CHAPTER 13
That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake. Matthew 13:1
Barclay says of this verse: “It shows a definite turning-point in the ministry of Jesus. At the beginning of his ministry we find him teaching in the synagogues; but now we find him teaching on the seashore. The change is very significant. It was not that the door of the synagogue was as yet finally shut to him, but it was closing.” 1
The house he went out of was no doubt the house of Simon Peter in Capernaum. That house became his Galilee headquarters. Today it has been excavated and is a well-known and established archaeological and tourist site in Israel.
We see here that Jesus sat down as he began to teach the people. While rabbis traditionally stood to read the scripture, they sat down to teach. We note that Jesus did this on several occasions (cf. 15:29; 24:3; 26:55; Lk. 4:20).2 It seems that Jesus had little time he could call his own. He went from one teaching and healing session directly to another. Apparently, there was not such a luxury as leisure time for the Master in his ministry.
“Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore” (13:2). Barker and Kohlenberger say, “This is the only one of the five major discourses in Matthew that is addressed to the crowds in general.” 3
Jesus created the world and he certainly knew that speaking from a boat over the water would produce an ideal situation so far as acoustics was concerned.4
As most of us know, the water itself carries sound very well. On the northwest side of the lake, there is a picturesque site known as the Bay of Parables. It is handily located between Capernaum and Tabgha (the old fishing hole). This is the traditional spot where it is thought that Jesus’ sermon took place. In recent years Israeli scientists have tested this spot and found that it has remarkable acoustics, insomuch that the human voice out on the water could have effortlessly reached thousands of people on the shore.5
The crowds were becoming so great that there was likely a problem of Jesus being jostled or crushed by the throngs trying to reach out to him. The marine pulpit took care of that problem very well.
“Then he told them many things in parables, saying: ‘A farmer went out to sow his seed’” (13:3). This was Jesus’ first use of a parable in Matthew.6 We might wonder exactly what a parable is, and why Jesus persisted in teaching this way. Parables were not new to the Jewish people, for their rabbis used parables before Jesus’ time.7 We might define a parable as an earthly story with a heavenly meaning. “Parables are short stories that use familiar scenes and everyday objects and relationships to explain spiritual truths.” 8 Parables helped the average person grasp abstract ideas and it helped the person to think deeply.
Parables were vivid pictures and no one before or after ever told parables like Jesus did. They abruptly knocked people off balance and shed new light on old truths. Edwards describes them, “like stained glass windows in a cathedral, dull and lifeless from the outside but brilliant and radiant from within.” 9 Jesus may have persisted in using these clever little stories for a number of reasons. Of course, they were the fulfillment of prophecy as we have said. They made complicated truths simple. Possibly they were meant to confound all the enemies who were listening in on his sermons. The very language of parables was unsuitable to the court charges the Pharisees and others wished to bring against Jesus.
This was a picture from everyday Galilean life. Jesus was surrounded by farming country. All around Capernaum, Chorazin and Tabgha there were farms with very fertile, black, volcanic soil, excellent for growing grains as we have mentioned in 4:12 & 12:1. Jesus was likely pointing to some nearby farmer who was scattering seed over his field. The sower in this parable no doubt had a bag of seed around his neck and was using his right hand to scatter the seed on his field.10 As a young boy on the farm I still remember my dad sowing seed in just this fashion. A little later he found an automated bag-like contraption that had a spreading wheel on the bottom with a hand crank attached to it. This was by far a more effective method of broadcasting or scattering seed.
Jesus here uses this picture to frame his parable. We might note that a parable is different from an allegory. Generally, a parable has one major point while an allegory may make points with every detail of the story.11 In this section, Jesus will use seven interrelated parables to make his points regarding the kingdom of God.
“As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up” (13:4). We have mentioned before how the little fields in those days were laid out in strips and that roadways were often established along these fields. The roadways or footpaths in time became hard with the pitter patter of many feet.
When the precious seed fell on the hard pathway they were totally exposed, making a quick and easy meal for the eagerly-watching birds. Again as a child on the farm I remember how flocks of birds seemed to gather around us at plowing and sowing times. In the case of this parable, the birds quickly ate the seed on the wayside and these seed were thus prevented from sprouting and bearing their fruit. We should note that birds in scripture are not presented in a particularly good light (cf. Gen. 15:11; Jer. 7:33; Ezek. 39:4, 17; Rev. 18:2). In this case they would be compared with Satan who is busy snatching the precious seed from hearts and minds.
“Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root” (13:5-6). There are a lot of rocky places in Israel. Quite often, otherwise fertile soil is literally covered with rocks. This is especially true throughout the hill country. Someone once quipped that Israel would be rich if she could only figure out a way to export rocks and her numerous political parties. While the abundance of rocks was a problem for ancient Israelite farmers, there is a strong possibility that the author is speaking here more of rock outcroppings with shallow soil on top of them. Morris says, “This will mean not ground littered with stones, but ground where the bedrock came close to the surface…” 12
In such an inhospitable place, the precious seed would no doubt spout quickly due to the heat generated by sun-scorched rocks and shallow soil. Then once the noonday sun bore down upon them they would wilt away due to lack of moisture. This picture is packed with a powerful message for the observant person.
“Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants” (13:7). Again, Israel has no lack of thorns and thistles. They were so prevalent that in the Hebrew language there are at least 14 different words for thorns and thistles. In a walk across the landscape one can see many varieties of these. There is the Syrian Thistle, the Globe Thistle, the abundant Milk Thistle, as well as many other types. Commentators have tried to identify exactly which thorn was used for a crown that was later placed on Jesus’ head but this is a futile effort.
In my early years as a farm boy I noted that the thistles and weeds often seemed to grow faster and taller than the grain crops. It was often my job to spend the day in the hot sun chopping down these persistent invaders. So we see here that the thorns and thistles outgrew the good seed and choked them out. The thorn bushes were especially hardy and it was necessary to dig them out by the roots in order to be rid of them.
“Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop— a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. Whoever has ears, let them hear” (13:8-9). Not all the seed sown were so unfortunate. Some seed fell on the good soil that was ready to receive them. There is some evidence that ancient farmers plowed their fields prior to sowing and it was not infrequent that they plowed again after sowing in order to protect the seed with a layer of soil.13 The protected and well-nourished seed came up and produced a bumper crop. Some have thought the 30, 60 and even 100-fold yields were a bit extravagant, but the writer Gustaf Dalman (1855-1941), who did extensive field work in Palestine, has noted that individual grains were able to produce ears with an average of thirty-five kernels. He noted that sixty was not out of the ordinary and that even some produced one-hundred-fold.14
Also, modern researchers have concluded that wheat heads can bear from 20 to 50 kernels with no problem.15 We might note that a 100-fold yield is a bit out of the ordinary and would surely be classed as a bumper crop or even as a bit miraculous. Pfeiffer and Harrison say, “The fertile soil of Galilee was capable of producing harvests of the magnitude mentioned here.” 16
We note that some seed fell on good, fertile and prepared soil. I remember again from my young days on the farm how we would work the soil with discs and harrows, sometimes driving the tractor all night, until the old clay clods became as fine as sand. My dad would then declare that we had a good “seed bed.” The soil was finally ready for the sowing.
Jesus challenged those with ears to hear. Not everyone had ears to hear as it still is today. It is interesting that in the Book of Revelation Jesus often uses this same expression about hearing (Rev. 2:7, 11, 17ff,). We can know by this that it is our Jesus who is still speaking to us in this wonderful book.
THE REASON FOR PARABLES
The disciples came to him and asked, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?” He replied, “Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them.” Matthew 13:10-11
Jesus was giving them the secret knowledge of the kingdom of God but that secret knowledge was not available to all. Therefore Jesus had to speak to the people in parables. In 1 Timothy 3:16, we realize that there is a mystery of godliness. On the other hand in 2 Thessalonians 2:7, we also realize that there is a mystery of iniquity, or secret power of lawlessness. It is important that we gain understanding in both these areas.
When the New Testament speaks of mystery it is not speaking of some deep, esoteric and hidden secret. It has no similarity to the many mystery religions of the Roman Empire or even with certain mystery organizations of the present time. Rather, it has to do with some glorious truth that was long concealed but is now clearly revealed by God.17 Barclay says of the mystery that it is, “…something meaningless to the outsider, but supremely precious to the initiate. In point of fact the Lord’s Supper is like that…Christianity can be understood only from the inside. It is only after personal encounter with Jesus Christ that a man can understand.” 18
Meyer exhorts us, “It is given to meek and teachable hearts to know the secrets of God. Let us draw near to the great teacher, the Holy Spirit, asking him to make us know the kernel and heart of the Word of God (cf. 1 Cor. 2:6).” 19 From this point on Jesus will be dealing in an increasing measure with his disciples and less with the crowds of people.20
“Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them” (13:12). This verse at first seems to defy our reason. We would naturally want to give less to the one who had more and more to the one who had less. However, in the kingdom of God things do not work that way. With a little thought we can glean the meaning here. For instance, someone who has dedicated his or her life to music and has developed a great skill in playing an instrument, can readily receive a newly-written masterpiece. That one will play it and cherish it, where one not so learned might spurn it completely. Spiritually speaking, Morris says “When anyone uses the spiritual truth he has, that truth grows. More is added to it. By contrast, if he does not use it, he finds that it vanishes away little by little…” 21
“This is why I speak to them in parables: ‘Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand’” (13:13). In this verse Jesus has reference to Isaiah 6:9-10, which he will later quote in full. In earlier times the people of Israel had heard and rejected the messages of her prophets until they had become spiritually blind and deaf. A very similar scenario was developing with the people of Jesus’ day, especially the “learned” leaders. We know from the rest of the New Testament that Jesus did not try to hide his message in such a way as to condemn the people. Peter tells us that the Lord “…is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance” (2 Pet. 3:9).
