13:47-50
This is the last of the kingdom parables. This time it involves fishing rather than agriculture as the analogy. The fishermen put down their nets and collected many fish. Afterwards they sorted out the good from the bad fish. Jesus again says this is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels separating the good from the bad and throwing the bad into the furnace, where there will be a “weeping and gnashing of teeth”. Someone once said (Ian Paisley, I think) in response to a question about those who have no teeth “madam, teeth will be provided!”.
So this parable is similar to the parable of the weeds in the message it gives. We see also an emphasis on the end times, of the role of angels, and people being thrown into hell. And it was Jesus who emphasised these things. We also see the implication that the final separation will not take place until the end of the age. The concept (and reality!) of final judgement is vital for us living properly today. We should seek to guard our churches, and in society as a whole we should seek to have justice, but we cannot have perfect justice, nor can we ensure our churches will be from wolves. For we are not all knowing and all powerful, only God is and He will carry out the perfect judgement at the end of the day.
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