Matthew 13:31-35
The Gospel Of Matthew • Sermon • Submitted
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Matthew 13:31-35
Matthew 13:31-35
We’re in Matthew’s 3rd Major Teaching Discourse of Jesus: Parables of the Kingdom
Parables Reveal Secrets of the Messianic Age…
To Those with Ears to Hear
Those Who are Willing to Open Their Hearts to the Truth of Jesus Being the Messianic King
But They Conceal the Secrets of the Messianic Age…
From Those Without Ears to Hear
Those Unwilling to Open Their Hearts to the Truth of Jesus Being the Messianic King
We’ve Looked at 2 Parables So Far
The Parable of the Sower Reveals the Answer to the Question:
Why Do So Many Refuse to Accept Jesus as the Messiah?
Hardness of Heart, Self-Preservation, and Desire for Pleasures
The Parable of the Tares Reveals the Answer to the Question:
Why Does Evil Still Exist in the World if the Messiah has Already Come?
The Jews Expected the Messiah to Show Up and Immediately Establish World Peace
But Instead, the Messiah is Patiently Waiting for the End of the Age…
So that Everyone Will Have an Opportunity to Place Faith in Him
Then Jesus Will Bring Judgement…
And Establish Justice, Peace, and Righteousness
This Morning We’re Going to Focus on 2 Short Parables
The Parable of the Mustard Seed and the Leaven
These 2 Parables are Going to Reveal the Secret Answer to This Question:
If the Messiah is Here, Where is His World-Changing Kingdom?
If the Ruler is Here, Where is the Proof of His Rulership?
The Jews Expected the Messiah to Be a Great Powerful King with a Great Powerful Army…
Through Which He Would Establish His Rule Over the Earth
But the Messiah is Here and What Does His Great and Powerful Kingdom Consist of?
A Small Band of Uneducated, Inexperienced Nobodies
Is This What We Should Expect the Kingdom of Heaven to Look Like?
How Could Such a Kingdom Change the World?
Now, We Know From the Parable of the Tares…
That Universal Peace and World-Wide Justice Won’t Come in Their Fullness Until Jesus’ Return
But Just Because We Shouldn’t Expect Those Things Until the Age to Come…
Doesn’t Mean We Shouldn’t Expect a Foretaste of Them in this Age
We Shouldn’t Expect to See World Peace in this Age
But We Should Expect to See More Peace Because of His Kingdom
We Shouldn’t Expect to See Universal Justice in this Age
But We Should Expect to See More Justice Because He’s Ruling Over the World
We Shouldn’t Expect to See a World Filled with Righteousness in this Age
But We Should Expect to See More Righteousness Because Jesus is King
This is the “Already & Not Yet” Aspect of the Reign and Rule of Jesus
His Reign was Inaugurated/Began in His Death, Resurrection, and Ascension
But His Reign Won’t Be Consummated/Completed Until His Return
When He Returns, All Creation Will Bow Before Him and All Things Will Be Made Right
But He is Already Reigning Over and Changing the World for the Better
But the Question is:
How Can a Kingdom So Small and Insignificant Change the World?
That’s What These Parables are Going to Reveal
Matthew 13:31–32 (NASB95)
He presented another parable to them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field; and this is smaller than all other seeds, but when it is full grown, it is larger than the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches.”
