The Parables of Christ – Pearl Of Great Price / Dragnet
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The Pearl Of Great Price (Mt 13:45-46)
45* “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls,
46* and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.
In “The Parable Of The Hidden Treasure”, I suggested… That Jesus was depicting the “value” of the kingdom to one who accidentally finds it
Jesus followed His parable with another short parable… Commonly called “The Parable Of The Pearl Of Great Price” – Mt 13:45-46
Its similarity to the previous parable is obvious, and yet there is a difference
First lets consider – THE DETAILS OF THE PARABLE…
1. A merchant is seeking beautiful pearls
2. He finds one pearl of great price
3. Undeterred by its price, he sells all that he has and buys it!
The use of the word “Again” ties this parable to the preceding one ……Where the value and preciousness of the kingdom was being described
Where we saw the value to one who accidentally finds it
But in this parable, the person is on a mission to find that which is of great value
a. He believes there is something out there worth looking for, or he would not be seeking it
b. When he finds it, he immediately recognizes its value and is willing to sell all to obtain it
3. Neither this parable (nor the previous one) is suggesting we can “buy” or otherwise “earn” our salvation
a. For salvation is a gift – cf. Ro 6:23
b. We can “buy” salvation only in the sense of gaining rightful possession of it
1) Which we do by grace through faith – cf. Ep 2:8-9
2) When we submit to the working of God and the renewing the Holy Spirit which takes place as we are baptized into Christ – cf. Co 2:11-13; Ti 3:4-7
This parable, then, describes how some people react to the kingdom of heaven, when they know there must be something out there worthy of great value and have been searching for it
Let me remind you of a couple of BIBLICAL EXAMPLES…
The Ethiopian eunuch – Ac 8:26-38
a. His journey to Jerusalem to worship, his reading of Scripture while returning, indicates he was spiritually searching
b. His immediate desire to be baptized shows his estimation of the value of the salvation offered through Christ
Cornelius – Ac 10:1-8,30-33
a. His prayers and alms were indicative of his search for “righteousness”
b. As promised by Jesus (cf. Mt 5:6), God took note of his spiritual hunger and thirst, and sent Peter to tell him the gospel of Christ
Lydia – Ac 16:11-15
a. Her meeting with other women to pray illustrates her spiritual searching
b. Upon hearing the things spoken by Paul, she and her household were baptized
Each of these examples should remind us that there are many people who know there is some “thing”, some “purpose”, some “meaning”, that is worthy of diligent search, and who spend their lives trying to find it. When by the grace and providence of God they come to learn of Christ and His kingdom, they are willing to give up all to obtain it!
These examples, and the parable itself, confirm the truthfulness of Jesus’ teaching about those “who hunger and thirst for righteousness”. That those who “hunger”, those who “search”, will indeed find what God has for them! It might be that we may “stumble” across the blessings God has in Christ and His kingdom (as in “The Parable Of The Hidden Treasure”).
The Dragnet (Mt 13:47-50)
47* “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet cast into the sea, and gathering fish of every kind;
48* and 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,
50* and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
So far in our study we have seen that Jesus taught two parables concerning the growth and development of the kingdom – “The Parable Of The Mustard Seed” – Mt 13:31-32 & – “The Parable Of The Leaven” – Mt 13:33
We also saw that Jesus taught two parables concerning the value and preciousness of the kingdom: “The Parable Of The Hidden Treasure” – Mt 13:44 & -“The Parable Of The Pearl Of Great Price” – Mt 13:45-46
Jesus also taught two parables depicting the present mixture and future separation involving the kingdom of heaven: The first was “The Parable of The Wheat And The Tares”, which we have already studied - Mt 13:24-30,36-43
The second is “The Parable Of The Dragnet”, which will be the focus of this study – Mt 13: 47-50
In each case where there are two parables seemingly addressing the same subject, and yet there are subtle differences in which different aspects of the kingdom are being stressed
Consider THE DETAILS OF THE PARABLE…
1. A “dragnet” was cast into the sea
2. As defined by the Holman Bible Dictionary, a “dragnet” is…
a. “A large fishing net equipped with a weighted bottom edge for touching (“dragging”) the river or lake bottom and a top with wooden floats allowing the net to be spread across the water (Isa 19:8).”
b. “Such nets were normally let down from a boat and then drawn to shore by a crew positioned on the beach. In the case of a large catch the net was hauled to shore by boat (Jn 21:6-8).”
