A study on Jesus's parable of the dragnet from Matthew 13:47-50.
Parable of the Dragnet
Outline:
Scripture:
- Matthew 13:18-23
- Matthew 13:47-50
- Matthew 13:36-42
- Matthew 25:35
- Matthew 4:18-19
- Romans 10:14;17
- Matthew 13:48
Review
The Kingdom
The Kingdom of God means the reign of God
Jesus taught a different kingdom than the Jews expected
- Not a takeover of the Roman government by force
- The kingdom is spiritual and not political or geographical
- The kingdom wasn’t going to come into place at a single instance, but would develop over time
The Jews expected the Messiah to be a human who would take dominion
Gospel of the Kingdom of God
- The gospel of the Kingdom is more than salvation
- It includes God’s original plan for God’s will to be implemented on earth through humans
- It started with Adam and Eve and ends with us ruling alongside with Jesus
The parables of Jesus
A parable is a succinct, story that illustrates one or more instructive lessons or principles.
- A parable is a type of analogy.
- A parable has a surface story and a deeper meaning
- A simple story helps to explain a more complex or hidden story.
- Jesus use simple stories of earthly concepts and people to explain things happening in the spiritual dimension.
Jesus taught in parables because:
- They illustrated His point
- Jesus only wanted his disciples to understand certain details of the kingdom
Parables of Matthew 13
We have looked at 6 of the 8 parables about the Kingdom of God in Matthew 13
- Sower/Soils
- Wheat and Weeds
- Leaven
- Mustard Seed
- Hidden Treasure
- Pearl
We discovered that the first four parables of Matthew 13 are warning us of opposition that will come against the Kingdom.
Parable of the Sower/Soils
In the Parable of the Sower, Jesus tells us about Seed that fell on 4 types of soil:
- The Path
- Rocky Soil
- The Thorns
- Good Soil
Jesus said that this parable is the key to understanding all of the parables.
Explanation of the Parable of the Sower
Matthew 13:18-23
18“Hear then the parable of the sower. 19“When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is the one on whom seed was sown beside the road. 20“The one on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, this is the man who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; 21yet he has no firm root in himself, but is only temporary, and when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he falls away. 22“And the one on whom seed was sown among the thorns, this is the man who hears the word, and the worry of the world and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. 23“And the one on whom seed was sown on the good soil, this is the man who hears the word and understands it; who indeed bears fruit and brings forth, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty.”
Main Points:
- Whether or not someone accepts the message of the Kingdom is determined by the condition of their heart
- The Kingdom can be obtained and then lost
- The word about the Kingdom can become planted in someone’s heart yet they still miss the Kingdom in the end
- Things that impact whether someone enters the Kingdom include:
- The enemy
- Chasing worldly success
- Cares of the world
- Understanding the Kingdom
Parable of the Wheat and the Weeds
- Some people will appear to be children of God but they are not
- These people are actually supporting the enemy
- They will be removed at the end of the age
Parable of the Leaven
- There will be opposition from within the Kingdom
- Wrong teaching, and false doctrine will get mixed throughout the Kingdom
Parable of the Mustard Seed
- The Kingdom will start small (everyone won’t accept it when it is introduced)
- Acceptance of the Kingdom will grow large and rapidly
- There will be external opposition to the Kingdom
Parable of the Hidden Treasure
- Some will find the Kingdom unexpectedly
- They will discover that the Kingdom Is more valuable than their worldly possessions
- They will give them up for the Kingdom
Parable of the Pearl
- Some have been searching for the Kingdom
- When they find it they will joyfully give up all of their worldly possessions and goals to enter the Kingdom
Parable of the Dragnet
The Parable of the Dragnet, or the Parable of the Various Kinds of Fish
Matthew 13:47-50
47 "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet cast into the sea, and gathering fish of every kind;
48 and when it was filled, they drew it up on the beach; and they sat down and gathered the good fish into containers, but the bad they threw away.
49 "So it will be at the end of the age; the angels will come forth and take out the wicked from among the righteous,
50 and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
48 and when it was filled, they drew it up on the beach; and they sat down and gathered the good fish into containers, but the bad they threw away.
49 "So it will be at the end of the age; the angels will come forth and take out the wicked from among the righteous,
50 and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
- We see similarities to the parable of the wheat and tares
- This is another parable warning of a future judgment
This is the first parable about fishing
- Many of Jesus’ disciples were fishermen
- None were farmers
What is a Dragnet?
4522 /sagḗnē("drag-net") a weighted-net, drawn in as a drag-net.
There are three ways to go fishing
- A line rod and pole
- Cast net
- Drag net
This is the only place where a dragnet is mentioned.
