Some scholars like to point out that Matthew’s Gospel is divided into five sections (or “books”). Matthew almost universally is acknowledged to be shaping his gospel for a Jewish audience. So this gospel presents Jesus as the new Moses (the liberator and lawgiver), and the gospel is the new Pentateuch (five books of the Law). One whole section in the proclamation of the Kingdom is made up of seven (number representing completion or fullness) parables.
The final parable of the seven is about casting a dragnet into the sea (Matthew 13:47-50). A dragnet had weights along its edges so that it would sink to the depths. You would throw the net out in a way that it would open up as wide as possible, it would gently sink in the water, when the net reached bottom you would slowly drag it back in. This way of fishing was very good at collecting all kinds of fish who feed and dwell at different levels in a larger body of water. It also would haul in plenty of other debris off the floor of the lake or sea.
Now it’s easy to imagine that not all the fish dragged in were good for eating, and most of the junk was good for nothing. As happens with many of Jesus’ sayings, and especially his parables, the final editing of the gospels added in commentary trying to explain and defend the faith to the particular community addressed by each gospel. So here someone later added to the straightforward story of Jesus a reference to angels, the end of time, judgement and a fiery furnace for whoever they saw as unfaithful, or other “bad guys.” This was not from Jesus.
Jesus is not talking about judgement. In the Gospels of Matthew (Matthew 7:1-2), Luke (Luke 6:37-39) and John (John 7:24) explicitly, and in Mark (Mark 4:24) implicitly, Jesus emphatically states, “Stop Judging!” By judging he was referring to our tendency to place people in heaven or hell based on our point of view, or on how they appear to us. Jesus is saying, “Look, we don’t have God’s vision or perspective. Deciding our or anyone else’s condemnation or final reward is none of our business.” Besides God is incredibly (literally), infinitely merciful, according to Jesus.
Rather, this parable is about discernment. Our eyes, minds, hearts are like dragnets. In our lives we take in, experience, run into all kinds of people and events. Jesus is asking us to discern – to carefully evaluate which of these help us to grow in awareness, love, compassion, forgiveness. Which help us to open up, become freer, more fully alive, more human? And, on the other hand, which close us in on ourselves, on our pre-formed ideas and opinions, on what feels safe and secure? Which are like slow-acting poison for us?
As always, Jesus is inviting us to be transformed, using the gift of discernment to help us to grow each day a bit more fully into who God knows us to be. Leave the role of judge to the all-loving God, who knows us humans much better than we know ourselves. With Jesus, it’s just the facts.