Barclay says, “…it cannot mean that Jesus deliberately delivered his message in such a way that people would fail to understand it. Jesus did not come to hide the truth from men; he came to reveal it.” 22 Parables allowed those with soft hearts to hear and those with hard hearts to be turned away empty. Guzik says, “The same sun that softens the wax hardens the clay; and so the very same gospel message that humbles the honest heart and leads to repentance may also harden the heart of the dishonest listener and confirm that one in their path of disobedience…” 23
It seems that Jesus spoke in parables partly to protect the people. The early church father Origen (c. 184- c. 253) said of this: “The Lord wanted to prevent the unready from being too speedily converted and only cosmetically healed.” 24 Also, the Master may have been offering the people an opportunity to dig deep in the word and find its truth, but he was at the same time allowing them to turn a blind eye if they wished and just pass it off as an interesting story. The parables were a means of protecting people from the condemnation of having too much truth dumped on them at one time. Jesus wanted only to give people what they could comfortably carry away. At the same time he wanted to hide the truth from those who were not open to his Holy Spirit.25
“In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah: ‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving’” (13:14.) It is only in Matthew that Jesus quotes the whole of Isaiah 6:9-10. The leaders of Israel could not hear and neither could they see the truth of Jesus. This very situation was later encountered in the ministry of Paul (cf. Acts 28:26-28).
We cannot help but see this situation reflected in our current society and church. At least in the Christian world there has never been in all history the exposure to God’s truth as we have it. Many, if not most Christians, even have the Bible on their iPhones. We have numerous copies of the Bible laying around our houses and an unlimited access to the Bible at various places on the Internet. Yet, many Christians greet all this with a big yawn.
The Barna Association has revealed the knowledge of the Bible among contemporary Christians as abysmal. Only half the Christians polled could identify Jesus as the one who delivered the Sermon on the Mount. Only three out of five could recall the first four books of the New Testament. When asked to quote a Bible verse, the most quoted response was “God helps those who help themselves.” This verse was actually written by Benjamin Franklin.26 A real prophet of the Lord would likely say of American Christianity “You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.”
At this point Jesus does not mention Isaiah 6:11-12. The prophet had asked how long this situation would continue. The answer was: “Until the cities lie ruined and without inhabitant, until the houses are left deserted and the fields ruined and ravaged, until the LORD has sent everyone far away and the land is utterly forsaken.” We know this exact thing happened to Israel twice in 586 BC and in AD 70. The Bible speaks as if it will also happen to the deaf and blind nations of the present world.
“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’” (13:15). The Greek word for calloused is epachunthē. It has the meaning of thick, fat, stout, or dull.27 This is the US today. Oh, if we only honored God and the Bible as much as we honor our cell phones, Facebook, and other electronic wonders, what glory would fall upon the church! An unknown author has penned the following:
I wonder what would happen if we treated our Bible like our cell phone? We would carry it everywhere we go, flip through it throughout the day. We would go home to get it if we forgot it. We would receive messages from the text. We couldn’t live without it. Parents would give it to their kids as gifts. It would be available for all emergencies and any or all conversations. One more thing, it would never be disconnected as Jesus has already paid the bill in full.
BLESSED EYES AND EARS
But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.” Matthew 13:16-17
Even the prophets themselves did not have access to Bible understanding as we have today. Peter says, “Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of the Messiah and the glories that would follow” (1 Pet. 1:10-11). He goes on to say that even angels desire to look into the things that are now revealed to us (v. 12). Even the great saints of old did not get to receive the things that are now given to us (Heb. 11:13). How blessed we are and how dare we to take all these things for granted.
THE PARABLE OF THE SOWER EXPLAINED
Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path. Matthew 13:18-19
There is a verse in Mark not found in Matthew or Luke that is very important to us. Here it is: “Then Jesus said to them, ‘Don’t you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable?’” (Mk. 4:13). This verse seems to indicate that the Parable of the Sower has within it the key for understanding other parables.28
Here the parable is explained leaving little guesswork. The Farmer is obviously the Son of Man as we see in the related Parable of the Weeds (Matt. 13:37). The seed is clearly the word of God (Lk. 8:11). The soils are the various conditions of people’s hearts.
We are told that some seed fell on the hard path or wayside. Immediately the evil one (pictured earlier as birds) snatched away the good seed that was sown. We can understand in this parable that the pathway was hard. It could not receive the precious seed that were strewn upon it. This is the picture of the hearts of millions today. There is no place for them to receive the Word of God.
The theologian Helmut Thielicke in his book The Waiting Father, describes such a one saying: “A person who is only a path through which the daily traffic passes, who is no more than a busy street where people go rushing by hour after hour and where there is never a moment of rest, will hardly provide the soil in which the eternal seed can grow. People who are always on the go are the most in danger…the Word of God is demanding. It demands a stretch of time in our day—even though it be a very modest one—in which it is our only companion.” 29
What can be done about the hard heart? The hard heart must be plowed and broken up. This implies a lot of pain and suffering. In Hosea 10:12 we are challenged: “Sow for yourselves righteousness, reap the fruit of unfailing love, and break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the LORD, until he comes and showers righteousness on you.”
From my early days on the farm I well remember un-plowed ground. It usually had a lot of stumps buried in it and it was quite an unpleasant task trying to break up such ground.
