Kingdom Hearts

Begin turning to Matthew 13.

Last week, we began our series “Life in the Kingdom” by answering the question, “What is a parable?”

“a short allegorical story designed to illustrate or teach some truth, religious principle, or moral lesson.” - Dictionary.com

We learned that the purpose of a parable is to reveal truth and conceal truth.

We also learned what questions we should ask about a parable, using the Parable of the Sower as an example.

Jesus’ parables generally included five elements:

A question.

An ordinary situation.

Nameless characters.

Teaching about the Kingdom of Heaven.

A shocking punchline.

Today, we are going to look at two of Jesus’ parables as we consider the question, “What kind of heart must I have to live in the Kingdom?”

Parable of the Wheat and Tares

Matthew 13:24–30 NASB95

Jesus presented another parable to them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field. “But while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went away. “But when the wheat sprouted and bore grain, then the tares became evident also. “The slaves of the landowner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?’ “And he said to them, ‘An enemy has done this!’ The slaves *said to him, ‘Do you want us, then, to go and gather them up?’ “But he *said, ‘No; for while you are gathering up the tares, you may uproot the wheat with them. ‘Allow both to grow together until the harvest; and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather up the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them up; but gather the wheat into my barn.” ’ ”

What is a Tare?

Also know as Darnel weed. Very difficult to distinguish from wheat until it is ready to harvest. Darnel turns black at harvest and wheat turns brown when ripe.

Darnel’s Latin name can be translated as “drunken grass” because it is prone to fungal infection and eating it can produce a drunken nausea capable of killing a person.

Long ago in Europe, people would add a little Darnel to their baking flour to make “dazed bread.”

Did Jesus Endorse Slavery?

No. Since parables are designed to use ordinary situations to explain truth, Jesus used parables with slaves as characters because His audience would see them every day and many people who followed Jesus were slaves themselves.

As modern Americans, we have to remember that in the time period and location that the Bible was written in, slavery was not the same as what was practiced in our country.

Differences in Ancient Israel:

Slaves in ancient Israel had rights.

Slaves were allowed to leave in if they were being abused (Dt. 23:15-16).

Slaves in Israel were given gifts to enable them to survive independently after they had completed their work (Dt. 15:14).

Slaves in Ancient Israel were considered members of the household and were allowed to inherit property and oversee the management of the whole household.

Differences in the Roman Empire:

Slavery was not based on ethnicity or skin color.

People often sold themselves or their children into slavery to survive.

Slaves did not have the same rights as Roman citizens.

Roman slaves were often freed and continued to work in the same household, while others were allowed to buy or earn their freedom.

Freed slaves could become full Roman citizens.

What does the parable mean?

Matthew 13:36–43 NASB95

Then He left the crowds and went into the house. And His disciples came to Him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field.” And He said, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man, and the field is the world; and as for the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom; and the tares are the sons of the evil one; and the enemy who sowed them is the devil, and the harvest is the end of the age; and the reapers are angels. “So just as the tares are gathered up and burned with fire, so shall it be at the end of the age. “The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness, and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. “Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.

Sower - Jesus

Good Seed/Wheat - True Christians

Bad Seed/Tares - False Christians

How are the tares separated from the wheat at the harvest? A winnowing fork is used to toss the crop into the air, and the tares are blown away because they have no weight to them.

Visible Church vs. Invisible Church

There will always be true and false Christians in the Visible Church, but the true Invisible Church will be revealed when Jesus returns.

Jesus restates this idea in a different way in the…

Parable of the Dragnet

Matthew 13:47–50 NASB95

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet cast into the sea, and gathering fish of every kind; and when it was filled, they drew it up on the beach; and they sat down and gathered the good fish into containers, but the bad they threw away. “So it will be at the end of the age; the angels will come forth and take out the wicked from among the righteous, and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

What is a Dragnet?

A fishing net that looks like a wall. It has weights on the bottom and cork on the top. It would be pulled along the coast by boats and then drawn together at the shore, collecting everything in its path.

What does the parable mean?

As the Gospel goes out into the world, all kinds of people will come into the Visible Church. When Jesus returns in judgement, the angels will sort the people in the church by whether they are truly His or only claim to be.

CONCLUSION

In the Parable of the Sower, we saw four kinds of people that respond to the Gospel. In the Parable of the Wheat and Tares and the Parable of the Dragnet, we see two kinds of people who call themselves Christians.

Last week, I asked you to consider which of the four soils in the Parable of the Sower you were.

This week, the question we must all answer is, “Do I have a kingdom heart?” In other words,

When Jesus comes and separates the True Christians from the False Christians in His Kingdom, where will He put you?