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February 23, 2026

A Tale of Two Boats: First-Century Fishing and Eternal Truth

by Jason Neill

Scripture reading: Matthew 13:47-50

I’ve only been fishing a few times in my life. Granted, the type of fishing I did was vastly different from the methods used in the first century. As portrayed in this week’s parable, two fishermen would cast a net into the lake: one fisherman in one boat and another in a second boat, each holding one side of the net. They would drag the net along the lake, then pull it in to see what was caught.

The fishermen would then sort through the catch, evaluating each fish to see whether it was "good" or "bad." If it was good, it was kept; if it was bad, it was discarded.

Jesus compares the Kingdom of Heaven to this very process. Since He interpreted the parable Himself, we aren’t left wondering what it might mean:

“So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 13:49-50, ESV).

Bible scholar Hal Haller Jr. wrote this regarding the parable:

“After the fish are caught, the fishermen separate the fish. They throw into containers the ones they will eat (‘the good’) and discard the rest (‘the bad’) – a picture of judgment at the Second Coming. The vessels represent the kingdom, and ‘the furnace of fire’ represents hell. As other texts state, the good are good because they have received the righteousness of Christ by faith (Rom. 3:21-22; 4:5; Acts 13:38-39; Gal. 2:16; 3:10-11), and those who are bad are those who neglected or refused the offer of free salvation (John 3:18). They remain in their sins because they do not accept the payment for sin Christ made on the cross for them.

Jesus says the mystery form of the kingdom will end in separation and judgment. Some will go into the kingdom, others will not. Just as worthless fish must be separated from edible fish, so humanity at the judgment must be separated into the saved and the lost and their destinies determined accordingly” (The Grace New Testament Commentary, p. 40).

It’s easy to read about the "gnashing of teeth" and feel only fear, but for the believer, this parable is a source of deep gratitude. We know that on our own, we would never make the cut. But because of Christ, we are gathered into the Kingdom not because of our own merit, but because of His mercy. This week, remind yourself that the righteousness of Christ is credited to your account as a gift, not based on your own merit.