Matthew 13

The following material is adopted from John MacArthur’s commentary on Matthew and his Study guide. Additional material taken from sources listed at the end

Chapter 13

Read and summarize

Look for

— Prayers ( Blue )

— Promises ( Green )

— Warnings ( Red )

— Commands ( Purple )

Introduction

— This marks a new division / train of thought

— The theme of the gospel is to present Jesus as the King

— Chapter 1: The genealogy of Jesus demonstrated that He was the rightful heir of David

— Chapter 2: Confirmed by the King Makers of the East, the wise men

— Chapter 3: John the Baptist He was confirmed by John the Baptist, the forerunner of the Messiah

— Chapter 4: His Kingship was attested by his conflict with Satan

— Chapter 5,6 & 7: He speaks with authority as the King in the Sermon on the Mount

— Chapter 8-10: Three chapters of miracles and his healing credentials spoken of in the OT

— And all the while He is establishing His credentials, there is a mounting rejection of the King

— Chapter 11: He condemns Israel for their rejection, and closes with an invitation

— Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” ( Matt 11:29-30 )

— Judgment is accompanied by an invitation and grace

— Chapter 12: Rejection reaches its climax --- they accuse Jesus of being of Satan and He says that they have committed the unpardonable sin and will not be forgiven

— Chapter 12 closes with another invitation

— For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother.” ( Matt 12:50 )

— You will have intimate fellowship with me if you do the will of the Father ( which is to listen to the son )

— As we enter Chapter 13 Israel has rejected the King and kingdom

Q: If Jesus came to offer the kingdom to Israel and it was rejected, was God’s plan totally frustrated? What happened to the kingdom? Did his own predictions fail to come true ( 13:1-17 )?

The Kingdom and the Gospel — Part 1 ( 13:1-17 )

— It is this question that Jesus addresses in Matthew 13 with a series of 7 parables

— The underlying truth was that the kingdom in its final fulfillment would be postponed until Israel would believe and receive her king

— That will be at the second coming of Christ

— God cannot forsake his promise

— But the day of that fulfilled kingdom had to be postponed because

— “He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.” ( Jn 1:11 )

— But the internal kingdom was established because

— “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name” ( Jn 1:12 )

— God always planned from the divine standpoint

— The rejection of Christ by His own people and His subsequent death and resurrection were absolutely essential to God’s program

— Humanly speaking, the kingdom, instead of being brought in immediately, was postponed

— From the divine viewpoint, the plan always included what actually happened

The Church Age

— The OT saw the suffering servant ( Ps 22; Is 53 ) and it saw the conquering Messiah who was an heir to David ( Is 9:7 ) and would conquer His enemies ( Ps 1:5-6; Is 61:2; Ezek 37:34-25 )

—But, OT did not see the church age

— Jesus calls this a mystery ( 13:11 ) and here for the first time He describes that church age through a series of parables

— Jesus said that we are blessed if we can understand this mystery ( cf. 1 Cor 2:12-16 ) which OT prophets wished to see but could not ( Luke 10:23-24 )

— We need to understand chapter 13 because it is describing our time

Going Deeper

— Matthew presents us with a total of 20 parables. Parables are only found in Matthew, Mark and Luke

— We have seen 4 already: Lamp under a basket ( 5:14-16); Wise man and his house ( 7:24-27); Old and new garment ( 9:16 ); old and new wine skin ( 9:17 )

— Chapter 13 will consider 7 more

The Mystery includes more than Christ’s second coming which was hidden in the OT

— The mysteries of the kingdom of heaven ( Matt 13:11 )

— The mystery of Israel’s hardening ( Rom 11:25 )

— The mystery of the gospel ( Eph 6:19 )

— The mystery of the rapture ( 1 Cor 15:51 )

— The mystery of God’s will ( Eph 1:9 )

— The mystery of Christ indwelling believers ( Col 1:26-27 )

— The mystery of lawlessness, which will be fully revealed in the Antichrist ( 2 Thess 2:7 )

— The mystery of faith ( 1 Tim 3:9 )

— The mystery of godliness ( 1 Tim 3:16 )

The Place: The Seashore ( 13:1-2 )

( 13:1-2 ) On the same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the sea. 2 And great multitudes were gathered together to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore.

