Friends,
in today’s Gospel Jesus presents two more parables on the kingdom of
heaven. In the first parable, we hear that "the kingdom of heaven is
like a net thrown into the sea." Here the kingdom of heaven is coming
for us. This is an eschatological image of the kingdom, of God’s final
rounding up of the world at the end of time. When will it come? We don’t
know. But we must be ready! And being ready means being in accord with
the rule of God.
Then
the second parable: "Every scribe who has been instructed in the
kingdom of heaven is like the head of a household who brings from his
storeroom both the new and the old." Jesus knew that his ministry and
teaching were, to a large extent, in continuity with what came before
him. At the same time, he knew that his preaching and person did
represent something new and unprecedented. So, those learned in the
kingdom of God love traditions, the heritage of faith. And those learned
in the kingdom also know that the Spirit is doing new things.
Therefore, we have to be open to what he might want to show
us.
This word came to Jeremiah from the LORD:
Rise up, be off to the potter's house;
there I will give you my message.
I went down to the potter's house and there he was,
working at the wheel.
Whenever the object of clay which he was making
turned out badly in his hand,
he tried again,
making of the clay another object of whatever sort he pleased.
Then the word of the LORD came to me:
Can I not do to you, house of Israel,
as this potter has done? says the LORD.
Indeed, like clay in the hand of the potter,
so are you in my hand, house of Israel.
Jesus said to the disciples:
"The Kingdom of heaven is like a net thrown into the sea,
which collects fish of every kind.
When it is full they haul it ashore
and sit down to put what is good into buckets.
What is bad they throw away.
Thus it will be at the end of the age.
The angels will go out and separate the wicked from the righteous
and throw them into the fiery furnace,
where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth."
"Do you understand all these things?"
They answered, "Yes."
And he replied,
"Then every scribe who has been instructed in the Kingdom of heaven
is like the head of a household who brings from his storeroom
both the new and the old."
When Jesus finished these parables, he went away from there.
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