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| − | '''13:3 What are parables?'''<br>
| + | ====13:3 What are parables?==== |
| − | Parables are sayings that teach truth by comparison. The word parable means a placing alongside of; a parallel, comparison or similitude. In scripture it is a story drawn from nature or human circumstances to teach a moral or spiritual truth. The meaning of the parable has to be studied – it is not the story that is of value but the lesson it teaches. There is a comparison being made and the hearer has to perceive the likeness of the things compared to learn the lesson. Much of Jesus’ teaching was in parables because parables have a double use – they reveal the truth to those who want it, and conceal it from those who do not (cp Mt 13:10-17). Mt 13:11-15 does not teach as some claim that Jesus deliberately withheld the truth from the Pharisees so that they could not get saved. The Pharisees wilfully rejected the truth, causing it to be veiled from them because they had hardened their hearts to it. They did not want to be converted to Christ. (See comments on Mt 13:10-11). To be interpreted correctly parables must be studied strictly within their context and attendant circumstances – what precedes them and what follows them; the conversations of which they formed a part; the questions and objections to which they were the explanations. | + | Parables are sayings that teach truth by comparison. The word parable means a placing alongside of; a parallel, comparison or similitude. In scripture it is a story drawn from nature or human circumstances to teach a moral or spiritual truth. |
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| − | '''<div id="13:3-9 What is this parable called and what does it teach?"> 13:3-9 What is this parable called and what does it teach?<div>'''
| + | The meaning of the parable has to be studied – it is not the story that is of value but the lesson it teaches. There is a comparison being made and the hearer has to perceive the likeness of the things compared to learn the lesson. |
| − | This is called the parable of the sower. It is also found in Mk 4:1-13 and Lk 8:4-15. Jesus explains what it means in Mt 13:18-23 (cp Mt 13:18-23). The whole course of this age of grace portraying how God’s word is received and acted upon is pictured in this parable – the emphasis is on the hearts of men and how they respond to the gospel. It is how they respond to the gospel that determines their eternal destiny. The core teaching of this parable is that most people who hear the gospel will reject it. (See also comments on Mk 4:13).
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| − | '''<div id="13:10-11 Did Jesus deliberately speak in parables so that the Pharisees could not understand the truth to get saved?"> 13:10-11 Did Jesus deliberately speak in parables so that the Pharisees could not understand the truth to get saved?<div>'''
| + | Much of Jesus’ teaching was in parables because parables have a double use – they reveal the truth to those who want it, and conceal it from those who do not (cp Mt 13:10-17). Mt 13:11-15 does not teach as some claim that Jesus deliberately withheld the truth from the Pharisees so that they could not get saved. |
| − | No. The Pharisees had hardened their hearts and wilfully rejected the truth, causing it to be veiled from them. They did not want to be converted to Christ, which is what Isaiah prophesied in the Old Testament would happen (cp Isa 6:9-10 with Mt 13:12-17, Mk 4:11-12; Jn 12:37-41; Ac 28:23-28). Isa 6:9-10 does not mean as some in the church teach, that God had made it impossible for the Jews to believe in Christ because He had already determined not to save them. This is clearly refuted in Ac 28:23-28 which as we saw, teaches that the Jews rejected the gospel of their own volition, and it is for this reason alone that God took the gospel from them and gave it to the Gentiles (cp Acts 13:44-49, 28:23-28; Ro 9:30-33; 11:1, 7-10, 13-24).
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| − | See also comments on Mt 11:28-30, 20:16; Jn 3:14-15, 3:36, 6:37, 12:37-40; Ac 2:37-38, 13:48, 28:23-29; Ro 1:16-17, 3:24-26 (A), Ro 8:28-30, 9:7, 9:10-13, 9:14-18, 9:19-21, 10:14-17, 11:2, 11:4, 11:7-10; Eph 1:3-6, 1:11-14, 2:8-10; 1Th 1:4; 2Ti 1:8-9; 1Pe 1:2.