THE ROCKY GROUND
The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. Matthew 13:20-21
We are told that these on the rocky ground have no root. Since the twentieth century we in the West live in a rootless society. Children often live far away from their parents and their place of origin. This problem seems also to translate over into the spiritual realm. Even those who think they are rooted often have no root in themselves. They may have roots in their friends, their church or perhaps their pastor. They have no root that they can call their own. They are the kind of folks who are always taking their little cup to get it filled by others. Dear friends, it is going to take a lot more than a cupful of water to get us through what is coming. We need deep roots reaching down to the springs of living water; tapped into the river of life. That eternal spring is a firm relationship with Jesus the Savior.
The obvious problems we see here in these verses are affliction and persecution. We are told to expect such things, which will come upon us simply because we are Christians (cf. Mk. 8:34-38; Matt. 5:10-12; Lk. 6:22). In our modern and postmodern theology we have all but eliminated suffering, at least in the western world, and that is tragic.
The facts speak for themselves. In 1900, at the height of the Golden Age, 20 percent of the Middle East was still Christian, whereas today less than 2 percent is, and the Christian population is rapidly dwindling.30 Many of these Christians have either been killed by the Moslems or else they have escaped with but their lives. We should not be deceived and think that persecution is not coming our way soon. Wiersbe says, “Persecution can deepen the roots of a true Christian, but it only exposes the shallowness of the false Christian.” 31
Blomberg says, “The parable provides a sober reminder that even the most enthusiastic outward response to the gospel offers no guarantee that one is a true disciple.” 32 Jumping up and down and shouting “hallelujah!” will not necessarily insure that a person will stand firm when days of trouble arrive.
THE THORNS
The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful. Matthew13:22
I was once sitting on a rock meditating as I looked out on the Sea of Galilee. I suddenly realized that I had evidence of this parable all around me. I was sitting on a rock beside a road, while there before me was a collection of thistles all near the edge of a wheat field where the heads were happily growing. What a sight to be found sitting in the midst of a living parable!
These verses describe seed sown in the middle of thorns and thistles. The good seed are immediately choked out and they produce no fruit. All three Synoptic Gospels list some important items that could be classed among the “thorns” in our lives. The deceitfulness of wealth, the cares of the world, and the delight in pleasures and love of things are primary (Matt. 13:22; Mk. 4:19; Lk. 8:14). Many people today are seeking riches. I remember one promising preacher in my seminary days whose goal was to become a millionaire. I know that later things did not end well for him. The Bible says in 1 Peter 2:11, “Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul.” The Apostle Paul says in 1Timothy 6:10, “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.”
In the western world we have a great fascination with things and stuff. The new plastic “stuff” containers seem to fill up more and more aisles at the department stores. Our attics and even our garages are filled with stuff. In addition to our stuff we are filled with anxieties and cares of the world. In this age we are surely finding out how many things we can think about and handle at once; how many things we can accomplish at one time through multi-tasking. We are a complicated and busy mess. Yet, in all our thoughts there is no room for God (Psa. 10:4).
Jesus once told about two women, Martha and Mary. When Jesus visited in their home Martha was very busy with all the serving and meal preparation. She grew quite agitated with her sister who was sitting at the feet of Jesus listening to him. Finally she asked Jesus to rebuke her sister for not helping. “Martha, Martha, ‘the Lord answered,’ you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her” (Lk. 10:41-42).
Jeremiah has a solution to the problem of thorns. He says simply “…do not sow among thorns” (Jer. 4:3). If we are exercising good stewardship of the land there will be no thorns or thistles. Several church fathers give us some advice in this area. The Great Augustine (354-430) says, “Cast away the stones from your field, and dig out the thorns. Be unwilling to have a ‘hard heart,’ such as makes the Word of God to no effect.” 33 Chrysostom (c. 347- 407) the “golden mouth” preacher declares, “When the word is choked, it is not merely due to the thorns as such, but to the negligence of those allowing them to spring up.” 34 Evagrius of Pontus (345-399) adds, “Weed out from your soul the undergrowth of sporadic desires, along with the thorns and tares of bad habits.” 35
THE GOOD GROUND
But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. Matthew 13:23
At last some seed fell on the good soil or the open and prepared heart. Barker and Kohlenberger describe the heart as “…the spiritual, intellectual, and volitional center of a person’s being, i.e., the whole person.” 36 The seed that fell on this good ground not only sprang up but produced a bumper crop.
Wiersbe says, “Not all true believers are equally as productive, but from every genuine Christian’s life, there will be some evidence of spiritual fruit.” 37 One thing seems obvious as we look at the world around us. The whole world is busy, busy, busy trying to produce fruit. It is almost impossible to keep living things from producing. This is the law of life and we need to take it to heart and apply the principle to our spiritual lives.
When the Lord of Creation returns he will be looking only for one thing – for fruit. We might ask ourselves how we are doing with that. Is there any fruit in our spiritual garden and on our spiritual tree? Do we have beautiful things like love, joy and peace hanging on our tree? Perhaps we are only producing crabapples and sour grapes. Will the Farmer of our souls be able to say, …“Well done, good and faithful servant!…” (Matt. 25:21)?
