Download DAY TWO: Matthew 13: 3-9 and 18-23 “The Parable of

Matthew 13
Oct 14, 2007
Sadly, we have just experienced in chapter 12 the rejection of the Messiah by the religious leaders
This is the one of whom they have longed and of whom they have searched the scriptures to know about;
yet when He came they ‘knew’ intellectually but they ‘knew not’ spiritually of what they had read. Are
you like that? Have you been longing to ‘know’ the Messiah yet when you learn of Him you ‘know not’?
Jesus said “come unto Me”. Will you come unto Him and really know Him? Chapter 13 will reveal the
reason why many ‘know’ intellectually but ‘know not’ spiritually. As you read, ask the Holy Spirit to
illumine you as what He would have you to ‘know’ about the “Expected One” as Malachi calls the
Messiah.
Teachers: As you read, ask the Holy Spirit to illumine you as to (1) one central truth that each parable is
attempting to teach; (2) how much is interpreted by Jesus; (3) clues within the parable for its meaning; (4)
how does it compare to the rest of scripture.
Note that this chapter begins that Jesus went out of the house and sat by the seaside. He did this both
literally and figuratively. He had told his disciples that they were only to go to the “House of Israel” but
after His rejection He will now move from the House of Israel to the Gentiles. He had taught in the
synagogue but no longer is He welcome and so will take his teaching to other avenues: houses, roads,
meadows, hillsides and the seashore. It is here that He will continue to preach/teach the message of the
kingdom of heaven, but it will be done so that those with open hearts and ears will receive it and will be
concealed from those who would reject it. His use of parables began only used after His rejection by the
religious leaders.
PRINCIPLES: Jesus speaks in parables revealing truth to a softened heart and concealing truth from a
hardened heart. Remember Matt 13:10-17 tells us that parables are only understood by Christ’s disciples
Our AIM this week is to see that we must have softened hearts to receive God’s truth.
DAY ONE: This section of Matthew includes “didactic parables”; that is: those intended for instruction
and teaching a moral lesson.
1. Before we begin processing this chapter we must have some foundational principles by which to abide.
What is a parable? Use your www.nextbible.org to learn its meaning.
parabole <3850> a placing of one thing by the side of another, a comparing, comparison of one thing with
another, likeness, similitude, an example by which a doctrine or precept is illustrated, a parable: an earthly
story with a heavenly meaning
By teaching using parables He used earthly things to convey a spiritual or heavenly meaning that cannot
be said any other way; He used pairs for the purposes of contrast; He had one basic lesson; He purpose
was not to teach doctrine although it may illustrate a doctrinal principle (ex. hardened hearts do not
receive the truth of the gospel).
2. Secondly, prior to this time, Jesus had taught plainly the spiritual principles, but now will teach using a
new method. Note the question that the disciples asked in vs. 10. What reasons did Jesus give for this
change? vs. 11-15. The disciples listened attentively and afterwards asked Jesus “why do you speak in
parables to the people”… giving us a hint that it was obvious to them as well as to the audience that the
people were as we say “in the dark”. Jesus, using scripture as He always does, gave this expanded reason:
a.The mysteries that have been hidden from OT times are now being revealed to the listeners, namely
the disciples and any other hearts that are open.
b.For whosoever has, more will be given. The disciples had been given the glorious revelation of the
Messiah and now He will bridge that gap to an even deeper depth to give them more insights to the
kingdom
c.It fulfilled prophecy from Is. 6:9 Isa 6:9 He said, "Go and tell these people: 'Listen continually, but
don't understand! Look continually, but don't perceive!'
Matthew 13
Oct 14, 2007
d.The people’s hearts were hardened, the religious leaders hearts were hardened. Thus the parables
revealed two aspects of God: (1) His judgment upon their hearts and (2) His grace to those whose
hearts would be opened.
3. Thirdly, in digesting a passage, stop long enough to see what is a repeated theme. Read the entire
chapter looking for and boxing in or underlining repeated words. From that, what did Jesus keep saying
over and over to his listeners? Jesus kept saying over and over “hear”, He who has ears to hear, let him
hear meaning that if you have the capability to hear and understand you should take that advantage and
use it fully.
