Sea Creatures - Matt 13:47-50

Jesus gives the last parable in this section as recorded in Matthew, saying, “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind: Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away. So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just, and shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.” There are a few points that I think are worth mentioning. First, all the ocean creatures that are pulled out of the water are done so against their will. I imagine some sea urchin way deep in the water saying, “there is no fisherman,” and whatever reasoning it uses to justify their beliefs, none of that matters when the net is cast and it’s dragged out of it’s place and is sorted. We can have our own beliefs or deny the existence of God or the truthfulness of the gospel all day long, ultimately, when God decides that it’s time to come to judgment, then it’s time to come to judgment, and there’s nothing any of us can do about it.

Second, the fishermen gathered creatures of the sea “of every kind.” The day of reckoning will come for all, male, female, rich, poor, etc. Likewise, the gospel is for all. The Church is perceived as having a mostly white membership, and that might be true, especially here in the United States. There is also the view that the Church and it’s members are rich and well to do financially, and while that might be true in many areas, just because that’s the perceived membership doesn’t mean that it’s a qualification. To become a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, one must have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, repent, be baptized and confirmed a member. There is no stipulation about income, no past deeds that can’t be repented of, anyone can join the church if they are willing to do what membership requires. The gospel is just as much for the white kid from Utah as it is for the former child soldier in Africa, we need members living in tin shacks in South America just as much as we need them from a penthouse in New York. The Savior brought His gospel to the earth to heal those who have abused others and also to heal their victims. Honestly, I’d like to see more tattoos in the temple, more colored hair in the pews, more sick and afflicted and homeless and gay at church on Sundays. These people are not worse then those who already attend, in fact, those who already attend, such as myself, should be ashamed of ourselves that we aren’t doing more to invite others, regardless of their circumstances, to feast at the banquet of the gospel. If we really valued the gospel as much as we say we do, if it’s really changed our lives and saved us as much as we profess, then we would be shouting it from rooftops, begging everyone else to come and be saved also. So I guess the question is, is my relationship with the Savior so important to me that I tell everyone how they can have one too?

The third point is actually brought up by JTC, who suggests that critics of the parable might say that it doesn’t matter which ones are good and which ones are bad, because in the end, they are all just dead. JTC counters saying, “The good, however, die to usefulness, the bad to utter waste. Though all men die, they die not alike; some pass to rest, and shall come forth in the resurrection of the just; others go to a state of sorrow and disquiet there to anxiously and with dread await the resurrection of the wicked.” The creatures may die, but the world around them doesn’t stop turning. Likewise, our bodies die, but the world doesn’t end. Just like the fish that are good can be taken and used, so can our spirits move forward after this life to be useful and to teach the gospel to others in the next.

Finally, the IM makes an excellent point explaining that the fishermen who cast and draw out the nets, “For the work of this pattern, behold the seed of Joseph, spreading forth the godpel net upon the face of the earth, gathering of every kind, that the good may be saved in vessels prepared for that purpose, and the angels will take care of the bad.”