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| − | '''<div id="13:12 What does Jesus mean by His saying, “whoever hath, to him shall be given...but whoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath”?"> 13:12 What does Jesus mean by His saying, “whoever hath, to him shall be given...but whoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath”?<div>'''
| + | The Pharisees wilfully rejected the truth, causing it to be veiled from them because they had hardened their hearts to it. They did not want to be converted to Christ. (See comments on Mt 13:10-11). |
| − | This saying is also found in Mt 25, Mk 4 and Lk 8 and 19, and to better understand what Jesus means by it we need to study each of the contexts in which He said it (cp Mt 13:10-16; Mk 4:21-25; Lk 8:16-18). The core teaching in those passages is that God will reward or condemn everyone according to how they respond to His word; some will receive more light; others – Christians included – will lose even what little light they have. In fact, the saying has a double application for Christians – present and future – which is highlighted in both Mt 25 and Lk 19 (cp Mt 25:14-30). This is called the parable of the talents. In this context Jesus teaches that what Christians receive in the future eternal kingdom will be in proportion to their dedication and consecration to the service of God in the present earthly aspect of the kingdom. The basic teaching of the parable of the talents is that God has given every believer spiritual gifts and graces according to each believer’s ability, and that these gifts and graces must be put to use in God’s service (cp Ro 12:3-8; 1Cor 12 :1-31; 2Cor 5:17-19; Eph 4:7-16; 1Pe 4:7-11). God means us to use these gifts and graces for the extension of His kingdom. They are not given to us for our profit, but for His. The believer who does not use his gift or grace for God’s glory is the same as the servant in the parable who hid his talent in the ground (cp Lk 19:11-27).
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| − | This is called the parable of the pounds, and while it differs from the parable of the talents in many respects, its core teaching is the same: worthy Christians will be rewarded while unworthy Christians will be punished. Many Bible commentators downplay the punishment the slothful servants in these parables received. They teach that symbolically it compares only to loss of rewards in heaven, but that is not correct. The slothful servants were not punished simply because they failed to return a profit to their masters, but because underlying their failure to return a profit was their prior intention not to even invest their masters’ money (cp Mt 25:24-25; Lk 19:20-21). They wilfully disobeyed their masters’ commands, and disobedience does not merely merit loss of rewards in heaven, but condemnation to hell (cp Mt 7:21-27; Ro 2:13; Jas 1:22-25; 2:14-26 also Jn 14:15 with 1Jn 2:3-5). The slothful servants had no intention of putting their masters’ money to work and then justified themselves for not doing so by finding fault with their masters. Their own words condemned them (cp Lk 19:22).
| + | To be interpreted correctly parables must be studied strictly within their context and attendant circumstances – what precedes them and what follows them; the conversations of which they formed a part; the questions and objections to which they were the explanations. |
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| − | '''<div id="13:24-30 What does the parable of the tares of the field teach?"> 13:24-30 What does the parable of the tares of the field teach?<div>'''
| + | ''Back to [[Matthew Study]]'' |
| − | Jesus explains what the parable of the tares of the field teaches in Mt 13:36-43 (cp 36-43). The theme of Jesus’ teaching here is that evil will always be present in the world in opposition to the good, and that the Kingdom of Heaven will always be befouled by the presence and the plots of Satan. The children of the kingdom and the emissaries of Satan must exist side by side with each other in the world throughout the kingdom age until Christ’s second coming, when they will be separated. The children of the kingdom will be taken up to heaven and the emissaries of Satan will be cast down to hell. (See also comments on Mt 13:47-50).
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| − | '''<div id="13:31-32 What does the parable of the mustard seed teach?"> 13:31-32 What does the parable of the mustard seed teach?<div>'''
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| − | This parable is also found in Mk 4:30-32 and Lk 13:18-19. Jesus did not interpret this parable, nor the ones that follow in Mt 13 as He did with the previous two parables, and consequently there are many contrasting views among Christians as to what they teach. Every view must be respected, but they cannot all be right, and we can only agree with those that are strictly grounded in scripture and conform to the principles of interpretation Jesus outlined for us in the previous two parables. We learned earlier that in order to correctly interpret the parables of Jesus, we must study them in the context in which they are spoken, taking into account the teaching which precedes them, and that which follows (see comments on Mt 13:3).