— On that day refers to the day on which Jesus’ mother and brothers came looking for him, probably to persuade Him to stop preaching and teaching

— In the early part of Jesus’ ministry he spent more time indoors

— By going to the seashore Jesus is able to reach more people than by staying in the house

— As He grew more popular and as he was more rejected by the religious leaders, He spent more time ministering outdoors — on the seashore and mountainside and in the countryside, highways and streets

Q: In His earlier teachings during the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus gave clear instructions on kingdom living. His miracles were a tangible example of the kingdom. Now He suddenly speaks parables. Why? What is a parable ( 13:3 )? To whom did Jesus explain the parables?

The Plan: To Speak in Parables ( 13:3a )

( 13:3 ) Then He spoke many things to them in parables, saying: “Behold, a sower went out to sow.

— Jesus used many illustration or parables when speaking to the crowds

— A parable compares something familiar to something unfamiliar

— It helps us understand spiritual truths by using everyday objects and relationships

— Parables compel listeners to discover truth, while at the same time concealing the truth from those too lazy or stubborn to see it

— We must be careful not to read too much into a parable, forcing them to say what they don’t mean

— Each parable has a central meaning unless otherwise specified by Jesus

The Explanation

— In these particular parables the truth is not made clear because the basic story tells nothing but the literal account without presenting the moral or spiritual truth

— It was only to His disciples that Jesus explained what the soil, the seed, the thorns and other figures represent

Q: Why Parables? What are they?

— Reveal the truth only to believers and required explanation in order to understand them. In a sense, they were riddles which required a key, but supplied with the key, the truth became prophetically eloquent. (Inspired by the Holy Spirit)

— For the purpose of withholding further truth about Himself and the kingdom of heaven from the crowds, who had proved themselves to be deaf to His claims and unresponsive to His demands

— From now onwards, when addressing the unbelieving multitude, He speaks only in parables ( 34 ), which He interprets to His disciples in private

— Upon to this time, Jesus has basically drawn from the OT and given discourses based on OT scripture. He has propounded doctrines, theological truths. He has been a theological preacher, an expositional preacher. But now, all of a sudden, He becomes a story-teller. This is a huge shift.

Q: What is the “Hidden Secret” that was hidden in the OT but revealed in the NT?

— “by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ), 5 which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets: 6 that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ through the gospel” ( Eph 3:4-6 )

No One Knew

— Before the church age no one knew the truths that Paul was describing in Ephesian 3

— Paul explained (Gen 12:3)

— “I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” ( Gen 12:3 )

— End of the age (Law); Harvest time for the Old Testament. (Took captivity captive)

— Beginning of new dispensation (Grace); Revealed by Holy Spirit

— Not just that Gentiles will be converted; rather, that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs and of the same body and partakers of His promise in Christ Jesus by the Gospel

— From this mystery, we get the insight that these seven parables have the specific focus in the Church

Q: What does the seed falling by the wayside or on the rocky ground mean from a farmer’s perspective which was familiar to Jesus’ audience ( 13:3-9 )?

The Parable: The Sower ( 13:3b-9 )

( 13:3-9 ) Then He spoke many things to them in parables, saying: “Behold, a sower went out to sow. 4 And as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds came and devoured them. 5 Some fell on stony places, where they did not have much earth; and they immediately sprang up because they had no depth of earth. 6 But when the sun was up they were scorched, and because they had no root they withered away. 7 And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked them. 8 But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. 9 He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”

— Beside the road — soil is packed and untilled; the seeds were exposed and easy for birds to eat

— Rocky places is soil that was tiled of loose rocks but shallow dirt covered bed rock; plants grew quickly because it could only go up

— Ground with thorns — looks good at first but then the thorns grew along with the plant; thorns chocked out the good plants

— Good soil — the dirt was loose and soft and free of weeds, had sufficient depth to support the roots

— This parable should encourage spiritual sowers — those who teach, preach, and lead others

— The farmer sowed the good seed, but not all the seed sprouted, and even the plants that grew had varying yields

— This parable makes plain, there is no anticipating in the present age that there will be universal reception of the truth. (The gospel)

— Most of those who hear the message of the kingdom will reject it? (3 of 4 in parable reject? Or 3 of 4 in parable accept?)

— Some however will receive the message, cherish it in their heart, and believe in the truth of the Kingdom (Jesus).

