Matthew 13

Here Jesus teaches us about the kingdom. Although God does use intermediaries to proclaim the kingdom, it is the ministry of the Spirit that allows people to understand and enter! It is the Spirit who gets the soil of our hearts ready (13:1-23).

John 16:7-11 (WEB) “Nevertheless I tell you the truth: It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I don’t go away, the Counsellor won’t come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. When he has come, he will convict the world about sin, about righteousness, and about judgement; about sin, because they don’t believe in me; about righteousness, because I am going to my Father, and you won’t see me any more; about judgement, because the prince of this world has been judged.”

Unfortunately, we live as a part of the kingdom in the midst of a world of unbelievers. It isn’t until the end of the age that the righteous and the unrighteous are separated (13:24-30).

Revelation 20:11-15 (WEB) “I saw a great white throne and him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. There was found no place for them. I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and they opened books. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged out of the things which were written in the books, according to their works. The sea gave up the dead who were in it. Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them. They were judged, each one according to his works. Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. If anyone was not found written in the book of life, he was cast into the lake of fire.”

But we should not despair. God continues to build His kingdom (13:31-32). We see the literal fulfillment of the parable of the mustard seed today. What started out with a few disciples in Israel has grown to millions of adherents around the word (actually billions who identify as Christians), not to mention the believers throughout history!

So, what is a parable anyway? The term “parable” comes from two Greek words: para which means “alongside,” and ballo which means “to throw.” A parable is thrown alongside real life. It is a slice of life that is used to illustrate a spiritual truth. Unfortunately, as we’ve already discussed, the Spirit has to do the illuminating to reveal “things hidden from the foundation of the world.” Jesus fulfills that role here, as the disciples come and ask Him to interpret the parables.

Jesus reveals that the parable of the wheat and the tares illustrates that good and evil will coexist in this world, but one day evil will be punished and the righteous will “shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father.” The parable of the net has a similar meaning. The parables of the treasure in the field and the pearl of great price are both reminders of the preciousness and pricelessness of the kingdom.

There are two parables that aren’t interpreted by Jesus. The parable of the homeowner isn’t as clearly explained but still reveals a truth about the kingdom. Just as a homeowner shows off both his new and old treasures, someone who believes in Jesus’ teaching about the kingdom rejoices because it is the culmination of what the Old Testament teaches, and they are willing to share that truth. The parable of the yeast describes both the hidden and transformative nature of the kingdom. It starts small but infiltrates everything!

In verses 53-58 we see how difficult it is for people to change their understanding and preconceived notions about Jesus. Even with having been told about His actions and hearing His teaching, they choose not to come to him for help: “He didn’t do many mighty works there because of their unbelief.” There is perhaps a lesson here for us too. When we change, sometimes it’s those closest to us that have the most trouble accepting or understanding it. We may have to quietly persist in our faith until others are finally willing to see the truth about us!

Thought for the day: How is your soil? Is it ready to receive the truth of God? Or is it hard because you’re unwilling to listen and change?

Hebrews 3:12-13 (WEB) “Beware, brothers, lest perhaps there might be in any one of you an evil heart of unbelief, in falling away from the living God; but exhort one another day by day, so long as it is called ‘today,’ lest any one of you be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.”