Barnes writes that the expression “he who has ears to hear…” is a proverbial expression, implying that it
was every man’s duty to pay attention to what was spoken
Hampton Keathley IV , Th.M.writes: When you understand this, the miracles which involved restoring
sight to the blind take on new significance. They become physical symbols of the spiritual blindness of
Israel. The reason Jesus told the parables was to hide the truth from those with hard hearts who did not
want to hear the truth and did not want Jesus as their Messiah. They were looking for a different type of
Messiah. They wanted one who would come in and defeat their earthly enemies right then. But while He
was hiding the truth from the hard hearted, he was also revealing truth to those who had open hearts and
were willing to accept the truth, even if it was not what they expected.
http://www.bible.org/page.php?page_id=2251#
4.Ponder vs 12b. After you have read and tried to dissect the “Parable of the Sower/Soils” come back and
see if you can answer this: How can anyone have nothing and still have it taken away? Use the context of
the parable of the sower/soils and the seed to help you come to some conclusions. *Note: not all
commentators have a simple answer to this statement* Rule #1 in searching scripture, stay in the
context to get the meaning…the context is the parable of the soils/sower.
As we read the parable of the soils, we see that the gospel was given to each heart but only one responded
to the message. So the seed was there but they did not have it, it never germinated, in the first section of
the parable, so they never truly had it, and in the rocky soil and the thorny soil, the seed germinated for a
bit and then died for a lack of nutrition, water, whatever was necessary for fruit. It remained in a state
where there could be no fruit. Jesus gives the reasons in His interpretation, which we will see below. So
even that seed was taken from them and as Jesus says in the Parable of the Talents, given to
another...namely the gospel given to the Gentiles until the time of the Gentiles be fulfilled. This should
not make us as Gentiles proud, but rather humbled. It could be taken from us just as easily. We are grafted
in as Paul writes in Romans, and that graft can fail if we fail to respond with soft hearts to hear and
respond to the gospel message. For what reason has this been done?
Rom 11:10 let their eyes be darkened so that they may not see, and make their backs bend
continually."
Rom 11:11 I ask then, they did not stumble into an irrevocable fall, did they? Absolutely not! But by their
transgression salvation has come to the Gentiles, to make Israel jealous.
. Hampton Keathley IV , Th.M. writes: Matt 13:12 says, “what they have shall be taken away...” What
is it that they don’t have? Spiritual insight. What will be taken away? Their responsibility. Because they
rejected Jesus, their responsibility to reach the world - bless the world would be taken from them and
given to others - the church.
**PICK ONE PARABLE AND DO THE QUESTIONS SURROUNDING THAT PARABLE, IF YOU
HAVE TIME DO THE OTHERS AS WELL—SHARING IS IMPERATIVE**.
Matthew 13
Oct 14, 2007
DAY TWO: Matthew 13: 3-9 and 18-23 “The Parable of the Sower/Soils”
Read both the parable and the interpretation. Then answer these questions.
a. Who is the sower? The original sower was Jesus Christ who left heaven to sow His word amongst
men, but later it is also men who have been given the “keys to the kingdom” , the mysteries that have
been unlocked so that others may know. There are some keys to sowing by which we should abide:
(1) we should sow only the pure milk of the Word, later sowing the meat of the Word 1Pe 2:2 And
yearn like newborn infants for pure, spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up to salvation, Heb
5:13 For everyone who lives on milk is inexperienced in the message of righteousness, because he is
an infant. And going back to Heb. 5:12 You have gone back to needing milk, not solid food. Heb 5:14
But solid food is for the mature,
(2) sow with tears: Psa 126:5 Those who shed tears as they plant will shout for joy when they reap the
harvest. Psa 126:6 The one who weeps as he walks along, carrying his bag of seed, will certainly come
in with a shout of joy, carrying his sheaves of grain.
(3) sowing is a team effort: 1Co 3:9 We are coworkers belonging to God. You are God's field,
(4) sowing and reaping take time: Jam 5:7 So be patient, brothers and sisters, until the Lord's return.
Think of how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the ground and is patient for it until it receives
the early and late rains.
b. What is the seed? The seed is the gospel message, the word of the kingdom according to vs 19. Why a
seed? It may be small but it has the power to reproduce many other seeds if given the right
environment. It has life and it bears fruit. What a perfect picture to use.
c.
