The Gospel Of Matthew Chapter 13 Part 11 The Parable of the Fishing Net

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Jesus gave us wonderful truths in parable form.

The Parable of the Sower and the Seed teaches us about being faithful witnesses for Christ who sow good gospel seed.

It helps us understand that only one of four soil types (sinner's hearts) will receive the seed and produce fruit (repentant faith in Christ).

Our duty is to remain faithfully sowers of gospel seed and trust God for a harvest of souls for Christ's kingdom.

The Parable of the Wheat and Tares helps us understand why each church may have people who cause problems.

Tares are children of the Devil planted in the kingdom of God in order to cause division, sow discord and divert the church from Great Commission work.

The Parable of the Mustard Seed shows how the gospel started out with a very small group of believers and then exploded with thousands of converts to Christ.

The Parable of Leaven shows how the gospel is like leaven when someone hears it because it is small and hidden in their heart.

Like leaven, gospel preaching and Bible reading will permeate the soul of that person transforming him or her into a useful servant for Jesus and His kingdom work.

The Parable of the Hidden Treasure and the Parable of the Pearl of Great Price teach the same truth.

Both the field where the treasure was hidden and the ocean where the great pearl was found represent the Word of God.

The hidden treasure and the costly pearl both point to Jesus Christ because knowing Him as Lord and Savior is the richest treasure we will ever receive.

Just as the Parable of Wheat and Tares contained a stern warning about judgment so this next parable contains a similar warning.

The Parable of the fishing net catching good and bad fish where the bad fish were cast away.

Matthew 13:47-50  Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind: 48  Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away. 49  So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just, 50  And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. 

This parable moves us from the individual application of gospel preaching that begins unseen in our heart until it takes root and bears fruit in our lives.

Instead, this parable pictures the broader view of gospel preaching to a larger group of people. 

It pictures preaching the gospel with a fisherman letting down a large drag net into the ocean to bring in a large catch of fish.

This parable also connects with the Great Commission where Jesus told us to go and preach the gospel in all nations (see Matthew 28:18-20).

Mankind is compared with vast schools of fish in the lakes and oceans.

Psalm 104:25  So is this great and wide sea, wherein are things creeping innumerable, both small and great beasts. 

Habakkuk 1:13-15  Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity: wherefore lookest thou upon them that deal treacherously, and holdest thy tongue when the wicked devoureth the man that is more righteous than he? 14  And makest men as the fishes of the sea, as the creeping things, that have no ruler over them?  

The world is pictured as a vast sea, and the children of men are things creeping innumerable, both small and great, in that sea.

The prophet Habakkuk pictures men in their natural, wicked state with massive schools of fish in the sea that have no ruler over them.

Everywhere in the world we see explosions of depravity and it often seems like the world is full of lost people who obey fleshly lusts.

Corrupt cultures are full of sinners pursuing the lusts of their flesh just as the ocean teems with fish swimming synchronized in vast schools.

This parable pictures a vast pool of lost souls is where the large net of gospel preaching is to be cast.

Gospel preaching is pictured as casting of a net into this sea, to catch something out of it, for the all glorious God who is sovereign over His creation. 

Jesus called His disciples to leave the vocation of fishing and begin fishing for the souls of men.

Matthew 4:18-20  And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. 19  And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. 20  And they straightway left their nets, and followed him. 

Think about this for a moment.

Jesus called simple fishermen to follow Him. 

He said they would be taught to fish for the souls of sinners, to seek their conversion to Christ.

This calling applies to all of Christ's followers in every generation of Christians. 

This calling is an early expression of the Great Commission found at the end of Matthew's gospel.

Pastors, parents, parishioners and individual Christians, all disciples of Jesus Christ are to be fishers of men.

Jesus will direct His disciples where and when to cast the gospel net into the ocean of mankind.

John 21:3-6  Simon Peter saith unto them, I go a fishing. They say unto him, We also go with thee. They went forth, and entered into a ship immediately; and that night they caught nothing. 4  But when the morning was now come, Jesus stood on the shore: but the disciples knew not that it was Jesus. 5  Then Jesus saith unto them, Children, have ye any meat? They answered him, No. 6  And he said unto them, Cast the net on the right side of the ship, and ye shall find. They cast therefore, and now they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes. 

Each believer in Christ must be working daily and be ready to cast the gospel net and to draw it in. 

This is to be done according to Christ's command. 

In this post resurrection of Jesus His disciples had reverted to fishing as an occupation, having not yet entered into their apostolic mission.

The text tells us that they toiled all through the night but did not catch any fish in their nets.

When Jesus appeared to them He asked if they caught any fish and they said "No."

Jesus told them specifically where to cast their net and immediately their net was so full of fish they struggled to bring it into shore.

They quickly realized that Jesus had risen from the dead as His said He would do.

Preaching the gospel is like a fishermen casting his net into a sea teeming with fish.

Matthew 13:47-48 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind: 48  Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away. 

This gospel net gathers fish of every kind, as large dragnets do. Some were good and were preserved but others were bad and cast away.

This pictures Christ's visible church and connects with the Parable of the Wheat and the Tares.

That parable pictures children of God (The wheat) coexisting with children of the Devil (The tares) until judgment day where the tares will be separated out and burned.

This parable pictures the gospel net catching both good fish (The born again) and bad fish (Unrepentant sinners).

In addition, fishermen often find trash mixed in with the fish when the nets are hauled in.

This pictures people who are rescued out of a contaminated culture and begin learning how to walk in newness of life.

The good fish pictures a sinner hearing the gospel and then repenting and trusting Jesus for salvation.

Each repentant sinner is a babe in Christ and must begin moving on a trajectory of spiritual growth.

