An Introduction to the Parables of the Kindgom
(Note: Much of this Outline has been borrowed from
Charles A. Ratz’s Outline Studies in the Four Gospels)
Scripture: Matt. 13:1-3a
1“That day Jesus went out of the house and was sitting by the sea. 2 And large crowds gathered to Him, so He got into a boat and sat down, and the whole crowd was standing on the beach. 3 And He spoke many things to them in parables…”
Introduction
Each of the four gospels has a unique aspect in the way in which they present Christ. The Holy Spirit inspiring these men has a unique purpose in doing so.
Matthew:
• Presents Christ as the King
• He is “David’s Righteous Branch” as prophesied by Jeremiah in Jer.23:5 & 33:15
Mark:
• Presents Christ as the Suffering Servant
• He is Jehovah’s “Servant the Branch” in Zech 3:8
Luke
• Presented as the Son of Man
• He is“the man whose name is The Branch Zech 6:12
John
• Presents Christ as the Son of God
• As prophesied by Isa 4:2.. “The Branch of the Lord”
We need to keep in mind how the Holy Spirit is portraying Christ in the Gospel of Matthew – He is the King of Righteousness.
Thus:
Chapter 1 The King Comes - His genealogy
Chapter 3 The King Herald – John the Baptist
The King Anointed – baptism
Chapter 4 The King Tested –temptation
Chapter 5-7 The Principles of the Kingdom
Chapt. 8 & 9 The Power of the Kingdom
- Miracle Power
- Power to forgive sin
Chapt . 10 The Commissioning of the twelve
Chapt . 11&12 The Rejection of the King and the Kingdom
- Christ reproaching cities who did not repent
- Close of 12 severs relations refusing to see his own
Chapt. 13
By the time we come to chapter 13 we now have Christ teaching the Mysteries of the Kingdom
This chapter has in it 7 parables. The Kingdom has been rejected. The king will leave the earth. During his absence we have the mysteries of the Kingdom which were hidden from the foundation of the world, but are now being fulfilled throughout this age or dispensation.
Over the next several weeks I want us to examine the parables themselves. Each as it were a snapshot of the Kingdom. However, I want us to first have an overview or if you would have a look at the “BIG” picture so we can then properly understand each of the individual “close-ups” or snapshots as it were.
So today I want us to notice several things from this chapter
1. FIRST --- He spake in Parables. (13:3)
a) Definition -- - A Parable is an earthly story with a hea¬venly meaning. It is to use some familiar thing of earth and to placed it beside of some mysterious thing of heaven, so that the understanding of the familiar things of earth may help us to understand the mysterious things of heaven.
b) When speaking in parables Jesus used the most common things that people of his day would recognize right away.
2. SECOND --- "Why do you speak to them in parables". 13:10.
a) The purpose of the parable is that of revelation by illustration.
i. The method is always intended to aid, and never to hinder understanding.
ii. Dr. G. Campbell Morgan says -- - "The parable is an aid not a hindrance. It veils truth, not that men may grasp it, but that it shall not escape them. There is a sense in which the sun is hidden by the piece of smoked glass which the boy holds before his eyes, and yet with¬out such an instrument he could not look upon the sun at all. Essential light unveiled blinds. Its veiling is the opportunity of vision.
b) The answer to the question is given in verse 11. “ To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted And Vs. 12 continues “For whoever has, to him more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him.”
i. “Multitudes had followed Jesus and heard him, but Jesus declared that it was given to his disciples to know the mysteries. Why? We ask. It was because of some¬thing they already possessed. But those "who have not" He declared it was not given to them to know. These men lacked what the disciples possessed, the possession of which created in them a capacity for re¬ceiving the mysteries of the Kingdom. It was not there-fore possible for them to grasp these mysteries, and even what understanding they did possess, they were in danger of losing.”
ii. Illustration - The following story illustrates the blessing of receptivity and the danger of rejecting the Word of the Kingdom.
Two women were hired by a man to make custom-tailored dresses for his clothing store. They were told that not only would they be paid a flat hourly wage for their work, but they would also receive a bonus for each dress they completed which was sold. Each week they were given equal amounts of materials to use.
The first woman was not a very careful seamstress and made numerous mistakes which she had to go back and correct. She also wasted a lot of time taking unnecessary breaks and daydreaming on the job. The second woman was a skilled dressmaker and a very conscientious worker. She worked hard and efficiently and quickly turned the fabric and materials supplied to her into beautiful finished products. She would use up her weekly allotment of material before the week was up, while the other woman never used up the material assigned to her.
