything within the circle was caught up in the net.

3. The word used in this parable describes the drag net. The kingdom of heaven is not like a cast net, it is not like a hook in the water. It is a drag net. With a cast net most of the fish in the area are not affected. With a dragnet all the fish in the area are affected.

B. The dragnet required lots of work.

1. Working the net was obviously a chore in itself. Keeping it from tangling up, making sure the weights and floats were in place, mending any holes, dealing with the weight of the net, etc.

2. The harvest of fish. With a hook one uses a specific type of bait and fishes a particular area to catch a particular type of fish. With a cast net one sneak up on a school of specific fish. With these two methods you pretty much know what you are going to catch. With the dragnet you don’t know what you are going to catch. You catch whatever is in the circle of the net: all types of fish and sea creatures as well as debris on the bottom.

3. The separation. Once the net was brought to shore the fishermen would begin the tedious process of separating the good fish from the bad fish. That is, fish that could be sold and fish that were not worth messing with. The good fish were put into containers to be taken to the market. The bad fish were simply thrown away. They were useless. Fish such as catfish that had no scales were not permitted to be eaten by Jews (Lev. 11:9-12).

C. The dragnet symbolizes the end of the world.

1. God will cast His great dragnet over the world. It is anchored on the shores of God’s justice. The angels are sent forth to work the net. The whole world is pulled up to the bank to stand before the Throne of God (Rev. 19:11-15). Even those buried beneath the surface are caught p in the net. The dead are raised to stand before Him and be judged. No one escapes His net.

2. God will gather the just to Himself. That is, the good fish. These are those that have submitted to Christ through the gospel. They are easy to distinguish. If you are a catfish you are not going to convince God you are a bream. He knows. He will look at you with His perfect knowledge and quickly make a distinction. The just will be ushered into eternity with Him! God says “that’s a keeper!”

3. God will cast the bad fish into a furnace of fire. There is no catch and release on this day. You are either brought to the kingdom or thrown into the fire.

II. Principles from the Parable of the Net.

A. All people will be brought to the shore. Note in verse 48 that the net was full.

1. It will happen in one of two ways: death or the coming of Christ. The world is our ocean. It is a beautiful and intriguing place. There are lots of things to take our time and attention. We can completely dismiss the reality that we won’t always be swimming around down here enjoying ourselves.

2. As we grow older the net around us is getting smaller. It seems as if we have great freedom. Plenty of room to swim around. We can come and go as we please. Sometimes we graze the net and get a little scared. We realize for a moment life is short, but we quickly forget. I have broken my line on a catfish and caught the same one the same day with my lost hook still in its jaw.

3. The lost will be in great fear when they are brought to shore. If you have ever caught a fish and dropped it on the bank you know they look pretty sacred, flopping around. It has to be a shock for them to come up out of the water into a place in which their breath is taken away, the temperature changes, wind is blowing and a gigantic creature is staring at you. Think about it, what can the fish do? It can’t run. It is caught. That is a great picture of what will happen to the lost when they meet God. They are taken out of their environment and placed before God in a completely helpless position. It is a fearful thin to fall into the hands of the Living God. The reality of eventually being brought to the shore should motivate us to be prepared to meet God!

B. There will be no second chance.

1. Some seem to think they can beat God. You are not slippery enough to plop out of God’s hands and back into the water. Many of us have lost fish like that! You are not strong enough to break God’s net. The strength of a fish has allowed it to escape our hands many times. You are not wise enough to steal God’s bait and keep swimming around. You are not powerful enough to win the struggle with God; I have been brutally hurt by some catfish! With God there is never “the one that got away” story.

2. We have lots of chances here. Think of all the chances we have had. All the times we were almost caught: near death experiences. Think of the opportunity for grace that God gives: a friend shares with you, a tract is left and you read it, a message is preached and you hear it. Second chances are for earth, and we get way more than two while we are here.