— Don’t be discouraged if you do not always see results as you faithfully teach the word

— Belief cannot be forced to follow a mathematical formula

— Rather, it is a miracle of God’s Holy Spirit as he uses your words to lead others to him

Going Deeper

( 13:8 ) He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”

— Jesus was not mocking his hearers but rather pointing out that they would need more than their own human understanding to understand the parables

— He may have been inviting people who were serious about following Him to come to Him for an explanation as His disciples were about to do

— Only those who accept the King an understand the King and profit from His teaching and lordship

— To all others His teaching is meaningless riddles

Q: Why did Jesus speak in parables when they were puzzles which the people could not understand ( 13:10-17 )?

The Purpose: To Reveal and to Conceal ( 13:10-17 )

( 13:10-17 ) And the disciples came and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?” 11 He answered and said to them, “Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. 12 For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. 13 Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. 14 And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says: ‘Hearing you will hear and shall not understand, And seeing you will see and not perceive; 15 For the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, And their eyes they have closed, Lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, So that I should heal them.’ 16 But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear; 17 for assuredly, I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.

To Conceal

— The disciples asked Him the same question, saying in effect, “Why did you bother saying anything to them at all, if they can’t understand it?”

— His twofold purpose: to reveal meaning to those who receive Him and to conceal meaning from those who do not

— Verses 13-15 are from Isaiah 6:9-10 which we studied earlier

— Isaiah’s message was to be God’s instrument for hiding the truth from an unperceptive people

— His message was: It’s Too Late! (cf. Mark 4:12; John 12:37-43 )

— You wouldn’t listen and now you can’t

— Centuries later, Jesus’ parables were to do the same

— Another sign of the Messiah from the Old Testament. Remember Jesus’ comments to John the Baptist followers

— Isaiah wrote during a time of sweeping judgment on Judah

— He had just pronounced a series of curses on the people for their drunkenness, debauchery, immorality, dishonesty, injustice and hypocrisy

— Because they chose to ignore God and His word, God judicially locked them up in their unbelief so that they would fear His judgment

— 13:17 ( cf. John 8:56, 1 Pet 1:9-12; )

Going Deeper

Hendriksen

A matter of Grace

( 13:11 ) Because it has been given to you

— Note given

— It was a matter of pure grace

— To be sure it there is also a human factor that enters in, as will become clear in the following verses, but at bottom understanding these mysteries is always a matter of grace ( 1 Cor 4:7; Eph 2:8 )

— To some grace is given, to others it is not ( see also 25:15 and cf. Dan 4:35; Ro 9:16, 18, 20, 21 )

Standing Still is Impossible

— ( 13:12 ) Whoever has shall be given… whoever does not…[it] shall be taken away

— In matters spiritual, standing still is impossible

— A person either gains or loses; he either advances or declines

— The person who refuses to make proper use of his one talent loses even that ( 25:24-30 )

Q: What is the seed that the sower sows (cf. Luke 8:11, Mark 4:14 )?

The interpretation of the Parable ( 13:18-23 )

( 13:18-23 ) “Therefore hear the parable of the sower: 19 When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is he who received seed by the wayside. 20 But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; 21 yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles. 22 Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful. 23 But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.”

— Luke tells us that the seed is the Word of God ( Luke 8:11; cf Mk 4:14 )

— In particular, the sower sows the word of the kingdom, the good news of entrance into the kingdom by grace through faith ( John 4:36, 37; 1 Cor 3:6; 9:11 )

— Jesus was preparing the apostles, and every other proclaimer of the gospel, to understand the four basic kinds of hearers they could expect to encounter

Q: Why does the unresponsive hearer understand? Is it due to the way the message is delivered ( 13:19 )?

The Unresponsive Hearer ( 13:19 )

( 13:19 ) When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is he who received seed by the wayside.

— The reason he does not understand is not due to any deficiency in the message

— It is due to his or her own hardheartedness; this person is referred to in the OT as stiff-necked

— His or her heart has never been softened by remorse, never broken by the conviction of sin

— Never cultivated by the smallest desire for anything good, pure and holy

— These people think, “I’m not that bad a person”

Q: Have you ever encountered a believer who was on rocky ground (13:20-21 )?

