Jesus teaches with parables 

1) That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake. 2) Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore. 3) Then he told them many things in parables, saying: "A farmer went out to sow his seed.

The idea behind the world parable is "to throw along side of"; it is a story thrown along side the truth intended to teach.

Parables have been called "earthly stories with a heavenly meanings"; but it is important that we understand the Biblical purpose and meaning for parables.

Why did Jesus use parables to hide the truth from those not hearing the Holy Spirit?

He used parables so that the hearts of those rejecting would not be hardened further: the very sun that softens the wax hardens the clay; and so the very same gospel message which breaks down honest hearts and leads to repentance, hardens the hearts of the dishonest and confirms them in their path of disobedience.

In this sense, the parables of Jesus were not illustrations making difficult things clear to all who heard; they were a way of "encoding" God's message so the spiritually sensitive could understand, but the hardened would merely hear a story without heaping up additional condemnation for rejecting God's Word. Parables are an example of God's mercy towards the hardened! The parables are given in light of Jesus' rejection by the Jewish leaders, a mercy given to the undeserving. 

By speaking in parables, Jesus was also fulfilling prophecy, speaking in a way that the hardened would hear but not hear, and see but not see.

In light of this, how blessed are those who do understand the parables of Jesus; not only do they gain the benefit of the spiritual truth illustrated, they also display some measure of responsiveness to the Holy Spirit.

Parables generally teach one main point or principle; we can get into trouble by demanding that they be intricate systems of theology, with the smallest detail revealing hidden truths.

The parable of the sower (or, more properly, the parable of the soils)

4) As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5) Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6) But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. 7) Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. 8) Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop--a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. 9) He who has ears, let him hear." 10) The disciples came to him and asked, "Why do you speak to the people in parables?"
11) He replied, "The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. 12) Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. 13) This is why I speak to them in parables:
   "Though seeing, they do not see;
       though hearing, they do not hear or understand. 14) In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah:
   " 'You will be ever hearing but never understanding;
       you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.
    15) For this people's heart has become calloused;
       they hardly hear with their ears,
       and they have closed their eyes.
   Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
       hear with their ears,
       understand with their hearts
   and turn, and I would heal them.' 16) But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. 17) For I tell you the truth, many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.

Jesus is speaking with the agricultural customs of the day in mind; in those days, seed would be scattered first, then would be plowed into the ground.

The stony places refers to a place where the soil was thin, upon a rocky shelf; the seed springs up quickly because of the warmth of the soil, but the seed us unable to take root because of the rocky shelf.

He who has ears to hear, let him hear is a not a call for all to listen; rather, it is a call for those who have spiritual sensitivity to take special note (in light of Jesus' explanation of the purpose of parables).

The model is that the Lord is the Sower, sowing the seed, which is the Word of God. The field in the collective sense is the world. In the world there is different kinds of ground, in this case, four.

The first is hard surface, the seed lays there and the birds of the air take it away. Who are the birds? See verse 19, the evil one takes away the seed; birds are bad in parables.

In stony places, there is a little soil but not enough to take root. A little pressure, a little persecution and they are on to the next fad, there are no roots.

Third, they mean well but they get swept up in the cares of this world.

The world makes its demands on you and the thorns choke out any spiritual fruit.

The last type is the condition of the heart where the seed really takes root and bears fruit.

The parable of the soils explained: each soil represents one of four responses to the gospel of Jesus.

18) "Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: 19) When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown along the path. 20) The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. 21) But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away. 22) The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful. 23) But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown."
 

The gospel must be understood before it can bear any fruit; one of Satan's chief works is to keep men in darkness regarding their understanding of the gospel (2 Corinthians 4:3-4). 

Others receive the gospel enthusiastically, but it is short-lived, because they are not willing to endure tribulation or persecution . . . because of the word.

Others have fertile ground for the word - but their "soil" is too fertile, because it also grows all sorts of other things which choke out the word of God.

But others receive the word, and it bears fruit in their "soil" - though in differing proportions (though none are "small"). 

We benefit from seeing bits of ourselves in all four soils. Sometimes we allow the word no room at all in our lives. We may have "hot flashes" of enthusiasm in receiving the word that quickly burn out. The world is constantly threatening to choke out God's word and our fruitfulness. And, praise God that the word bears fruit in our lives!

Parables of corruption in the kingdom community

The parable of the wheat and the tares

 24) Jesus told them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. 25) But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. 26) When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.
27) "The owner's servants came to him and said, 'Sir, didn't you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?'
28) " 'An enemy did this,' he replied.
"The servants asked him, 'Do you want us to go and pull them up?'
29) " 'No,' he answered, 'because while you are pulling the weeds, you may root up the wheat with them. 30) Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.'

