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The Parable of the Vineyard Owner

13 Aug

Following is chapter 12 of The Kingdom According to Jesus. You may order the entire study from a number of the nation’s leading booksellers.

Matt. 21:33-46 (HCSB)

33 “Listen to another parable: There was a man, a landowner, who planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a winepress in it, and built a watchtower. He leased it to tenant farmers and went away.
34 When the grape harvest drew near, he sent his slaves to the farmers to collect his fruit.
35 But the farmers took his slaves, beat one, killed another, and stoned a third.
36 Again, he sent other slaves, more than the first group, and they did the same to them.
37 Finally, he sent his son to them. ‘They will respect my son,’ he said.
38 But when the tenant farmers saw the son, they said among themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him and take his inheritance!’
39 So they seized him and threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him.
40 Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those farmers?”
41 “He will completely destroy those terrible men,” they told Him, “and lease his vineyard to other farmers who will give him his produce at the harvest.”
42 Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. This came from the Lord and is wonderful in our eyes?
43 Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a nation producing its fruit.”

44 [“Whoever falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder!”]
45 When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard His parables, they knew He was speaking about them.
46 Although they were looking for a way to arrest Him, they feared the crowds, because they regarded Him as a prophet.

This parable also appears in Mark 12:1-12 and Luke 20:9-19.

The context

Jesus has entered Jerusalem triumphantly on Palm Sunday. He has cleansed the Temple complex, overturning the money changers’ tables and driving out those who are turning the “house of prayer” into a “den of thieves” (Matt. 21:13). He has healed the blind and the lame and has received the praises of children. After spending the night in Bethany, He curses a fig tree on His way back to Jerusalem, and the tree – a symbol of Israel – withers. Returning to the Temple, Jesus is confronted by the chief priests and elders and challenged about His authority. He responds with a question about John the Baptist’s baptism, whether it is from God or from men. When the Jewish leaders are not able to answer, Jesus tells the parable of the two sons, stating that “Tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God before you” (Matt. 21:31). He then tells the scathing parable of the vineyard owner – a parable so pointed that it prompts them to intensify their efforts to do away with Him.

Central theme

The central theme of this parable is that the stewardship of the kingdom of heaven will be taken away from Israel and given to the church. Matthew Henry comments: “This parable plainly sets forth the sin and ruin of the Jewish nation; they and their leaders are the husbandmen here; and what is spoken for conviction to them, is spoken for caution to all that enjoy the privileges of the visible church, not to be high-minded, but fear.”

Central characters

The central characters in this parable are the landowner and the vineyard. The landowner pictures God the Father; the vineyard, His kingdom on earth entrusted to the Jews. Note what God has done in establishing and furnishing the kingdom:

  • He has planted the vineyard. God took the initiative to establish His kingdom on earth, a work of design and creation for which He assumed full responsibility.
  • He has put a fence around it. God protected His kingdom from those who opposed it and sought to destroy it. As one commentator writes, “He will not have his vineyard to lie in common, that those who are without, may thrust in at pleasure; not to lie at large, that those who are within, may lash out at pleasure; but care is taken to set bounds about this holy mountain” (Matthew Henry Unabridged).
  • He has dug a winepress and built a tower. The altar was the winepress upon which atonement was made for man’s sin and fellowship with God maintained; Mark’s account refers to the pit under the press, where the wine gathered after being crushed out of the grapes. The watchtower was His constant vigilance over a nation and people He established to exalt His great name; some say this is the Temple, in which the divine presence is manifested.

In the context of this parable, God has carefully and lovingly established His kingdom on earth – a vineyard fully furnished to produce a great harvest to be richly enjoyed by God and His people.

Details

The owner leases out his vineyard to tenant farmers and goes away. This is a common practice in Jesus’ day. The farmers occupy the vineyard, tend it, enjoy its fruits, and pay rent to the owner by sharing the harvest with him.

The tenant farmers in general are the Jews, whom God has graciously and freely entrusted with His kingdom. To them, Paul says, “belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the temple service, and the promises” (Rom. 9:4). God raised up the nation of Israel as the vehicle by which He would bless the whole world (Gen. 12:3). The farmers in particular are the Jewish religious leaders. Once God establishes the nation, reveals His purpose, gives the Jews the law and provides a homeland for them, He goes away. This does not mean He abandons them; rather it means there are fewer manifestations of His divine presence, while the law, prophets and sacrificial system are given to the nation until the time of the harvest.

When the grape harvest “draws near,” the landowner sends his servants – a common occurrence in which the tenant farmers share a portion of the harvest with the owner as rent. The servants in this case are the prophets, who represent the Master Himself. But note how the tenants – especially the Jewish religious leaders – treat them: they beat one (scourge, flay, take off the skin), kill another, and stone a third. Those hearing the parable know full well that the Jews had beaten Jeremiah, killed Isaiah, and stoned Zechariah the son of Jehoiada in the Temple. And when the Lord sends other servants, such as John the Baptist, they are imprisoned or beheaded.