How can you be sure you are a tilled soil? Ps 1:2-3, Ps 119:7-8, Jn 14:15 what are the percentages
yields for each good soil1 _______. 2 ________, 3 _________
(1)the soil along the walking path: this is the one whose heart is hardened to the word. He hears the
gospel message, but rejects it and what little he does hear the enemy snatches away before it can
germinate. Note that Jesus says it was in “his heart” the seat of understanding spiritual matters. But, just
as the ground was hard, so his heart was hard.
(2)The soil along the rocky path: he hears the word of the gospel message and receives it with joy….but
it does not take root. When tribulation comes or persecution comes, it is much more convenient to
abandon it. The road is too hard. They have not counted the cost of being a fruit bearer in the kingdom.
They will be the ones who will hear these words: “I never knew you”.
(3)The soil with thorns is the man who hears the word, receives it, but when he measures his “vices”
against the Word, the vices are more important. In talking to one person one time about their “vice” of
smoking this is what they said: “Everyone has a vice”… we may have vices, but it is what we do with
them that matters, do you nourish them or give them away to Jesus so you can be pure? It is interesting to
see how Satan blinds the minds to the truth of the real crux of the matter, which is a hardened heart. In a
time of choice, this person openly chose the vice over the purity of Jesus. In this parable picture the
person is nourishing not the Word but the vice. The vices/thorns chokes out the Word and its benefits and
thus becomes unfruitful. What does that mean? It means that they had the ability to bear fruit but willingly
chose not to. They allowed the “vices” or thorns to crowd out the truth of the Word. They will be like the
rich young ruler who had the riches but when Jesus told him to give them away he left saddened. The
riches were more valuable than the kingdom of God.
(4) the good soil. This is the soil that was tilled, softened, plowed and ready for the sower to plant the
seed. But, we note that the soil bears different quantities of fruit. So what does each “fold” represent?
Here are some ideas on what that might mean and look like:
The 30fold: or 30 times increase or 3000 % increase or yield This is the Christian who has the
blessings of salvation but their fruit is very small, but still worthwhile as fruit. We are NOT to judge their
heart, only God can look within and see the reasons why. However, that being said, Jesus said we would
be known by our fruits and this person is known by his/her 30fold fruit. They may not have the tools,
they may not have the desire, they may have been saved late in life or some other reason. OR They have
Matthew 13
Oct 14, 2007
the tools but refuse to and willingly choose not to study. These could be the ones who come to SS and
church to “get their ticket punched”, often there every time the door is open but come and then leave with
a bit of challenge which is quickly forgotten. They pick and choose what they want to hear and obey.
They have only “infant discernment” in terms of discerning truth from error. They are babes, satisfied to
feed on the milk sitting on the sidelines letting others do the teaching and work. They may be the ones
who love Jesus but do not know nor do they care to know the depth of the mysteries of the kingdom.
They are satisfied to remain an infant. Their seed is fruitful in the quantity of 30fold but it could be so
much more! Could it be that these are the ones who will see their works burned for they are wood, hay
and stubble?
The 60fold: or 60 times increase or 6000% increase or yield This is the Christian who is bearing
fruit but is appears to be without complete obedience; continually going back to Jesus and seeking
forgiveness for the same sin. These may be like the carnal Christian, always seeking the “rush” of the first
day they were saved. They are working and their work is good, but it could be so much better! This may
be the Christian who desires to do more but can’t seem to relinquish wholly their heart to the Lord and
thus their work comes in fits and spurts.
The 100fold: or 100 times increase or 100000% increase or yield This is the Christian who lives
fully obedient to God. They are fully surrendered, and because they are obedient, experiencing fruit. Their
lives are Spirit-filled, they are mature able to discern truth from error. We need to caution ourselves here
that we see that they are not sinless, but they are sin aware and they keep short accounts of this with God.
Think of the illustration of the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. They that have been redeemed will
come and sup with Jesus. Will you be the one bringing 30 others with you? Or 60 others with you? Or
100 others with you? What would you rather do?
A good book on this subject is Living on the Highest Plane by Ruth Paxson.
d. How can you be sure you are a tilled soil? Ps 1:2-3, Ps 119:7-8, Jn 14:15 The psalmist wrote that he
delighted in the word, meditating upon it day and night. Also, he resolved to praise God for the works that
He has done and will do in the future. He is obedient to the voice of the Spirit.
Psalm 1:2-3 he meditates on his commands day and night. [he] yields fruit at the proper time,
Psa 119:7 I will give you sincere thanks, when I learn your just regulations. Psa 119:8 I will keep your
statutes.
