Nets

The net was recently mended.  The work had been tiresome, but so was the effort put forth every night when they took the boats out onto the sea.  The net sunk beneath the surface.  The men hoped the night would be prosperous.

Some prayed for God's hand in their endeavor.

Some simply hoped.

They gathered the prey without rupturing the fiber.  The thickly muscled arms of the men drew the net from the depths.  The catch was worthy of praise.  God had answered the prayers of those who had faith, and those who did not.

"Separate what is no good, from that which will sell at market," one of the burly men shouted.

And thus it was done, as the one had instructed.

"This is how it will be," the teacher said. "In the days of the end.  The good will be placed to one side.  The evil to the other, and that which is of no value will be burnt in the fires."

He studied them, those who gathered for stories, parables, told by one promised.  Those who listened were men of the earth, men of the sea.  They worked with their hands and had little time for thoughts of anything more than the tasks of their trades.

"Do you understand what I have told you?" He asked.

The chorus was "Yes."

But the teacher knew.  He saw it in their expressions.  They would not understand, until his arms were stretched out on a cross before them, until he bled for their sins, and on the third day left an empty tomb in his wake.

copyright 2026 - Donald P James Jr

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