‘Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a net which was cast into the sea…’ (Matthew 13:47-50)
If you ask any fisherman, even today, they will tell you that once you cast your net into the water and then haul it in, there is no telling what you might find in it. You of course hope there will be fish, but there will almost certainly be other things in there too – a whole mixture of things as the parable suggests. What does this say to us today?
Over the years many have thought of the Church as being only for good people and those who are fully committed to Christ. Yet whilst we hope that all might seek to commit their lives fully to Christ, to look on the Church in this way suggests an exclusivity which should not exist and also suggests an element of being judgemental. The New Testament view of the Church is that it is completely inclusive – it is for all people – and what this parable teaches us is that if there is any judging to be done, it will be done by God at the end of time.