The sower is not necessarily asleep. (The Lord never sleeps).

Tares -Zizania - seed in Palestine today that looks just like wheat while it is growing, but then while it matures it turns black (it shows its true color). Because if it gets mixed up in the wheat and you bake bread with it, it is poisonous and must be separated out.

There will be a separation. A burning of the tares and the wheat into His barn. [See verse 36 for explanation.]

The sower is the Son of Man. The field is the world. The good seed are the children of the Kingdom, but the tares are the children of the wicked one. The enemy is the devil. The harvest is the end of the Age, and the reapers are the angels.

 " 31) He told them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. 32) Though it is the smallest of all your seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and perch in its branches."

Another illustration of corruption in the kingdom community: the parable of the mustard seed. 

Some regard this as a beautiful picture of the church growing so large that it provides refuge for all the world; but this mustard seed plant has grown into a monstrosity, and it harbors birds - who, the in the parables, are emissaries of Satan.

Mustard seeds grow into bushes about 3 feet tall. Have you ever seen a bird lodge in a small bush? This mustard seed apparently grows to become a monstrosity, something larger than it is supposed to. It becomes a structure so large and spacious that birds come and lodge in the branches. Birds are the birds that picked up the seed in the first parable; the ministers of Satan!

 
33) He told them still another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount of flour until it worked all through the dough."

Another illustration of corruption in the kingdom community: the parable of the leaven in the meal.

Some have regarded this parable as another beautiful picture of the kingdom of God working its way through the whole world.

But the three measures of meal was the exact amount customarily used in a meal offering to God, and leaven (which always is a picture of evil and sin in the Bible) has absolutely no place in a meal offering. The idea of hiding leaven in three measures of meal would have offended any observant Jew; this certainly isn't a picture of the church gradually influencing the whole world for good.

Another illustration of corruption in the kingdom community: the parable of the leaven in the meal. 

Some have regarded this parable as another beautiful picture of the kingdom of God working its way through the whole world.

But the three measures of meal was the exact amount customarily used in a meal offering to God, and leaven (which always is a picture of evil and sin in the Bible) has absolutely no place in a meal offering.

The idea of hiding leaven in three measures of meal would have offended any observant Jew; this certainly isn't a picture of the church gradually influencing the whole world for good.

Leaven in Jewish terms is a symbol of sin.

 Example, Passover ceremony to get the leaven out of the house. Leaven is sin because it corrupts by puffing up.

Notes:  A leaven is anything that produces bubbles in dough or batter, causing baked goods to rise.   Most breads rise because of yeast, which works by fermenting sugar, which in turn produces carbon dioxide.  Baking soda and baking powder are used to leaven quick breads, cookies, and muffins.  Baking soda is alkaline and reacts with acid to create carbon dioxide bubbles that become trapped within the batter.  It's sometimes used in batters that contain acidic ingredients, like buttermilk or molasses.  If there's not enough acid in the batter, the recipe will instead call for baking powder, which combines baking soda with one or more acidic salts.  When the baking powder becomes wet or sufficiently hot, the soda reacts with the salts and releases bubbles.   Air bubbles can also be trapped in beaten egg whites, a technique used to leaven angel food or sponge cakes.  

 What is the root of all sin? Pride. Whose pride? Satan’s (Isaiah 14). Leaven is used as a type of sin throughout the Old Testament and the New (2 times Jesus says, and 2 times Paul says “a little leaven leavens the whole lump.”) “Three measures of meal”: To an Arab or a Jew historically suggests the Oaks at Mamre (Genesis 18 - from that time on - three measures of meal are the fellowship offering.) Wrong to hide leaven in the measures of meal! The Church will not be perfect, it will be impure. Leaven will be introduced and it will grow and contaminate. These parables are prophecies of the Church age!

34) Jesus spoke all these things to the crowd in parables; he did not say anything to them without using a parable. 35) So was fulfilled what was spoken through the prophet:
   "I will open my mouth in parables,
       I will utter things hidden since the creation of the world."
 

The enemy's purpose in sowing tares was to destroy the wheat; but the wise farmer will not allow the enemy to succeed; instead, He will sort it out at harvest time.

Jesus' teaching in parables as a fulfillment of prophecy

Another reason Jesus taught about the kingdom community - the church - in parables is because the church itself was part of the things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world, and would not be revealed in fullness until later.