At last, the master of the vineyard sends his son, whom “they will respect” (v. 37). But instead they recognize him as the heir, throw him out of the vineyard and kill him. What a picture this is of the Jewish leaders who refuse to receive Jesus as Messiah, take Him outside of the city and crucify Him. Matthew Henry comments: “Though the Roman power condemned him, yet it is still charged upon the chief priests and elders; for they were not only the prosecutors, but the principal agents, and had the greater sin” (Matthew Henry Unabridged).

As Jesus finishes the story, He asks the Jewish leaders, “Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those farmers” (v. 40)? They reply, “He will completely destroy those terrible men and lease his vineyard to other farmers who will give him his produce at the harvest” (v. 41). In effect, they have just condemned themselves and pronounced their own sentence. Within 40 years of this parable, the Roman armies will sweep into Jerusalem, destroy the Temple, kill more than 1 million Jews and scatter the rest throughout the known world. The nation of Israel will cease to have its homeland and its center of worship for nearly 1,900 years, when national Israel is restored after the close of World War II; the Jewish people still await the rebuilding of the Temple.

In contrast, a little over 50 days after this parable is told, the Holy Spirit comes on the Day of Pentecost and ushers in the church age, taking up residence in the “temple” of the new believers’ bodies (see I Cor. 6:19). Truly, God has temporarily set aside Israel and entrusted His kingdom to the church.

Jesus quotes Psalm 118:22-23 and alludes to Isaiah 8:14-15 when He says, “Have you never read the Scriptures: The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. This came from the Lord and is wonderful in our eyes” (v. 42)? Although many rejected Jesus, as a builder would reject one stone in favor of another, He would become the capstone, or cornerstone, of His new building, the church (see Acts 4:11, 1 Peter 2:7). Having referred to Himself (not Peter) as the rock upon which the church would be built (Matt. 16:18), He now states the consequences of coming into contact with Him. “He that runs against it – a cornerstone, standing out from other parts of the foundation – shall be injured, or broken in his limbs or body. He that is offended with my being the foundation, or that opposes me, shall, by the act, injure himself” (Barnes’ Notes on the New Testament).

Verse 44 is bracketed, meaning that some manuscripts omit it, but its imagery is significant. It’s a reference to the custom of stoning as a punishment among the Jews. A scaffold is built, twice the height of the person to be stoned. Standing on the edge of the scaffold, the one being stoned is violently hit with a stone by one of the witnesses. If the person dies from the blow and the subsequent fall, nothing further is done; but if not, then a heavy stone is thrown down to crush and kill the accused – a stone so heavy it often required two men to lift it. “So the Saviour speaks of the falling of the stone on his enemies. They who oppose him, reject him, and continue impenitent, shall be crushed by him in the day of judgment, and perish for ever” (Barnes’ Notes on the New Testament). This also seems to allude to the crushing of the Jewish state by the Romans and the subsequent dispersion of the Jews through all the nations of the world.

The chief priests and Pharisees clearly understand that Jesus is directing this parable at them. Yet instead of repenting of their unbelief, they plot His arrest. Within a matter of days, the Jewish religious leaders will begin to fulfill the parable, and within a generation they will see it come to pass – first with the birthing of the church, then with the destruction of the Jewish Temple and nation.

Spiritual application

Just as God set aside the nation of Israel for its poor stewardship of His kingdom, He will not hesitate to chasten and rebuke those in His church who fail to be faithful stewards of His vineyard. “For the time has come for judgment to begin with God’s household; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who disobey the gospel of God?” (1 Peter 4:17).

 
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Posted by on August 13, 2010 in Kingdom of Heaven

 

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The Parable of the Vineyard Laborers

06 Aug

Following is chapter 11 of The Kingdom According to Jesus. You may order the entire study from a number of the nation’s leading booksellers.

Matt. 20:1-16 (HCSB)

1 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard.
2 After agreeing with the workers on one denarius for the day, he sent them into his vineyard.
3 When he went out about nine in the morning, he saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing.
4 To those men he said, ‘You also go to my vineyard, and I’ll give you whatever is right.’ So off they went.
5 About noon and at three, he went out again and did the same thing.
6 Then about five he went and found others standing around, and said to them, ‘Why have you been standing here all day doing nothing?’
7 ‘Because no one hired us,’ they said to him. ‘You also go to my vineyard,’ he told them.
8 When evening came, the owner of the vineyard told his foreman, ‘Call the workers and give them their pay, starting with the last and ending with the first.’
9 When those who were hired about five came, they each received one denarius.
10 So when the first ones came, they assumed they would get more, but they also received a denarius each.
11 When they received it, they began to complain to the landowner:
12 ‘These last men put in one hour, and you made them equal to us who bore the burden of the day and the burning heat!’
13 He replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I’m doing you no wrong. Didn’t you agree with me on a denarius?
14 Take what’s yours and go. I want to give this last man the same as I gave you.
15 ’Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my business? Are you jealous because I’m generous?’
16 So the last will be first, and the first last.”

