The Kingdom of heaven is like a net thrown into the sea,
which collects fish of every kind.
There is a temptation to only cast our nets where we know there are fish, or where there are only fish of a certain kind which we prefer. The disciples learned that even after fishing all night, when the waters seemed empty of fish, if they listened to Jesus they could bring in a miraculous catch. They learned from him not to discriminate in their efforts. The parables taught them that they shouldn't get hung up on whether plants were weeds or wheat before the end times, nor should they attempt to sort the appealing fish from the rotten before they are brought to shore. They should try to offer the Gospel to all without qualifications, to Jews, to Samaritans, and even to the all the nations of the earth.
In this Jesus teaches us a discernment principle. We must not judge when it is too soon to judge, when much of the workings of the Kingdom are still hidden. It is all too easy for our own judgments about who is receptive and who is not, what ministries are efficacious and which are not, to cause us to gravitate only toward those with whom we ourselves have the most natural rapport, as if evangelization were mainly a hobby geared toward our pleasure. Instead Jesus advocates openness, such as when he tells the disciples to stay with whoever will welcome them, and to eat whatever is set before them (see Luke 10). The Kingdom is spread by concern for others that is only possible when we aren't primarily interested in our own preferences.
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.
We only see the clay that is still being shaped. Indeed, we ourselves actually are also still being constantly refashioned to broaden our capacity, to make us more useful for the Kingdom. We should not try to gauge which pots are worth purchasing based on how they seem before the potter is finished. We must instead look to see where the potter is working. We must trust in him to be able to shape us and our neighbors from vessels meant for wrath into vessels of mercy.
Indeed, like clay in the hand of the potter,
so are you in my hand, house of Israel.
The modern world of commerce loves A-B testing, where small tests of different options let us know which one will perform better. But there is at least a sense in which this is impossible in the Kingdom. We can't simply use any statistically analysis to determine that user engagement is up, and so such and such a method should be preferred. We can, however, judge the fruit. Is there peace and joy? Does God seem more loved? But even here we must be cautious that we are not being blinded by our own preferences. Therefore the only foolproof way to spread the Kingdom is the let the Spirit guide our nets, acting without any reservations on our part. We must offer the raw materials to the potter wherever we can find them and trust in him to achieve finished products that are beautiful to behold.
“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.”
Let us trust in Jesus to bring our nets ashore. If we do, the fruits of all peoples, by means familiar and unfamiliar, are brought worth from the storerooms of the world.
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