Matthew 13:47-48
Jesus said to the disciples: "The Kingdom of heaven is like a net thrown into the sea, which collects fish of every kind. When it is full they haul it ashore and sit down to put what is good into buckets."
I like to fish and one of my favorite things about fishing is throwing the cast net to see what might be hauled in. Sometimes it's fish that I'm looking for, but sometimes there are surprises. Every once in a while, there are fish that can be potentially dangerous, like spiny catfish, sharks, jellyfish and the like. I have to be careful in touching them in order to discard them because they might be harmful. Some fish might even be toxic, so you don't want to eat them.
Today Jesus likens the Kingdom of Heaven to a cast net. The scripture goes on to say that, like fish, at the end of the age, the angels will separate the wicked from the righteous and throw the wicked in the fiery furnace. The question for us is are we righteous or wicked? How would you describe yourself? How do you think God looks at you? Despite the fact that we are not to judge others, how do we judge ourselves? We need to look at our actions…treating all with respect, having daily prayer, helping those in need, visiting the sick and lonely, and much more. We need to pray that we are the good fish and not the ones heading to the fryer.