The context

Jesus is with His 12 disciples, who have just witnessed His dealings with the rich young ruler and have heard His teaching that it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Startled, the disciples ask, “Then who can be saved?” Jesus responds, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Peter points out that he and his fellow disciples have left everything to follow Jesus. “So what will there be for us?” he asks. Jesus assures Peter that everyone who has sacrificed for His name will be well compensated in the age to come. Jesus then closes out Matthew 19 by saying, “But many who are first will be last, and the last first” (v. 30), a phrase repeated in the parable that follows and gives us a key to understanding its meaning.

Central theme

The central theme of this parable is that all believers receive the complete reward of the kingdom. Commentaries suggest at least four possible interpretations:

  1. This is a parable about the Gentiles, who will enjoy the privileges of the new covenant, while the Jews, because of their rejection of the Messiah, will be set aside.
  2. This is a parable about God’s call to individual lives. The call early in the morning is for children; the call around nine is for youth; the call at noon is for adults; the call at three is for the aged; and the evening call is when sickness or other infirmities press hard on one’s life.
  3. This is a parable about the preaching of the gospel. The morning call is the preaching of John the Baptist; the second call is the preaching of Jesus; the third, the preaching of the fullness of the gospel after the ascension of Christ; the fourth, the mission of the apostles to the Jews; and the last call, the gospel presentation to the Gentiles.
  4. This is a parable about humble Christian service. The followers of Christ should labor in His vineyard, the church, fully confident they will receive their reward in heaven (see Matt. 5:12, 6:1; Luke 6:23). They need not be concerned that some have come into the kingdom before them, or after them, or that their length of service or degree of giftedness is different from theirs.

The fourth interpretation of this parable seems to be the most faithful to the context. Consider what commentator Albert Barnes wrote in the early 1800s in Barnes’ Notes on the New Testament:

To all justice shall be done. To all to whom the rewards of heaven were promised, they shall be given. Nothing shall be withheld that was promised. If among this number who are called into the kingdom I (God) choose to raise some to stations of distinguished usefulness, and to confer on them peculiar talents and higher rewards, I injure no other one. They shall enter heaven as was promised. If amidst the multitude of Christians, I choose to signalize such men as Paul, and Martyn, and Brainerd, and Spencer, and Summerfield – to appoint some of them to short labour, but to wide usefulness, and raise them to signal rewards – I injure not the great multitude of others who live long lives less useful, and less rewarded. All shall reach heaven, and all shall receive what I promise to the faithful.

Regarding Jesus’ summary words, “So the last will be first, and the first last,” F.F. Bruce comments, “What is the point of the saying in this context? It seems to be directed to the disciples and perhaps the point is that those who have given up most to follow Jesus must not suppose that the chief place in the kingdom of God is thereby granted to them” (The Hard Sayings of Jesus, p. 199).

Herbert Lockyer adds, in All the Parables of the Bible, “As laborers may we ever remember that motive gives character to service, and that acceptable service is determined, not by duration, but by its spirit.”

Central character

The central character in this parable is the landowner, a picture of Jesus who is Creator of all things (John 1:1-3; Col. 1:16), sovereign Lord over His creation, and the One to whom all judgment has been given (John 5:22). He actively and graciously seeks laborers for His vineyard, rewarding them justly for their work.

Details

In the immediate context, the laborers are Christ’s disciples, who are among the first to labor in Christ’s vineyard. The workers who come along later symbolize others – Jews and Gentiles – who will receive Christ and serve Him throughout the church age. Matthew Henry comments, “God hires laborers, not because he needs them or their services … but as some charitable generous householders keep poor men to work, in kindness to them, to save them from idleness and poverty, and pay them for working for themselves” (Matthew Henry Unabridged).

The denarius is the customary wage of a solider or a day laborer. The word is rendered “penny” in the King James Version.

The vineyard may be seen as the kingdom of heaven, into which people of all walks of life are called. Some would say the vineyard is the church, which requires constant pruning and care.

The marketplace may be seen as the world. The soul of man stands ready to be hired, for God made us to work. The devil seeks to hire people to waste their inheritance and feed swine, while the Lord calls them to dress His vineyard. We are put to the choice, for we must choose whom we will serve (Josh. 24:15).

