A Gospel Enquiry
Introduction
Jesus is a master storyteller and the stories he tells are always about God present and active in the world. God is not distant, nor is God absent. God is in the community to which Jesus belongs and in the stories Jesus tells, God is given the persona of a community member. Thus God is the fisherman in the dragnet parable … God is the householder. God is the source of the goodness, which is the kingdom of heaven.
The Gospel
Jesus said to the crowds: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet cast into the sea that brings in a haul of all kinds. When it is full, the fishermen haul it ashore; then, sitting down, they collect the good ones in a basket and throw away those that are no use. This is how it will be at the end of time: the angels will appear and separate the wicked from the just to throw them into the blazing furnace where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth.‘Have you understood all this?’
They said, ‘Yes.’
And he said to them, ‘Well then, every scribe who becomes a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out from his storeroom things both new and old.’
When Jesus had finished these parables he left the district. (Matthew 13:47-53)
The Enquiry
See
- Chapter 13 of Matthew’s Gospel is the “parables” chapter. The dragnet parable is a repetition of the wheat and weeds parable in the same chapter. Recall times when you have been faced with “separating” the good from the bad. When, where, how often do you separate the good from the bad?
- What does Jesus reveal about God through his parable?
- What does Jesus teach his followers about the source of goodness in the world?
Judge
- What do you think of what Jesus teaches about God through his parable?
- What does Jesus tell you through his parable about the ideal way of separating the good from the bad?
- How is your faith affirmed and challenged by Jesus through his parable?
Act
- What change do you want to see in the world that will promote the good and diminish the influence of the bad?
- What small action can you take that will contribute to bringing about this change?
- Who can you involve in your action and how, when, where and how often will you get them to participate in your action?
Author: Pat Branson
Image Source: Tacuina sanitatis (XIV century) Casanatense,Wikimedia, Public.domain