The Superficial Hearer ( 13:20-21 )

( 13:20-21 ) But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; 21 yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles

— This person offers no resistance at all, but rather manifests emotional excitement

—Because his or her emotional response to the gospel is so immediate and positive he stands out above others

— The falling away comes immediately after the affliction and persecution

— It is encouraging, however, that the same persecution that makes the false believer wither will make the true believer stronger ( 2 Tim 3:12; 1 Pet 5:10 )

Going Deeper

— It may be many years before severe testing comes

— This believer might be baptized, serve in the church; but testing will eventually come and expose his lifelessness

— There was no true repentance, no remorse over sin, no recognition of lostness, no contrition, no brokenness

— No humility which is the first mark of true conversion ( 5:3 )

— When this person hears the gospel it brings a religious experience but not salvation

— The affliction and persecution Jesus is talking about does not have to do with the ordinary hardships and troubles of life, but specifically with problems that result because of the word

— When the cost of discipleship becomes too high, this person falls away and becomes lost to the visible church just as he was always lost to the spiritual church

The Worldly Hearer ( 13:22 )

( 13:22) Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.

— How easy it is to agree with Christ with no intention of obeying

— It is easy to denounce worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth, and still do nothing to change our ways

— In light of eternal life with God, are you present worried justified?

— If you had everything you could want but forfeited eternal life with God, would those things be so desirable?

Q: How has God’s Word taken root in your life? What kind of soil are you?

The Receptive Hearer ( 13:23 )

( 13:23 ) But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.”

— The fourth path of ground is the good soil

— The only barrier to salvation is unbelief, and anyone willing to accept Jesus Christ on His terms is good soil

— The ultimate mark of the genuine believer, the good soil, is fruit bearing ( Gal 5:22-23; Col 1:6; Jn 15:2-5; Eph 2:10 )

— The four types of soil represent different responses to the gospel

— Some are hardened, others are shallow, others are contaminated by distracting worries, and some are receptive

— The untrained Christian who faithfully scatters his few seeds will produce a greater harvest than the most learned and experienced believer who never bothers to sow at all

The Parable of the Wheat and Tares ( 13:24-30 )

( 13:24-30 ) Another parable He put forth to them, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; 25 but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way. 26 But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared. 27 So the servants of the owner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?’ 28 He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The servants said to him, ‘Do you want us then to go and gather them up?’ 29 But he said, ‘No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.” ’ ”

— All the parables in this chapter teach us about God and His kingdom ( cf. 3:12 and 9:37-38 for the harvest)

— Why did Jesus have compassion and what should motivate us? Knowing the terror of the Lord ( 2 Cor 5:11 )

— They explain what the kingdom is really like as opposed to our expectations of it

— The young weeds and young blades of wheat look the same and can’t be distinguished until they are grown and ready for harvest

— Weeds (unbelievers) and Wheat (believers) must live side by side in this world

— God allows unbelievers to remain for a while, just as a farmer allows weeds to remain in his field so the surrounding wheat isn’t uprooted with them

— At the harvest, however, the weeds will be uprooted and thrown away

— God’s harvest (judgment) of all people is coming; we must make sure that our faith is sincere

— The second parable, as a whole, makes clear dual line of growth in the church:

The church (true believers) will grow together with non-believers in an organization that becomes more and worldlier

The true believer be clearly identified at the time of judgment

The Parable of the Mustard Seed ( 13:31-32 )

( 13:31-32 ) Another parable He put forth to them, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field, 32 which indeed is the least of all the seeds; but when it is grown it is greater than the herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches.”

— Long before Jesus’ arrest, trail, and crucifixion it was evident that the Jewish leaders rejected His claims of messiahship

— And, it was obvious that the multitudes that followed Him did not understand his true mission or were superficially attracted to Him

— Jesus uses these two parables of a mustard seed and leaven to show how a handful of believers would turn the world upside down

— The kingdom of heaven, though now very small and seemingly insignificant, would one day grow into a large body of believers

— Another interpretation:

The church as an organization will grow large and unwieldy.

Inhabited by both believers and unbelievers.

Birds “from the evil ones”. As described in first parable. This describes the church being taken over by the tares; thus “apostate”.

Going Deeper

— Critics have cited as proof this passage that Scripture is errant — that Jesus was either fallible and make a mistake or that He accommodated His teachings to the ignorance of His hearers and knowingly distorted the truth

— But He was not comparing this seed to all other seeds in existence but only to the seeds of garden plants in Palestine

— Some interpreters have held that the birds of the air represent demons or some other evil forces, as they do in the parable of the sower ( 13:19 )

— In Nebuchadnezzar’s dream the birds in the tree represented all the nations of the world that benefited from the tree’s shade ( Dan 4:10-12; cf. Ezekiel 31:3-6 )

Q: What is “leaven,” and why would Jesus compare the kingdom of heaven to it?

