Matthew 13
In this chapter Jesus spoke seven parables. The first was about a sower going forth to sow. The next three show the results in man's (Satan's) hands, which form the vast generation of Christendom-the professing Christian world without life. The heart is reached and a profession is made, but without life and repentance. The last three show the good results of the seed-sowing in the Father's hand. All is after the death and resurrection of Christ.
In Matthew the Lord uses similitudes to teach about the kingdom of heaven. A similitude teaches us about something we do not understand, by comparing it to something we do understand. It often begins with the words "is like unto." The last six parables of this chapter are similitudes.
The sower sows seed for a new crop. The old crop, Israel, failed. Faithfulness was expected of them, but they had no power because the energy of man will not do for spiritual things. It must be the energy of the Holy Spirit in man. The new crop is heavenly, but formed on earth, in the kingdom of heaven. The work of the sower was not to find but to produce fruit in man.
The seed sown by the wayside was received in the heart. But it was caught away by Satan, because the person did not understand it and had no conscience or feeling. To enter into blessing with God we must, like the prodigal of Luke 15, repent of our sins and acknowledge that we are lost.
The next seed was sown in stony places. The heart received it with joy, but is was without deep root. It continued until persecution came because of the Word; then he was offended and it withered away.
Seed sown among thorns, being choked with the cares of this life and the deceitfulness of riches, became unfruitful. Many have been touched in their hearts, and have broken down under the Word of God at a gospel meeting, only to go back into the world to be lost forever. There is so much shallowness today that it is difficult to know who belongs to Christ.
The seed sown in good ground was like one who heard and understood the Word. (This is the Word, not a similitude.) To hear and understand is to receive the Word by faith in both heart and conscience.
Many prophets and righteous men desired to see what the disciples saw, but could not. The eyes and ears of the disciples were blessed because they saw and heard the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven.
Six Similitude of the Kingdom of Heaven
The first similitude likens the kingdom of heaven to a man who sowed good seed in his field, and while men slept, the enemy sowed tares among the wheat and departed. The religious world today is a mixed system which allows evil and good in the testimony of the kingdom of the heaven.
Christ did not sow the tares, but the kingdom fell into the hands of men under Satanic power and direction. When the wheat sprang up, so did the tares. The servants asked why the tares, when the good seed was sown in the field? He answered, "An enemy hath done this."
They asked if they should pull out the tares. He answered, "No, because you might pull out the wheat with the tares." There was no discernment on the part of the servants. He said, "Leave them until harvest time when the angels will gather the tares into bundles, to burn them," and He told them to gather the wheat into his barn. All would remain mixed until harvest. The time is near when the bundles will be gathered for burning and when, by the rapture, He will gather the wheat into His barn in heaven. The bundles are organizations that deny that Jesus is the eternal Son of God.
The kingdom of heaven is likened to a mustard seed, sown in the field. It is the least of all seeds, but when grown it is greater than herbs, for it becomes a tree for the birds to lodge in. The profession of Christianity has become like a great tree, spreading its branches far and wide. It has been filled with wicked spirits (birds) that control in the assembly that which in the beginning was controlled by the Holy Spirit. The tree of Christendom takes in every facet of false profession and provides a home for them.
Men have subjected themselves to the deceits of Satan, because of many inducements: money, position, honor and pleasure, to name a few. Sad that the professing church has fallen so low that it not only submits to worldly wickedness, but in some cases leads in it. The leaders must please the people or lose their jobs.
"The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened." The three measures suggest a limited part of the world, perhaps one third. The woman pictures that which goes on secretly in the house, hidden but evil. Leaven is a picture of evil working. Thus Christendom will be corrupted completely by idolatry and wicked spirits. As the fire in the oven stops the work of leaven in bread, so the fire of judgment stops the leaven of evil.