PARABLE OF THE WEEDS
Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.” Matthew 13:24-26
This parable tells us that all things are not sweetness and light. There are dark and evil forces at work in the world. These forces are always opposed to the kingdom of God. This evil work is headed up by Satan. Wiersbe says of him: “Satan is primarily an imitator. He plants false Christians, he encourages a false growth, and he introduces false doctrine.” 38 This parable is found only in Matthew and is thoroughly explained in verses 36-43. The parable seems to have a very strong eschatological emphasis about it.39
We note that much enemy activity takes place in the night or in the darkness while the righteous are at rest. Commentators seem pretty much agreed that the weeds or tares (Gk. zizania) sown by the evil one are known as darnel. In its early stages it is practically indistinguishable from wheat.40 This is a form of ryegrass that can only be differentiated from wheat when the ear appears. Unlike wheat, the staple of ancient life, this plant is poisonous.41 Sowing darnel in a person’s field was considered as a criminal offense and was punishable by Roman law.42
“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?’ ‘An enemy did this,’ he replied. ‘The servants asked him, “Do you want us to go and pull them up?”’” (13:27-28 ). This is an accurate picture of how wealthy landowners controlled most land in the Roman Empire. The estates were worked by peasants, slaves and tenant farmers. The people listening to Jesus would have readily identified with this picture.43
Although the peasants, slaves or tenant farmers were willing to go through the field and pull up the darnel, the owner was not willing to take such an approach. Actually, trampling through the wheat looking for darnel would have destroyed much of the crop. Also, the stronger roots of the darnel would have entangled themselves with the wheat making such weeding impossible.44
The servants here were asking a very important question. Osborne comments, “The servants: in this parable raise one of the toughest questions ever posed; If God is good and all-powerful, where does evil come from, and why is evil permitted?” 45 To answer this question we must go back to the rebellion of Satan and the fall of the human race in the Garden of Eden. Because of these events there is evil in the world. There will continue to be evil until the end of this present age when evil will be totally abolished.
“‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. 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’” (13:29-30). We have a deep biblical principle given to us here. The principle is that wheat and tares must grow together in the kingdom until the end of the age. Wheat and tares must grow together in the church as well. There will always be hypocrites in the church. Utley says, “One of Satan’s most effective schemes is religion.” 46 The righteous and the wicked will not be separated until the end of the age. The good-for nothing darnel will be tied in bundles and used for firewood and the precious wheat will go into the barn. We cannot overlook the fact that this “harvest” was a common metaphor for the final judgment (Jer. 51:33; Hos. 6:11; see also Rev.14:14-16).47 The spiritual implications of this parable will be fully explained in verses 36-43, so we must be careful not to get ahead of ourselves.
PARABLES OF THE MUSTARD SEED AND YEAST
He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches. Matthew 13:31-32
The theme of almost all of Jesus’ parables is the kingdom of God. The kingdom is presented in many ways and with various unforgettable pictures. Here it is presented as a mustard seed, something exceedingly small, but something that grows to unbelievable heights, even to the point of harboring birds. We would have to think that the mustard seed is a favorite illustration of Jesus since he uses it in several places (cf. Matt. 13:31; 17:20; Lk. 13:19; 17:6). We must always remember in kingdom work not to despise the day of small things (Zech. 4:10).
Jesus says that the mustard is the smallest of seeds. He is here giving us a lesson on the kingdom and not a lesson in horticulture. If we were to compare seed from all over the world the mustard would not be the least. Jesus is dealing in the practical realm with the type seed with which the Galilean farmers were acquainted. In their realm of experience the mustard seed was the smallest seed they ever planted in their gardens.48
The mustard seed is something that is tiny but something that grows and grows to the size that no one can miss it. In the early spring, the Galilee in many places is covered with wild mustard (sinapis aurensis). Many fields are almost solid yellow in color. Some of the plants can grow higher than as a man’s head and yes, the birds do come and light in them. In fact, there is no lack of birds because they seem to like the little mustard seeds.
So many times through history the church has seemed weak and insignificant and then suddenly a great revival and awakening breaks out and multiplied thousands are swept into the kingdom. Or think how often a very weak Christian becomes filled with the Spirit to the point of accomplishing great and unimaginable things for God? This is the mustard seed factor at work. Jesus once said that if we could have faith like a tiny grain of mustard seed we could command the mountain to be moved and it would take flight (Matt. 17:20). We do not get the impact of this statement until we realize that Jesus was standing on the Mount of Olives, probably the second most important mountain in the whole world and the very mount from which he would later ascend to heaven. He was obviously referring to it.
“He told them still another parable: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about sixty pounds of flour until it worked all through the dough’” (13:33). Once more, as in the previous parable, we see “the remarkable pervasiveness of a small agent.” 49 Leaven is quite often a symbol of evil in the Bible, but here it is a symbol of good. The gospel of Christ had a very small beginning, first with the Lord alone and then with his twelve disciples. Even those disciples expressed a small amount of faith in the Lord’s program. Nevertheless, the tiny kingdom had a slow but steady growth until it one day overcame the whole Roman Empire. Now it encompasses the earth.