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| − | In the parable of the sower Jesus showed us that as well as faithfulness and godliness among those who profess Christ, there will also be apostasy and worldliness, and in the parable of the tares of the field, He showed us that the emissaries of Satan will always be present in the world in opposition to the children of the kingdom, throughout the kingdom age. It is in the light of this teaching that the parable of the mustard seed must be interpreted. The parable of the mustard seed illustrates the abnormal growth of the kingdom in its present earthly aspect from a small beginning to a vast sphere of operation for demon powers, represented by the birds of the air who lodge in the branches of the tree. Jesus used the figure of birds, or fowls of the air, to symbolize demon powers in the parable of the sower and so too He uses them to symbolize demon powers here. He would not use the same figure of speech in two different senses, making one parable contradict the teaching of another. The birds of the air do not represent the devil in one parable and Christians in another, as many in the church believe. Their view is that the parable illustrates the rapid spread of the gospel and the growth of Christianity throughout the earth from a very small beginning, with the figure of the birds of the air lodging in the branches of the tree as typifying new converts to Christianity finding shelter in the church. The problem with this view however is that it illustrates the growth of professing Christianity and the church in the earth, whereas the parable concerns the nature and development of the Kingdom of Heaven in its earthly aspect (cp Mt 13:31).
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| − | As we learned in our study on Mt 3:1-3, the Kingdom of Heaven has a much broader aspect in the earth than the professing church. It takes in the whole of God’s activity in Christ in the world – the whole of human society. The church is simply the visible manifestation of the kingdom. The birds of the air are a figure of the emissaries of Satan hiding behind the cloak of Christianity disguised as apostles of Christ and ministers of righteousness. Satan has had to watch the spread of the gospel and the growth of Christianity throughout the earth from the time Jesus ushered in the kingdom, and he has ever sought to find a shelter in it. In the early centuries of church history he attacked the church from outside the kingdom, but when that failed to extinguish the light of the gospel he changed his tactics and moved his forces inside the kingdom, and since then countless millions of sincere people genuinely seeking the truth have been condemned to hell after being waylaid and deceived by his false apostles, and caught up in their counterfeit Christianity (cp Mt 7:15-23; 24:5; 2Cor 11:4, 13-15).
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| − | '''<div id="13:33 What does the leaven in the parable of the leaven symbolize?"> 13:33 What does the leaven in the parable of the leaven symbolize?<div>'''
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| − | Leaven is a fermenting agent used in bread-making to make the dough rise. It requires time to fulfill the process, but once introduced to the dough it permeates the whole mass, and the process is irreversible. Because of its pervasive nature leaven signifies a corrupting influence among God’s people, and throughout scripture it is used to symbolize evil. The common bread in the Old Testament was made with leaven and was acceptable as wave offerings to the priests, and as loaves to accompany the peace offerings (cp Lev 7:11-13; 23:17). However, leaven and honey, which is a fermenting agent too, and thus also a symbolic source of corruption in the Old Testament, were strictly forbidden to be used in any sacrifice made by fire unto God, because these were typical (a type) of the offering up of the sinless sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ (cp 2Cor 5:21). Typical bread representing Christ had to be unleavened (cp Lev 2:4, 11; 6:14-17). Leaven was forbidden in all offerings to God by fire. Being bred of corruption and spreading through the mass into which it is introduced, and therefore symbolizing the pervasive character of evil, leaven was utterly inconsistent in offerings which typified the propitiatory (atoning) sacrifice of Christ. Leaven was also forbidden to be used in the feast of unleavened bread which was celebrated in conjunction with the Old Testament Passover festival (cp Ex 12:14-20; 23:15; 34:18; Deut 16:1-4). The Passover festival commemorated God’s deliverance of the children of Israel from the corruption of Egypt where they had been kept in bondage for over 400 years. The Passover Lamb was an Old Testament type of Christ (cp 1Cor 5:7).
