Dragnet At Sea
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.” “Do you understand all these things?” They answered, “Yes.” And He replied, “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.” When Jesus finished these parables, He went away from there.
Reflection
This was the last of the five prophetic parables Jesus taught about God’s kingdom. The parable of the sower talked about the perfect fertile soil, the heart receptive and responsive to God’s words. The parable of the weeds talked about the bad people sowed by Satan, coexisting with God’s good people until their separation on the last day. The parables of the mustard and yeast talked about the tiny faith that grew to give lives to others. The parables of the hidden treasure and the pearl talked about the preciousness of God’s kingdom, worth sacrificing for. This last parable of the fish net paralleled the parable of the weeds. In both stories, the good and the bad coexisted until their forced separation. Jesus instructed His disciples, the future teachers of the law, to bring to others the treasure of the old teachings of the prophets and His new teachings also.
Corporate Leadership
One of the most important functions of a leader in a company is to impart his experience to his staff. Usually, the chief executive officer has little time to relate his experiences because they are unique to him. It is also very difficult to capture them in a formalised course. It is best that he tells such stories himself as part of a structured course. Jesus taught His disciples through the use of parables. Such stories made listening easy and memorable. The stories attracted listeners from all walks of life and the lessons stay in their hearts. Likewise, a good leader makes regular time with his staff not only to bond, but to impart what he has learnt to them. Even reliving his experience has learning value to his staff because they cannot go through the same experiences he did; otherwise, they may make the same mistakes. – XW
Family Leadership
Children are like sponge and they take in knowledge of all kind, be it good or bad. They are not very discerning and very often confuse one with the other. Therefore, this responsibility of teaching children the good from the bad and the acceptable from the unacceptable fall on the shoulders of the parents. Just as Jesus used stories to teach and instruct His disciples, parents can also use life stories, articles and incidents to bring across their messages more effectively. While some parents use traditional means like newspaper, books and television, there are also other means more familiar and effective with today’s children. Parents can reach out and bond with their children through messaging, gaming and blogs. The media may have changed through the years but it is bringing old teachings to children in a new way they can understand that is more important. -XW
Feed Our Lambs 