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Matthew 13:47-50
Again the
kingdom of heaven is like to a net cast into the sea, and gathering
together of all kind of fishes. Which, when it was filled, they drew
out, and sitting by the shore, they chose out the good into vessels,
but the bad they cast forth. So shall it be at the end of the world.
The angels shall go out, and shall separate the wicked from among the
just. And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be
weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Commentary
By St. John Chryostom
And wherein
doth this differ from the parable of the tares? For there too the one
are saved the other perish; but there, for choosing of wicked
doctrines; and those before this again, for not giving heed to His
sayings, but these for wickedness of life; who are the most wretched of
all, having attained to His knowledge, and being caught, but not even
so capable of being saved.
Yet surely He saith elsewhere, that the shepherd Himself separates
them, but here He saith the angels do this; and so with respect to the
tares. How then is it? At one time He discourses to them in a way more
suited to their dullness, at another time in a higher strain.
And this parable He interprets without so much as being asked, but of
His own motion He explained it by one part of it, and increased their
awe. For lest, on being told, "They cast the bad away," thou shouldest
suppose that ruin to be without danger; by His interpretation He
signified the punishment, saying, "They will cast them into the
furnace." And He declared the gnashing of teeth, and the anguish, that
it is unspeakable.
Seest thou how many are the ways of destruction? By the rock, by the
thorns, by the wayside, by the tares, by the net. Not without reason
therefore did He say, "Broad is the way that leadeth to destruction,
and many there be which go away by it."
Commentary from
the Catholic Encyclopedia
The draw net
completes the sevenfold teaching in the first Gospel. The order was
chosen by St. Matthew; and if we accept the mystic signification of the
number "seven", i.e., "perfection", we shall perceive in this parable
not a repetition, as Maldonatus held, of the tares, but its crown.
In the tares separation of good and bad is put off; here it is
accomplished. St. Augustine composed a kind of ballad for the people
against the Donatist schismatics which expresses the doctrine clearly,
"seculi finis est littus, tunc est tempus separare" (see Enarr. in Ps.,
lxiv, 6).
The net is a sweeping net, Lat. verriculum, or a seine, which of
necessity captures all sorts, and requires to be hauled on shore and
the division made. For the Jews, in particular, the clean must be taken
and the unclean cast away. Since it is distinctly stated that within
the net are both good and bad, this implies a visible and a mixed
congregation until the Lord comes with His angels to judgment (Matthew
13:41; Apocalypse 14:18). The Evangelist...has understood this parable,
like the others quoted, allegorically, and Christ is the Fisher of men.
Clement of Alexandria perhaps wrote the well-known Orphic hymn which
contains a similar appellation. The "fiery furnace", the "tears and the
gnashing of teeth", going beyond the figures in the story, belong to
its meaning and to Christian dogma.
Commentary
By Origen
Again the
kingdom of heaven is like a net that was cast into the sea. (Matthew
13:47) As in the case of images and statues, the likenesses are not
likenesses in every respect of those things in relation to which they
are made; but, for example, the image painted with wax on the plane
surface of wood has the likeness of the surface along with the color,
but does not further preserve the hollows and prominences, but only
their outward appearance; and in the moulding of statues an endeavour
is made to preserve the likeness in respect of the hollows and the
prominences, but not in respect of the color; and, if the cast be
formed of wax, it endeavours to preserve both, I mean both the color
and also the hollows and the prominences, but is not indeed an image of
the things in the respect of depth; so conceive with me also that, in
the case of the similitudes in the Gospel, when the kingdom of heaven
is likened unto anything, the comparison does not extend to all the
features of that to which the kingdom is compared, but only to those
features which are required by the argument in hand.
And here, accordingly, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was
cast into the sea, not (as supposed by some, who represent that by this
word the different natures of those who have come into the net, to-wit,
the evil and the righteous, are treated of), as if it is to be thought
that, because of the phrase which gathered of every kind, there are
many different natures of the righteous and likewise also of the evil;
for to such an interpretation all the Scriptures are opposed, which
emphasise the freedom of the will, and censure those who sin and
approve those who do right; or otherwise blame could not rightly attach
to those of the kinds that were such by nature, nor praise to those of
a better kind. For the reason why fishes are good or bad lies not in
the souls of the fishes, but is based on that which the Word said with
knowledge, Let the waters bring forth creeping things with living
souls, (Genesis 1:20) when, also, God made great sea-monsters and every
soul of creeping creatures which the waters brought forth according to
their kinds. (Genesis 1:21)
There, accordingly, The waters brought forth every soul of creeping
animals according to their kinds, the cause not being in it; but here
we are responsible for our being good kinds and worthy of what are
called vessels, or bad and worthy of being cast outside. For it is not
the nature in us which is the cause of the evil, but it is the
voluntary choice which works evil; and so our nature is not the cause
of righteousness, as if it were incapable of admitting unrighteousness,
but it is the principle which we have admitted that makes men
righteous; for also you never see the kinds of things in the water
changing from the bad kinds of fishes into the good, or from the better
kind to the worse; but you can always behold the righteous or evil
among men either coming from wickedness to virtue, or returning from
progress towards virtue to the flood of wickedness.