3. You are either gathered to God or cast away. Jesus describes hell as a furnace of fire in this passage. Hell is real and we need to understand that. In fact, hell is one of the things that makes the gospel such good news. We are not merely saved from a graveyard. We are saved from hell! We are saved from conscious torment. That makes the gospel great news. Some say “hell is life on this earth”. Well, why didn’t Jesus just throw these bad fish back to the earth then? He threw them in the furnace.

C. Hell is a painful place. Strictly speaking, fish do not feel pain. They do not have the part of the cerebral cortex that would allow them to feel pain. Lobsters and crabs don’t feel pain either, so don’t feel bad when you are cleaning a fish or boiling a live lobster or crab. They don’t feel pain. But people do!

1. Jesus says that the wicked will be wailing and gnashing their teeth. These two actions are a result of pain. One weeps and grits their teeth because they are in pain. The gnashing of teeth is also done when a person is angry (Acts 7:51). Those in hell are in great pain and are angry with God over it. There is no humility in hell, only humiliation.

2. No one goes there by accident. Hell is chosen just as heaven is. The ungodly are cast there because that is what they wanted, an eternity without God. Jesus tells us in 10:28 to fear God because He is able to cast our body and soul into hell. When we do not fear Him we choose to go there! Certainly part of the pain is emotional. We relive the reality that God had given us such opportunity but we squandered it.

3. Hell is eternal. It is everlasting punishment (25:46). You cannot die there. Mark 9:44 says it is where “their worm dieth not”. The imagery is of a body in the ground being eaten by maggots. A physical body will eventually be consumed and the worms would move on. With our eternal bodies it is not that way. The imagery of eternal worms is used to show us that although we are in the fire of God’s judgment we are never completely consumed.

III. The Parable of the Householder’s treasure (51-52).

A. Jesus asks the disciples a question. “Have you understood all these things?”

1. He is talking about the parables in chapter 13. The sower, wheat and tares, mustard seed, leaven, buried treasure, pearl of great price, net? Jesus wasn’t just teaching for the sake of teaching. He wants to know if they are getting it.

2. The disciples say “yes Lord”. What if God did that to us? After a few months of following Him he just stops and asks “Are getting this?” God wants us to comprehend what He is saying. He wants us to look at our hearts and see if they are made up of good soil, to see if we are wheat or tares, to be encouraged because the kingdom is growing in size and influence, to leave all and make Him our treasure, to understand the seriousness of the coming judgment of the world.

3. Are we getting it? Do we understand what Jesus is saying here or are we just nodding our heads to make Him feel good. Because if we are getting it we will see a difference in our lives.

B. The householder’s treasure. Jesus shares one more parable in this chapter.

1. A householder was the person responsible for a family. It was his responsibility to make sure a family had food, shelter clothing, protection, etc. Men, you are the householder, accept your responsibility.

2. Items were kept in a “treasure”. This was a storage place. Wise men were frugal. They did not waste things. They would store uneaten food, seasonal clothing, and goods away to be used at a later time. Some of the stuff was new, some of it was old. When it was needed it was retrieved and the family was provided for.

3. The unwise man did not provide for his family. He did not think ahead so when times got tough his family suffered.

C. The followers of Christ are to be wise householder’s.

1. Every follower of Christ is called to be a “Scribe”. It means a learner or interpreter. We are to learn the word of God so we can instruct people in the ways of the kingdom. Scribes in Jesus day were a part of the elite group. It seemed a little odd that Jesus had chosen such simple people to be scribes. But He has and He still does, what a privilege to comprehend and share the word of God!

2. Out of the Treasury of God’s Word we share what is old and new. We understand the purpose and truths of both the Old and New testaments. We see the picture they paint. One of a coming Messiah and a coming judgment.

3. It is our responsibility as stewards of God’s grace to share the gospel before the net is brought to shore. 2 Cor. 5:11 says “Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men…”