THE BOOK OF MATTHEW – Chapter 13
Jesus Teaches Parables
“To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted.”
Here, in this chapter, are the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, hidden since the foundations of the world. There are many prophets, righteous people and even angels who long to see these things.
These things are written solely for the Christian and disciple of Jesus. Please, dear brothers and sisters in Christ, pay close attention, for this is the way.
Jesus Teaches in Parables
Matthew 13:1, On that day Jesus had gone out of the house and was sitting by the sea. Verse 2. And large crowds gathered to Him, so He got into a boat and sat down, and the whole crowd was standing on the beach.
Verse 3. And He told them many things in parables, saying, “Behold, the sower went out to sow; verse 4, and as he sowed, some seeds fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate them up. Verse 5. Others fell on the rocky places, where they did not have much soil; and they sprang up immediately, because they had no depth of soil. Verse 6. But after the sun rose, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away. Verse 7. Others fell among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked them out. Verse 8. But others fell on the good soil and yielded a crop, some a hundred, some sixty, and some thirty times as much. Verse 9. The one who has ears, let him hear.”
An Explanation for Parables
Verse 10. And the disciples came up and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?” Verse 11. And Jesus answered them, “To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them, (that is, those who do not believe in the Christ, who do not follow Jesus, those outside the family of the One True Living God), it has not been granted. Verse 12. For whoever has, to him more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him. Verse 13. Therefore I speak to them in parables; because while seeing they do not see, and while hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. Verse 14. And in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled, which says,
‘FOR THEM, THEY SHALL KEEP ON LISTENING, BUT SHALL NOT UNDERSTAND; AND THEY SHALL KEEP ON LOOKING, BUT SHALL NOT PERCEIVE; Verse 15. FOR THE HEART OF THIS PEOPLE HAS BECOME DULL, WITH THEIR EARS THEY SCARCELY HEAR, AND THEY HAVE CLOSED THEIR EYES, OTHERWISE THEY MIGHT SEE WITH THEIR EYES, HEAR WITH THEIR EARS, UNDERSTAND WITH THEIR HEART, AND RETURN, AND I WOULD HEAL THEM.’
Verse 16. But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear. Verse 17. For truly I say to you that many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.
The Sower Explained
Verse 18. “Listen then to the parable of the sower. Verse 19. When anyone hears the message of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is the one sown with seed beside the road.
Verse 20. The one sown with seed on the rocky places, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; verse 21, yet he has no firm root in himself, but is only temporary, and when affliction or persecution occurs because of the message word, immediately he falls away from the faith.
Verse 22. And the one sown with seed among the thorns, this is the one who hears the word, and the anxiety of the age of this world and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it proves to be unfruitful. Verse 23. But the one sown with seed on the good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces, some a hundred, some sixty, and some thirty times as much.”
Weeds among Wheat
Verse 24. Jesus presented another parable to them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. Verse 25. But while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds that resemble wheat among the wheat, and left. Verse 26. And when the wheat sprouted and produced grain, then the weeds also became evident. Verse 27. And 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 weeds?’ Verse 28. And he said to them, ‘An enemy, a hostile person has done this!’ The slaves said to him, ‘Do you want us, then, to go and gather them up?’ Verse 29. But he said, ‘No; while you are gathering up the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. Verse 30. Allow both to grow together until the harvest; and at the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather up the weeds and bind them in bundles to burn them; but gather the wheat into my barn.”’”
(Commentary Break: This is the parable: The sower sows the word of God, which the good news regarding the way of salvation. These in the first group are the ones along the road where the word is sown; but when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word which has been sown in them.
In a similar way these [in the second group are the ones on whom seed was sown on rocky ground, who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy, but accept it only superficially, and they have no real root in themselves, so they endure only for a little while; then, when trouble or persecution comes because of the word, immediately they are offended and displeased at being associated with Me and stumble and fall away.
And the others are the ones on whom seed was sown among the thorns; these are the ones who have heard the word, but the worries and cares of the world the distractions of this age with its worldly pleasures, and the deceitfulness [and the false security or glamour of wealth or fame, and the passionate desires for all the other things creep in and choke out the word, and it becomes unfruitful.
And those [in the last group] are the ones on whom seed was sown on the good soil; and they hear the word of God, the good news regarding the way of salvation and accept it and bear fruit, thirty, sixty, and a hundred times as much as was sown.”
The question remains, ‘who is saved’? All three groups hear the word but only the third group, those in the good soil, accept the word of God, the good news regarding the way of salvation, and bear fruit.