Wherefore also in Ezekiel, concerning the man who turns away from
unrighteousness to the keeping of the divine commandments, it is thus
written: But if the wicked man turn away from all his wickednesses
which he has done, etc., down to the words, that he turn from his
wicked way and live; (Ezekiel 18:20-23) but concerning the man who
returns from the advance towards virtue unto the flood of wickedness it
is said, But in the case of the righteous man turning away from his
righteousness and committing iniquity, etc., down to the words, in his
sins which he has sinned in them shall he die. (Ezekiel 18:24) Let
those who, from the parable of the drag-net, introduce the doctrine of
different natures, tell us in regard to the wicked man who afterwards
turned aside from all the wickednesses which he committed and keeps all
the commandments of God, and does that which is righteous and merciful,
of what nature was he when he was wicked?
Clearly not of a nature to be praised. If verily of a nature to be
censured, of what kind of nature can he reasonably be described, when
he turns away from all his sins which he did? For if he were of the bad
class of natures, because of his former deeds, how did he change to
that which was better? Or if because of his subsequent deeds you would
say that he was of the good class, how being good by nature did he
become wicked? And you will also meet with a like dilemma in regard to
the righteous man turning away from his righteousness and committing
unrighteousness in all manner of sins. For before he turned away from
righteousness, being occupied with righteous deeds he was not of a bad
nature, for a bad nature could not be in righteousness, since a bad
tree — that is wickedness— cannot produce good fruits — the fruits that
spring from virtue. Again, on the other hand, if he had been of a good
and unchangeable nature he would not have turned away from the good
after being called righteous, so as to commit unrighteousness in all
his sins which he committed.
Now, these things being said, we must hold that the kingdom of heaven
is likened to a net that was cast into the sea and gathered of every
kind, (Matthew 13:47) in order to set forth the varied character
of the principles of action among men, which are as different as
possible from each other, so that the expression gathered from every
kind embraces both those worthy of praise and those worthy of blame in
respect of their proclivities towards the forms of virtues or of vices.
And the kingdom of heaven is likened unto the variegated texture of a
net, with reference to the Old and the New Scripture which is woven of
thoughts of all kinds and greatly varied. As in the case of the fishes
that fall into the net, some are found in one part of the net and some
in another part, and each at the part at which it was caught, so in the
case of those who have come into the net of the Scriptures you would
find some caught in the prophetic net; for example, of Isaiah,
according to this expression, or of Jeremiah or of Daniel; and others
in the net of the law, and others in the Gospel net, and some in the
apostolic net; for when one is first captured by the Word or seems to
be captured, he is taken from some part of the whole net.
And it is nothing strange if some of the fishes caught are encompassed
by the whole texture of the net in the Scriptures, and are pressed in
on every side and caught, so that they are unable to escape but are, as
it were, absolutely enslaved, and not permitted to escape from the net.
And this net has been cast into the sea — the wave — tossed life of men
in every part of the world, and which swims in the bitter affairs of
life. And before our Saviour Jesus Christ this net was not wholly
filled; for the net of the law and the prophets had to be completed by
Him who says, Think not that I came to destroy the law and the
prophets, I came not to destroy but to fulfil. (Matthew 5:17) And the
texture of the net has been completed in the Gospels, and in the words
of Christ through the Apostles. On this account, therefore, the kingdom
of heaven is like a net that was cast into the sea and gathered of
every kind. And, apart from what has been said, the expression,
gathered from every kind, may show forth the calling of the Gentiles
from every race. And those who attended to the net which was cast into
the sea are Jesus Christ, the master of the net, and the angels who
came and ministered unto Him, (Matthew 4:11) who do not draw up the net
from the sea, nor carry it to the shore beyond the sea — namely, to
things beyond this life, unless the net be filled full, that is, unless
the fullness of the Gentiles has come into it.
But when it has come, then they draw it up from things here below, and
carry it to what is figuratively called the shore, where it will be the
work of those who have drawn it up, both to sit by the shore, and there
to settle themselves, in order that they may place each of the good in
the net into its own order, according to what are here called vessels,
but cast without and away those that are of an opposite character and
are called bad. By without is meant the furnace of fire as the Saviour
interpreted, saying, So shall it be at the consummation of the age. The
angels shall come forth and sever the wicked from among the righteous
and shall cast them into the furnace of fire. (Matthew 13:49-50) Only
it must be observed, that we are already taught by the parable of the
tares and the similitude set forth, that the angels are to be entrusted
with the power to distinguish and separate the evil from the righteous;
for it is said above, The Son of man shall send forth His angels, and
they shall gather out of His kingdom all things that cause stumbling,
and them that do iniquity, and shall cast them into the furnace of
fire: there shall be the weeping and gnashing of teeth. (Matthew 13:42)
But here it is said, The angels shall come forth and sever the wicked
from among the righteous and shall cast them into the furnace of fire.
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