The Parable of the Leaven ( 13:33 )

( 13:33 ) Another parable He spoke to them: “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened.”

— Small things can have great influence

— The smallest part of the kingdom that is placed in the world is sure to have influence because it contains the power of God’s own Spirit

— The second point of the parable is that influence is positive

— The third point of the parable is that the positive influence of the kingdom comes from within; The leaven must be hidden in order to have any impact; we are not of the world but in the world ( Jn 17:14-16 )

R.C. Sproul

— The women in Jesus’s parable is said to have hidden the leaven in the dough.

— Jesus is saying that the kingdom of heaven was hidden from the sight of most people for the moment, but it was working nonetheless

Hendriksen

— Our purpose is not merely to get to heaven when we die or lead some to Christ, but to bring every thought of whatever kind into submission to, and therefore with, the mind and will of Christ ( 2 Cor 10:5 )

— Christ’s followers actively promote such causes as the abolition of slavery, the restoration of women’s rights, the alleviation of poverty, the education of the illiterate

— He promotes honesty among those who govern, and those who are are governed, as well as in business, industry and commerce

A Popular Interpretation

— Elsewhere in the Mosaic Law, leaven represents sin or corruption. The law forbade grain offerings made with leaven (Leviticus 2:11). In fact, no yeast was allowed to be burned on the altar in any sacrifice. The grain offering for Aaron and his sons (the priests) was also not to contain leaven and was to be eaten in a holy place (Leviticus 6:17) — Leaven is also mentioned in the New Testament. In Matthew 16:6–12, Jesus compared the false teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees and Herodians to leaven. The Pharisees had come to Jesus to test Him (verse 1), but Jesus perceived their true intent and the state of their hearts. He later warned His disciples against being taken in by their teachings (verse 12), which He compared to leaven. A small portion of the “leaven” of falsehood can permeate a person’s heart and mind. In Luke 12:1 Jesus specifies that the leaven of the Pharisees is “hypocrisy.” Having a show of piety, without true holiness, is like leaven in that it gradually increases and spreads corruption, puffing up a person with vanity. Lies and hypocrisy can poison one’s whole character — Paul warned the church at Corinth against tolerating sin in their midst, using leaven as a metaphor (1 Corinthians 5:1–8). There was a man in the church who was guilty of sexual immorality. Paul told them to remove the man from their fellowship because, like leaven, his influence would permeate the whole church. “Don’t you know that a little yeast leavens the whole batch of dough?” Paul asks (verse 6). Then he points them to the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread: “Get rid of the old yeast, so that you may be a new unleavened batch—as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed” (verse 7)

— Much like the church of Laodicea in Revelation (3:14-21)

Going Deeper

— Some interpreters say that leaven is always evil when used figuratively, for instance, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees ( Lk 12:1 )

— Jesus specifically says the kingdom of heaven is like leaven

— To take this leaven as representing evil that permeates the kingdom is to twist the obvious meaning

— Both the mustard seed and the leaven illustrate the power of the kingdom to overcome the resistance and opposition illustrated in the parables of the sower and of the wheat and tares

— And when leaven is used in relation to something evil the point is not that leaven and hypocrisy are inherently evil (they are) but that they both are inherently pervasive and powerful in their influence

— Paul uses leaven in the same way — not to illustrate the evil of legalism (which is great) but rather to point up its great influence ( Gal 5:9 ); Paul urges us to remove immoral members from our church (leaven) but the focus is not on common evil but common permeation ( 1 Cor 5:6 )

Q: Is the parable of the wheat and the tares about the world or the church ( 13:34-43 )?

The Interpretation of the Parable of the Wheat and Tares ( 13:34-43 )

( 13:34-43 ) All these things Jesus spoke to the multitude in parables; and without a parable He did not speak to them, 35 that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying: “I will open My mouth in parables; I will utter things kept secret from the foundation of the world.” 36 Then Jesus sent the multitude away and went into the house. And His disciples came to Him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field.” 37 He answered and said to them: “He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. 38 The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one. 39 The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels. 40 Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age. 41 The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, 42 and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!