- Had floats at the top and weights on the bottom
- You catch the most fish in a drag net.
- Professional fishing - selling
- Required a team of people
- Some people were trained to figure out which fish to keep in which to throw away.
2 Methods
- Sometimes fishermen fastened one end of the net on the shore while a boat pulled the other end into the lake. The boat then traveled in half a circle, sweeping the sea and enclosing the fish that were caught by the net against the shore.
- At other times, two boats went out from shore, forming a semi-circle with the net, drawing it together to catch the fish.
You can see that this fishing method was rather effective but the drawback was that the fishermen could not be selective while catching the fish. Their catch was always a mixed one. So when the boat returned to shore, the net would be pulled out into land and all kinds of fish, big and small, would be enclosed within it. The fish are then sorted out. Only fish that had commercial value were kept and put in containers. All the others, the bad ones, are thrown back into the water.
A dragnet picks up everything
- Boots
- Bottles and cans
Parable Details
- The sea
- The net
- Many kinds of fish
- The sorting
The Sea
Parable of the Wheat and Weeds Explained
Matthew 13:36-42
36Then He left the crowds and went into the house. And His disciples came to Him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field.” 37And He said, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man, 38and the field is the world; and as for the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom; and the tares are the sons of the evil one; 39and the enemy who sowed them is the devil, and the harvest is the end of the age; and the reapers are angels. 40“So just as the tares are gathered up and burned with fire, so shall it be at the end of the age. 41“The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of [ek] His kingdom all stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness, 42and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
“This reference, as in the weeds, is not primarily to a mixed church, but to the division among mankind in general which the last judgment will bring to light.”
-- New Testament scholar R. T. France
Jesus isn’t warning that there are good and bad people in church
- Rather that there are good and bad people in the world
- Being in the net doesn’t mean you’re Christian
At that time all believers were Jews. Therefore with the kingdom refer to the church or the Jews?
- There were no churches at that time only synagogues.
- Jesus never mentioned the church in any of his explanations of parables
- Because the church didn’t exist yet
The sea is the world
- All of the people of the world
The Net
When you fish with a rod and bait you know what you’re going to get
- You fish for trout, or bass
- A net is indiscriminate
The Net is The Message of the Kingdom of God
Gathering
Matthew 13:47 "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet cast into the sea, and gathering [sunagó] fish of every kind;
sunagó - to gather together
Notice the similarity to synagogue
It is interesting to notice that in Greek, ‘to gather (sunago)’ also means ‘to welcome.’
Matthew 25:35
For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in [sunagó];
This means that the kingdom of God stretches out a welcoming hand to everybody. It is not exclusive in its invitation. Everybody without exception is invited to enter the kingdom of God. We know that a fishing net naturally gathers fish indiscriminately. ‘It gathers fish of every kind,’ we read in the parable.
If they had understood they would have realized now that the Kingdom was not just for Jews. It was for Gentiles as well.
The Net is The Gospel of the Kingdom of God
If we’re fishers of men what is the net?
The net is The gospel of the Kingdom of God
Implies that not only Jews will be brought into the Kingdom but Gentiles alike.
More Than Salvation
- The message of the kingdom includes the gospel of salvation
- But it is more than salvation
The net is not full yet.
The Fish
Matthew 4:18-19
18Now as Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon who was called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. 19And He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
- The fish are people (the souls of men)
- It includes saved and unsaved
- All who at some point in their life were captured by the gospel
They don’t throw the bad fish back into the ocean
There are only two categories of fish:
- There aren’t the a little bit bad fish or the pretty good fish
- There only good fish and bad fish
Sorting is By Nature Not Behavior
By law Jewish people could only eat certain types of fish. They had to have scales they were an allowed to eat shellfish. By the old testament Jewish law. They were not throwing out the fish that bit them or the fish that were ugly they were separating the edible fish from the inedible fish.
The sorting will be done by your nature not by your behavior. This is not sorting out those who did more good things than bad things or those who didn’t do certain bad things or those who did this after they did the bad things. Jesus is throwing out those have a sin nature versus those who don’t. The sorting is based on weeding out those were born again versus those who are not born again.
Unlike fish who cannot change the type of fish they are people can change from a bad fish to a good fish.
- And vice versa
Who Are the Bad Fish?
Bad Fish
The bad fish are:
- The bad soil from the parable of the soils
- The tares from the parable of the wheat and weeds
- The leaven from the parable of the leaven
- The birds from the parable of the mustard seed
They are those in the parable of the soils that fell away because of:
- Affliction and persecution
- Worries of the world
- Not understanding the word
- Influenced by Satan
They got captured in the net, but didn’t make the final cut. You have to stay in the faith.