Joh 14:15 "If you love me, you will obey my commandments.
e.Who understood the parable and who did not and why did they not? After the interpretation Jesus asked
the disciples this question: Mat 13:51 "Have you understood all these things?" They replied, "Yes." Did
they really? Most likely not, we only have to watch them in the upcoming chapters to know that they did
not; but they knew that they understood the basics and that is the important step. The other step that
they took is that they sought out the Master to get the explanation. All mysteries are revealed to those
whose hearts are right and ready for hearing. The principle remains the same: he who has ears should
listen and it will be given unto them the understanding.
f.What is the spiritual principle Jesus was teaching in this parable? The principle is this: A softened heart
is ready to receive the truth of God and thus truth is revealed; a hardened heart is not ready to receive the
truth of God and thus truth is concealed.
g. How will you apply this principle to your life today? It is hoped that the student will re-evaluate his/her
life to see what kind of heart they have. All too often we become complacent in our walk with God and fail
Matthew 13
Oct 14, 2007
to see that our faith is being measured out Think of having a party for Jesus. Would you rather invite 30
guests to dine with Him? Or 60? Or 100?
h.
Don’t forget to do question 4!!! See the answer above.
DAY THREE: Matthew 13: 24-30 and 37-43 “The Parable of the Wheat and the Tares”
a. Who are the two sowers? The sower of good seed is the Son of man, the sower of tares is the
devil.
b. What are the two seeds? Also use: John 17 contrasted with 2 Cor 11:26; Gal 1:6-9, Rom 10:1-3,
Rev 2:9; 2 Thess 2:1-12. In Matthew we learn that the good seed are the children of the kingdom
and the tares are the children of the wicked one.
John 17:6 tells us about the good seed children: they are the children of the Master who are according to
They belonged to you, and you gave them to me, and they have obeyed your word and in vs 7: Now they
understand that everything you have given me comes from you,
In contrast the children of the wicked one are known by these descriptors:
2 Cor 11:26 “false brethren”;
Gal 1:6-9 pervert the gospel of Christ; preach any other gospel;
Rom 10: 1-3: being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own
righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.
Rev 2:9: are the synagogue of Satan.;
2 Thess 2:1-12 received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
c.What were the servants doing while the “enemy” sowed his seed? What lesson does this teach us about
“sleeping on the job”? Luke 22:46 in contrast to Ps 121:4 The servants were asleep. NOTE it was not the
landowner or the Master that was sleeping but His servants. We can learn a valuable lesson here from this
parable: He who sleeps is unaware of the enemy’s work and more open to the temptations of the evil one.
He who is diligent is aware and discerning of his tactics and perhaps might even be able to then thwart the
enemy’s work.
Proverbs calls these servants “slothful” Pro 24:33 Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the
hands to sleep:
Jesus asked the disciples (servants) this question: Luk 22:46 And said unto them, Why sleep ye? rise
and pray, lest ye enter into temptation.
In contrast to the servants who are sleeping “on the job”, Our heavenly Master: Psa 121:4 Look! Israel's
protector does not sleep or slumber!
d. When will the Son of Man reap the harvest; who will do His harvesting; what is the end result of the
harvest? The Master will send His reapers, the angels to do His harvesting. It will be done at the end of
the age. The end result is that the angels will go throughout the field and gather the tares and bundle them
and cast them into the furnace of fire where there will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. The angels also
gather the wheat and place them in His barn for safekeeping, away from the storms of life, the wicked that
would do them harm.
e. What is the spiritual principle from this parable? God allows counterfeit and true to grow alongside
each other until His appointed time. A 2nd principle is the one about sleeping: Diligence is required of
God’s servants. He who sleeps on the job is like a slothful person and more open to temptation.
Matthew 13
Oct 14, 2007
f. Using Matt 7:15, 1 Cor 1:18; 2:14; explain why non- believers find it difficult to see themselves as
“tares”.
Unbelievers miss the entrance gate into the narrow way to heaven or they ignore it; only a few are aware
of it; and they do not understand the things of God and in fact they see them as foolishness. This is why
Jesus taught in parables. Those that were not receptive to the things of God only saw them in this manner.