— Jesus speaking in parables was not an afterthought but had been prophesied in God’s Word hundreds of years earlier

—Jesus veiling the truth in parables was both an act of judgment and mercy

— Judgment because it kept them in the darkness that they loved ( Jn 3:19 )

— Mercy because they had already rejected the light, so more exposure to the truth would only increase their condemnation

— Asaph, a prophet ( 2 Chron 29:30 ) wrote Psalm 78 from which this quote comes

— The rejection of the Messiah did not catch the Lord by surprise and the postponement of the kingdom was not a backup plan

Tares and wheat

— The disciples were wondering why the wicked tares were allowed to coexist with the wheat

— The one who sows is Jesus and He is sowing in His own field

— Here the seed refers to the sons of the kingdom whom the Lord scatters throughout the world as a witness, to grow and become fruitful plants of righteousness

— The tares are the sons of the evil one

The field

— The field is the world ( 13:38 )

— The harvest is God’s judgement at the end of the age

— The tares are not pulled up; the church age is for evangelism not judgment

R.C. Sproul

When we read that “the field is the world,” so some commentators say that Jesus was talking about sowing the seed of the kingdom of God, the seed that brings forth the fruit of salvation, even while the devil is sowing his seed to disturb the kingdom of God and stunt its growth.

This is a possible interpretation, but the rest of the parable is strikingly similar to Jesus’ teaching about the problem that will always exist in the church in this age. We saw Jesus’ dreadful warning in the Sermon on the Mount: “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the Kingdom of heaven” ( 7:21a ). He will say to many who call Him Lord, “I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!” ( v. 23 ). The warning was given clearly to those who profess faith and are therefore inside the visible church. But though they are inside the church, they are not really in the kindgom

Q: A natural question that would have arisen in the minds of Jesus’ hearers is “How does one become part of God’s kingdom?” Is one born into it ( 13:44-46 )?

The Parable of the Hidden Treasure ( 13:44 )

( 13:44) “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

R.C. Sproul

— In the ancient world there were no banks or safety deposit boxes

— The normal procedure for hiding and protecting one’s valuables was to bury them in some secret place

— The law of the land was that if you stumbled upon some property you were entitled to it unless you were in the employ of the land owner

— The previous parables were about growth, this one is about value

Valuable

— The kingdom of heaven is more valuable than anything else we can have, and a person must be willing to give up everything to obtain it

— The man who discovered the treasure hidden in the field stumbled upon it by accident but knew it value when he found it

— All that this man owns is worth nothing compared to the value of the value of the kindgom of heaven

— Nothing is more precious than the kingdom of God; yet God gives it to us as a gift

Going Deeper

— Many Christians are embarrassed by this story, thinking Jesus used an unethical act to illustrate a spiritual truth

— It seems to them that the man was obligated to tell the owner of the field about the treasure, since it was on his property and therefore rightfully belonged to him

— The point of the parable does not involve the ethics of what the man did, but rather his willingness to sacrifice everything he had in order to possess the treasure

The Parable of the Pearl of Great Value ( 13:45-46 )

( 13:45-46 ) “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, 46 who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.

— In this parable, the kingdom of heaven is not the precious pearl, but the merchant

— In contrast to the previous picture, Jesus is now displaying another aspect of the kingdom

— The contrast becomes vivid in the transaction — the man pays the ultimate price to possess the pearl

— He sells everything that he has

— Again, Jesus’ point was that what the man did for a valuable pearl is exactly what a believer should do to gain the kindgom

— Christ was willing to pay the ultimate price to redeem us

Going Deeper

Pearls

— Pearls were the most highly valued gems in the ancient world and were often bought as investments, much as diamonds are today

— In the form of a pearl, a great amount of wealth could be kept in a small space— concealed in one’s clothing while traveling or buried in a field for safekeeping ( 13:45-46 )

— The Jewish Talmud spoke of pearls as being beyond price, and some Egyptians and Romans held the pearl in such awe that they worshiped it

— When Jesus warned against believers’ casting their pearls before swine, He was emphasizing the priceless value of the gospel which unbelievers disdain as worthless

Q: What lessons can we learn from the two parables (the hidden treasure and the pearl) ?