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| − | In the New Testament leaven is symbolic of any evil influence in the church which, if allowed to remain, can corrupt the whole body of believers (cp V1-8). Paul uses leaven here in the same sense Jesus does – as a type of sin in its development (cp Mt 16:6-12). Here we have the parable of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees. Leaven here symbolizes false doctrines which can penetrate and influence the whole church (cp Ga 5:6-9). Here leaven typifies the harmful effects of false doctrine. Paul refers to it as a “persuasion” – something that exerts a powerful and moving influence – hindering men from obeying the truth of God (cp Lk 12:1-3). This is called the parable of the leaven of the Pharisees. The hypocrisy that leaven symbolizes here is pretending to be something we are not – acting publicly as Godly and faithful Christians when in reality we harbour sin, immorality, greed, lust and unrighteousness (cp Mk 8:15). This is the parable of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the leaven of Herod. The word “Herod” in this context is used collectively of the Herodians – those belonging to the court of Herod Antipas, also known as Herod the Tetrarch – who combined with the Pharisees in an attempt to kill Jesus. The leaven here symbolizes the hypocrisy of both the Pharisees and the Herodians in asking Jesus for a sign although their minds were already made up to kill him (cp Mt 13:11-12; 3:1-6). In all these New Testament scriptures both Jesus and Paul use leaven to symbolize the pervasive character of evil permeating the professing church, which is the visible manifestation of the Kingdom of Heaven in its present earthly aspect, yet a great many Christians believe that in the parable of the leaven our Lord uses leaven in a good sense to symbolize the permeating effects of the gospel in Christianising the world.
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| − | It seems incongruous that they could believe that because firstly, nowhere in scripture are we taught that the world will ever be Christianised. In fact the opposite is true – in the parable of the sower we learned that most people who hear the gospel will reject it, and this is the teaching throughout the whole of the New Testament (cp Mt 24:3-13; Ro 1:18-32; 2Th 2:7-12; 1Ti 4:1; 2Pe 3:3-4; Jude 17-19; Rev 3:14-16). Secondly, there is complete harmony in Jesus’ parables concerning the nature and development of the kingdom in Mt 13, and it must be restated here that Jesus would never use a figure of speech in two different senses making one parable contradict the teaching of another. So, as leaven is symbolic of evil everywhere else in scripture, it is here too. Furthermore, the particular action of the woman in the parable hiding the leaven in the meal is a significant factor also in helping to interpret the parable. If the leaven represented something good, why hide it? The word “hid” means conceal. The meal typifies God’s word and the leaven was concealed in it. It was not openly mixed in with the meal, but covertly introduced to it. This represents the subtle way in which the forces of Satan are at work in the kingdom spreading their corruptive influence by adulterating God’s word and undermining its authority among professing Christians (cp Acts 20:29-30; 1Jn 2:18-19; 2Jn 1:7-8; Jude 3-4). Jesus’ teaching concerning the nature and development of the Kingdom of Heaven in Mt 13 is quite clear – the kingdom will always be befouled by the presence and the plots of Satan. (See also comments on Mt 13:3-9, 13:24-30, 13:31-32).
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| − | '''<div id="13:44 What is the treasure the Kingdom of Heaven is likened to in the parable of the hidden treasure?"> 13:44 What is the treasure the Kingdom of Heaven is likened to in the parable of the hidden treasure?<div>'''
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| − | The most popular interpretation of this parable is that the treasure symbolizes the kingdom. It is a priceless treasure to be desired above all else, and as such a person should be willing to part with everything in order to possess it. In this interpretation the term “selleth all” is metaphorical. It simply means that one must transfer his whole heart from other interests to the one supreme interest, our Lord Jesus Christ. Another view is that Jesus Himself is the priceless treasure, and that we must sell all that we have to possess Him. These are both commendable views, but they are not what the parable teaches. Still another interpretation is that the treasure is Israel, which is called “God’s peculiar treasure” in scripture (cp Ex 19:5; Psa 135:4). It would be easy to agree with this interpretation except for the fact that Israel was always openly in view as God’s treasured possession right throughout scripture, whereas the treasure represented something hidden, even in Mt 13, as Jesus spoke this parable (cp Deut 7:6; Isa 62:1-5; Mal 3:16-17). Israel was never hidden like the treasure in the parable. Furthermore, Jesus did not pay the purchase price for Israel alone in His redeeming death, but for the whole world of sinners - Jews and Gentiles alike (cp Jn 1:29, 3:16, 4:42, 6:33, 51; 11:51-52, 12:47; 2Cor 5:17-19; 1Jn 2:2, 4:14).