The great odds of this small kingdom influencing the whole world are seen in the ratios mentioned. The yeast was indeed a small amount. On olden times it was just a bit of sour dough left over from the last baking. But the flour was a huge amount. The NIV here has it as sixty pounds. It would have made enough bread to feed about a hundred people.50 Clarke comments, “Both these parables are prophetic, and were intended to show, principally, how, from very small beginnings, the Gospel of Christ should pervade all the nations of the world, and fill them with righteousness and true holiness.” 51 Blomberg simply says, “One day God’s causes will triumph…” 52
“Jesus spoke all these things to the crowd in parables; he did not say anything to them without using a parable” (13:34). By speaking this way, Jesus was fulfilling a prophecy about himself. As we have mentioned, Jesus could not speak the truth plainly to the people of his day. Had he done so, it would have only brought condemnation to them. They and their leaders were so far removed from the kingdom of God that the only thing the Lord could use to lure them back was the vivid pictures of parables. In these parables were deep secrets hidden from the world’s foundation. These secrets would be available and plain to those with open hearts.
“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’” (13:35). Here the Lord is quoting Psalm 78:2. Jesus had the right and authority to utter things hidden from the foundation of the world. After all, it was Jesus, the powerful Word of God, who established the world in the first place (Jn. 1:3). We are blessed today as we meditate on the Lord’s words to have the deepest secrets of life revealed to us.
EXPLANATION OF THE PARABLE OF THE WEEDS
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.” Matthew 13:36
Even the disciples had questions in their minds about this parable. Often they were a little fearful to ask Jesus about his teachings but they got up their nerve here. We remember from the parable above that the good seed was sown in the field but while the farmers slept an enemy came and sowed the cursed darnel in the same field. We remind ourselves that Jesus was making an eschatological emphasis and was speaking about events that would happen at the end of the age.53
“He answered, ‘The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the people of the kingdom. The weeds are the people of the evil one, and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels” (13:37-39). Here we undoubtedly have one of the simplest and most complete interpretations found anywhere in the Bible. The Son of Man sows the good seed, or the people of the kingdom, in the world. The enemy, the devil, comes secretly and sows the weeds, his own people. Both these crops await the end of the age when the angels will separate them eternally. This is the simple truth stated in such a plain manner that it should not be confused.
We should be careful to note that the field is the world and not the church. Since the church, like the great net of God, is always sweeping in people from the world, some evil seed will end up there. That is still not the point of the parable.54 Coffman says, “The fact that the tares did not appear until fruit was ‘brought forth’ (Matthew 13:26) shows that they were indistinguishable from the wheat until that time, a fact strongly indicating that they were ‘in the church,’ else they could not have been confused with the wheat.” 55
Since the field is actually the world it is an indication to us of how widely distributed the sons and daughters of the kingdom really are.56 Of course, the opposite is also true in that the children of wickedness are also distributed throughout the world. Evil is a global problem, but the kingdom of God is also global in its scope. The day is coming when “…the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD as the waters cover the sea” (Hab. 2:14).
The angels of God are closely associated with the consummation in scripture (16:27; 24:31; 25:31-32).57 We see elsewhere that they someday will pluck evil people out of the world and leave the righteous to shine in God’s kingdom (13:43).
“As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. 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. They will throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (13:40-42). We must remember that the earth and everything in it belongs to the Lord (Psa. 24:1). When the Lord returns he will be coming to reclaim his world. The angels will gather the wicked out of it and the righteous will be left to administer the world in righteousness. This was the very thing that Adam once failed to do. As we can see, this teaching is quite far removed from current ideas of the Pre-Tribulation Rapture, where it is the Christians who will be removed from the earth.
Like in the original parable the poisonous darnel (wicked people) will be taken out, bound together and burned. The evil weeds were used as kindling for the furnace in a land where wood was often in short supply.58 This is not a pretty picture of the state of lost people but it is a stern challenge for them to repent and turn to the Lord for salvation.
“Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears, let them hear” (13:43). How this scripture reminds of others in the Bible. Jesus once said, “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth” (5:5). The Psalmist assures us: “The righteous will inherit the land and dwell in it forever” (Psa. 37:29). The author of Proverbs states, “The righteous will never be uprooted, but the wicked will not remain in the land” (Prov. 10:30). All this tells us that we have not given enough attention to the present earth and the new earth that God is making. What Adam failed to do, redeemed humanity will do through the Messiah. They will reign on the earth forever and ever (Rev. 22:5). We must remember that heaven and earth will apparently be joined together in the last days. The theologian Anthony Hoekema says: “Since God will make the new earth his dwelling place, and since where God dwells there heaven is, we shall then continue to be in heaven while we are on the new earth. For heaven and earth will then no longer be separated, as they are now, but will be one (see Rev. 21:1-3).” 59
VARIOUS OTHER PARABLES
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. Matthew 13:44
Jesus now gives us some short parables that are only found in the Book of Matthew. In the time of Jesus there were no banks such as we know them today. People could put their money with money changers and that was relatively safe and productive. They could invest it in land or slaves. Otherwise, they either had to hide it somewhere in their house our outside in the ground. France tells us, “Valuables such as coins or jewels were often hidden in a jar in the earth (cf. 25:25).” 60 Sometimes people would hide their treasures in order to elude invading soldiers and armies. Often, the people did not survive or return to take them up again. So, stories of buried treasure were popular, especially with the poorer folks.