Lessons from the two Parables ( the hidden treasure and the pearl

— The Kingdom must be personally sought; it is not the result of inheritance or birth right

—Both parables center around an individual who sacrifices everything for that which is immeasurably valuable to him

— The kingdom is priceless

— Man will go to great lengths to mine diamonds, gold and silver; they will dynamite, use earth movers, dig tunnels miles underground

— But these precious stones offer nothing of true or worthwhile lasting value

— They cannot heal a broken relationship, give peace to a troubled mind, or forgive a sinful heart

— They offer little for the present and nothing for the future

— The kingdom is not visible

— The kingdom is the source of true joy

— It was for joy that the man sold all that he had in order to buy the field

— A person does not have to become anything else before becoming a Christian

—A person can enter the kingdom from different circumstances

— A person can come from where ever he or she is

— The first man found the field by accident; in a similar way many people come across the gospel while pursuing the actives of their daily life with not concern for anything spiritual

— The second man was about a man whose life business was searching for the thing that he eventually found; represents the seeker who looks for years, tries on religion after another until he find the true pearl

— The Kingdom is made by a personal transaction

— We surrender everything to Christ; the old is exchanged for the new

— Salvation that is not desired above everything else is not truly desired

Going Deeper

The kingdom is priceless

— The value of God’s kingdom far exceeds that of all earthly riches

— Yet God offers His priceless kingdom to any person, no matter how poor, how insignificant, how sinful, who trusts in Christ

— The price is the same for everyone — all they have

The kingdom is not visible

— The treasure of salvation is not obvious to men, and it is therefore not something they naturally seek

— They do not understand why it is so prized by Christians and why some people give up so much — their sinful pleasures, and sometimes even their social, political freedom— to gain what seems to be so little

— They cannot understand why believers willingly live by standards of ethics and morality that go against man’s deepest drives and lusts

— The way of the kingdom is narrow and unattractive to the natural man, and that is why so few find it or desire to walk in it once it is found ( 7:14 )

The Parable of the Dragnet — Judgment ( 13:47-50 )

( 13:47-50 ) “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that was cast into the sea and gathered some of every kind, 48 which, when it was full, they drew to shore; and they sat down and gathered the good into vessels, but threw the bad away. 49 So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come forth, separate the wicked from among the just, 50 and cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.”

— The parable of the fishing net has the same meaning as the parable of the wheat and weeds

— Men move about those nets “as if they were free” but there is a coming judgment

— We are to obey God and tell others about his Grace and goodness, but we cannot dictate who is part of the kingdom of heaven and who is not

— This sorting will be done at the last judgment by those infinitely more qualified than us

— This age, the Church age, many will collect into the “net” of Christendom.

— Growing up together

— The fulfillment of the prophetic truth in this parable will occur at the second coming of Jesus Christ, when the world is judged and the kingdom instituted. At the judgment, the separation of the good (true believers) and the bad (non-believers).

— As in preceding parables, it describes the dual line of good and evil, continuing until the time of the end when both the good and evil are judged according to their true character.

— It is significant that the net representing the kingdom of heaven as a sphere of profession included all kinds, both wicked and righteous, and that the separation did not come until the end.

This passage serves to distinguish the kingdom of heaven from the kingdom of God which includes only the righteous.

Neither the parable of the wheat and the tares nor the parable of the good and bad fish, as related to the kingdom of God, is mentioned in the other gospels.

The Parable of the Householder: Proclamation ( 13:51-52 )

( 13:51-52 ) Jesus said to them, “Have you understood all these things?” They said to Him, “Yes, Lord.” 52 Then He said to them, “Therefore every scribe instructed concerning the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure things new and old.”

— Anyone who understands God’s real purpose in the law as revealed in the OT has a real treasure

— The OT points the way to Jesus, the Messiah

— Jesus always upheld its authority and relevance

— But there is a double benefit to those who understand Jesus’ teaching about the kingdom of heaven

— This was a new treasure that Jesus was revealing

— Both the old and new teaching give practical guidelines for faith and for living in the world

— The religious leaders were trapped in the old and blind to the new

— They were looking for a future kingdom preceded by judgment; Jesus taught that the kingdom was now and the judgment was future

— The religious leaders were looking for a physical and temporal kingdom but they were blind to the spiritual significance of the kingdom that Christ brought

— “Ministers of the gospel should not be novices ( 1 Timothy 3:6 ) raw and ignorant men; but men mighty in the Scriptures, well acquainted with the writings of the Old and New Testament, and the sense of them; men that have a stock of spiritual knowledge, able readily to speak a word to the weary, and to speak to men and women’s particular cases and questions.” (Poole)

— They said to Him, “Yes, Lord.” We wonder if the disciples really did understand why Jesus was here

— However, Jesus did not deny their claim to understand. Note: They did understand when the Holy Spirit came on Pentecost.

