The New Testament – Verse by Verse Bible Study – Part 13
In this Bible Study series on Internet Pastor we will be studying through the New Testament verse by verse. You can watch or listen to the study by going to the Online Church page.
Matthew 13:1-58 (NIV)
1 That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake. 2 Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore. 3 Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4 As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5 Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6 But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. 8 Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop–a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. 9 He who has ears, let him hear.” 10 The disciples came to him and asked, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?” 11 He replied, “The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. 12 Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. 13 This is why I speak to them in parables: “Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand. 14 In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah: “‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving. 15 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.’ 16 But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. 17 For I tell you the truth, many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it. 18 “Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: 19 When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown along the path. 20 The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. 21 But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away. 22 The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful. 23 But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.” 24 Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. 25 But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. 26 When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared. 27 “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?’ 28 “‘An enemy did this,’ he replied. “The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’ 29 “‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may root up the wheat with them. 30 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.’” 31 He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. 32 Though it is the smallest of all your seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and perch in its branches.” 33 He told them still another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount of flour until it worked all through the dough.” 34 Jesus spoke all these things to the crowd in parables; he did not say anything to them without using a parable. 35 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.” 36 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.” 37 He answered, “The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. 38 The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, 39 and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels. 40 “As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. 41 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. 42 They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear. 44 “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. 45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. 46 When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it. 47 “Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. 48 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. 49 This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous 50 and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 51 “Have you understood all these things?” Jesus asked. “Yes,” they replied. 52 He said to them, “Therefore every teacher of the law who has been instructed about the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old.” 53 When Jesus had finished these parables, he moved on from there. 54 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. 55 “Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? Isn’t his mother’s name Mary, and aren’t his brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas? 56 Aren’t all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?” 57 And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, “Only in his hometown and in his own house is a prophet without honor.” 58 And he did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith.
People are deciding whether to follow Jesus or not. They have heard the Kingdom proclaimed and they have seen the signs and wonders that the Kingdom is indeed present and yet because Jesus doesn’t fit into their God box many are rejecting Him.
In Matthew 13 Jesus begins teaching in Parables. Rather than clearing the issue up for people, the parables actually seem to be clouding the issue. Why would Jesus teach in parables? Jesus was asked this question by His disciples and He said, “Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing they do not hear or understand” (Matthew 13:13). The people, in rejecting the clear presentation and demonstration of the Kingdom of God and of who He was, had closed their eyes to truth. We need to remember that the Israelites had a very clear understanding of what they thought the Kingdom of God would be like. There expectations didn’t include the two comings of Christ. They were busy looking for what will take place at His second coming and so they rejected Him. They were looking for a Lion and He came as a Lamb. When He comes back, it will as the Lion.
The parables can only be understood in light of the Now and the Not Yet. The Kingdom is here but not fully here. We get a taste of the Kingdom but this is not the full meal. We live in an inaugurated eschatology. Jesus inaugurated the end times when He came the first time, He will fulfill it completely with His second coming. The disciples, who were ready for the Kingdom rule to be established, had trouble grasping this new idea. Explain to us what this means…..They had no way of knowing that there would be this time of tension between the now and the not yet that we live in today.
Jesus concludes His teaching with a question: “Have you understood all these things?” (Matthew 13:51). Yes. I don’t think so. It would only be later that they could begin to understand the implications of the Now and Not Yet. Jesus came to bring both the old and the new elements of the Kingdom.
Matthew 13:3-9, 18-23
The Sower
The seed is the word of God. The different soil represents the condition of people’s heart and how they receive the Good News. What they were expecting was that Messiah would turn Israel and all nations to Himself. What they got was that individuals had to choose how they would respond to the Word’s invitation. Until He comes back.
Matthew 13:24-30
Wheat and Tares
What they expected was to rule over the world with the King. What they got was that the citizens of the Kingdom would be among the people of the world until harvest time. Working the harvest, preaching the gospel, that none would perish. Living as servants, not as Lords. This was the basis for the whole constant argument among the disciple about who would be the greatest in the Kingdom.
Matthew 13:31-33
Mustard Seed and Leaven
What they expected was the Kingdom to be established in majesty and glory. What they got was a Kingdom that begins in seeming insignificance and its impact increases over time.
Matthew 13:44-46
Hidden Treasure and Pearl
These two parables are perhaps my favorite. They teach us about the value of Jesus. He is the treasure hidden in the field and He is the pearl of great price and there is nothing more valuable in life than a relationship with Him. But something happens after you figure out that Jesus is the treasure and the pearl and that He is worth everything. The amazing thing is that to Jesus, YOU are the treasure and YOU are the pearl and He gave everything that He might have relationship with YOU. What they expected was that the Kingdom would provide all things that people valued. What they got was an exhortation to let it all go and seek first the Kingdom (Matthew 6:33)
Matthew 13:47-50
Net
What they expected was that the Kingdom would start with a separation of righteous and unrighteous. What they got was a Kingdom that ends with the separation of the unrighteous from the righteous.
We are living in the tension of the Now and Not Yet, waiting on the Second Coming of Jesus, but busy redeeming the time by working in the harvest until the trumpet sound signals His return.
If you have questions about the Now and the Not Yet you should check out the series we did on the Kingdom of God. All the teaching of that series is available to watch for free at Christian Cell Groups.
Come back often to see the latest sermons or bible studies on your Online Pastor site. We are blessed to be your Pastor Online!
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