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BURIED TREASURE: Exploring The Parables Of Jesus

by J. W. Jepson, D.Min.

Copyright © 1997 by J. W. Jepson

All rights reserved, including the right to grant the following permission and to prohibit the misuse thereof:

The Author hereby grants permission to reproduce the text of this article, without changes or alterations*, as a ministry, but not for commercial or non-ministry purposes.

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9.

WHEN THE FINAL PULL COMES

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

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

--Matthew 13:47-50

WHEN THE FINAL PULL COMES

The scene that Jesus described in this parable was a familiar part of daily life around the Sea of Galilee.

In our minds we picture some Galilean fishermen in a boat letting out a net. The seine slithers through the water in a semi-circle perhaps half a mile long. Floats hold up the top and weights keep the bottom edge down deep.

Once the fish are encircled, the fishermen begin the long task of drawing in the net. Little by little the circle shrinks. The fish still swim around freely, simply avoiding the mysterious strands. But they are not truly free, for they are prisoners of an inevitable fate.

Suddenly time runs out. The illusion of freedom ends abruptly. Jerked from their familiar element, they lie helpless and trembling on the shore.

Eager hands pick them up one by one and keen eyes inspect them carefully. Some are placed in containers; others are flung away for scavengers to devour.

In this parable the Master is focusing on the climax of God's program for this present world. Like its companion, the parable of the wheat and the tares, it also has been much misinterpreted. It is not talking about the Church, or about the good or bad in the visible Church. It has nothing to do with evangelism; for the time-setting of the parable is not now, but later. Jesus is calling our attention to the final judgment, when God will completely and permanently eliminate sin and sinners from orderly society.

All of us who swim in the vast sea of time will someday reach its boundary on the timeless shore of eternity. It happens for each of us at death, and it will happen for the whole world at the judgment. God's word is clear: "It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment" (Hebrews 9:27).

No matter how free we feel to swim around now, we are all encircled in a shrinking net. We move about as we desire, avoiding the annoying seine. All the while, time and opportunity are running out. We are being drawn in one direction and we cannot go back.

Suddenly, the end! God has "appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead" (Acts 17:31).

Jesus said it will be a time of separation. The angels are the gatherers and sorters. They are God's agents carrying out His decisions with exact precision.

The process is methodical and complete. The scrutiny is thorough. There will be no mistake. Each is given personal and full attention. Each answers for himself alone.

Only one consideration determines the verdict: are we good or bad? Size, shape and strength matter not. If Christ is in you, the angels will recognize Him. If He is not, they will know it.

If the principles of His kingdom have no place in a persons heart and life, if His love is not there, if there is no commitment to His holy will, of what use would that person be in Heaven? Of what use would Heaven be to that soul? Such persons could have no joy there, for they have prepared themselves for a different destiny.

Also the separation will be final. Choices will have become fixed. Character will have been firmly molded. There will be no turning back from either heaven or hell.

Let us ask ourselves, "Would my present lifestyle fit heaven? Would I be of any use to God and His kingdom with my present attitude toward Him and His will? Does the King rule my heart, and do His principles control my life? Does the Bible determine my choices?"

The only wise course is to surrender our hearts to Christ and trust Him as our Savior now. Then we will be ready when the final pull on the net comes.

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10. A Disciple Of The Kingdom

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