MATTHEW 13 By the eyes of faith, we can see beyond the present to the end result of the kingdom of heaven. We can see today that both the wheat and the weeds growing together, as counterfeit Christianity is rampant worldwide. Those who claim to be Christians don’t have evidence of Christ-likeness in their lives and consequently, people reject what is real as well as what is false. The expectations of unbelievers are that Christians should be different than they are, but for some unfortunate reason, professing Christians seem to think we have to be living like the world, “in order to win them to Christ.” Christ was different from those around Him, and it was that uniqueness that drew needy people to come to Him.
A mustard seed is so small it seems insignificant, but the results will be seen and are unmistakable. The same is true of yeast. The impact of a little bit of leaven may take a while to be seen, but it will become obvious when the time of judgment comes. Justice will be rightly served and judgment will be carried out.
The value of the kingdom of heaven is hidden from most people, but to the Lord, it was worth much. “Though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor; that ye through His poverty might be made rich.” The kingdom of heaven had much that is hidden presently, but that will be clarified at the end of the age. Then the Righteous Judge will pass His judgment on everyone and everything. Hidden things will be made plain. Motives and actions will be exposed for what they were. Authentic faith will be evident, compared to that which was only forms and formalism.
The kingdom of heaven seems quite insignificant to most people at this time. But the value of efforts put forth to promote kingdom work; is worth more than all we could ever accumulate or ever hope to be. To admit to our limitations of knowledge about all that is at stake in the kingdom of heaven is as important, and maybe more important tthanwhat we do know about it.
Descriptions of separation between the righteous and the wicked are very important and impacting. Sometimes we may not realize the seriousness and lasting effects of what we do as we serve the Lord. Those who are saved will be forever with the Lord and will be useful and happy in that service for eternal ages. There is no evidence that the wicked simply cease to exist when they die. Rather, there are brief descriptions of torment and anguish that are human experiences and emotions, and these last forever. People in this day and age are offended by such teaching, in a way similar to those who knew Jesus from a child in His hometown of Nazareth.
The message of the kingdom of heaven, and the response, v.1-23 A parable is a comparison or an illustration of something else. The word “parable,” means placing beside. There are thirty parables in Matthew, Mark, and Luke. These are stories drawn from natural or familiar happenings, to teach spiritual truths about God and His kingdom. Usually, the Lord only taught one truth at a time when using a parable, and usually, the point is quite obvious. The parable of a rich farmer who said to himself, “I have many goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry;” points out the value of the kingdom of God, and the foolishness of depending on material wealth instead of trusting God.
The first parable in this group of seven has the purpose of both revealing and concealing the truth. The purpose of hiding the truth was because of unbelief. This happened in a similar way when Isaiah was prophesying in Isaiah 6:9-10. This parable, which is called by many, the parable of the sower; has quite a lot of symbolism. The seed is the word of God. The different ground represents different kinds of hearers. This is actually the parable of different hearers instead of the sower. The context of the parable indicates when details are important.
Parables are meant to be understood within the main message the Lord Jesus was giving. Its intent is to make hearers understand in a clearer way the truth He was teaching. On some occasions, the parables were given so that those who had rejected the Lord, couldn’t understand because they were “outside” the place of sincerely wanting to know the truth. They had already made up their minds to reject Him and didn’t want to be confused by the truth. They would not understand the plainest message by their own choice, because they refused to accept the truth no matter what it was. Those who have “ears to hear,” believe and understand the point of a parable. When a person is open to the truth, they will see it clearly and respond to the message the Lord gave.
The “mysteries of the kingdom of heaven,” had begun to be unfolded when the Lord Jesus Christ came. Many in the past, including the prophets, wanted to know what they prophesied about. Even when it came to salvation, which they could have by faith, they could only “see through a glass darkly.” In this parable, the seed that fell by the wayside relates to the unresponsive hearers who had no interest in the word of God. The stony ground hearers were emotionally affected and enthusiastic when they first heard the word of God presented and explained. But they could not accept the spiritual values contained in the Gospel message. Those who had thorn roots in the ground were people who had divided allegiance. They wanted to mix the world and the kingdom of God together but there is no way they mix. Those who are called good ground hearers are those with prepared hearts and who will receive the word of God to the capacity they have,
The point of this parable has to do with the soil in which the seed is planted. Even though the parable is called the parable of the sower; it really has to do with the seed of the word of God, and what it produces in the hearers. This is why this parable is so important. This parable encourages those who sow the seed of the word of God to keep at the work. We cannot make people believe the word of God, but the Holy Spirit does bring life to those who sincerely seek the truth. We are responsible to give the word of God to the people. They are responsible for what they do with it.
