By
Allen White
Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a
net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. When it was
full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected
the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away. This is how it will be at the
end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous
and throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and
gnashing of teeth.
“Have
you understood all these things?” Jesus asked.
“Yes,” they replied.
He said to them, “Therefore every teacher of
the law who has become a disciple in the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of
a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old. Matthew 13:47-52
Most people don’t write their memoirs
at 25 years of age. As epic as their antics might seem to themselves, the rest
of the world simply rolls their eyes and cynically waits for the rest of the
story. At 25 years of age, most of us don’t know who we are, let alone have
much to shout about.
Memoirs are reserved for sages who gaze
back over their lives. After all, hindsight is 20/20. From the perspective of
their twilight years, they can see the thread woven through their lives. At the
beginning of our adult lives, most see many possibilities, but haven’t lived
enough to know what life means.
From Jesus’ analogies, we understand
the kingdom of God is a living and dynamic enterprise. The potential and actual
growth are off the charts. God’s kingdom possesses a huge attractional factor.
Both believers and non-believers are drawn to the things of God. The risk is
judging who’s who too early.
Jesus says the
kingdom of God is like a mess of fish. Some are worth keeping. Some are not.
When we look around our places of worship, we might feel we could size things
up pretty quickly. “Well, I know what that one did last night. So he’s probably
out” or “She always has such a pleasant smile. That’s certainly a reflection of
the joy of the Lord.” Yet, separating “good” and “bad” is not our job.
The separation takes
place at the end of the time. The separators act on higher authority than what
we have. The angels are given the task. Why?
This is not the
time or the place to judge other’s faith. As long as they have breath in their
bodies, God is drawing them to Himself. Some believers specialize in policing
the boundaries and making sure everyone behaves themselves in order to protect
the church’s reputation. But, are we winning people to Churchianity or to
Christ?
Jesus and most of
the religious leaders of his time were not bosom buddies by any sense of the
word. They were constantly at odds. They challenged each other at every turn.
These leaders spent their days with their noses stuck in scrolls when the Truth
was standing right in front of them. People who have it all figured out don’t
need Jesus.
But, Jesus didn’t
give up on them -- just like He doesn’t give up on anyone. In fact, some of the
religious leaders became His disciples and joined God’s kingdom. Jesus said
they possessed both new treasures as well as old ones.
Who are you ready
to cut loose from your life? Who are you tempted to leave in the chum pile?
When it comes to the Church are you looking for people who will fit in and keep
the party line? Are you hoping others will act more Christianly or are you
praying for God to transform their lives?
People outside of
God’s Kingdom can’t live lives pleasing to God. It’s humanly impossible. It
requires a level of perfection that human beings lack. But, God’s power can
take the most self-righteous person and dramatically transform them into a
child of God.
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