The Kingdom of heaven is like a net thrown into the sea,
which collects fish of every kind.
The implication is that not every fish caught in the net of the Kingdom is one that will ultimately be retained at the end of the age. In this present stage of history the Kingdom is a net that, while it does collect many good fish, also incidentally collects some that are bad. Moreover, if it is designed to function like a net, attempting greater specificity such that only good fish are caught might prevent any fish from being caught at all. One implication of this is that we ought not avoid the catch that appears unsavory or unappetizing. Some of these turn out to be ideal for cuisine in the end. Nor will all the fish that look appealing at first turn out to be the best, with some perhaps being entirely inedible. Further, if the net is our starting place we ought not think of attempting to clean or prepare the fish for cooking before they are even caught. It is only once they are brought to shore that the true identity and usefulness of fish becomes manifest. As fish ourselves, those contained within the net, we would doubtlessly prefer to be more judgmental or discerning from the outset. But the fact is that if we attempt to do so we will miss out on some extraordinary flavors. If we rely on our own judgment we'll probably find ourselves unexpected poisoned or infected by something that was not superficially evident in some fish that looked good to our eyes.
"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."
Whereas the scribes and the Pharisees were constrained to see everything only in the light of the old knowledge they already possessed the disciples were ready and willing to interpret what they already knew in light of what they were learning from Jesus. This idea of a big net seemed like anathema to the Pharisees from their reading of the Scriptures. They saw only the precedent of the bad things that happened when Israel mingled with the nations, was seduced by their ways, and chased after their idols. But the disciples saw Jesus fulfilling those same Scriptures in a way that made this big net approach make sense to them. It wasn't so much an abstract ideal Jesus was presenting as something that he revealed through his own life and example. He was a new paradigm in person, making it possible to engage with the world in heretofore unguessed ways. A transformation of society that would have seemed impossible without him seemed now to be necessary in the light of his coming. His approach wasn't leading Israel to idolatry, but rather, the Gentile nations to worship the living God. We too must learn not to live according to preexisting prejudice but rather in light of the revelation of Jesus. Only then will we bring in the robust catch of fish that Jesus desires. And that catch is necessary if the feast at the end of the age is to reach its full potential.
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