Matthew 13, Part 3
Notes
Transcript
34 All these things Jesus said to the crowds in parables; indeed, he said nothing to them without a parable.
35 This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet: “I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter what has been hidden since the foundation of the world.”
Jesus continued to speak to the crowds in parables. Why? So the HEARERS could have a better understanding and connect with what He was saying. It was to peak their interest, get them to thinking, relate back to things they were familiar with. It’s like a good illustration in todays sermons. It connects Biblical Teaching with the hearers life. Mark goes on to clarify Jesus would speak to the crowds in parables but then teach the disciples the true meaning. He would get into the nitty gritty of what He meant.
34 He did not speak to them without a parable, but privately to his own disciples he explained everything.
Why? To fulfill prophecy.
2 I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings from of old,
Even when teaching, Christ revealed the mystery of the Gospel to those willing to listen - He uttered what was hidden since the foundation of the world.
Parable of the Weeds Explained
Parable of the Weeds Explained
36 Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples came to him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.”
37 He answered, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man.
38 The field is the world, and the good seed is the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one,
39 and the enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels.
40 Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the end of the age.
41 The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers,
42 and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.
The disciples had a desire to learn and understand. That is one of the greatest joys I find in being a pastor - being with people who DESIRE to learn and understand God’s Word.
Jesus goes back to explain the parable of the weeds of the field that He had spoken in Matthew 13:24-30
24 He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field,
25 but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away.
26 So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also.
27 And the servants of the master of the house came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds?’
28 He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ So the servants said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’
29 But he said, ‘No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them.
30 Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, “Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.” ’ ”
vs. 24/ 37-38 Jesus explains there are both good and evil people in this world. But…why would he also include “and in the Kingdom of Heaven”? There is the spiritual kingdom that is at hand; it is present right now. The present kingdom refers to God’s rule and reign and authority in the lives of believers. So, there will be evil influences in this world, even with the influence of God and Godly people. In contrast, the eternal kingdom is still to come.
vs. 39 - It is Satan, the enemy, the evil-one, the deceiver, the liar, the adversary - who has sown the weeds. Where is it he sows them? In amongst the wheat. Notice carefully that the in vs 25 it states “while his men were sleeping” - Satan does not sow seeds when we are awake and on guard, but instead slips them in when our guard is down and we least expect it. POSB states “some within the world and within the church have not been sown by the Lord. They may be in the world and in the church; they may even look like they belong to Him, but they do not".
vs. 40 - But in the end, the weeds will be separated and destroyed by fire. Revelation 20:15 tells us:
15 And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
They might be able to fool the congregation, they might even be able to fool the pastor, but they sure won’t fool God. If their name is not found written in the book of life. When is our life written into the book of life? I personally believe that every person has an opportunity for their name to be written in the book of life. But…if they do not accept Christ as their Personal Savior then their name will not be found written within. However, the promise for the TRUE BELIEVER is found in Revelation 3:5:
5 The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life. I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels.
For those whose name is not written, they will be cast into the fire, just like the weeds plucked from the fields at the time of harvest.
vs. 41 - Judgment comes to those who offend others and are lawless (do iniquity). There IS coming a day of judgment.
vs. 42 - A picture of the terrible nature of judgment to come is presented. It is not something we would want to dwell on, nor should we want anyone else to be there - where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth. Great torment and cries will come from those in hell for eternity. There will be no peace. There will be no rest. There will be no comfort. Luke 16:24 gives us a further picture of the torment in the story of the rich man and Lazarus.
24 And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.’
vs. 43 - The reward comes to those who are righteous, have finished the race well. The promise is that they shall “shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father.” What will we look like in the glorified form? What does a glorified body look like? Whatever we will look like, we know we will be known as we are known, and our glorified body will reflect the glory of God.
Parable of Hidden Treasure
Parable of Hidden Treasure
44 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
I have found two differing opinions on the interpretation of this verse. The first is that Jesus Christ is the man and the treasure in the field represents potential believers who are in the world. In this interpretation, Jesus sees the treasure of men in the world, and seeing them He does four things.
He hides the treasure: He takes what the Father has given Him and tucks it away in His heart, choosing and protecting them until He can complete the work of salvation.
He goes: He comes to the world.
He sells all: He gives up heaven in all its glory and splendor.
He buys: He pays the ultimate price. He gives His life for the life of man.
Then He joys: He envisions the glorious day when all His treasure shall be possessed by Him.
Others say the treasure is the gospel of Christ, the gospel of the Messiah who is ever so precious. A man sees the gospel, the saving message of Christ, as never before; that is, He understands the immense treasure of salvation.
Parable of the Pearl of Great Value
Parable of the Pearl of Great Value
45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls,
The point of this parable is the same as the Parable of the Hidden Treasure. the pearl is born out of suffering. A speck of sand or parasite makes its way into an oyster. The oyster is a living organism, so the intruder hurts the oyster. To protect itself, the oyster secretes a substance called mother-of-pearl, or nacre, to surround the intruder. It is the secretion that gradually forms the pearl. Thus, the pearl is born out of much torment and pain. The same is true of the believer and the church: both are born out of suffering and out of the travail and death of the Lord Jesus.
Parable of the Net
Parable of the Net
47 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind.
48 When it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into containers but threw away the bad.
49 So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous
50 and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
The net is the Kingdom of Heaven and the gospel is the message of the kingdom. The sea is the world in all the depth of its darkness and its unknown. The fishermen represent Christ and His followers. The fishermen worked and worked hard. They cast the gospel, the message of the kingdom, into the world. There is a mixture of good and bad—believers and unbelievers—in the Kingdom of Heaven while the kingdom is on earth (previously discussed). The net gathers both good and bad. Some bad do join the good in the kingdom, which means that all who join the kingdom on earth are not sincere and genuinely good. There is a set time, a climactic hour, coming. The net has a limit as to how many it will hold. Someday heaven will be full, and, then, the net will be drawn in by the Lord. Of course, only the Lord knows when it is time to draw the net. Separation of the bad from the good does not take place until the net is full. But judgment will take place, for the Lord has the right and the wisdom to execute judgment—and He will cast away the bad.
New and Old Treasures
New and Old Treasures
51 “Have you understood all these things?” They said to him, “Yes.”
52 And he said to them, “Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house, who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.”
This parable teaches a strong truth: the true disciples of Christ had the same privilege and responsibility as Scribes and householders. They were unusually blessed. Throughout their lives, they had been instructed in the old counsel, but now they had been taught by Christ, the Messiah Himself. They now knew the new counsel of God. Thus, they were to be responsible disciples and share the whole counsel of God, both the old and the new.
Jesus Rejected at Nazareth
Jesus Rejected at Nazareth
53 And when Jesus had finished these parables, he went away from there,
54 and coming to his hometown he taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished, and said, “Where did this man get this wisdom and these mighty works?
55 Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas?
56 And are not all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?”
57 And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and in his own household.”
58 And he did not do many mighty works there, because of their unbelief.
Where was Jesus from? Those within His own home town would not believe in Him. As a boy Jesus would have roamed over the hills playing and talking with the traders from all over the world in Nazareth. But, he had been taught primarily at the feet of His mother and father, not by famous teachers therefore they would not accept His wisdom. He was too well known as the “carpenters son” to be accepted as the “Son of God”.
They were offended. He was rejected. He had no choice but to move on...
Leadership Ministries Worldwide. (2004). The Gospel according to Matthew: Chapters 1:1–16:12 (Vol. 1, p. 331). Leadership Ministries Worldwide.