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| − | It is easier to understand this parable in the light of those scriptures. The word “world” means all mankind. This is not teaching that all mankind will be saved, but that the price Jesus paid was sufficient for all mankind. Although the man purchased the field in the parable, it was the treasure, not the field, that was the man’s object. He purchased the field in order to possess the treasure. The treasure represents something that was hidden even at the time our Lord told this parable in Mt 13. It was the church that was hidden. The church was decreed in God’s eternal purpose before the beginning of time, but it was not revealed even to the angels in heaven until Jesus revealed it to the disciples in Mt 16 (cp Mt 16:13-18). This is the first mention of the church in scripture (cp Ro 16:25-26; 1Cor 2:7-8; Eph 1:3-5, 9-10, 3:1-11; Col 1:25-27; 2 Ti 1:1, 8-10; Tit 1:1-3; 1 Pe 1:3-12, 18-20). The church is the treasure, and the man who purchased the field in order to possess the treasure is Jesus. The field represents the world of sinners – the whole of human society – for whom He died. It is significant that Jesus did not call the field His field in the parable, but a field. It became His after He purchased it with His life-blood at Calvary, which is what Jn 1:29, 3:16, 4:42, 6:33,51, 11:51-52; 12:47; 2Cor 5:17-19; 1Jn 2:2, 4:14 all teach. This interpretation harmonises with the rest of Jesus’ parables concerning the kingdom in Mt 13 and it also shows why neither Jesus nor the kingdom can be the treasure as so many Christians believe (see also comments on Mt 13:3-9, 13:24-30, 13:31-32, 13:33).
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| − | '''<div id="13:45-46 What does the pearl of great price symbolize in this parable?"> 13:45-46 What does the pearl of great price symbolize in this parable?<div>'''
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| − | This is yet another parable which has many different meanings ascribed to it, but it is generally agreed among Bible scholars that this and the parable of the hidden treasure form a pair; that they both teach the same truth, namely, that the object of the man’s desire is of such great value that he sells all to purchase it. The man in both parables is Jesus and the object of His desire is the church. In the parable of the hidden treasure we saw the incomparable worth of the church – represented by the treasure –underlined by the price Jesus paid at Calvary to possess it. He paid the redemption price for every living soul from that day forth to enter into the kingdom through the church, but sadly, most will not enter. We see in the pearl of great price in this parable a flawless pearl without spot or blemish, typifying the ultimate triumph of the kingdom at the consummation of this age when Jesus comes back to present to Himself a glorious church without spot or blemish (cp Eph 1:3-14, 5:25-27).
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| − | The man’s purchase of the pearl in the parable symbolizes Jesus’ redemption of His purchased possession in Eph 1:14. This interpretation of the parable also harmonises with the rest of Jesus’ parables in Mt 13. In its present earthly aspect the Kingdom of Heaven is fragmented by apostasy and backsliding (the parable of the sower); by the emissaries of Satan co-existing in the world with the children of the kingdom (the parable of the tares of the field); by counterfeit Christianity and false religious systems (the parable of the mustard seed); by internal corruption in professed Christianity (the parable of the leaven). Jesus then went on to show that the church would be the visible manifestation of the kingdom in the world (the parable of the hidden treasure) and here in the parable of the pearl of great price He foretells the kingdom’s ultimate triumph at the end of the age when He returns for a church that is without spot or blemish. It is interesting to note here that pearls are formed as the result of an injury suffered by the living organism – such as oysters and other molluscs – that produces them. Thus it could be said that there is a sense in which the glorified church was formed out of the wounds of Christ. (See also comments on Mt 13:3-9, 13:24-30, 13:31-32, 13:33; 13:44).
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| − | '''<div id="13:47-50 What is Jesus teaching in the parable of the net?"> 13:47-50 What is Jesus teaching in the parable of the net?<div>'''
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| − | This is the last of seven parables Jesus told concerning the nature and development of the Kingdom of Heaven in its present earthly aspect in Mt 13. It has a similar teaching to the parable of the tares of the field in that they both teach that good and evil – the righteous and the wicked – are presently intermingled in the kingdom. However, whereas the parable of the tares of the field describes the kingdom in its present earthly aspect, and the day of judgement when the wicked will be cast down to hell as a future event, the parable of the net depicts the day of judgement itself in the figure of the fishermen casting the bad fish away and keeping the good ones in Mt 13:48 (cp Mt 13:24-30, 36-43). In these seven parables relating to the Kingdom of Heaven in Mt 13, Jesus gives us a progressive insight into the earthly aspect of the kingdom from its inception until its ultimate triumph at the end of the age. Studied as a whole we see the contest between good and evil in the kingdom; between the power of God and the power of Satan, which fulfills the first messianic prophecy in scripture (cp Ge 3:15). Everything God said here is illustrated in the seven parables concerning the kingdom in Mt 13. Not everyone will agree with this interpretation of the parable of the net, nor with the summation of what the seven parables teach, but they all clearly harmonise with each other, and with what is taught about the kingdom of God in its present earthly aspect elsewhere in scripture. These teachings by Jesus were mysteries of the kingdom which He revealed to His disciples to enable them to go forth and teach them (see also comments on Mt 13:3-9, 13:24-30, 13:31-32, 13:33, 13:44, 13:45-46).
