Matthew 13:44–52
44“The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
45“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls, 46and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.
47“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet cast into the sea, and gathering fish of every kind; 48and 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, 50and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
51“Have you understood all these things?” They said to Him, “Yes.” 52And Jesus said to them, “Therefore every scribe who has become a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like a head of a household, who brings out of his treasure things new and old.”
Focused Thinking:
The kingdom of heaven is like:
A treasure hidden in the field.
A merchant seeking fine pearls.
A dragnet cast into the sea.
47“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet cast into the sea, and gathering fish of every kind; 48and 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.
This parable deals with the dividing of people like the parable of the wheat and weeds (tares).
This parable pictures a dragnet perhaps drawn between two boats or a large net with one end attached to shore and the other taken to sea by a boat. The net is dragged in a wide semicircle with the top held up by corks and the bottom slightly weighted. All kinds of fish are caught in the net. The fishermen then draw the net to the beach where they sort the fish. They put good fish into baskets and throw away the bad (inedible or “unclean”) ones.
The gospel will catch all types of people for all types of people; some will be wheat and some will be weeds; some will be good fish and some will be bad fish.
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, 50and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
While the parable of the wheat and weeds highlighted the length of time during which good and evil people must coexist before the judgment, this parable focuses on that final judgment.
As the net catches all kinds of fish, the gospel message will go out to all kinds of people. At the end of the age, the angels will “sort the fish,” separating evil people from righteous. Like the wheat that will be gathered and burned, the bad fish will be thrown into the furnace of fire (Matt 13:40–42).
In real practice, bad fish would not have been put in a furnace. However, Jesus’ point in this parable is that the furnace of fire will be the place for the wicked people. As in Matthew 13:42, “weeping and gnashing of teeth” indicates sorrow, remorse, anxiety and pain.
51“Have you understood all these things?” They said to Him, “Yes.” 52And Jesus said to them, “Therefore every scribe who has become a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like a head of a household, who brings out of his treasure things new and old.”
The didn’t initially understand the parable of the wheat and weeds (tares) so this time Jesus asked them, “Have you understood all these things?”
Understanding is the beginning of discipleship.
True disciples are given the ability to understand through the Holy Spirit.
Because the disciples understood, Jesus said they were the “teachers of the law” in His kingdom. In other words, the current teachers of religious law did not understand, so their teaching was invalid.
They understood God’s real purpose in the law as revealed in the Old Testament; therefore, they had a real treasure. The disciples would bring this treasure “out of the storeroom” in that their responsibility would be to share what they had learned with others. True teachers see the value of both old and new.
The Old Testament points the way to Jesus, the Messiah. Jesus always upheld the authority and relevance of the Scriptures. This was a new treasure that Jesus was revealing. The religious leaders, however, were trapped in the old and blind to the new. They were looking for a future kingdom preceded by judgment.
Jesus, however, taught that the kingdom was now and the judgment was future. The religious leaders were looking for a physical and temporal kingdom (brought on by military strength and physical rule), but they were blind to the spiritual significance of the kingdom that Christ had brought.
Personal Application:
I have to dedicate time to study end times.
I need to find a time to teach it in 2011 or 2012.
March and April 2012 is possible, but that seems like a long time. I need will watch world events and make adjustments.
Interactive Prayer: prayed offline
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