The last three parables told at that time by Jesus seem to have been told to the disciples alone, not to the crowd of people, The last one was about fish: He said,
“The kingdom of Heaven is like to 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.”
We have found that a parable has a hidden meaning; so we are certain it was not really of fish that Jesus was speaking. But people who hear the words of God about His kingdom are likened to fish, the same as Peter and John were to tell those words to people, and Jesus said He would make them “fishers of men”.
Those who believe the Lord’s words are “good fish”, not good of themselves, only that they believe. The “had fish” may not seem bad, or different from others, only they have not believed God’s words. When the net of fish was brought to the shore, the good fish were kept, the bad thrown away.
So we can understand that this last parable is to tell of a time of judgment, (much as the parable of the tares, which were to be burned), Jesus did not say how long until that time would come, but He was showing that the time was as certain as that fishermen would save good fish, but would surely throw away bad ones. We do not like to think of a time of judgment, but Jesus was faithful to tell those who believed Him, what would at last come.
Dear children, there will be an eternal separation between those who have aepted the Lord Jesus Christ as their Saviour, and those who have not. How solemn! With which company will you be? Those who do not know Him as their Saviour shall be cast into a furnace of fire: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Afterward Jesus told the disciples that those who had been taught these parables were like a man who had “treasures of things new and old”: some things about Christ’s kingdom had been written in the Scriptures which they knew, so were “old”; but there were some things taught by the parables which were new to them. We too, may learn more of what was new as we read more of Jesus’ words.
The last part of this chapter of Matthew shows again the sad unbelief of people who knew Jesus. It says that He came to “His own country”, which must have been to Nazareth and Capernaum and the places near, and taught in the synagogues as He had before. At first the people were astonished at Jesus’ wisdom, and at His mirqcles, and they said,
“Whence hath this man this wisdom and these mighty deeds?”
But they did not believe He was from God, or different from themselves, and they were offended at His true words. So they lost His help and blessing.
Sometimes people who have always heard about Jesus, do not value His words as other people do, who have not known them, long. This too is sad; they lose the time to honor Him, and also His help and blessing.
ML 05/23/1943