It soon became apparent to the man who hired them what he needed to do. He began cutting back on the material given to the first woman and started giving it to the second. The first woman didn’t think this was fair because the second woman was already earning a lot more than she was in bonuses from sales of the dresses she’d made. In fact, she became so resentful about this situation that she soon Quit her job.. All of the material was then given to the other woman who remained on the job and who was able to earn a very good income.
(illustration from www.sermoncentral.com)
iii. In short, the disciples had accepted the King. The multitudes had rejected the King. Israel was blind to the light. They could not see, hear, nor understand as vs. 13, 14 teach. They lacked perception. They had no ca¬pacity to receive and understand truth. Therefore He speaks in parables to arrest their attention.
THIRD --- The teaching of the seven parables is contained in verses 4-52. We understand this when we by reading 3 which introduces the parables with “And He spoke many things to them in parables and then we read in vs. 53 “When Jesus had finished these parables, He departed from there.
3. FOURTH --- Of these parables the King Him seIf gave the explanation of two.
a) In each case the explanation was to His own disciples. They are the parable of the Sower, verses 3-10, explained in verses 19-23, and the tares and the wheat, verses 24-30, ex-plained in verses 36-43.
4. FIFTH --- We Must Recognize A Consistency in use of Figures/Illustrations
a) Dr. G. Campbell Morgan says "That in order to have an understanding of these parables of Jesus, we must recognize the perfect consistency of Jesus in His use of figures".
b) For example the" Sower" is found in three parables. He is always the same person.
i. The Sower. 3-8. Note verse 3, "A Sower went forth to sow".
ii. Tares and Wheat. 24-30. Note verse 24, "A man sowed good seed" .
iii. Mustard seed. 31,32. Note verse 31, "which a man took and sowed".
c) Another example is "birds". This is used in both the para¬ble of the "sower" and "The mustard seed".
i. In these seven parables we have the sower, the seed, the birds, the soil, the sun, the thorns, the fruit, an enemy, reapers or servants, the harvest, the tree, leaven, meal, a woman, treasure, a man, a merchant, a pearl, a net, fish.
ii. Though some of these illustrations are found in different parables THEIR SIGNIFICANCE NEVER CHANGES.
(1) e. g. Leaven always speaks of evil.
(2) A tree is al¬ways a symbol of great and widespread worldly power.
(3) Thorns are always symbols of evil.
5. SIXTH --- The parables are divided into 2 groups
a) The First group consists of 4 and and the second group of 3
i. The First Group of Four - addressed to The Multitude
(1) The Sower, The Tares, The Mustard Seed and The Leaven.
(a) The same elements are running through these four. In each one the Lord reveals the fact of antagonistic forces with continued con¬flict; and an issue in which failure appears to predominate rather than success.
(b) These four parables do not give us a picture of increased goodness and a better world, but rather a picture characterized by conflict.
ii. The Second Group of Three – Spoken to the disciples after the crowds were dismissed and Jesus and His disciples had entered into a house together.
(1) Dr. G. Campbell Morgan says "To the CROWDS He declared the facts concerning the Kingdom in this age, which when He gathered His DISCIPLES about Him alone, He showed them the inside truth."
(a) Like that old American express commercial says, “Membership has it’s privileges”
6. Seventh – Many have recognized a relationship between these para¬bles and the seven churches of Asia in Revelation 2 and 3.
a) THE SOWER --- EPHESUS.
i. The Conditions found at the end of the Apostolic age. The beginning of failure, leaving their first love.
b) THE TARES --- SMYRNA --- (bitterness)•.
i. The enemy is thought to be those who persecuted the church during the period of great persecutions.
c) MUSTARD SEED --- PERGAMOS -- (twice married).
i. The Church grows and is united to the state under Con¬stantine. As the birds find shelter in the trees, pro¬fessing church hides under the state.
d) LEAVEN --- THYATIRA --- (the one who sacrifices).
i. This is the papacy developed out of the Pergamos state. The woman Jezebel (the harlot) who brought idolatry in¬to Israel, also brings corruption into the Christian Church. The professing Church marries the world, and also links up Christian doctrines with pagan ceremonies (Romanism). This woman corresponds to the woman in the parable of the leaven.
e) THE HIDDEN TREASURE --- SARDIS.
i. This takes in the reformation period, whose words were not wholly fulfilled, but a remnant was found there.
f) THE PEARL --- PHILADELPHIA (brotherly love).
i. The church is the Pearl, representing the great company that the Lord is coming to take out of the world.
ii. It stands for that which gives true testimony to the Word of God, especially in the time when there is a strong drift away from the faith once delivered to the saints.
