Topical Encyclopedia
In the biblical narrative, the concept of wickedness is often illustrated through various metaphors and parables, providing a vivid depiction of those who deviate from God's righteous path. One such comparison is between wicked people and bad fish, as found in the teachings of Jesus Christ.
The Parable of the Net, recorded in
Matthew 13:47-50, serves as a poignant illustration of this comparison. Jesus describes the kingdom of heaven as a net cast into the sea, gathering all kinds of fish. When the net is full, the fishermen sort the good fish into containers but throw away the bad ones. This parable is a metaphor for the final judgment, where the righteous and the wicked will be separated: "So it will be at the end of the age: The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth" (
Matthew 13:49-50).
The imagery of bad fish represents those who are morally corrupt or spiritually unfit for the kingdom of God. Just as bad fish are discarded for their lack of quality or suitability, wicked individuals are depicted as being unworthy of eternal life due to their rejection of God's commandments and their persistence in sin.
Throughout Scripture, the wicked are characterized by their rebellion against God, their pursuit of evil desires, and their disregard for justice and righteousness.
Proverbs 15:9 states, "The LORD detests the way of the wicked, but He loves those who pursue righteousness" . This verse underscores the divine disapproval of wickedness and the contrasting approval of those who seek to live according to God's will.
The comparison to bad fish emphasizes the ultimate fate of the wicked, highlighting the seriousness of their condition. It serves as a warning to all believers to examine their lives and ensure they align with the teachings of Christ. The call to repentance and faith is central to avoiding the fate of the wicked, as expressed in
2 Peter 3:9: "The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise as some understand slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance" .
In conclusion, the biblical comparison of wicked people to bad fish serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of living a life that is pleasing to God. It calls believers to pursue righteousness and to heed the warnings of Scripture, ensuring that they are counted among the righteous at the time of judgment.
Nave's Topical Index
Matthew 13:48Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away.
Nave's Topical Index
Library
The Beloved Pastor's Plea for Unity
... and is at best but as a drop compared with the ... each other?" Now, there are many
Christian people who, if ... even as others, and children of the wicked one; but by ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 39 1893/the beloved pastors plea for.htm
An Appendix to the Beatitudes
... Antiochus Epiphanes take in persecuting the people of the ... so inconceivably torturing
that the wicked do not ... labours and travails in religion compared with the ...
/.../the beatitudes an exposition of matthew 51-12/an appendix to the beatitudes.htm
Ancestors of the Blessed virgin
... always living amongst other men who, compared to them ... in order to lead their lives
undisturbed by wicked people. ... saying that they must be bad people since no ...
/.../emmerich/the life of the blessed virgin mary/i ancestors of the blessed.htm
"Am Ia Sea, or a Whale?"
... You people with whom the sermon goes in at one ear and out at the other ... thou art
but a child with thy father, as compared with the wicked and rebellious ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 37 1891/am i a sea or.htm
Book ii. Jerome Answers the Second, Third, and Fourth Propositions ...
... They think it wicked to eat the flesh of swine ... interests of agriculture, and wished
to check the bad practice of the commoner sort of the people who imitated ...
/.../jerome/the principal works of st jerome/book ii jerome answers the.htm
Original Sin
... The heart is deadly wicked. ... Sin is compared to a weight. ... As the bishop of Alexandria,
after the people had embraced Christianity, destroyed all their idols but ...
//christianbookshelf.org/watson/a body of divinity/3 original sin.htm
An Analysis of Augustin's Writings against the Donatists.
... there been an actual tradition, or any wicked man in ... plan of preparing a polemic
for the people who had ... What is his little handful compared with the universal ...
/.../chapter ii name analysis of.htm
Much More Versus Much Less
... must confess, from the way some people find fault ... insignificant, of so little account
when compared with the ... will a mother, unless she is wicked beyond compare ...
/.../smith/the god of all comfort/chapter 9 much more versus.htm
Psalm LXXXIX.
... the clouds, who are not to be compared unto Thee ... degrees; and they are drunk by the
people of God ... for foxes." [4207] For the Scripture calls wicked, crafty, and ...
/.../augustine/exposition on the book of psalms/psalm lxxxix.htm
The Snare of the Fowler
... Men are here compared to silly, weak birds, that have ... He never employs a wicked man
to be a decoy ... very remarkable instances of God delivering his people out of ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 3 1857/the snare of the fowler.htm
Resources
Does God hate? If God is love, how can He hate? | GotQuestions.orgWhat is retribution theology? | GotQuestions.orgWhat does it mean that judgment begins at the house of God? | GotQuestions.orgWicked: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.comBible Concordance •
Bible Dictionary •
Bible Encyclopedia •
Topical Bible •
Bible Thesuarus