Characteristics of the kingdom of heaven, and their effects, v.24-46 The teaching regarding the kingdom of heaven in the parable of the tares in the wheat field is not teaching that the farmer is negligent. Rather, a warning is given that there are enemies of the Gospel who will seek to ruin the harvest of souls in the kingdom. When we know that is happening, and we certainly do know that fact; what are we to do? At first, the response to the preaching of the word of God seems to be quite widespread and we are greatly encouraged. As time passes, there doesn’t seem to be anything of a spiritual nature in some who make professions of salvation. They stay with the believers and seem to want to participate in the social aspects of assembly life, and they want to associate with the Lord’s people, but there is no evidence of growth and fruitfulness. There are some things that are beyond our capacity to discern, and so it is our place to leave the dealing with others who don’t really show lasting signs of a fruitful Christian life, to the Lord to deal with in His own time.
The day of reckoning is yet in the future. First impressions are not the criteria for discernment. It is by their fruits we know who is real and who is not. But the challenges we might make to people who claim to be children of God can be way off base. So, we need to leave the final results to the Lord who knows the thoughts and intents of each heart. If negative effects come from “fruitless” people that divide the Lord’s people, we do have scriptural precedents to follow to deal with that problem. Determining reality is different from dealing with effects on the Lord’s people that can seriously hurt them and the testimony of an assembly.
Human discernment is limited as to the reality of true saving faith. God allows unbelievers to live side by side with believers. They may look alike in lifestyle, religion, morality, and righteous living, but there is no real spiritual life and fruit. Many people look and act like Christians, and they think they are. Man looks at the outward appearance; God looks at the heart.
The kingdom of heaven may seem small, but small beginnings produce great results when God gives life to the seed. The mustard seed was deliberately planted in the world, and though it is so insignificant as to seem valueless, it does produce what the original intention was. Israel as a people is spread among the nations and in a sense is unknown at present. But the day will come when it is known worldwide. Small groups of believers throughout the world are surrounded by those who seek to claim what belongs to God. Agents of evil will take advantage of the kingdom of heaven to promote their own interests, and what may appear to be the kingdom of heaven may not be so even though the crowds may be large and the growth is very rapid.
The leaven of false doctrine may be introduced into that which represents the kingdom of heaven. The impact of sin may be hidden for some time but it has a way of permeating into everything. Sin has permeated society and can ruin a nation as well as an assembly of believers. The whole world suffers from the pervasive insertion of sin into the world. We need to be aware of the fact that evil can come into the very house of God. It was only to the disciples, not the multitude, that the Lord explained the symbolic parables that answer the quotation from Psalm 78.
Interpretations were given to the disciples regarding the major points of the parable of the tares. The devil will promote counterfeit believers to hinder the work of God, He gives real abundant life that is fruitful to those who have grown from good seed. When the time of judgment comes, everything will be revealed for what it really is.
The children of Israel for the most part, are hidden at this time in the world. They chose to reject our Lord Jesus Christ when He was here, and so Israel has not had a prominent place as far as the nations of the world are concerned. That has changed to a degree in recent times, but they still have times of suffering ahead. When Christ returns again at His second coming, that hidden treasure will be brought out for the world and will be displayed as the peculiar treasure our Lord has had His eye on through all of the centuries.
Similar to the hidden treasure, is the pearl of great price that is the church composed of men and women God has saved all over the world, and made a people for His name. That pearl has been being formed for the last two thousand years and will soon be brought to full size and the One who bought it at such a great price, “the precious blood of Christ,” will claim it for His own purchased possession and make that pearl His bride. No sacrifice was too great for Him to gain that which is of incomparable worth.
A review of the kingdom of heaven and the consequences, v.47-58 The concluding section of this chapter is almost like a review of the fundamental truths the Lord Jesus Christ was teaching. The parable of the net went over again the fact that some actions have to be done at a later time, rather than taking hasty actions and making quick decisions that could bring unfortunate results. It takes more time to act with discernment than the pressures of a very busy time allow. The Lord knows who belongs to Him by faith in Christ and will deal with those who profess to be children of God but have never been “made alive in Christ.”
Even though we may think we understand all we are taught or read; the truth is not really learned well until we can pass it on in a way that is consistent with what the word of God says. It has to be applied in a way that is appropriate to the need and the occasion. Any application we make cannot be contradictory to the interpretation of the word of God as it has been given to us.
Familiarity can bring contempt, or at least has a tendency to put down the words and actions of one who is well-known to us. Even if that person has been faithful to God and to His word; people who know us well are inclined to not pay much attention to what we say. Community members of Nazareth, and even family members of the Lord Jesus, would not accept what He taught, even though it was the absolute truth. They knew Him merely as one of them, rather than the One who came into the world to save them.
The people of His hometown had previously attempted to murder Him by throwing Him over a cliff, and again when He came back, they rejected Him. They had heard His clear teaching and had seen His power in healing, but it didn’t fit their preconceived notion of who the Messiah would be and what actions He would take.
To reject and disrespect the Lord Jesus Christ is to be left alone by God to face the consequences of the choices we make. The people of Nazareth chose to ignore and reject the Lord, so He did not do many miracles there when faith in Him was missing. Those who do not have faith in the Lord Jesus, and reject the truth He gives, will live and die without hope. Unbelief is a soul- damning sin. “Without faith, it is impossible to please God.”