Good fruit is that which is produced by the Holy Spirit. Galatians 5:22-23 gives us a starting place: the fruit of His Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. The more we allow the Holy Spirit free rein in our lives, the more this fruit is evident (Galatians 5:16, and verse 25). Jesus told His followers, “I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last” (John 15:16). Righteous fruit has eternal benefit.
There is a counterfeit to bearing good fruit is pretense. We can, either deliberately or ignorantly, become experts at routines that resemble good fruit; the lingo, and “acting Christian,” while experiencing no real power and bearing no eternal fruit. Our hearts remain self-centered, angry, and joyless even while we go through the motions of serving God. This can be either through deliberate deceit or an inadvertent misunderstanding of what it means and what it takes to become a true follower of Christ Jesus. The latter is tragic and fatal and can easily slip into the sin of the Pharisees of Jesus’ day in judging ourselves by how we think we appear to others and neglecting that secret place of the heart where all good fruit germinates. When we love, desire, pursue, and fear the same things that the rest of the world does, we are not abiding in Christ, even though our lives may be filled with church-related activity. And, often, we don’t realize that we are living fruitless lives (1 John 2:15–17). These are the tares, the weeds growing alongside the wheat in the church. Check yourself and call on God as you work out your own salvation with fear and trembling! (End Commentary Break).
The Mustard Seed
Verse 31. He presented another parable to them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a person took and sowed in his field; verse 32, and this is smaller than all the other seeds, but when it is fully grown, it is larger than the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that THE BIRDS OF THE SKY come and NEST IN ITS BRANCHES.”
(Commentary Break): Remember that we are hearing a simile, comparing a spiritual truth to a natural (earthly) example. ‘A person’, as spoken of in these verses, is you. If you take a mustard seed and sow it you’re your field, which is your heart and your life, then this smallest of all seeds, which is humble and insignificant in its appearance and origins, grows and matures until ‘is fully grown’; This seed, which is sown in your heart, mind, soul and life, is like the Kingdom of Heaven, and becomes a tree, but not just any tree. This tree becomes mightier than the cedar in Lebanon, as described in Ezekiel 31:
“A tree ‘whose tops is among the clouds, The waters made it grow, the deep made it high, with its rivers it continually extended all around its planting place, and sent out its channels to all the trees of the field. ‘Therefore its height was loftier than all the trees of the field and its boughs became many and its branches long because of many waters as it spread them out. And, all the birds of the sky nested in its twigs. And under its branches all the animals of the field gave birth, and all great nations lived under its shade. ‘So it was beautiful in its greatness, in the length of its branches; For its roots extended to many waters.”
This is what becomes of your life. But you must believe it, accept it by faith and act upon it. (End Commentary Break).
The Leaven
Verse 33. He spoke another parable to them: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast or fermented dough, which a woman took and hid it in three measures of flour (which is about forty-eight pounds of flour) until it was all leavened.”
(Commentary Break): What is the kingdom of heaven like? It is like yeast, when hidden within ‘flour’ (which represents your heart, mind and soul, and your life), its cells begin to multiply and to expand.
Interestingly, the fermentation process produces different flavors, which contribute to the unique and delicious taste of bread and other fermented products. Yeast is a natural ingredient that has played an important role in the human diet for thousands of years. Yeast, as an active living microorganism, can provide probiotic benefits. proteins which contain all nine essential amino acids needed by humans; it also provides dietary fibers and several vitamins like thiamine, (B1), riboflavin, (B2), niacin, (B3), Pyridoxine, (B6), and folic acid (B9). Additionally, nutritional yeast is low in sodium (the constituent of salt) and free from cholesterol and lipids.
All of this is more than an apt description for what the Kingdom of Heaven represents in your life. (End Commentary Break).
Verse 34. All these things Jesus spoke to the crowds in parables, and He did not speak anything to them without a parable. Verse 35. This was so that what was spoken through the prophet would be fulfilled:
“I WILL OPEN MY MOUTH IN PARABLES; I WILL PROCLAIM THINGS HIDDEN SINCE THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD.”
The Weeds Explained
Verse 36. 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 weeds resembling wheat of the field.”
Verse 37. And He said, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man,
Verse 38. and the field is the world; and as for the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom; and the weeds are the sons of the evil one;
verse 39, and the enemy who sowed them is the devil,
and the harvest is the end of the age; and the reapers are angels.
Verse 40. So just as the weeds are gathered up and burned with fire, so shall it be at the end of the age.
Verse 41. The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks and everything that is offensive, and those who commit lawlessness, verse 42, and they will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Verse 43. Then THE RIGHTEOUS WILL SHINE FORTH LIKE THE SUN in the kingdom of their Father. The one who has ears, let him hear.