The Sorting
Matthew 13:41 The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness,
ek - has a two-layered meaning ("out from and to") which makes it out-come oriented (out of the depths of the source and extending to its impact on the object).
- It could mean the tares were within the Kingdom
- It could also be speaking of the impact the tares had on the Kingdom
- Meaning they would no longer impact the Kingdom
Matthew 13:49 "So it will be at the end of the age; the angels will come forth and take out the wicked from among the righteous,
- The wicked are mixed in with the righteous yet they are not righteous
- Similarly the wicked were mixed in with those in the Kingdom yet they were not in the Kingdom
Both parables concern an end-times sorting, aided by angels, when believers will be separated from unbelievers once and for all.
- The field in the parable of the weeds is like the sea here
- The sea is the world
- The angels do the sorting in both parables
The Wicked Will Always be Among Us
There will be both the wicked and the righteous until the end of the age.
- The sorting will be at the end of the age
Christians aren’t going to take over the world and convert all non-believers as some churches preach
Wailing and Gnashing of Teeth
Jesus talk more about hell then he did about: heaven or love.
Wailing and gnashing of teeth
- Waling is from emotional pain
- Gnashing of teeth is from physical pain
Conclusion
There parable can be broken into two time periods:
- A time for fishing
- A time of separation
Fishing
The angels are responsible for the separation, so we should be focused on the fishing.
Right now is the time to fish
- We should be helping to cast the net to capture as many souls as possible
Spread The Word About Christ
Romans 10:14;17
14How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher?
…
17So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.
- People get saved by hearing the word about Jesus
- People get save by hearing the Gospel of the Kingdom of God
- If you don’t plant the Seed in their heart it can’t take root and produce fruit
We need to tell people what we know.
- That is our job
Separation
Matthew 13:48
and when it was filled, they drew it up on the beach; and they sat down and gathered [anabibazo] the good fish into containers, but the bad they threw away.
anabibazo = to make go up; to ascend
- It is an action in which something is being lifted up.
It paints a picture of us being raised from the dead at the final resurrection.
We will all be in that net that is drawn out of the sea to be sorted.
- The sorters won’t ask: did you swim fast enough, or did you swim in the right stream.
- They just want to know what type of fish you are.
- Are you good for consumption or are you unclean?
We were all born as unclean fish, and Jesus is the only one that can clean us.
- You can’t swim yourself clean
- you can’t eat the right worms
- you can’t swim up the right streams to become clean.
Jesus is the only one who can clean your scales. If you believe in Christ then you will be among the good fish.
Let’s follow the Way, let’s seek the truth, so we can live life in the Kingdom
Instructor: MIchael Leadon
References
The Parable of the Dragnet
Parables of the Leaven and Parable of the Dragnet
bibletalk.tv
Matthew 13:47-50 - Parable of the Dragnet
calvary chapel laguna creek
Extra
The Net
Old Testament Net Reference
Habakkuk 1:13-17
13Your eyes are too pure to look on evil,
and You cannot tolerate wrongdoing.
So why do You tolerate the faithless?
Why are You silent
while the wicked swallow up
those more righteous than themselves?
14You have made men like the fish of the sea,
like sea creatures with no ruler.
15The Chaldeans bring all of them up with a hook;
they catch them in their dragnet,
and gather them in their fishing net;
so they are glad and rejoice.
16Therefore they sacrifice to their dragnet
and burn incense to their fishing net,
for by these things their portion is sumptuous
and their food is rich.
17Will they, therefore, empty their net
and continue to slay nations without mercy?
Sorting
I Never Knew You
Matthew 7:15-23
15“Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16“You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? 17“So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. 18“A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. 19“Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20“So then, you will know them by their fruits.
21“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. 22“Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ 23“And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’
- If we study the context we see that this passage is about false prophets
- Who is a false prophet?
- Someone who says “God said…” when God didn’t say it
- Preacher, prophet, speaking in tongues,
- False prophets and those who practice lawlessness
End Times
Judgment Seat of Christ
The saved are present at the Judgment Seat of Christ, and the unsaved are present at the Great White Throne Judgment. Is it possible that they take place at the same time? Yes. Both judgments are a judgment of earthly works. It could be that Paul and John just chose to focus on different aspects of the same event.
It is also possible that these judgments take place at different times. Nothing in scripture prevents them from occurring separately, and they are certainly referred to in different manners.
Ultimately, whether they take place together or not, the salient point is that both the saved and the unsaved will be judged for how they lived their lives.
Conclusion
Acts 24:14-15
14“But this I admit to you, that according to the Way which they call a sect I do serve the God of our fathers, believing everything that is in accordance with the Law and that is written in the Prophets; 15having a hope in God, which these men cherish themselves, that there shall certainly be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked.
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