“The Kingdom of Heaven is Like” = “This is What it is Like When God Reigns”
It’s Like a Mustard Seed that’s Been Planted and Grows into a Large Tree
Mustard Seeds Were the Smallest Seeds that Were Commonly Planted in Palestine
But They Would Grow to Be Larger than Any of the Garden Vegetables
Around the Sea of Galilee They Could Grow to Be 8 to 12 Feet in Height
The Point is: Something Very Small Became Something Very Big
If We’re Taking Cues From the First 2 Parables…
We Would Say Jesus is the Man Sowing the Mustard Seed in His Field/World
The Seed Would Represent His Reign/Rule/Kingdom
It Began Very Small
Jesus Began With a Small Group of Devoted Disciples
In the Beginning of the Book of Acts, Just After Jesus’ Ascension…
We See 120 of His Disciples Gathered Together in Jerusalem
By the End of the Book of Acts There are Multiplied Thousands…
Spread Throughout Cities, Countries, and Over Thousands of Miles
Jesus Adds the Detail that “the Birds of the Air Come and Nest in its Branches”
This is Likely a Reference to Several Prophecies in Ezekiel and Daniel
There, the Great Tree Represented a Great Kingdom
And the Birds Nesting in the Branches of the Tree…
Represented the Many Nations Gathered Under the Protection of that Kingdom
Jesus’ Small Handful of Jewish Disciples Would Eventually Grow Into…
A Giant Multi-Ethnic, Multi-Lingual, Multi-National Kingdom
Our Question Was:
If the Messiah is Here, Where is His World-Changing Kingdom?
Jesus Reveals the Answer in this Parable:
God’s Plan was to Start the Kingdom Out Very Small
It Wouldn’t Begin with a Powerful King Leading a Mighty Military
It Wouldn’t Begin with a Big, Flashy Destruction of All Other Kingdoms
It Would Start Off Small in the Midst of All Other Kingdoms
Then it Would Grow and Grow and Grow…
Until All Ethnicities and Nationalities Were a Part of it
This is the Mystery/Secret Jesus Reveals With the Mustard Seed Parable
The 2nd Parable is Very Similar:
Matthew 13:33 (NASB95)
He spoke another parable to them, “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three pecks of flour until it was all leavened.”
Leaven, in the NT, Almost Always Refers to the Power & Influence of Evil
But Here, Leaven Refers to the Power & Influence of Good
Jesus’ Reign is Compared to Leaven Which is Hidden in 3 Pecks of Flour
3 Pecks of Flour Would Equal Out to Nearly 50 Pounds of Dough
This is Enough to Feed 100 People
The Secret this Parable Reveals is Similar to that of the Previous Parable
The Mustard Seed Represented the Growth/Expansion of Jesus’ Kingdom in the World
The Leaven Represents the Spreading of His Kingdom’s Influence Throughout the World
Like the Little Leaven that is Hidden and Unnoticed Within the Dough
It’s Work is Gradual, But Over Time, it Drastically Changes the Dough
Jesus’ Reign is Small and Hidden Within the World…
But, Over Time, it Will Leave a Great Influence On the Entire World
The Jewish People Expected the Messiah and His Rule to Show Up in Extravagant Fashion…
And Drastically Change the World Immediately
But the Parables of the Mustard Seed and Leaven Reveal Something Different
The Kingdom and its Influence are Going to Grow Gradually Over Time
It Will Have Humble Beginnings
But Eventually, it Will Grow to Become a World-Wide Kingdom…
That Influences the Entire World Toward Peace, Justice, and Righteousness
Matthew 13:34–35 (NASB95)
All these things Jesus spoke to the crowds in parables, and He did not speak to them without a parable. This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: “I will open My mouth in parables; I will utter things hidden since the foundation of the world.”
On this Occasion with the Crowds on the Beach, Jesus Only Taught in Parables
He Would Only Speak Plainly to His Disciples in Private
Matthew Saw this Occasion as the Fulfillment of Psalm 78:2
This Psalm By Asaph is a Recounting of the History of Israel
Asaph Wanted the Next Generation to Know this History…
So They Wouldn’t Follow in the Same Rebellious Footsteps of Their Ancestors
This Psalm Reveals the Constant Rebellion of Israel Against God
But it Ends with God Choosing David to Shepherd His People
Matthew Noticed Several Similarities Between Psalm 78 and What Jesus was Doing
Just as Asaph was Giving Information to the Israelites that They Didn’t Previously Know…
Jesus was Giving Secrets of the Kingdom to His Disciples that They Didn’t Previously Know
The Reason Asaph was Revealing this Information was Because of Israel’s Rejection of God
The Reason Jesus Spoke in Parables was Because the People Were Rejecting Him
Asaph Ended with the Hopeful Message of God’s Shepherd, David
Jesus is the New David Whom God Chose to Shepherd His People
Application
Application
There are 2 Similar Questions These 2 Parables Revealed the Answers to:
If the Messiah is Here, Where is His World-Changing Kingdom?
