Matthew 13:47-50 Kingdom of Heaven Like A Fishnet
The Fishnet Parable is another short story of Jesus that is about God’s judgment and who will enter into the kingdom’s heaven. This time, Jesus is calling a body of water the world and He is a fisherman who cast out a huge fishnet that drags the ocean floor. Plenty of sea life gets caught in the dragnet while the fishnet is pulled to the seashore. Jesus is teaching this parable to ancient Hebrew people who are familiar with good and bad fish, when He says they are separated. They know according to the Leviticus dietary laws what sea life is good and bad.
Leviticus 11:9 ‘These you may eat, whatever is in the water: all that have fins and scales, those in the water, in the seas or in the rivers, you may eat. 10 But whatever is in the seas and in the rivers that does not have fins and scales among all the teeming life of the water, and among all the living creatures that are in the water, they are detestable things to you, 11 and they shall be abhorrent to you; you may not eat of their flesh, and their carcasses you shall detest. 12 Whatever in the water does not have fins and scales is abhorrent to you.
Now according to these descriptions of Leviticus 11:9–12, the fisherman know what sea life is detestable and which is good for eating. Peter, Andrew, James & John all probably did the process of throwing away fish without scales or fins, everything else looked tasty for hungry Israelite to eat. How does this relate to the kingdom of heaven? As human beings we were not born unclean, but animals are different. Most animals that are unclean are carnivorous animals and most saltwater and freshwater animals that are unclean eat what floats to the bottom. Just like pigs and vultures, the shrimp, lobster, and catfish keep their bodies of water clean by eating crap. A conversation of cleanliness occurred between Jesus and Pharisees in Mark 7 and Luke 11, in both gospel, the religious leaders see Jesus’ performing an act of cleaning themselves and they question Jesus about their uncleanliness.
Mark 7:5 Then the Pharisees and scribes asked Him, “Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashed hands?
Jesus knows the cleanliness of His disciples. He picked them one by one because He saw in their hearts a desire to serve the Lord. The Pharisees had crooked hearts, they were unclean from the inside out. Jesus called the religious priest fake and unclean because their behavior were dirty.
When the day of the Lord comes and judgement time has come, Jesus will be like a great fisherman, He will look at the action of His creation. Looking at the hearts of mankind, He says those who practice the love of Christ, you are welcome into the kingdom of heaven, cause your hearts are clean. Those whose actions were only lip service but had not action He will say depart from Me for I knew you not . On the day of His judgment how will you count, clean or unclean, if you want help seek the Lord in prayer, or reply to me. God bless you all, the Lord Jesus loves you and so do I. Samuel H
Job 22:29-30 “When you are cast down, you will speak with confidence, and the humble person He will save. 30 “He will deliver one who is not innocent, and he will be delivered through the cleanness of your hands.”