They could not nor would they ever see them as their only hope for eternal life. It is no different today
than in the time of Jesus. Today we hear phrases like “if religion is good for you , I am glad for you, but I
don’t’ need it” or “the Bible is so contradictory” or “I didn’t need God earlier in my life, why would I
need him now” or “Christianity is just a crutch” or ‘time is so short… I have to make hay now, I will do
it later”. Jesus said “today is the day of salvation” not tomorrow. He told a parable about the rich man
and his barns. He filled his barns for his retirement, but God called him a fool and said this day your soul
will be required of thee. You never know when tomorrow will never come.
Mat 7:14 But the gate is narrow and the way is difficult that leads to life, and there are few who find it.
1Co 2:14 The unbeliever does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him.
And he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.
1Co 1:18 For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are
being saved it is the power of God.
DAY FOUR: Matthew 13: 31-33 “Parables of Mustard Seed and Leaven”. Since Jesus did not
interpret these two parables, scholars differ on what He meant and we want to be cautious as well. As you
read this passage keep this in mind: In scripture there is what is called a “principle of “expositional
constancy.”” That is to say that the symbols Jesus uses are those that have a constant symbolic meaning
throughout all of scripture. Ex.: leaven represents sin; birds represent evil.
Tie what you learned in the parable of the wheat and tares with the two parables of the mustard seed/birds
and the woman/ leaven. If tares are evil, what might we surmise that Jesus is teaching about good and evil
in our world and why the scribes and Pharisees rejected Him and more importantly why people reject
today? It appears that all three are speaking of the wicked within our sphere. The tares are the children of
the wicked one, the birds nest in a tree which appears to be a mutant/abnormal for whatever reason. Being
so large it could accommodate the birds that are the wicked ones. OR the tree could represent the church
with the infiltration of the wicked counterfeit ones or it could mean just the opposite. The tree could be
the church and the birds the Gentiles. The leaven infiltrating the dough could represent the presence of the
wicked just as the tares infiltrated the field and were not noticeable until the sprouting. OR it could mean
just the opposite. We really do not know what Jesus meant. However, if it means that all three are pictures
of the wicked it could be telling us three ways the evil one will oppose the kingdom of God: false
Christians are the tares; hiding in the field, appearing to be like the Christians but in reality they are
counterfeit. The mustard tree and the birds could represent false growth much like our mega churches
today which are so large that they allow the counterfeit to “hide” within its walls unnoticed. The leaven
could represent false doctrine that has infiltrated the church. Paul said he was grieved that they so soon
had left the gospel that he had taught them. Today we see the gospel being diluted more and more and
more.
Whatever the meaning; the spiritual principle remains the same: Both true Christians and
counterfeit Christians will reside together until God’s appointed time; therefore true Christians
must be aware of their surroundings, be diligent to stay true; test the spirits; observe the
works/fruits; have open ears and hearts to the message of the Word.
DAY FIVE: APPLICATION TO TODAY Pick one to do and be ready to share in class
Matthew 13
Oct 14, 2007
From the Parable of the Sower/Soils we can see that he who has ears should and can hear. Also, it is the
condition of the soil/heart that receives or rejects the Word of God. Jesus told the disciples in vs 16
“blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear”. What is the condition of your soil today?
Will you receive a blessing? What comfort does John 17:17 bring; Only God knows the condition of our
hearts but we do have this blessing: we have the Holy Spirit residing within to bring conviction where sin
is residing and correct it if our heart is open to it.
From the Parable of the Wheat and Tares/ the Mustard Seed/ The Leaven we see that good and evil will
live side by side in our lives (inside and outside the church) from now until “harvest time”. We may not
know who is the real and who is the counterfeit but God knows. How can you be assured you are not the
counterfeit? 1 Jn 3:19-28; Rom 5:5; Mk 8:38, Heb 3:
1 John tells us that there are some evidences we can use to test whether we are counterfeit or real:
1. let us not love with word or with tongue but in deed and truth. by this we will know that we
are of the truth
2. if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God.
3. whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those
things that are pleasing in his sight.
4. we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ,
5. and love one another, as he gave us commandment. hereby we know that he abideth in us, by
the Spirit which he hath given us.
Paul writes in Rom 5:5 he love of God has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who
was given to us.
Mark 8:38 if anyone is ashamed [so do not be ashamed of Christ] of me and my words in this
adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when he comes in the glory
of his Father with the holy angels."
And the warning: Heb 3:15 that today you would listen as he speaks! Do not harden your
hearts as in the rebellion."