Jesus only spoke to the multitudes in parables (from Chapter 12 on). These parables contain truths that are hidden from the Old Testament (otherwise they would not have been “kept hidden from the foundation of the world”). These things that the Lord is talking about in Mt 13 are first time occasions. Not found overtly in other Old Testament books. What has been kept secret? Most concepts are found in the Old Testament. Except one (Eph 3:5): that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs and of the same body and partakers of His promise in Christ Jesus by the gospel. The Church, not just Gentiles, will be converted.

Paul expresses this same idea about the church in Ephesians 3:4-11

Jesus explains the parable of the wheat and the weeds

36) Then he left the crowd and went into the house. His disciples came to him and said, "Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field."
37) He answered, "The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. 38) The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, 39) and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.
40) "As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. 41) The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. 42) They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where 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.
 

More parables about the kingdom

The parable of the hidden treasure

44) "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.

The field is the world, but the man does not represent the believer (we have nothing to buy this treasure with); instead, Jesus is the man, the buyer.

The what is the treasure? You! - Jesus gave everything to redeem the whole world to preserve a treasure in it: His people.

The parable of the costly pearl

45) "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. 46) When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.
 

Again, Jesus is the buyer and we are the pearl that He sees as so valuable that He would happily give all to have it forever.

The Hidden Treasure

Jesus is free gift. To aspire to doing anything to gain Him is blasphemy. To feel that you can add one thing to that which He has done 100% is arrogance; to assume that you can add to that which God has called complete is blasphemy. The treasure is hidden in the field, or the world (Exodus 19:5; Psalms 135 – we are described as His peculiar treasure).

The One that gave up all that He had for the sake of the treasure is Jesus Christ! He wanted the treasure, He didn’t buy just one little parcel He bought the whole field. He died on the cross for all sinners. Who did the buying? He did. What did it cost Him? His Blood. He purchased what? You and I! Who is the treasure hid in the field? You and I!

The Pearl of Great Price

Sounds like the parable of the hidden treasure. See Malachi 3:17, yet says jewels, not pearls. Remember in the Torah the laws that were laid down, Deuteronomy 8 forbids oysters. Oysters are not kosher, one can only eat seafood with scales. This means that pearls were not prized by the Jewish community. While they might trade in them because they would sell them to the Gentiles, pearls are distinctly a Gentile ornament, not a Jewish ornament.

So why a pearl of great value used by Jesus in this parable? Because of all jewels, pearls are the only one that is made by a living organism as a response to irritation that has been introduced. What a fascinating model of the Church! A Gentile organ grows as the response to an irritation. The Church always grew under persecution. It is removed from its place of growth to become an item of adornment.

The parable of the dragnet

 47) "Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. 48) When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away. 49) This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous 50) and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Jesus is showing is that the world will remain divided right up until the end, and the Church will not reform the world, ushering in the kingdom; instead, there will be both the wicked and the just till the end of the age.

The disciples claim understanding of Jesus' parables

51) "Have you understood all these things?" Jesus asked.
"Yes," they replied.
52) He said to them, "Therefore every teacher of the law who has been instructed about the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old."
 

We must wonder if the disciples really understand Jesus here; however, Jesus does not deny their claim to understanding.

Jesus says that every one who really knows God's word (every scribe instructed concerning the kingdom), will both know the old and be learning the new of the kingdom.

Further rejection: Jesus is rejected at His home town, Nazareth.

The people of Nazareth are surprised that such a "normal" boy could grow up to do such spectacular things

53) When Jesus had finished these parables, he moved on from there. 54) Coming to his hometown, he began teaching the people in their synagogue, and they were amazed. "Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers?" they asked. 55) "Isn't this the carpenter's son? Isn't his mother's name Mary, and aren't his brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas? 56) Aren't all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?"

We may conclude that Jesus must have grown up a very normal boy, unlike the fantastic stories told in apocryphal books like The Infancy of Jesus.

Jesus plainly had many brothers and sisters; the Roman Catholic idea of the perpetual virginity of Mary is in contradiction to the plain meaning of the Bible.

A prophet without honor

57) And they took offense at him.
But Jesus said to them, "Only in his hometown and in his own house is a prophet without honor."
58) And he did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith.

A prophet is without honor in his own country, and his own house, because of our false conceptions of what it means to be spiritual, and those closest to these "spiritual" people see just how normal they are.

It is truly remarkable that Jesus was, in some manner, limited by their unbelief; as long as God chooses to work in concert with human agency, developing our ability to partner with Him, our unbelief will hinder the work of God.

Chapter 14

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