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| − | '''<div id="13:52 What is the theme of Jesus’ teaching in the parable of the householder?"> 13:52 What is the theme of Jesus’ teaching in the parable of the householder?<div>'''
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| − | The parable of the householder is the eighth and final parable in Mt 13, and while it does not concern the nature and development of the kingdom as such like the preceding parables in Mt 13, it does concern teaching the mysteries of the kingdom which Jesus revealed in them. It depicts the responsibility of teachers in the kingdom. Scribe in Mt 13:52 is the Old Testament equivalent to the New Testament teacher. As scribes gave progressive instruction of God’s redeeming purpose in the Old Testament so Jesus here instructs teachers to do the same in the New Testament – not only with the parables though but with all the truths of God’s word (cp 1Cor 4:1). Jesus compares teachers with their rich store of scripture knowledge to a householder with a treasure-house from which he shares his wealth with those for whom he is responsible. Jesus is instructing teachers here that they are not to teach the mere letter of the word or doctrine as such, but are to share the scriptural riches with which they have been entrusted with others in the kingdom, the same as the householder shared the things from his treasure-house. This does not mean that there are two orders of truths for teachers to impart, but new light on old scriptures. The new is the gospel made possible by Jesus’ death and resurrection. It came as the fulfillment of the old, the law.
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| − | '''<div id="13:53-58 What does it mean that Jesus did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief?"> 13:53-58 What does it mean that Jesus did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief?<div>'''
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| − | This is not teaching as many believe that even Jesus Himself could not heal everyone. Jesus healed all who came to Him – here and everywhere else in scripture (cp Mt 4:23-24; 8:14-18, 9:35; 11:5; 12:15; 14:14, 35-36; 15:30; 19:2; 21:14; Mk 1:32-35, 39; 3:10; 6:56; Lk 4:40; 5:15, 17; 6:17-19; 7:1-10, 21-23; 9:11; 17:11-17 with Ac 10:38).Ac 10:38 sums up Jesus’ healing ministry for us – He healed everyone who came to Him. Jesus did not many mighty works in His hometown of Nazareth, not because the townspeople’s unbelief stopped Him, but because their unbelief stopped them coming to Him. His claim to Messiahship was an offence to them and they rejected Him. On His previous visit there they had even tried to kill Him (cp Lk 4:16-30). The townspeople were impressed with Jesus’ teaching, but His claim to being the Messiah offended them. They had watched Jesus grow up in their midst and they only saw Him as the son of the local carpenter, not God’s Messiah (cp Mk 6:1-6).
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| − | '''Back to [[Matthew Study]]'''
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Parables are sayings that teach truth by comparison. The word parable means a placing alongside of; a parallel, comparison or similitude. In scripture it is a story drawn from nature or human circumstances to teach a moral or spiritual truth.
The meaning of the parable has to be studied – it is not the story that is of value but the lesson it teaches. There is a comparison being made and the hearer has to perceive the likeness of the things compared to learn the lesson.
Much of Jesus’ teaching was in parables because parables have a double use – they reveal the truth to those who want it, and conceal it from those who do not (cp Mt 13:10-17). Mt 13:11-15 does not teach as some claim that Jesus deliberately withheld the truth from the Pharisees so that they could not get saved.
The Pharisees wilfully rejected the truth, causing it to be veiled from them because they had hardened their hearts to it. They did not want to be converted to Christ. (See comments on Mt 13:10-11).
To be interpreted correctly parables must be studied strictly within their context and attendant circumstances – what precedes them and what follows them; the conversations of which they formed a part; the questions and objections to which they were the explanations.
