The Prophetic Parables of Matthew 13
Matthew 13:1-2
The thirteenth chapter of Matthew flows out of chapter 12. The preaching of the parables occurred on the day of the controversies over the Sabbath and the condemnation of the Pharisees. “That day Jesus went out of the house and was sitting by the sea.”
At the beginning of Matthew 12 we find the Pharisees challenging the disciples of Jesus because they had plucked the ears of corn on the Sabbath day, which is followed by the Lord’s vindication of them. Next we are told, “The Pharisees went out and conspired against Him, as to how they might destroy Him” (v. 14). This is followed by the healing of a demon possessed man who was blind and mute (vv. 22-24). Up to this point in His ministry this was the most remarkable miracle that Jesus had performed, in fact, it was three miracles in one. The impression it produced upon those who witnessed it we are told, "All the crowds were amazed, and were sayng, this man cannot be the Son of David, can he?” When the Pharisees heard it, they said, “This man casts out demons only by Beelzebub the ruler of the demons." They committed the sin for which there is no forgiveness.
Following our Lord’s sentence upon the Pharisees for their unpardonable blasphemy, we are next told, some of the scribes and Pharisees asked Jesus to show them a sign (v. 38) and Jesus told them the only sign which should be given to that evil and unfaithful generation should be that of "the sign of the prophet Jonah (v. 39). Following this, the Lord solemnly pronounced the coming judgment of Heaven upon that wicked generation, so that their last state should be worse than the first (vv. 43-45).
The chapter closes by telling us that while Christ was talking to the people He was told His mother and His brothers wanted to talk to Him. In reply, He asked, "Who is My mother and who are My brothers?” Then He stretched forth His hand toward His disciples and said, "Behold My mother and My brothers! For whosoever does the will of My Father who is in Heaven, he is My brother and sister, and mother" (vv. 46-50). This was a severing of fleshly ties: it denoted the Savior’s break with Israel: it announced that henceforth He would only own as His kinsmen those who did the will of His Father which is in heaven.
Chapter 12 is the first key to the interpretation of the parables of chapter 13. The parables of this chapter were spoken by Christ the same day as when the Pharisees had taken council together to destroy Him, when they committed the unpardonable sin, when He had pronounced solemn judgment upon the Nation, and when He had severed the fleshly ties which united Him to the Jews and had intimated that there shall be a people united to Him by spiritual bonds. The relation between Matthew 12 and Matthew 13 is that of cause to effect; in other words, Matthew 12 makes known the cause which led up to Jesus acting as He does in the thirteenth chapter, that cause was Israel’s rejection of their King and His rejection of them. His action in Matthew 13:1 was indicative of a great crisis and an anticipation of what is developed at length in the book of Acts, God, temporarily, turning away from the Jews and turning unto the Gentiles.
The same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the seaside two lessons are taught in these acts by Jesus. The "house" is the place of ordered relationship and natural ties. This was now left when Jesus "went out" of it! Symbolically, it was a confirmation of His own words at the close of Matthew 12: the link which had bound Him to the Jews was now severed. Christ’s next act was to take His place by the seaside. This also had a deep symbolical significance for those who have eyes to see it. The "sea" speaks of fallen man in the restlessness and barrenness of nature, of man apart from God, and the Gentiles.
"And He spoke many things to them in parables (Matthew 13:3). This marked a new departure in Christ’s method of teaching. In the first twelve chapters of Matthew Jesus instructed the people in plain language, using simple terms of speech; but now His message was veiled and His meaning hidden. This explains what we are told in the tenth verse: "And the disciples came, and said to Him, why do You speak to them in parables?” The disciples were surprised by this change in Jesus’ method of teaching. The Lord’s answer to their question confirmed what is said in verse 1. His answer is recorded in verses 11-15. Jesus quotation is from Isaiah 6 and provides further proof that the Nation had rejected their King. In consequence of this rejection He had taken a place of distance from them, as this new form of teaching plainly evidenced. It is a principle exemplified all through the Scriptures that, wherever parables or symbolic utterances were employed they are addressed to a people separated from God.
In Matthew 13:11, we find the second key which unlocks the contents of chapter 13. The seven parables are the "mysteries of the kingdom of heaven." The word "kingdom" does not primarily refer to territory it refers to royal authority, sovereign power, rule, dominion. The term "kingdom" refers, directly, not to territory but authority, not to a locality but to sovereignty. There are nations that were once referred to as kingdoms but today are identified as a republic. There were no territorial changes, the country is the same, and it is inhabited by the same race of people. It is no longer a "kingdom" for the simple reason that it no longer acknowledges the sovereign authority of any king; instead, it is governed by the public, and is therefore a "republic." The public are the rulers, authority being vested in those whom they elect to office. Kingdom refers to a form of government and speaks of the sovereignty of its ruler. Therefore the "kingdom of heaven" is not heaven itself, but a people who are under the sovereign authority of heaven.
