Are You A Good Fish or A Bad Fish?
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Are You A Good Fish or A Bad Fish?
Psalm 105:1-11, 45b
Psalm 128
Romans 8:26-39
Matthew 13:31-33
One of my favorite things to do as a child growing up was to go fishing. This was something that I had done a lot with my grandfather during my middle school years. In the spring I would take a day off from school and in the early morning My grandfather would drive over and pick me up and we would go to the lake to fish. These were great bonding days with my grandfather. There were days in which we caught more fish than we could eat or clean. There were times in which we would have to make a decision whether to keep a fish we caught or throw it back. The big fat ones we would generally keep and the tiny skinny ones we would throw back. We would have to decide for ourselves what was a good fish and what was a bad fish. Sometimes the bad fish were not necessarily bad but instead were just a little bit on the short side and needed to be thrown back so that they could grow. However, there were other fish that were junk fish that we would want to get out of the lakes. In the great lakes there are these little ugly fish called gobies. Gobies are junk fish and are more like a parasite to the lakes. They came over through freighter coming through the seas. The one positive thing that they do is that they eat zebra muscles that cause problems. However, they will actually eat just about anything including the food of all the other fish. They end up taking over. They are fun to catch as they nibble hard on your bait but when you pull one up it can be disappointing and you don’t really want to touch them because they look slimy and ugly.
In Matthew 13 Jesus describes many different analogies in which to compare the kingdom of God and the end times. He describes heaven like a farmer planting a mustard seed. He plants a tiny seed and from that a large bush or tree grows from it and birds can perch in it. He also describes how just a little bit of yeast can be worked though a whole lot of flour to make bread. God is planting seeds in his people and working us through like dough with the expectation that we are going to produce something worthwhile. He also describes the man who finds great treasure and is willing to sell everything he has for the treasure or that pearl that he finds. The treasure is of greater value than all his other possessions. Then Jesus tells a parable about the fisherman casting out his net wide to catch all kinds of different fish. However, the fisherman must take the time to sort out the good fish from the bad fish. I have heard and read this parable many times before but this time it struck me even more as he describes that this is how it will be at the end of the age.
When I was fishing with my grandfather, we were using rods and reels. This meant that we could only catch roughly one fish at a time. This made the process a little slower but it also allowed us to sort through the fish we wanted to keep a lot quicker. However, that is not the only way to fish. Commercial fisherman would never be able to make enough money if they fished this way. This is why they will use a system to catch many fish all at once. This can be done with a troll line which is a long line of many hooks that can catch many fish a once. Or we can throw out nets that allow you to gather a bunch of fish in one fell swoop. When you cast our nets though you can end up gathering all kinds of different fish. You can even sometimes catch things that you don’t want. Therefore, casting nets requires you to sort out between what you want to keep and what you want to throw away.
Jesus says at the end times the angels will cast out their nets wide and catch everyone out. However, after that the sorting will begin and we will be judged whether we are a good fish or a bad fish. The good fish will enter the kingdom of paradise while the bad fish will be thrown away to face judgment. The question though is what distinguishes a bad fish from a good fish?
There are many who believe that you are a good fish if you simply follow the law. Meaning if you do good things and you follow the rules then you are a good fish as will enter kingdom of God. However, the only problem is that in our humanity it is impossible for us to keep the whole law. We are imperfect and the law says we must be perfect to be chosen to receive a great reward. So, if no one is perfect then how can we ever be a good fish? Well praise the Lord that he sent us one who was and is perfect and he lived that perfect life in our place and it is through our love and trust in him that we to can be considered perfect as he is perfect. What makes us a good fish is Christ.
Romans 8:31-39 tells us that if God is for us then who can be against us. “He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all – how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who then is the one who condemns? No one.” We can never be good fish all on our own. Christ died and rose again to make up the difference for the areas in our lives in which we lack. Does this mean then obeying the law then is not important? Absolutely not. The law is still good. The only problem is that the law cannot save us. However, because of our love for Christ and his love for us we will obey the law.
Jesus told Peter that if he would follow him then he would teach him how to fish for men. This is exactly what Peter and the other apostles did after the day of Pentecost. They didn’t use fishing rods though, they used nets and thousands were added to their number at those times. Before the pandemic I think the church had resorted to using a fishing pole to fish for men. We would pull them in one at a time and would hope that we would have the right bait to keep them once we reeled them in. This process is slow and we can often come back empty handed. However, this pandemic has forced us into using a net through the use of social media. The nets have been cast and the only question is whether we are pulling in good fish or bad fish.
Someday Christ will return and the angels will cast their nets and pull us all out of this world. The question though is whether we are going to be good fish or bad fish when he pulls us out. If that day came today would you be considered a good fish or a bad fish? As a church, are we fishing for good fish or bad fish? Are we using a rod or are we using a net? I believe that if this church is to remain 5-10 years down the road, we need to be casting our nets. We can only do so much using a pole. However, casting a net requires the work of many not just one. If you have been a bad fish in these days, I invite you to accept the love of Christ and welcome you into obedience through love so that you can become a good fish. If you have been using only a rod and maybe you don’t even have your line in the water, I invite you this morning to join me in casting out a net. Let us all become fishers of men and let us all be good fish.