Matthew 13:49Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

In both the Greek original and the Russian rendition, the term ‘their’ is grammatically linked to ‘righteous’; however, it ought to pertain to ‘them,’ specifically the wicked. The third parable of the second set receives only a partial explanation.

The call through Christ encompasses the entire cosmos, as He clearly states that the message of the gospel draws all types of individuals. Just as skilled fishermen who work by the sea cast their nets without judgment, capturing whatever they ensnare and bringing it entirely ashore, so too does the powerful proclamation of the gospel and the wondrously complex teachings of the sacred truths, meticulously crafted by the apostles, attract diverse people to themselves and ultimately to God. However, this journey towards God continues until the appointed hour of death, at which time the angels assigned for this task will extract those caught in the net and separate the wicked from the righteous.

Those who are considered 'righteous' are those who have consistently remained faithful to His gospel from the very start; conversely, the 'unrighteous' are those whom the Church expels and removes from its community due to their lack of fidelity.

After the prophecy of Jeremiah was fulfilled, wherein he proclaims: Behold, I will send a multitude of fishers (Jer. 16:16), Peter, Andrew, and the sons of Zebedee, James and John, responded upon hearing the call: Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men (Mt. 4:19). They formed a net—a seine crafted from the Gospel teachings of the Old and New Testaments—and cast it into the sea of this world. This net continues to encompass the depths of the water, ensnaring both the salt and bitter depths, capturing all manner of souls, whether good or evil, the finest or the most wretched. When the culmination of the age arrives, as He stated shortly thereafter, the net will be drawn to shore, revealing the true judgment that will distinguish between the fish. In a secure refuge from the tempest, the righteous will be gathered into vessels destined for heavenly dwelling, while the unrighteous will be taken and consumed by the fire of Gehenna, subjected to destruction.

In the twenty-fifth chapter, it is stated that He will personally distinguish between individuals (Matthew 25:32). What are we to make of this? He will execute this separation through His own authority, while the angels will carry it out as obedient servants fulfilling the Master's will. To distinguish is akin to being set apart. As He concludes the parable by asserting that the unrighteous will be expelled, He clarifies the gravity of this separation, saying, "and they shall cast them into the furnace of fire," among other things.

The kingdom of heaven is likened to a net laid in the sea that gathers various types of fish and is then pulled to the shore. The good fish are collected into containers, while those that are deemed unworthy are cast aside. The Holy Church is comparable to this net, for it is entrusted to fishermen, drawing people from the turbulent waves of this world into the Eternal Kingdom, ensuring that none are lost to the depths of everlasting death. It gathers all sorts of fish, inviting both the wise and the foolish, the free and the enslaved, the affluent and the impoverished, the mighty and the feeble. Hence, it is proclaimed to God through the Psalmist, “To Thee shall all flesh come” (Psalm 64:3). The net reaches its full measure when humanity's time comes to completion.

At the culmination of the age during the Last Judgment by the Son of Man, angels, who have remained unseen as the agents of God's judgment, will emerge from heaven. They will distinguish the unrighteous from the righteous, with the righteous being led into the everlasting dwellings of Heaven.

In this new parable, the Lord enlightened the apostles about their mission to unite individuals from every nation into a single body of Christ, distinguishing them at the end of time not by their heritage but by their moral character—whether good or evil. This parable resonates with the second one shared with the crowd; however, it also emphasizes the oneness of the church while acknowledging the diverse backgrounds of its members. The parable of the net serves as a reminder of the calling of Simon and Andrew. The Lord provided an explanation focused solely on the final judgment.

The fourth parable shared by Jesus with His disciples is the one about the net cast into the sea, gathering fish of all sorts. This reflects a time when the Gospel message will be proclaimed across the globe, and the Church established by Christ will embrace all nations. At that point, the net will be pulled to the shore, collecting the good into containers while discarding the bad. Angels will then emerge to distinguish the wicked from the righteous, casting the former into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Within the Church that He established, there will be a mixture of the wheat and the tares, a result of the original adversary's sowing. However, it is only the divine Judge who, at the final judgment, can deliver an unfavorable assessment of their destinies, as this current era allows each person the chance to repent and transform from tares into fruitful wheat. As Saint Augustine wisely noted, those who are tares today may well be converted into wheat tomorrow. To illustrate this reality, the Savior taught that the kingdom of heaven resembles a net cast into the sea, capturing fish of all varieties; when the net was full, it was brought ashore, and the good fish were collected into vessels, while the bad fish were discarded. Similarly, at the end of the age, the angels will emerge and distinguish the unrighteous from the righteous, casting them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

‘Angels will depart,’ etc.: ‘Although it is mentioned elsewhere that the Shepherd Himself carries out the separation (Matthew 25:32), here the task is ascribed to angels, similar to the parable of the tares (Matthew 13:41). What is the implication of this? It shows that the Lord communicates with His disciples at times in a less profound manner and at times in a more elevated way’ (Zlat.). Through the metaphor of the shore and the fish being gathered, the Lord reveals the conclusion of the age and the dreadful judgment, during which the righteous will be distinguished from the unrighteous—the former destined for eternal joy, while the latter face everlasting punishment.

In the subsequent parable, Jesus Christ communicated a relatable and vivid image to His listeners: He referred to the vast sea of life, into which the net of the Gospel is cast to gather souls for redemption. “Like unto the Kingdom of Heaven is a net cast into the sea, and gathered out of every kind; and when it is filled, it shall be drawn out and to the end, and they shall choose the good into vessels, and cast out the wicked.” According to the explanation given by the Lord, the shore and the sorting of the fish represent the end of the world and the profound judgment, when the righteous will be distinguished from the unrighteous—the former destined for joy and the latter for everlasting suffering.