Further proof of this is found in the words of Jesus to Peter as recorded in Matthew 16:19: "And I will give to you the keys of the kingdom of heaven." "Keys" speak of two things: they are the symbol of authority and they are for the purpose of opening something and giving admission and access. In Revelation 1:18 we are told Jesus has the keys of death and Hades," which means that He has complete authority over them. The keys given to Peter were a symbol of delegated authority. In the book of Acts the meaning of the Lord’s words to Peter are made plain.
In the second chapter of the Acts we find Peter using those "keys" on the day of Pentecost, opening the door of the kingdom to the Jews. In Acts 10 we find Peter using those "keys" again, giving admission to the Gentiles into the kingdom. The particular Gentiles referred to were Cornelius and his household.
In Acts 9 we read of the conversion of Saul of Tarsus, and, as we know, he was the apostle to the Gentiles. Yet, when the Lord appeared to Cornelius and told him to send for one of His servants, it was not Paul but Peter that was invited, for it was the latter and not the former who held the "keys"! That which Peter gave admission into was not heaven nor was it the Church, but the sphere of Christian profession. The language of Matthew 13:11 assure us that the parables which follow have respect to Christendom. As to succession and vested right in "St. Peter’s keys" is a misunderstanding of the keys given to Peter. Peter left the door of the kingdom wide open, anyone can walk into the kingdom of heaven if they wish to do so.
The eleventh verse of Matthew 13 supplies yet another key, in the words “mysteries of the kingdom of heaven. In Scripture the term "mystery" signifies a Divine secret made known by the Holy Spirit. This is confirmed by what is told us in verse 35, namely, that Jesus was uttering "things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world." Thus, in these parables, Jesus was making known what was outside of the scope of Old Testament prediction, something which God had not, for His own reasons, made known to Israel through the prophets. This needs to be carefully noted, for it refutes the popular interpretation of these parables.
There are many who regard the parables of Matthew 13 as containing predictions of the ushering in of the Millennium: those of the Mustard-tree and the Leaven are regarded as being parallel with the promise that "the knowledge of the glory of the Lord shall cover the earth as the waters cover the sea." But that statement is found in Isaiah 11:9: that was no "secret" in Old Testament times! Therefore, none of the parables in Matthew 13 can be interpreted as the same subject as Isaiah 11:9 or what is stated in verse 35 would not be true. No; Matthew 13 deals with something nowhere revealed in the Old Testament. It is an entirely new revelation.
The number of parables seven intimates that they furnish a complete outline or setting forth of something and that something is the history of Christianity. In the first four parables human responsibility is spelled out. The picture of failure is presented to us. In the first, only one out of the four castings of the good Seed yields any fruit. In the second, the crop as a whole is spoiled by the mingling of the tares among the wheat. In the third, the little mustard-seed develops into a great tree, whose branches afford shelter for the agents of Satan. In the fourth, the three measures of meal are, ultimately, completely corrupted by means of the leaven surreptitiously introduced into them.
From the Garden of Eden to the present human responsibility has been the same. Whenever God has committed anything to man as a responsible creature, he has failed. God placed Adam in Eden on the ground of human responsibility and he fell. God gave to Noah the sword of magisterial authority and he failed to govern himself. God gave to Israel the law, and they broke it: before Moses came down from the mount. God instituted priesthood in Israel, and Aaron and his sons were duly consecrated to their office; but on the very first day, two of them offered strange fire and judgment fell upon them. God instituted kingship in Israel and failure is written in the history of Israel. God endowed Nebuchadnezzar with power, but he became so bloated with self-importance that he made an image to himself and demanded that all should worship it. Nor has the Christian profession proven any exception. "Grievous wolves have entered the flock as Paul said they would (Acts 20). The evil introduced by Satan at the beginning of the Church age has never been eradicated, nor will it be till the harvest-time. Instead of things getting better, they will get worse until Christ spews out (Rev. 3:16) the whole system which bears His name. But, blessed be His name, there is no failure with God. In spite of man’s failure and Satan’s opposition, He has been slowly but surely working out His eternal purpose. Acts 15:18 declares, "Known to God are all His works from the beginning of the world," and a clear proof of this is given us in the unmistakable fulfillment of the prophetical parables of Matthew 13.
The seven parables of Matthew 13 divide into four and three. The first four were spoken to the multitude on the seashore, the last three to the disciples inside the house. Hence, the first four give us the external view in the history of Christendom, while the last three portray that which is more internal and spiritual. The first four are arranged in two pairs: the first, the wheat and the tares give us individual aspects; the second pair, the mustard-tree and the corrupted meal set forth the corporate view. The first parable shows us a sowing, while the fifth and sixth show the resultant crop. The second parable also shows us a sowing, while the third and fourth give us the resultant crop. If it is asked, why is the "crop" of the second sowing given before the harvest from the first? The answer, it is the nature of Scripture to give us first that which is natural, then that which is spiritual.
