Many And Bigger Buckets

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” (Matthew 13:47-53). 

Once again we have a parable of the good being separated from the bad – the righteous from the wicked.  How often do we make these sorts of judgments – deciding whether someone is good or bad?  Into what “fiery furnaces” have we thrown them?

Our lives involve “net”works of people we daily encounter during work and play.   We get entangled in their lives and into the hassles that go along with relationships.   We judge them and often unfairly causing them to wail and grind their teeth in pain and sorrow.

Who are we to throw away the “bad” we assess using our own standards of judgment?   Perhaps we’re the bad ones others would like to throw away by breaking off relationships.   Let’s leave the separating to the angels and, in the meantime, just use many and bigger buckets.  

Deacon David Pierce