These first three similitudes show the progressive effects of the sowing of the seed in man's and Satan's hands. It progresses from tares, evil introduced, to the great mustard tree, making a home for evil, and finally to the leaven, where the whole of Christendom is leavened and becomes a habitation of wicked spirits. What began so beautifully at Pentecost has, after nearly two thousand years, become as the professing church, the habitation of demons (Rev. 18:22And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird. (Revelation 18:2)).
The seed sown on good ground bears fruit in varying measures, one hundredfold, sixtyfold, and thirtyfold, through the ones who hear and understand it. The varying amounts of fruit also picture the downward course that the testimony of the kingdom of heaven takes.
All these things Jesus spoke to the multitudes in parables, fulfilling the word of the prophet: "I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world."
Sending the multitudes away, Jesus went into the house of the kingdom, not the house of Jewish profession, where His disciples came to Him wanting to know the meaning of the parable of the tares. He tells them more than they ask.
•The Son of man sows the seed; the field is the world.
•The good seed are the sons of the kingdom of heaven.
•The tares are the sons of the wicked one.
•The enemy that sowed the tares is the devil.
•The harvest is the end of the age.
•The reapers are the angels.
•At the end of the age the tares will be gathered and burned in the fire.
•The harvest may cover an extended period.
The Son of man, at the end of the age, shall send forth His angels to gather out of His kingdom all offenses and those who practice lawlessness, and shall cast them into the fire where there will be weeping (remorse) and gnashing of teeth (insubjection). These angels are referred to as "His angels," for the Father had placed all things in the hands of the man Christ Jesus. At that time the righteous, those in the kingdom of heaven that have been saved during the Church period, will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father.
The first three parables are spoken to the multitudes by the sea (to the world). The last three parables are instruction for His disciples in the new house of the kingdom of heaven. These are given their character by the Holy Spirit and His view of the kingdom. It is the mind and the counsels of God.
In the first of the last three parables the kingdom of heaven is likened to a treasure hid in a field. When a man finds the treasure, he hides it and, for the Joy of it, sells all that he has and buys the field. He buys the whole world in order to have the treasure in it. May this truth touch our hearts.
A treasure may be composed of many pieces, but as a whole it is regarded as one treasure. While made up of many individuals, the Church is one treasure. Christ bought the world to have the treasure, and in that soon-coming day He will make it known that it belongs to Him. The Church will be on display as His treasure (2 Thess. 1:1010When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day. (2 Thessalonians 1:10); Eph. 3:2121Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen. (Ephesians 3:21)).
In the next parable the kingdom of heaven is likened to a merchantman who seeks good pearls. He finds one pearl of great price and sells all that he had and buys it. The one pearl is the Church, the body of Christ; it is meticulously formed in the water, the Word, with great care, until it reaches the size that is intended. The Church is washed in the water of the Word (Eph. 5:20-2720Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; 21Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God. 22Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. 23For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. 24Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing. 25Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; 26That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, 27That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. (Ephesians 5:20‑27)) until it has the character of its heavenly surroundings in order to feel at home in the Father's house. This is spiritual maturity.
In the last parable the kingdom of heaven is likened to a net that was cast into the sea (masses of the people) to gather of every kind. Having been filled, the net is drawn to shore, and they select the good fish to put into vessels and cast the worthless away. Those in the vessels are believers who will, in glory with Christ, shine as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. At the end of the age when the net is filled, angels shall come forth and sever the wicked from the Just. The wicked are cast into the furnace of fire where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth, while the Just form the kingdom on earth.
Jesus asked His disciples if they had understood all these things. They said unto Him, Yes, Lord! He responded, "Therefore every scribe which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven, is like unto a man that is a householder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old." This is the ministry of the Spirit in the assembly following Pentecost.
Coming to His own country He taught in the synagogues. The people were astonished, wondering where He had received such wisdom. Some said, "Is not this the carpenter's son? is not His mother called Mary? and His brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas? and His sisters, are they not all with us? Whence then hath this man all these things? And they were offended in Him. But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honor, save in his own country, and in his own house." Because of their unbelief, He could not do many mighty works in His own country and house.