Jesus Wants To Help Us Understand The Kingdom Of Heaven - Part 3 Series

Jesus Wants to Help Us Understand the Kingdom of Heaven - Part 3

The Gospel of Matthew

Matthew 13:47-58

Sermon by Rick Crandall

(Prepared May 26, 2022)

BACKGROUND:

*Please open your Bibles to Matthew 13:47. In this chapter Jesus told a series of 8 parables to help us understand the Kingdom of Heaven. The Lord told these simple stories to reveal spiritual truth to His followers. But Jesus also spoke in a way to conceal these truths from the scribes and Pharisees. The Lord did this because by this second year of ministry, most of those religious rulers had rejected Jesus with bitter hatred.

*They hated Jesus so much that they were plotting to kill Him. One reason why was because Jesus rejected the thousands of petty rules and regulations the scribes and Pharisees had added to God's Law. For over a hundred years these men had basically been in charge of telling all the other Jews what was right and wrong.

*William Barclay gave this example: In Jeremiah 17:21, "Thus says the Lord: 'Take heed to yourselves, and bear no burden on the Sabbath day.'" But a "burden" had to be defined, so the scribes and Pharisees defined it as "food equal in weight to a dried fig, enough wine for mixing in a goblet, milk enough for one swallow, honey enough to put upon a wound, water enough to moisten an eye-salve," and so on.

*Then they had to settle questions like this: Could a woman wear a brooch on the Sabbath? Could a man wear a wooden leg or dentures? -- Or would it be carrying a burden to do so? Could a chair or even a child be lifted on the Sabbath Day?" On and on the regulations went. Then this random, unschooled carpenter from Nazareth showed up and rejected all of their ridiculous rules. Jesus also publicly criticized them for laying heavy legal burdens on God's people. (1)

*But there was a bigger reason why the scribes and Pharisees hated Jesus, and that is because He rightly claimed to be God. We can see the Lord's claim many times in the New Testament.

*Last week we looked at Mark 2:1-12, but another great example is in John 5. It's the story of a man who had not been able to walk for 38 years. Jesus instantly healed that man on the Sabbath Day. And how did the Lord do it? In John 5:8 Jesus simply told him to "Rise, take up your bed and walk.''

*Soon after that miracle, John 5:15-18 says:

15. The man departed, and told the Jews that it was Jesus, which had made him whole.

16. And therefore did the Jews persecute Jesus, and sought to slay him, because he had done these things on the Sabbath day.

17. But Jesus answered them, My Father has been working until now, and I work.

18. Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the Sabbath, BUT SAID ALSO THAT GOD WAS HIS FATHER, MAKING HIMSELF EQUAL WITH GOD.

*Jesus begin to answer the Jewish rulers in John 5:19-23:

19. Then Jesus answered and said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.

20. For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself does; and He will show Him greater works than these, that you may marvel.

21. For as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom He will.

22. For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son,

23. that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.

*Jesus rightfully claimed to be God, because our crucified and risen Savior IS the eternal Son of God, the King of all Kings, and our only hope of salvation! But instead of responding with humble faith and love, the Pharisees responded with arrogant self-righteousness and murderous hatred. This is why the Lord began to speak to them in Kingdom parables they could not understand.

*Today's Scripture includes the last two parables in this chapter. These were given to the Lords' disciples along with more vital information about the King of Kings. Please listen to God's Word as we read Matthew 13:47-58.

MESSAGE:

*From a human point of view, about the closest I’ve ever gotten to royalty is Burger King. But by God's grace, all Christians can say, "We really do know a king! In fact, we know Jesus Christ, the King of all kings! And today's Scripture shows us some of the Lord's greatest desires for our lives.