It’s important to note that some manuscripts add, “… for many are called, but few are chosen” to verse 16. Albert Barnes comments in Barnes’ Notes on the New Testament:

The meaning of this, in this connexion [sic], I take to be simply this: “Many are called into my kingdom; they come and labour as I command them; they are comparatively unknown and obscure; yet they are real Christians, and shall receive the proper reward. A few I have chosen for higher stations in the church. I have endowed them with apostolic gifts, or superior talents, or wider usefulness. They may not be so long in the vineyard; their race may be sooner run; but I have chosen to honour them in this manner; and I have a right to do it. I injure no one; and have a right to do what I will with mine own.”

Spiritual application

As grateful laborers in Christ’s vineyard, all believers should be faithful stewards of what God has entrusted to us, confident that we will receive our promised reward. At the same time, we should not be envious of those who may overtake us in length or fruitfulness of service.

 
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Posted by on August 6, 2010 in Kingdom of Heaven

 

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The Parable of the Child

21 Jul

Following is chapter 9 of The Kingdom According to Jesus. You may order the entire study from a number of the nation’s leading booksellers.

Matt. 18:1-9 (HCSB)

1 At that time the disciples came to Jesus and said, “Who is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”
2 Then He called a child to Him and had him stand among them.
3 “I assure you,” He said, “unless you are converted and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
4 Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child—this one is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
5 And whoever welcomes one child like this in My name welcomes Me.
6 But whoever causes the downfall of one of these little ones who believe in Me—it would be better for him if a heavy millstone were hung around his neck and he were drowned in the depths of the sea!
7 Woe to the world because of offenses. For offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes.
8 If your hand or your foot causes your downfall, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or lame, than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into the eternal fire.
9 And if your eye causes your downfall, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye, rather than to have two eyes and be thrown into hellfire!”

(See also Mark 9:33-50 and Luke 9:46-50)

The context

Jesus has been transfigured before Peter, James and John. These three disciples emerge as the inner circle of Jesus’ followers, with Peter declaring Jesus Messiah (Matt. 16:16) and John being called “the one Jesus loved” (John 13:23). As Jesus and His disciples approach Capernaum, the disciples bicker about their place in the kingdom, which they still expect to be an imminent and earthly one. Knowing their hearts, Jesus asks, “What were you arguing about on the way” (Mark 9:33)? So they ask plainly, “Who is greatest in the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 18:1)?

Central theme

The central theme of this parable is that humility is highly valued in the kingdom of heaven. As the disciples struggle to understand the “mysteries” of the kingdom – especially that the kingdom is both a present reality and a future hope – they wonder about their role in it. Some would seek to sit at Jesus’ right hand or left hand in the kingdom (Matt. 20:20-28), while others would desire to call fire down from heaven on those who refuse to welcome Jesus (Luke 9:51-56). Jesus calls a child and uses him to illustrate that such arrogant thinking has no place in the kingdom. Everyone must enter the kingdom as a child – humble, trusting, with no personal agenda – and once in the kingdom, no one should see himself or herself as more important than another. The entire value system of the kingdom of heaven is in stark contrast with that of Satan’s kingdom and of this present evil age.

Central character

The child is the central character in this parable. Jesus calls a young boy and says “unless you are converted and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 18:3). The word “converted” means changed or turned. It means to turn from one habit of life, or set of opinions, to another. Despite Jesus’ teaching in previous parables, the disciples still seem to think the kingdom of heaven is coming imminently as an earthly kingdom. As a result, they jockey for positions in the king’s cabinet. Jesus tells them they must turn from their wrong thinking about the kingdom and set aside their sinful ambition and pride.

In what way are the disciples to become like children? “Children are, to a great extent, destitute of ambition, pride, and haughtiness. They are characteristically humble and teachable. By requiring the disciples to be like them, he did not intend to express any opinion about the native moral character of children, but simply that in these respects they should become like them. They should lay aside their ambitious views, and pride, and be willing to occupy their proper station – a very lowly one” (Barnes’ Notes on the New Testament).

When Jesus says “whoever welcomes one child like this in My name welcomes Me” (Matt. 18:5) and “whoever causes the downfall of one of these little ones …” (v. 6), He likely is referring not only to children but to new believers, who are humble and teachable, and who need spiritual nurturing. The apostle John refers to Christians as “children” or “little children” (1 John 2:1, 12, 18, 28).

Details

In this teaching, Jesus addresses several facets of the kingdom: 1) entrance into the kingdom; 2) kingdom values; and 3) kingdom stewardship.

1) Entrance into the kingdom. Jesus says “unless you are converted and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 18:3). Entrance into the kingdom is by the new birth (John 3:3, 5), also known as regeneration, which is the work of the Holy Spirit imparting new life to the one who was “dead in … trespasses and sins” (Eph. 2:1). No believer may take credit for the new birth but receives it with childlike wonder and gratitude. In the same vein, no one may enter the narrow gate (Matt. 7:13) through arrogance or ambition; rather, eternal life is received in gracious humility. In light of these truths, and the disciples’ boastful wrangling, Jesus challenges His followers to live like true citizens of the kingdom.