Osborne tells us: “According to rabbinic law, if a worker came across buried treasure in someone else’s field and lifted it out, the treasure would belong to the owner. In this story, the laborer was careful not to lift out the treasure.” 61 Rather, he went and bought the field, making sure that the treasure was his.
Some have argued about the morality of such an act as this. We must remind ourselves that this parable is not about morality or the legality of the man’s actions.62 Rather, it is about the eagerness and excitement of finding the kingdom of heaven. In 1863, Edwin Hodder penned the words to this lovely hymn.
Your word is like a garden, Lord,
with flowers bright and fair;
and everyone who seeks may pluck
a lovely cluster there.
Your word is like a deep, deep mine;
and jewels rich and rare
are hidden in its mighty depths
for every searcher there.63
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it” (13:45-46). People in the ancient world highly valued pearls. They thought of them as the loveliest possessions of all. Barclay says, “In the ancient world pearls had a very special place in men’s hearts. People desired to possess a lovely pearl, not only for its money value, but for its beauty…They found an aesthetic joy simply in possessing and looking at a pearl. The main sources of pearls in those days were the shores of the Red Sea and far-off Britain itself, but a merchant would scour the markets of the world to find a pearl which was of surpassing beauty.” 64 A pearl was not just an inanimate thing but it represented life and the overcoming of difficulties. This aspect of pearls no doubt figures into the fact that the Holy City is said to have giant pearls as its gates (Rev. 21:21).65
The merchant seeking precious pearls would stop at nothing. He would literally search the known world for his prize. No cost was too great for him. What a picture of those who are intent upon seeking the kingdom of heaven, for it is much more valuable than the most precious pearl. Such a heavenly searcher must be willing to give up or sell everything to make such a purchase (cf. Prov. 3:13-15; Psa. 19:10).
Meyer says, “Man cannot be happy without God. He goes from philosophy to philosophy, from system to system, turning over the pearls on the dealer’s trays; but suddenly his listlessness is transformed to eagerness as he discovers the Christ. Here is the pearl of great price. He has sought and found, and is prepared to renounce all (See Philippians 3:7).” 66
“Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish” (13:47). What we have described here is the Seine or Dragnet. It was shaped like a long wall, about 820-984 ft. (250-300 m.) in length and 10-13 ft. (3 to 4) meters in height. The net was weighted on the bottom and had floats on the top. For the larger nets it took about 16 men to handle them. A boat would take the net out and set it in place, then at the given time the men would begin to haul in the net. A good catch might bring in several hundred kilos of fish (1 kilo = 2.2 lbs.), and the procedure could be repeated as much as eight times in a day’s fishing.67
Jesus’ point is that the kingdom of God is much like this ancient Dragnet. It brings in all kinds of fish and sea creatures. We are not to assume that all the fish in the net were kept nor are we to assume all those dragged in by the kingdom net will be saved.
“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” (13:48). This parable is very similar in structure and theme to the parable of the weeds that we discussed earlier.68 As we can see, the bad fish and the tares are comparable.
My friend, Mendel Nun, from the Israel fishing kibbutz of En Gev, was the resident expert on fishing in New Testament times. He tells us that the bad fish was the catfish (Claris lazera). Since this fish had no scales it was unclean for Hebrew fishermen (Lev. 11:9). On several occasions I have gone to the fishing hole at Tabgha only to see large catfish thrown up on the shore to decompose. The catfish was the largest original fish in the lake.69
We should note that in this parable we have pictures of the final judgment, just as we had in the Parable of the Tares. Once the net was in, the fishermen sat down and began to sort the fish. They placed the good or kosher fish in containers and threw the bad fish away.
Barnes says, “Our Savior never fails to keep before our minds the great truth that there is to be a day of judgment, and that there will be a separation of the good and the evil.70
Coffman comments on this verse saying:
Both in this and in that of the tares is stressed the puzzling containment within the church herself of both good and bad elements. This ought not, however, to appear overly strange to students of the Word of God, because: (1) there was a Ham in the ark; (2) a Judas among the Twelve; (3) a man of sin in the temple of God; (4) a mystery Babylon within the historical perimeter of the church; (5) Esau contended with Jacob in the very womb of Rebekah… 71
As in the other parables, all seed sown do not produce fruit. We know in other respects that all things conceived do not come to birth. So, we see that all fish in the great kingdom net are not clean or kosher. All “Christians” will not be saved. This information should cause us all to strive for holiness and purity in our Christian lives.
“This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous and throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (13:49-50). Perhaps we should clarify what the Bible means when it speaks of the present evil age (Gal. 1:4) and the age to come (Mk. 10:30). These ages are presently overlapping. The present evil age is ruled by Satan but the age to come will only be ruled by Christ. Satan and his evil angels will have made their permanent exit to Hell. Sometimes it is very confusing as we are children of the age to come but still we are living in the present evil age. The present evil age will end in judgment upon the wicked and upon Satan himself. The wicked will be plucked out of the earth and the righteous will be left. They will then shine as the stars forever and ever (Dan. 12:3).
