The Parable of the Net

The Parable of the Dragnet confronts us with one of Scripture's most challenging truths: there will be a final separation between the righteous and the wicked. Drawing from Matthew 13:47-52, this message unpacks Jesus's teaching about the kingdom of heaven through the lens of first-century fishing practices. The dragnet, which could stretch up to a thousand feet long, caught everything in its path—good fish and bad fish alike. This massive net serves as a powerful metaphor for the gospel's reach into the world, gathering all kinds of people. Yet the sobering reality remains: when the net is pulled to shore, a separation occurs. The good fish are kept, and the bad are thrown away. We're invited to wrestle with difficult questions about judgment, hell, and God's justice. But here's the transformative insight: God doesn't send people to hell against their will. Rather, judgment confirms the choice people have already made to live apart from Him or for Him. Love must be a choice, or it isn't love at all. The message challenges us to move beyond merely understanding this truth to living it out. We're called to be both scribes and disciples—learning God's word while actively sharing it. If we truly understand the reality of separation and the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ, we have a responsibility to cast the net wide, reaching the 30 people in our circles who each know 30 more people. Our mission isn't to judge or save anyone ourselves, but simply to point others to the One who saved us.