2) Kingdom values. Next, Jesus says, “Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child – this one is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 18:4). The things God values and the things people value are different. The values of the kingdom of Satan – summed up in 1 John 2:15-17 as “the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride in one’s lifestyle” – have no place in the kingdom of heaven and will be done away with in the end. It is wise for children of the kingdom to value what pleases the King.

3) Kingdom stewardship. Jesus, who has given His disciples the keys to the kingdom, warns them to be good stewards of it: “And whoever welcomes one child like this in My name welcomes Me. But whoever causes the downfall of one of these little ones who believe in Me – it would be better for him if a heavy millstone were hung around his neck and he were drowned in the depths of the sea” (Matt. 18:5-6). Millstones commonly are disc-shaped stones, two feet in diameter by six inches deep, used to grind grain. These millstones are turned by hand, but larger millstones are turned by mules. Binding millstones to people and casting them in the sea was one form of capital punishment practiced by the Greeks, Syrians and Romans. It would be better to die in this way and escape everlasting consequences, Jesus says, than to keep another out of the kingdom or to neglect or mistreat the children of the kingdom.  This is why Jesus tells the scribes and Pharisees they will receive greater damnation – because they not only refuse to enter the kingdom but strive to keep others out (Matt. 23:13).

Finally, Jesus tells His disciples to beware of “offenses” – things that produce sin: “If your hand or your foot causes your downfall, cut it off and throw it away … if your eye causes your downfall, gouge it out and throw it away …” (Matt. 18:8-9). He is not teaching self mutilation, nor is He saying that in the resurrection some will have glorified bodies without hands, feet or eyes. Rather, Jesus is teaching the flip side of the parables of the hidden treasure and the pearl of great price. While the kingdom is of inestimable value, the things of this world may keep us from entering in. As Richard Glover, quoted in All the Parables of the Bible, puts it, “The hand of ambitious rudeness should be cut off; the eye of ambitious coveting should be plucked out; the foot of ambitious willfulness should be cut off.”

Matthew Henry provides further context: “Considering the cunning and malice of Satan, and the weakness and depravity of men’s hearts, it is not possible but that there should be offences. God permits them for wise and holy ends, that those who are sincere, and those who are not, may be made known. Being told before, that there will be seducers, tempters, persecutors, and bad examples, let us stand on our guard. We must, as far as lawfully we may, part with what we cannot keep without being entangled by it in sin.”

Spiritual application

Jesus calls believers “children of the kingdom” (Matt. 13:38 KJV) while the New Testament writers stress that we are adopted sons and daughters of God. As such, we are of most value to the kingdom when we trust God to provide our needs and serve Him in simple, childlike faith. Pride has no place in the kingdom of heaven; Christ will abide no competitors to His sovereign Lordship.

 
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Posted by on July 21, 2010 in Kingdom of Heaven

 

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The Parable of the Storeroom

14 Jul

Following is chapter 8 of The Kingdom According to Jesus. You may order the entire study from a number of the nation’s leading booksellers.

Matt. 13:51-53 (HCSB)

51 “Have you understood all these things?” “Yes,” they told Him.

52 “Therefore,” He said to them, “every student of Scripture instructed in the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who brings out of his storeroom what is new and what is old.”

53 When Jesus had finished these parables, He left there.

The context

Jesus is still in Peter’s house, having earlier dismissed the crowds at the shore. He explains to His disciples the parable of the wheat and tares; offers two parables that illustrate the priceless value of the kingdom of heaven; launches into the parable of the dragnet, also known as the parable of the good and bad fish; and finally gives the parable of the storeroom – the last of eight parables of the kingdom in Matthew 13. Keep in mind how Jesus ties these parables together to deepen His disciples’ understanding of the “mystery” of the kingdom of heaven:

  • The parable of the sower illustrates that the kingdom can be resisted. The Messiah the Jewish leaders are looking for – political and military – will indeed come one day in power and great glory, but first He must come humbly as the Lamb of God. Many will resist, reject or oppose Him.
  • The parable of the wheat and tares teaches that throughout this present, evil age, believers and unbelievers will live side-by-side, to be separated and judged one day.
  • The parables of the mustard seed and leaven show that the kingdom already has come – but quietly, almost imperceptibly.
  • The parables of the hidden treasure and priceless pearl demonstrate that the kingdom is of immeasurable value.
  • The parable of the dragnet teaches the blunt truth that those outside the kingdom will be separated eternally from God in hell.
  • Now, the parable of the storeroom makes it clear that those who understand the kingdom are to share its good news liberally.

