Matthew 13-20: Kingdoms in ConflictSample

# Good and Bad Fish ### By Danny Saavedra “Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away. This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous and throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. ‘Have you understood all these things?’ Jesus asked. ‘Yes,’ they replied. He said to them, ‘Therefore every teacher of the law who has become a disciple in the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old.’”— Matthew 13:47–52 (NIV) Throughout all of human history, humanity has desired to know the future. From Machiavelli to the Mayan calendar to Mad Max to meteorologists, we’ve always tried to figure out what tomorrow will look like. Why? Because uncertainty and a lack of perceived control brings about anxiety and fear. In Matthew 13, Jesus uses a parable to give His disciples (and us) a glimpse of what the future holds. He does this a few times in His three years of ministry—and He has a specific reason for doing so. You see, Jesus wants His followers to understand what to spiritually prepare for as the future unfolds. Here, He explains that the kingdom is like a large net, the kind used to dredge bodies of water. The net collects both good and bad fish. The good fish are kept while the bad ones are tossed out. Easy enough concept, right? But watch how Jesus connects the image of this net to the future: “This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous and throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” As we know, in the first coming of Christ, He came to establish a spiritual kingdom. But when He returns, He will establish His physical kingdom here on the earth, and the angels are going to separate everyone alive into two groups. There will be the “just,” those who are right before God through faith in Him, and there will be the “wicked,” those who have rejected God. And just as there was a separate fate for the good and bad fish in the net, a much different fate awaits the just and the wicked at the end of the age. As hard as this may be to hear, whoever dies without having received the grace of Jesus will stand condemned and go to hell. This thought should keep us up at night. It should move us to action! This is why Jesus says, “Then you see how every student well-trained in God’s kingdom is like the owner of a general store who can put his hands on anything you need, old or new, exactly when you need it” (Matthew 13:52 MSG). The main idea is that Jesus’ followers, who have understood and received the gospel and trusted in the Word, are now responsible to bring forth their understanding to others, “as if they were distributing from the storehouse of their wisdom and understanding” (Guzik). And this storehouse must contain knowledge of both the Old and New Testaments, the old and new covenants, and the old and new life. The apostle Paul gives similar instruction to Timothy, saying, “Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction” (2 Timothy 4:2 NIV). I hope you see it, friends. This is the future of the world, and it’s bad news for those who don’t know Him. But the good news is that God has made us the vehicles through which the gospel is disseminated throughout the world. He’s included us in His redemptive work and commanded us to declare the good news so people may be saved, so they may be sifted into the good fish along with us. And guess what? Matthew 28:20 (NLT) says, “And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Pause: Why did Jesus share this parable? What does it reveal to us about the future? How can this parable encourage you today and every day afterward? Practice: Is your storehouse prepared to share the truth with others? Today, write down the message of the gospel that you would share with someone. Then, go online and search for common questions nonbelievers have and how to address them. Pray: Father, I thank You for revealing this truth about the future to us; that Your Son has the victory and His kingdom will never end. I thank You that through Him, I am counted among the good fish in the net. Today, I pray for those who don’t yet know You. Draw them, Lord, plant seeds as Jesus spoke about in Matthew 13. And I pray You would help me, empower me, protect me, and provide me with the opportunities to proclaim the good news of Christ Jesus to the people around me that they may be saved and no longer stand condemned in sin. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.