Hidden Treasure
Verse 44. “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again; and from joy over it he goes and sells everything that he has, and buys that field.
A Costly Pearl
Verse 45. “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls, verse 46, and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold everything that he had and bought it.
(Commentary Break): What kind of treasure could cause you to sell everything that you have in order to buy a parcel of land in order to obtain what is buried there or to purchase one pearl? And what is the source of joy, found here? Is it earthly riches of great material wealth? Or is it something greater – much greater?
Keep in mind that this is a simile, comparing two things. In this case, the Kingdom of Heaven compared to a treasure hidden in a field. One is from the spiritual realm, the unseen world; and the other is from the natural world, the seen world.
It is also important to recognize that the kingdom of heaven, the spiritual realm, where all things originate; the natural world is where they manifest. The spiritual realm is the beginning of all things, and the natural world is the end of all things, where ‘dust returns to dust’.
This parable is telling us that there is a treasure of unimaginable value, which is hidden from the natural mind and therefore, out of view of the natural eye.
Understanding that the natural mind cannot understand or fathom what is hidden, then you must know that this man, ‘who found the treasure and hid it again’ had gained the ability to see and understand what he had found. How is this possible? 1 Corinthians 2:14-15, tells us that
“The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. But the one who is spiritual discerns all things, yet he himself is discerned by no one”.
This man had gained a spiritual mind. John 14:16-17 tells us the secret. Jesus has said that, “I will ask the Father, and He will give you a Helper, so that He may be with you forever; the Helper is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him; but you know Him because He remains with you and will be in you.” By this you are born again, and the Spirit of God dwells within you, giving you the eyes to see and ears to hear about the kingdom of God! (End Commentary Break).
A Dragnet
Verse 47. “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that was cast into the sea and gathered fish of every kind; verse 48, and when it was filled, they pulled it up on the beach; and they sat down and gathered the good fish into containers, but the bad they threw away. Verse 49. So it will be at the end of the age: the angels will come forth and remove the wicked from among the righteous, verse 50, and they will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Verse 51. “Have you understood all these things?” They said to Him, “Yes.” Verse 52. And Jesus said to them, “Therefore every scribe who has become a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like a head of a household, who brings out of his treasure new things and old.”
(Commentary Break): Jesus concludes this teaching making a covenant with His disciples. It is as if they have heard the teachings and are now being asked, ‘do you solemnly swear’? Where upon they affirm, “Yes’. With that, Jesus proclaims the prophetic words in verse 52, which stated another way, says, “Therefore, as a result of your profession of understanding, I affirm that you, now a teacher of these mysteries and truths, having been discipled in the principles of the kingdom of heaven, are now a an owner and caretaker of these things for My household, and you will bring forth from this, your treasure, the new and glorious things I have revealed to you and the precious things and teachings from ancients days of My Father.”
These words were spoken then to those disciples and have continued to resonate throughout time, to this day, in your hearing and in your sight.
Jesus is now asking you, ”Do you now understand these things? If you say ‘yes’, then you are now a householder you are now an owner of these oracles of God. You are the scribe who has become a disciple of the kingdom of heaven, and you will now bring out of your treasure, both new and old. (End Commentary Break).
Jesus Revisits Nazareth
Verse 53. When Jesus had finished these parables, He departed from there. Verse 54. And He came to His hometown and began teaching them in their synagogue, with the result that they were astonished, and said, “Where did this man acquire this wisdom and these miraculous powers? Verse 55. Is this not the carpenter’s son? Is His mother not called Mary, and His brothers, James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas? Verse 56. And His sisters, are they not all with us? Where then did this man acquire all these things?” Verse 57. And they took offense at Him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not dishonored except in his hometown and in his own household.” Verse 58. And He did not do many miracles or works of power there because of their unbelief. (End of Chapter 13).
Verses 53 through 58 give us a clear example and a picture of how you should be viewed from this time forward:
- You will, henceforth, go to your hometown a teach with the result that they will be astonished. And,
- People will ask “Where did this man or woman acquire this wisdom and these powers?
- People will ask, “Is this not the ordinary person I know? Where did he or she acquire these things?”
- And many will take offense at you. And you will not do many miracles or works of power because of their unbelief!
My prayer is that you and I can truly see, hear and believe the prophetic truth of the words we have just read, so we can go and do as Jesus has said.
This is our calling and our mission. This is the way!
Your Brother and Friend,
Mike Young
PREVIOUS: THE BOOK OF MATTHEW – Chapter 12, Verses 30 – 50, The Unpardonable Sin, Words, Signs, Relationships.
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