Central theme

The central theme of this parable is that the gospel of the kingdom is to be shared liberally. Jesus teaches His disciples the “mystery” of the kingdom – a more complete understanding of the Old Testament prophecies about the kingdom of heaven and their fulfillment in the person of Jesus of Nazareth – and in turn they are to take these “old” and “new” treasures and teach them to others.

The Life Application Bible comments:

Anyone who understands God’s real purpose in the law as revealed in the Old Testament has a real treasure. The Old Testament points the way to Jesus, the Messiah. Jesus always upheld its authority and relevance. But there is a double benefit to those who understand Jesus’ teaching about the kingdom of heaven. This was a new treasure that Jesus was revealing. Both the old and new teaching give practical guidelines for faith and for living in the world. The religious leaders, however, were trapped in the old and blind to the new. They were looking for a future kingdom preceded by judgment. Jesus, however, taught that the kingdom was now and the judgment was future. The religious leaders were looking for a physical and temporal kingdom (via military rebellion and physical rule), but they were blind to the spiritual significance of the kingdom that Christ brought.

Adam Clarke sheds even more light on this theme in his Commentary: “No man can properly understand the Old Testament but through the medium of the New, nor can the New be so forcibly or successfully applied to the conscience of a sinner as through the medium of the Old. The law is still a schoolmaster to lead men to Christ – by it is the knowledge of sin, and, without it, there can be no conviction – where it ends, the Gospel begins, as by the Gospel alone is salvation from sin.”

Central character

The landowner is the central character in this parable. Experienced and wise, he has stored up an abundance from previous harvests to complement the fresh meat, fruits and vegetables his land now produces, and he makes these available to all those entrusted to his care. Even more, the other things he owns are secure and dedicated for sharing with those who come under his roof. Jesus says “every student of Scripture instructed in the kingdom of heaven” is like this landowner, taking the riches of the Old Testament and adding to them Christ’s teaching on the “mystery” of the kingdom, thus “correctly teaching the word of truth” (2 Tim. 2:15).

Adam Clark comments:

A small degree of knowledge is not sufficient for a preacher of the Gospel. The sacred writings should be his treasure, and he should properly understand them. His knowledge does not consist in being furnished with a great variety of human learning … (but) in being well instructed in the things concerning the kingdom of heaven, and the art of conducting men thither. Again, it is not enough for a man to have these advantages in possession: he must bring them forth, and distribute them abroad. A good pastor will not, like a miser, keep these things to himself to please his fancy; nor, like a merchant, traffic with them, to enrich himself; but, like a bountiful father or householder, distribute them with a liberal though judicious hand, for the comfort and support of the whole heavenly family.

Jesus commends His disciples as scribes (KJV) or students of scripture (HCSB) instructed in the kingdom of heaven. They are learning so that they might teach. Ezra, who prepared his heart to teach in Israel, is called a “scribe skilled in the law of Moses” (Ezra 7:6, 10), and Jesus’ followers are to be like Ezra in knowledge and passion regarding the “old” and “new” treasures.

At the time of Ezra and probably for some time after, the priests served a dual role as scholars, but over the course of time this changed. As the Law grew in importance, its study and interpretation became a lifework by itself. So a new class of scholars arose, the scribes, who were not priests but who devoted themselves to the comprehensive study of the first five books of the Bible. During the Hellenistic period, the priests, especially the wealthier ones, were strongly influenced by Hellenism and turned their attention to pagan culture. This aroused opposition by the scribes so that by the time of Christ, the scribes formed a distinct profession and held undisputed authority over the thoughts of the people. In the New Testament the scribes are called “students of Scripture,” “experts in the law” and “teachers of the law” (see Matt. 13:52, 22:35; Luke 5:17, 7:30, 10:25, 11:45, 14:3; Acts 5:34).

Details

The “storeroom” also is known as the “treasury” or “place of deposit.” It is a place not only for money, but for anything necessary for the comfort of the family. The Hebrew word ostar means depository, cellar, garner, store or treasure-house, so it protects and preserves anything of value (International Standard Bible Encyclopedia). For the disciple of Jesus, the storeroom is the human heart – more specifically, the mind set on “what is above” (Col. 3:2) and the spirit yielded to Christ. Like the psalmist, believers are to treasure God’s Word in their hearts so they will not sin (Psalm 119:11). But even more, they are to understand the deeper truths of Scripture so they may “contend for the faith” (Jude 3) and “always be ready to give a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you” (1 Peter 3:15).

Matthew Henry writes: “The instruction of a gospel minister must be in the kingdom of heaven, that is it about which his business lies. A man may be a great philosopher and politician, and yet if not instructed to the kingdom of heaven, he will make but a bad minister.”