Leaving Capernaum ( 13:53 )

( 13:53 ) Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished these parables, that He departed from there.

— Jesus ministered in Capernaum for about a year

— Because of the people’s rejection Jesus’ last teaching was done entirely in parables

— He never returned except when He was passing through to minister elsewhere

Q: Jesus hometown had know Jesus since he was a young man and could not accept or believe His message. Have you experienced close friends rejecting the gospel because they know the real you?

Returning to Nazareth ( 13:54-58 )

( 13:54-58 ) When He had come to His own country, 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 this not the carpenter’s son? Is not His mother called Mary? And His brothers James, Joses, Simon, and Judas? 56 And His sisters, are they not all with us? Where then did this Man get all these things?” 57 So they were offended at Him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house.” 58 Now He did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief.

— The residents of Jesus’ hometown had known Jesus since he was a young child and were acquainted with this family; they could not bring themselves to believe in his message

— They were too close to the situation

— They could not listen to the timeless message because they could not see beyond the man

— It is tragic that small issues can be used as great excuses for not believing

— The people of Nazareth were like people throughout the history of the church who can find every foolish reason to justify their rejection of the gospel

— The church is full of hypocrites

— The don’t like the attitude of the person witnessing to them

— They think that the pastor is too loud or too soft

— Carpenter’s son

— Note his brethren!

— Mary did not remain a virgin after Jesus!

— We know that after His resurrection, at least two of his brethren become believers, James and Jude.

Unbelief Blinds to the Truth ( 13:57 )

( 13:57) So they were offended at Him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house.”

— Jesus was not the first prophet to be rejected by his own

— Jeremiah experienced rejection in his hometown even by members of his own family ( Jer 12:5,6 )

— Earlier, Jesus said blessed is he who is not offended because of me ( 11:6 )

Going Deeper

— From this text and numerous others ( see, e.g. Matt 12:46-47; Lk 2:7; Jn 7:10; Acts 1:14 ), it is clear that Mary did not live in perpetual virginity, as Roman Catholic heresy claims

— After Jesus’ birth, Joseph began normal marital relations with his wife, and she bore at least four sons and two daughters by him

— Mary was a women of extraordinary godliness, but she was no more divine than any other women ever born, and certainly was not the mother of God, as Catholic dogma maintains

— She even referred to the Lord as “God my Savior” ( Lk 1:47), affirming her own sinfulness and need of salvation

Unbelief blocks the supernatural ( 13:58 )

( 13:58 ) Now He did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief.

R.C. Sproul

— This does not mean that the people’s lack of faith somehow hindered His power

— He simply refrained from performing any signs because he knew they would be wasted on these people

— Sadly, the people of Jesus’ hometown missed the treasure, the pearl of great price, when He stood before their eyes

— These people missed the Messiah

— How does your faith measure up?

— If you can’t see God’s work, perhaps it is because of your unbelief

— Believe, ask God for a mighty work in your life, and expect him to act; Look with the eyes of faith

Additional Resources

The second servant song from our study of Isaiah: https://sermons.faithlife.com/sermons/526034-isaiah-41-45

MacArthur, John. Matthew 8-15. Moody Press, 1987.

MacArthur, John. John 12-21. Moody Press, 2008.

MacArthur, John. New Testament Commentary. Moody, 1985.

MacArthur, John. Kingdom Parables, Part 1. gty.org/library/resources/sermons-library/scripture/1?book=40&chapter=13

John MacArthur, It’s Too Late!: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MD_47QR49I8

MacArthur, John. The purpose of parables. https://www.gty.org/library/sermons-library/90-464/The-Purpose-for-Parables

Matthew Henry. Commentary on the whole Bible: Complete and Unabridged in One Volume. Hendrickson Publishers, 1994.

Questions: https://www.bible-studys.org/Bible%20Books/Matthew/Matthew%20Chapter%2010.html

Life Application Study Bible. Zondervan, 2011.

William Hendriksen. Exposition of the Gospel According to Matthew. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1973.

Why did Jesus teach in parables? https://www.christianity.com/jesus/life-of-jesus/parables/why-did-jesus-teach-in-parables.html R.C. Sproul. Matthew: An expository commentary. Ligonier Ministries, fourth printing, 2019.