Parables Concerning The Kingdom, Part 2 (Matthew 13:24-58)

Matthew 13 contains a series of parables that are heard by the crowds, but only a few would take the effort to really hear, understand, and apply what the Lord Jesus was teaching. He has presented stories about good and bad soils that represent how people receive and apply the Word of God to their lives. Some accept it, some reject it, yet many who are indifferent. Their decisions will either be rewarded with the certainty of eternal life or be punished with the fire of God’s judgment. Jesus continued His teachings by presenting a profound and prophetic mystery of the kingdom of God. His next parable is about a man who sowed wheat seed in his field (13:24-30). While the servants slept, an enemy came and sowed tares, known as darnel, in the fields. The grains grew together, each indistinguishable from the other. The servants ask why this happened. The owner of the field said that an enemy had done this work. So, what do they do? The workers are instructed not to uproot the tares because they may also do the same thing to the wheat. They were to grow together and at harvest time the reapers would collect and destroy the tares, with the wheat being gathered and stored. Jesus gave the interpretation to the disciples (13:36-43). He represented the sower of the good seed. The field represents the world and the good seed are the sons of the kingdom. The tares are the wicked and the enemy is Satan. The harvest is the end of the age and the angels are the reapers who will gather the tares and throw them into the furnace of hell.

In verses 31-32, the kingdom of God is compared to a mustard seed, one of the smallest seeds that grows into a tree so large that the limbs provide the birds of the air with a place to rest. God’s work is small and quiet at first, hardly recognizable. Jesus was demonstrating this by training and instructing His disciples, by healing the multitudes, and delivering them from the demonic spirits. The parable of the leaven (v.33) is self-explanatory. The leaven, or yeast within the meal represents the kingdom of God quietly working within the world. It grows and expands, making a discernible change in the world. Yeast was originally associated with evil within Jewish culture. It can be interpreted as the devil attempting to cause changes for the worse within the meal. Jesus uses the illustration of leaven (yeast) instead to symbolize the hidden work God does that results in a bountiful harvest of souls.

In verses 13-17, Matthew referred to the purpose of teaching in parables by quoting Psalm 78:2 where God shows His compassion towards rebellious Israel. From this point on, Jesus would use parables to teach the public, but give the meaning to His disciples, because they were developing “ ears to hear”. He presented another parable (v.44) that centers on a man who finds a treasure in a field. He hides it and then purchases the property on which it was found. The man was willing to give up everything he has in order to receive a treasure which was priceless. This is a testament to any serious follower of Jesus. We surrender everything we consider valuable in order to reap the priceless wealth of Christ. The pearl of great price (vv. 45-46) also emphasized the importance of giving up everything that we hold valuable in order to obtain the priceless pearl, which are the unlimited riches of the Lord Jesus. There is nothing more valuable to us than our eternal soul and the necessity of surrendering everything we have, including our lives, to Jesus in order that we may have eternal life and true peace.

Jesus brought His teachings to a conclusion by presenting another reference to the coming end of the age (vv.47-52). This parable is about a fisherman who uses a dragnet to gather his catch. At the end of the day he separates the good from the bad fish by putting the good, or clean fish, into vessels while the unclean fish and other creatures are thrown away. At the end of time, the angels will come forth to separate the people of God from those of the devil. The wicked and unjust will be thrown into the furnace of fire to suffer, weep, and wail for eternity. These parables of tares, hidden treasures, priceless pearls, and dragnets were told to the disciples. In turn they assured the Lord Jesus that they understood what He had said to them. Jesus then compared the disciples to the scribes of the kingdom of heaven who brought out the old and new treasure. They were to be given the task of preaching the good news of Jesus Christ. They would prove by using the Scriptures that Jesus was the Promised Messiah of Israel. They would also possess the power and authority of their mission by using miraculous signs and wonders through the power of the Holy Spirit that showed Jesus to be both Savior and Messiah. They would link the Law and the Prophets (old treasure) with the person and work of the Lord Jesus ( the new treasure). We are the recipients of the treasures of heaven through the Lord Jesus (Matthew 11:28-30; John 14:6; Acts 4:12; Romans 5:6-11). Why hold on to the mud and dung of this fallen world whose treasures breed nothing but rust, rot, and moths (Matthew 16:26)? It’s your choice, but how foolish it would be to reject that which is eternal for what will end up in the junkyard of eternity.

donaldwhitchard@outlook.com

https://ocosbe.org/donald-whitchard/