The treasures “new” and “old” are, of course, are the understanding of the mystery of the kingdom of heaven in the context of the Old Testament. Jesus asked His disciples if they “understood all these things,” to which they replied, “Yes” (Matt. 13:51). It is then that Jesus called them students of Scripture (scribes), likened them to landowners and challenged them to reach deeply into their storeroom of understanding and proclaim the gospel of the kingdom. “Christ himself received that he might give; so must we, and we shall have more. In bringing forth, things new and old do best together; old truths, but new methods and expressions, especially new affections” (Matthew Henry Unabridged).

Spiritual application

“Christ for three years gave instructions to the apostles; and they who preach should be able to understand the gospel; to defend it; and to communicate its truth to others. Human learning alone is indeed of no value to a minister; but all learning that will enable him better to understand the Bible, and to communicate its truths, is valuable, and should, if possible, be gained. A minister should be like the father of a family: distributing to the church as it needs; and out of his treasures bringing forth truth to confirm the feeble, enlighten the ignorant, and guide those in danger of straying away” (Barnes’ Notes on the New Testament).

 
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Posted by on July 14, 2010 in Kingdom of Heaven

 

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Cast Out of the Kingdom: The Parable of the Dragnet

01 Jul

Following is chapter 7 of The Kingdom According to Jesus. You may order the entire study from a number of the nation’s leading booksellers.

Matt. 13:47-50 (HCSB)

47 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a large net thrown into the sea. It collected every kind [of fish],
48 and when it was full, they dragged it ashore, sat down, and gathered the good [fish] into containers, but threw out the worthless ones.
49 So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will go out, separate the evil people from the righteous,
50 and throw them into the blazing furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

The context

Jesus has dismissed the crowds and gone back into Peter’s house. There, he explains to His disciples the parable of the wheat and tares, offers two parables that illustrate the priceless value of the kingdom of heaven, and launches into the parable of the dragnet, also known as the parable of the good and bad fish. Keep in mind how Jesus ties these parables together to deepen His disciples’ understanding of the kingdom of heaven:

  • The parable of the sower illustrates that the kingdom can be resisted. The Messiah the Jewish leaders are looking for – political and military – will indeed come one day in power and great glory, but first He must come humbly as the Lamb of God. Many will resist, reject or oppose Him.
  • The parable of the wheat and tares teaches that throughout this present, evil age, believers and unbelievers will live side-by-side, to be separated and judged one day.
  • The parables of the mustard seed and leaven show that the kingdom already has come – but quietly, almost imperceptibly.
  • The parables of the hidden treasure and priceless pearl demonstrate that the kingdom is of immeasurable value.
  • And now, the parable of the dragnet teaches the blunt truth that those outside the kingdom will be separated eternally from God in hell.

Central theme

The central theme of this parable is that in the age to come, God will separate the citizens of the kingdom of heaven from those in Satan’s kingdom. All who reject the King and His kingdom will depart from God and spend eternity in hell. It is a stark teaching, blunt yet simple. And it underscores the fact, taught in the parable of the wheat and tares, that believers and unbelievers will live side by side throughout the present, evil age, until a day of reckoning comes.

Central character

Jesus says the kingdom is like a dragnet. This is a large net that fishermen used in Jesus’ day, weighted on one side with lead and buoyed on the opposite edge by wooden floats or corks. The net often is spread between two fishing boats, enabling cooperating fishermen to capture fish across a wide area from the seabed to the surface of the water. Once the net is cast, either the fishermen in both boats work together to haul in the net, or fishermen on the shore, with ropes connected to the net, draw it into the shallow waters. After the catch, the fishermen separate the good fish from the bad.

The dragnet pictures the scope of God’s kingdom during this present evil age (Gal. 1:4) and implies the cooperative effort believers engage in to serve Christ in “bringing many sons to glory” (Heb. 2:10).  The use of a dragnet, since it catches good and bad fish, requires a time of evaluation and separation. This pictures the resurrection and judgment that will come upon all people at the end of this present age. Jesus speaks of this resurrection and final judgment in John 5:28-29. The New Testament writers indicate an undesignated interval of time between the resurrection of the just (“first resurrection” or “rapture” – 1 Cor. 15:51-57; 1 Thess. 4:13-17) and the resurrection of the unjust (“second resurrection” that leads to the “second death” or “the lake of fire” – Rev. 20:11-15). This does not contradict Jesus’ parable. Keep in mind that parables are designed to teach a single truth – in this case, the truth of a future resurrection and judgment for all people.

George Eldon Ladd comments:

When God brings His Kingdom, the society of wicked men will be displaced by the society of those who have submitted themselves to God’s rule who will then enjoy the fullness of the divine blessings freed from all evil. Jesus taught that the redemptive purposes of God had brought His Kingdom to work among men in advance of the Day of Judgment. It is now like a drag-net which gathers within its influence men of various sorts, both good and bad. The separation between the good and the evil is not yet; the Day of Judgment belongs to the end of the age (Matt. 13:49). Meanwhile, there will be within the circle of those who are caught up by the activity of God’s Kingdom in the world not only those who are truly sons of the Kingdom; evil men will also be found in this movement” (The Gospel of the Kingdom, pp. 62-63).