The subject of Hell is not a popular one today. In fact, many would deny that there is such a place. Even some Christians deny that it exists. Hell received its name from the Hebrew Gehenna (Valley of Hinnom) on Old Jerusalem’s south side. Because of its false worship, the valley was eventually made into a garbage dump, that smoldered constantly as the maggots and vermin worked in it from underneath. It became a picture of the final judgment and of Hell.72
When we look at nature we realize that waste is produced from the tiniest cell to the largest creature. We see the picture of rotting and decaying throughout the natural world. We therefore should not be surprised that the same thing is true in the spiritual world. Hell is literally the garbage dump of humanity, society and souls. All who are worthless to God’s great purposes are dumped there. Isaiah says, “And they will go out and look on the dead bodies of those who rebelled against me; the worms that eat them will not die, the fire that burns them will not be quenched, and they will be loathsome to all mankind” (Isa. 66:24).
Hell will be a place of eternal loss and eternal regrets. What could be worse than to be cut off eternally from all that is good and meaningful? It will thus be a place of weeping and gnashing of teeth (8:12; 13:30, 42; 25:31ff.).
“‘Have you understood all these things?’ Jesus asked. ‘Yes,’ they replied. He said to them, ‘Therefore every teacher of the law who has become a disciple in the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old’” (13:51-52). Jesus may have had reference to the scribes when he spoke this. The scribes would soon pass away with the destruction of the temple. However, Jesus here seems to be designating his disciples as their spiritual replacement.
Osborne says, “The disciples had gained this treasure through Jesus’ instruction, so they were able to understand and use the best of older wisdom as well as the new insights that Jesus brought to them.” 73 It is interesting that both ancient and modern commentators have seen represented in this verse the Old Testament and the New Testament. It was Augustine of Hippo (354-430) who originated the little phrase: “The New is in the Old concealed; the Old is in the New revealed.” 74
This scripture should alert us to the importance of the Old Testament. There are many deep truths brought out from this book in the New Testament. We are experiencing an almost total neglect of this old book in our churches today. The pastor and evangelist Ray Stedman once said: “Everywhere I go, I am saddened and depressed by the biblical ignorance of church members. There is a terrible biblical illiteracy across the face of this apparently Christianized nation. People have only the most superficial knowledge of the scriptures… One man said, ‘I thought Dan and Beersheba were husband and wife, like Sodom and Gomorrah.’” 75
PROPHET WITHOUT HONOR
When Jesus had finished these parables, he moved on from there. 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. Matthew 13:53-54
Commentators are not certain that this visit to Nazareth is the same as the one recorded in Luke 4:16-30. In that visit the people of the city tried to murder Jesus by throwing him off the mountain on which the city was located. If it is a second visit to Nazareth we would have to conclude that Jesus was a very brave man to go back there again.
It is clear from Mark 6:3, that Jesus initially continued on with the carpentry trade of his father Joseph. The trade was probably quite good since the new city of Sepphoris was being built very close by. Nazareth itself was a small village with no more than 1600-2000 inhabitants. 76 The word for carpenter (Gk. tekton) could also mean stone mason.77 It is reported that the evil ruler Julian the Apostate once asked a Christian “What do you think the carpenter’s son is doing now?” The answer was shot back quickly, “Making coffins for you and all his enemies.” 78
In verse 54 we read that they were amazed at Jesus and his teaching. The word “amazed” does not really convey the meaning of the Greek ekplesso used here. It means to strike out of one’s senses, to be struck with a blow or to be stunned.79 They were stunned at Jesus’ wisdom and they could not reconcile the fact that he was a mere carpenter whom all of them had known in the past. There is the old adage, “Familiarity breeds contempt.” Phillips Brooks says it another way: “Familiarity breeds contempt, only with contemptible things or among contemptible people.”
“Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? Isn’t his mother’s name Mary, and aren’t his brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas? Aren’t all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?” (13:55-56). In this verse we have the best New Testament information on the family of Jesus. He had four brothers and we have their names here. James after his conversion went on to head the Jerusalem church and Judas or Jude wrote the little epistle in his name. We have no biblical information on the other two. According to custom, his sisters are not named and we do not know exactly how many they were. No doubt they were all married by this time. The humble life of Jesus had tripped up the people so that they were envious and even angry. Coffman says, “It was illogical. Strange that Nazareth should have rejected the Holy One who was welcomed with ‘Hosannas’ in Jerusalem…” 80
“And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, ‘A prophet is not without honor except in his own town and in his own home.’ And he did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith” (13:57-58). The reaction of the people of Nazareth was an old, old story in Israel. The great prophet Jeremiah was rejected by those in his hometown and even by the members of his family (Jer. 12:5-6).81 Mark’s gospel notes that Jesus laid his hands on a few sick folks and healed them (Mk. 6:5). Today a minister would be lauded to high heaven if he could lay hands on the sick and have them immediately healed.