This corresponds to being made a new creation in Christ and seeing our old, sinful ways pass away as God's Spirit changes us (See 2 Corinthians 5:17).

God will work the rubbish of our past life out of us and this lifelong cleansing process is called sanctification.

Only the Father knows when the time of Christ's church and gospel preaching will end.

Acts 1:6-7  When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? 7  And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. 

There is a time coming when this net will be full, and drawn to the shore by God.

The Father alone knows the day and hour  when He will call for His gospel net to be drawn in.

Jesus' disciples asked Him about the timetable for His kingdom to be restored to Israel.

Jesus said very clearly that the time and season of the end times judgment and bringing in the gospel net is under the power of His Father.

Mark 13:32-33  But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father. 33  Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is. 

Mark's gospel tells us that Jesus was asked when He would return to establish His kingdom and again, He made it plain that no one knows the day and the hour.

He does not know, the angels do not know and certainly if you hear a pastor say that Christ is returning at this day or month or year, you must dismiss them as liars.

Only our Heavenly Father knows when the time of Christ's church and gospel preaching will be over.

We must watch and pray and be about our Lord's Great Commission work until He calls us home to heaven.

Jesus' gospel net has been filling up with good and bad fish since He made a salvation provision for Adam and Eve.

Throughout history, this gospel net fills rapidly at some times and more slowly at other times.

Each Christian must faithfully sow gospel seed into people's lives and pray for sinners to be converted to Christ.

Cast the gospel net into the sea of humanity and trust God to use His word to save souls.

Isaiah 55:11  So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. 

We must rest on the promises of God concerning His Word.

As the gospel is preached in our homes, churches, schools, marketplaces and vocational settings, this is the promise from God.

His Word shall not return to Him void. It will produce the results He desires. It will bring forth fruit for His kingdom.

God will cause His Word to do the necessary work in the hearts of men, as He seeks to lead them to repentant faith in His Son, Jesus Christ.

God will make His Word powerful, productive and persuasive when we preach it, teach it and share it with others.

In this parable when the Father commands the gospel net to be drawn to shore, the mystery of God shall be finished.

When the net is full and drawn to the shore, there shall be a separation between the good and bad that were gathered in it. 

Hypocrites and true Christians shall then be parted with the good gathered into vessels as valuable and carefully kept. 

The bad shall be cast away, as vile, unprofitable and miserable is the condition of those who are cast away in that day. 

While the gospel net remains in the sea of humanity, no one knows what it contains in terms of sinners and saints.

A fishermen does not know what his net has caught until he brings it into his boat.

Therefore, they carefully draw it in and all that is in it, to the shore, for the sake of the good fish that it may contain. 

This pictures pastors, church leaders, parents and individual believers faithfully sowing gospel seed and seeking souls for Christ.

The day of the sinner's judgment and eternal condemnation draws closer and closer.

Matthew 13:49-50  So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just, 50  And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. 

The first part of this parable is simple enough to understand. The visible church is composed of wheat mingled with tares, containing good fish and bad fish.

This has been the state of the church since it began at Pentecost.

Our duty is not to judge tares or bad fish, but rather to live a holy life in accord with the gospel's teaching and precepts.

The net is going to contain both good and bad fish, just as wheat and tares grow together in God's church until judgment day.

The testimony of a godly man or woman can be used of God to show lost people that there is a far better life available to them.

A testimony of godliness can be used of God to reach a lost spouse for Christ (See 1 Peter 3:1-7).

However, the second part of this parable contains a strong warning against rejecting Christ and ignoring the claims of His gospel.

This parable pictures a net full of good and bad fish which will require sorting out and separating the good fish from the bad ones.

A fisherman draws his net to shore, picks out the good fish, and puts them into proper vessels, but he casts the dead, putrid, and useless fish away. 

So shall God judge humanity at the resurrection of life and the resurrection of damnation at the close of time, in the last day (See John 5:24-29).

The angels of heaven are appointed to do the sorting work. Christ will give them discernment between the saved and the lost, between saints and sinners.

The wicked will not stand with those who trust Christ. They will be cast away like bad fish.

Psalm 1:4-6  The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. 5  Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. 6  For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish. 

The Psalmist tells us that the ungodly sinners are worthless like the chaff when it is separated from the valuable wheat.

Ungodly sinners shall not stand with the righteous believers in the judgment day.

The LORD will preserve those who believe His Word and put their trust in Him.

The wicked shall be sentenced to eternal condemnation and their ways shall perish forever.

Malachi 3:16-18  Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name. 17  And they shall be mine, saith the LORD of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him. 18  Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not. 

Those who truly know God fear and respect Him and seek to obey His commands.

Those who have repentant faith in Jesus Christ are written down in His book of life.

At judgment day, the angels of God will discern between the saints who love and serve God and the unrepentant sinners who love and serve fleshly lusts.

2 Thessalonians 1:6-10  Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you; 7  And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, 8  In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: 9  Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power; 10  When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day. 

Jesus will return with all the mighty hosts of heaven and He is going to come with flaming fire to judge the wicked.

They will spend eternity in Hell because they rejected Christ's gospel and did not love God.

You may hear some churches emphasize the love of God but they do not preach the coming judgment of God.

A major part of why the gospel of Christ is good news is that sinners are going to be condemned to Hell.

However, any sinner who hears the gospel and repents of his or her sins and calls upon Jesus for salvation, shall be saved.

Thus, we must sow gospel seed into the lives of sinners. 

We must cast the gospel net out and trust God for a bountiful catch of good fish for His kingdom.

We must give ourselves to loving and serving God and He will empower us to sow the good gospel  seed.

Bob