3. Once the dragnet was drawn to shore, the fish were separated; those good for eating were saved in vessels, the inedible were discarded
B. THE MEANING OF THE PARABLE…
Mt.13:49-50
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,
50* and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
The kingdom of heaven, in its present state, will be a mixture of good and bad
1) Just like a dragnet gathers in both good and bad fish
2) We saw in “The Parable Of The Wheat And Tares” that this will be due to the influence of Satan, such that there will be those “that offend, and those who practice lawlessness” – cf. Mt 13:41
3) Paul wrote that in “a great house” (i.e., the church) some vessels are “for honor and some to dishonor” -
2 Tim. 2:19-21
19* ¶ Nevertheless, the firm foundation of God stands, having this seal, “The Lord knows those who are His,” and, “Everyone who names the name of the Lord is to abstain from wickedness.”
20* Now in a large house there are not only gold and silver vessels, but also vessels of wood and of earthenware, and some to honor and some to dishonor.
21* Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from these things, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work.
But in the future there will be a separation – Mt 13:49
1) It will occur “at the end of the age” – cf. Mt 13:39-40
2) The agents of this separation will be the “angels” – cf. Mt 13:41
3) The “wicked” will be separated from the “just” (i.e., the righteous) – cf. Mt 13:41
c. The punishment of the “wicked” is described – Mt 13:50
1) “cast…into the furnace of fire.” – cf. Mt 13:42a
2) “in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” – Mt 13:42b
2. In giving His explanation, we see the emphasis of Jesus in this parable, and the fundamental difference between it and “The Parable Of The Wheat And The Tares”
a. The emphasis is upon…
1) The “future” separation of those in the kingdom
2) The punishment of the wicked
b. Unlike “The Parable Of The Wheat And The Tares”…
1) There is nothing in the explanation related to the “present” mixture in the kingdom - contrast that with Mt 13:24-30
2) There is nothing depicting the blessedness of the righteous – contrast that with Mt 13:43
“The Parable Of The Dragnet” reinforces the spiritual truths taught in “The Parable Of The Wheat And Tares”, especially those relating to the coming judgment and condemnation of the wicked.
That Jesus would emphasize the judgment and condemnation of the wicked in this parable ought to impress upon us that the “good news” of the kingdom of heaven also contains “bad news” for those who reject it. Since this parable focuses on the “destiny” of the wicked, this might be a good time to review what Jesus Himself taught on the subject…
II. JESUS’ TEACHINGS ON THE DESTINY OF THE WICKED
A. JESUS TAUGHT THE WICKED WILL BE JUDGED…
1. We have seen this truth illustrated in the two parables we have been comparing
2. He warned those cities that rejected Him of the coming judgment – Mt 11:20-24
Mt 11:20-24
20* Then He began to denounce the cities in which most of His miracles were done, because they did not repent.
21* “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles had occurred in Tyre and Sidon which occurred in you, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.
22* “Nevertheless I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you.
23* “And you, Capernaum, will not be exalted to heaven, will you? You will descend to Hades; for if the miracles had occurred in Sodom which occurred in you, it would have remained to this day.
24* “Nevertheless I say to you that it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for you.”
3. He spoke of the condemnation that would come upon His generation – Mt 12:41-42
Mt 12:41-42
41* “The men of Nineveh will stand up with this generation at the judgment, and will condemn it because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.
42* “The Queen of the South will rise up with this generation at the judgment and will condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, something greater than Solomon is here.
4. The wicked would be raised unto condemnation, unlike the righteous – Jn 5:24-30
Jn 5:24-30
24* “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.
25* “Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live.
26* “For just as the Father has life in Himself, even so He gave to the Son also to have life in Himself;
27* and He gave Him authority to execute judgment, because He is the Son of Man.