How Can a Kingdom So Small and Insignificant Change the World?
Jesus Presents the Kingdom as a Tiny Mustard Seed in a Big Field…
And a Little Bit of Leaven in a Large Amount of Dough
The Kingdom Began Small But Eventually Grew into a Worldwide Kingdom
In the Beginning it was Hidden and Insignificant
But its Influence Would Gradually Effect the Whole World
Have You Ever Considered the Effect Jesus’ Kingdom has Had On the World?
Let’s Just Begin with the Roman Empire:
It was a Wicked Empire
Life was Expendable
Abortion was Rampant
Parents Would Often Abandon Their Babies and Children in Deserted Places to Die
Especially Female Babies, Because Women Were Considered Inferior
There was the Gladiatorial Games…
Where Thousands Were Slaughtered for the Amusement of the People
Sexual Activity Between Men and Women was So Promiscuous and Depraved
Homosexuality was Widespread Throughout the Empire
Pedophilia Against Little Boys was Acceptable Behavior
Women Had Low Social Status
They Received Little Schooling/Education
They Weren’t Allowed to Speak in Public
They Were Viewed as Property By Their Husbands
But Once the Kingdom of Jesus Began to Grow in Influence…
All of These Evil Practices Were Confronted and Would Eventually Be Abolished
Even Spreading Beyond the Roman Empire, the Kingdom Influenced the Entire World
The Cultures of Western Society Were Largely Shaped By Christianity
The Reign of Jesus Brought About the Establishment of:
Hospitals
Orphanages
Homes for the Elderly
Hospitality and Generosity to the Poor, Hungry, and Homeless
The Abolition of Slavery and the Quest of Equality for All People
Most of the Major Universities Were Established for Christian Purposes
Most of the Leading Scientists Until Recent Times…
Were Christians Seeking to Understand the Handiwork of Their God
The World We Live in Today is Unrecognizable in Many Ways to the World of Jesus’ Day
And it is Thanks to the Influence of His Kingdom
And it All Started with One Man and His 12 Devoted Disciples
So What Does this Mean for Us?
It Means We are a Part of Something Great, Something World-Changing
It Means, No Matter How Small or Insignificant We May Feel…
God Has Used Smaller and More Insignificant People to Change the World
According to a Recent Census, There are Close to 4,000 People Living in Livingston
There are Close to 23,000 People Living in Overton County
Our Little Community of Believers Here is Somewhere Between 100-150
That Means We Make Up a Little Over 3% of the Population of Our Town
And We Make Up a Half a Percent of the Population of Our County
Even When You Factor in All of Our Siblings in Other Congregations…
We are Still Outnumbered to a Great Degree
Do You Think it’s Possible for Our Little Community of 100-150 People…
To Positively Impact this Town?
Do You Think it’s Possible that We Could Turn this County Upside-Down for Jesus?
Or are We Too Small to Make that Big of an Impact?
Are We Too Insignificant to Be that Much of an Influence?
If These Parables Teach Us Anything, it’s That:
Don’t Underestimate the Power of the Gospel When it is Lived and Shared By Jesus’ Spirit-Indwelled People
When We Live for and Share the Message of Jesus, it Can Change the World
If Each Person Here Were to Influence 1 Person to Submit to the Authority of Jesus this Year…
Simple Math Tells Us that We Would Double in Size
This is What the Early Church Experienced
They Believed in the Power of the Gospel to Change the World One Soul at a Time
And They Lived Out the Gospel with All Their Heart, Soul, Mind, and Strength
They Changed the World, Not with a Powerful Military or Political Savvy
They Did it By, Day in and Day Out, Loving Their Neighbor as Theirselves
By Living the Self-Sacrificial Lifestyle They Learned in Their King
What Could God Accomplish Through Us if We Did the Same?