28* “Do not marvel at this; for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs will hear His voice,
29* and will come forth; those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment.
30* “I can do nothing on My own initiative. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is just, because I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.
B. JESUS TAUGHT THE WICKED WILL BE SEPARATED FROM GOD…
1. He spoke of this separation in His sermon on the mount – Mt 7:21-23
Mt 7:21-23
21* ¶ “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.
22* “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’
23* “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’
2. Again, when describing the judgment scene – Mt 25:41-46
41* “Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels;
42* for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink;
43* I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.’
44* “Then they themselves also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You?’
45 “Then He will answer them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’
46* “These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
C. JESUS TAUGHT THE WICKED WILL BE CAST INTO “HELL”…
That is the term used most often by Jesus to describe the destiny of the wicked
a. The Greek word is “geenna” {gheh’-en-nah}, which in Hebrew is “Ge-Hinnom”
b. B. W. Johnson comments: “The term Gehenna arose from the valley of Hinnom, south of Jerusalem, where the Canaanites burned human sacrifices to Moloch. After the return of the Jews from the Captivity they made it a place of defilement, where the refuse of the city was thrown and burned. The name was applied to the place of future punishment by the Jews. The word is often used in the New Testament, and always denotes a place of future punishment.”
c. Found twelve (12) times in the New Testament, and it is used only by Jesus with one exception (Ja 3:6)
2. Jesus used the term to describe the final place of punishment…
a. In His sermon on the mount – Mt 5:21-22,29-30
b. When sending His apostles on the “limited” commission – Mt 10:28
c. In warning against personal stumbling blocks – Mt 18:8-9
d. Perhaps the most vivid use of this term is in
Mk 9:43-48
43 “If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life crippled, than, having your two hands, to go into hell, into the unquenchable fire,
44 [where THEIR WORM DOES NOT DIE, AND THE FIRE IS NOT QUENCHED.]
45 “If your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life lame, than, having your two feet, to be cast into hell,
46 [where THEIR WORM DOES NOT DIE, AND THE FIRE IS NOT QUENCHED.]
47 “If your eye causes you to stumble, throw it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, than, having two eyes, to be cast into hell,
48 where THEIR WORM DOES NOT DIE, AND THE FIRE IS NOT QUENCHED.
– Jesus evidently used this word because it properly spoke to His contemporaries the horror and abomination of the eternal destiny awaiting the wicked!
3. This place called “hell” was originally prepared for the devil and his angels (Mt 25:41), but will serve as the place of punishment for the wicked as well
D. JESUS TAUGHT THE WICKED WILL SUFFER TORMENT…
1. They will experience “the furnace of fire”
a. As described in “The Parable Of The Wheat And The Tares”, and “The Parable Of The Dragnet” – Mt 13:42,50
b. This “furnace of fire” is the same as…
1) The “fire” of Gehenna – Mt 5:22; 18:8-9
2) The “lake of fire” – Re 20:12-15; 21:8
c. A fire that is never quenched – Mk 9:43-48
2. They will experience “wailing and gnashing of teeth”
a. As told in the two parables we have considered – Mt 13:42,50
b. Jesus used the similar expression “weeping and gnashing of teeth” on other occasions - Mt 8:12 22:13; 24:51; 25:30
3. They will experience “outer darkness”
a. As in the punishment of…
1) The “sons of the kingdom” (unbelieving Israelites) – Mt 8:12
2) The “unprepared wedding guest” (those who mistakenly believe they are saved?) - Mt 22:13
3) The “unprofitable servant” (slothful Christians?) - Mt 25:30
b. And the punishment described by Peter and Jude for false teachers – 2 Pe 2:17; Ju 13
4. They will experience “everlasting punishment”
a. The punishment for the wicked is as “everlasting” as the life given the righteous -
Mt 25:46
46* “These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
The wicked will be “punished” with “everlasting destruction” from the presence of the Lord -
2 Thess. 1:9
9* These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power,
(thanks to Mark A. Copeland for adapted notes above)