Details

The sea is the world, or the mass of fallen humanity (see Isa. 57:20). The fishermen may be seen in two ways: 1) as believers, who work cooperatively to spread the gospel; and 2) as angels, whom Christ sends out to separate believers from unbelievers (Matt. 13:41, 49; 24:31). The fish are lost people who respond in some way to the gospel of the kingdom. Jesus said some of every kind is taken in, just a John records in Rev. 5:9 that people “from every tribe and language and people and nation” are in heaven. And, of course, the separation of the good and bad fish symbolizes the separation of the just from the unjust in final judgment. Just as some fish caught in the net are cast away, some professors of the faith will be exposed as unbelievers and cast out of the kingdom (see Matt. 7:21-23).

Spiritual application

Peter urges believers to “make every effort to confirm your calling and election” (2 Peter 1:10). At the same time, all professors of Christianity should examine their hearts to see whether they have truly trusted in Christ for their salvation. Are their hearts like good soil (Matt. 13:8)? Is the evidence of their profession like wheat or tares (Matt. 13:24-30)?  Finally, all believers, like good fishermen, should cooperate with others to spread the net of the gospel message around the world (Matt. 28:19-20).

 
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Posted by on July 1, 2010 in Kingdom of Heaven

 

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Priceless Value: The Parables of the Hidden Treasure and the Pearl of Great Price

24 Jun

Following is chapter 6 of The Kingdom According to Jesus. You may order the entire study from a number of the nation’s leading booksellers.

Matt. 13:44-46 (HCSB)

44 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure, buried in a field, that a man found and reburied. Then in his joy he goes and sells everything he has and buys that field.
45 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls.
46 When he found one priceless pearl, he went and sold everything he had, and bought it.”

The context

Jesus has dismissed the crowds by the Sea of Galilee and gone back into Peter’s house. There, he explains to His disciples the parable of the wheat and tares, then offers two parables that illustrate the immense value of the kingdom of heaven. Note the flow of the biblical text:

  • In Matthew 12, Jesus declares Himself the Messiah, predicts His future resurrection and states emphatically that the kingdom of heaven has come – but not in the way the Jewish leaders were expecting. Rather than as a political and military machine, the kingdom has come quietly and with great spiritual power. The King has invaded Satan’s kingdom and bound him (the “strong man” of Matt. 12:29) so that He may plunder the evil one’s kingdom.
  • The Jewish religious leaders clearly reject Jesus as Messiah since He does not fit their preconceived mold.
  • In Matthew 13, Jesus tells eight parables about the kingdom of heaven to help those who trust in Him as Messiah better understand this “mystery” of the kingdom. In the parable of the sower, He shows that the kingdom can be resisted. In the parable of the wheat and tares, He explains that during this phase of the kingdom, believers and unbelievers will exist side-by-side, to be separated after His return one day. In the parables of the mustard seed and leaven, He points out that the kingdom begins quietly, almost imperceptibly.
  • Now, Jesus teaches two parables that illustrate the immeasurable value of the kingdom.

The Hidden Treasure

Central theme

The central theme of this parable is that the kingdom of heaven is of immense value. Even though the kingdom has come in humble form – largely escaping the notice of secular historians – it is like a treasure whose value transcends every other possession.

Notice how Jesus builds His case for the kingdom: The kingdom has come, but not in the way the Jewish leaders expected. It is here, but can be resisted (parable of the sower). Its citizens will coexist with unbelievers until Messiah returns (parable of the wheat and tares). It begins humbly, almost imperceptibly, yet it is the kingdom of God (parables of the mustard seed and leaven). It should not be underestimated; the kingdom is of immense value (parables of the hidden treasure and pearl of great price).

Central character

The treasure is the focus of this parable. In Jesus’ day, it was not uncommon to bury valuables in the ground to keep them from unscrupulous neighbors, thieves or marauders. This often was done by men before departing for battle or embarking on long journeys. If they returned safely, they could reclaim their buried treasure. But if they died in battle or failed to return home for any reason, the location of the valuables would remain a secret. Because of this, some people in the Holy Land lived as treasure hunters. The Bible features numerous references to the pursuit of hidden treasure (see, for example, Job 3:20-21; Prov. 2:3-5). Even so, the hidden treasure belonged to the person who owned the property, so the one who discovered the treasure would have to purchase the land to become its rightful owner, or be considered a thief.

It is possible, however, that the treasure to which Jesus refers is an underground mine of gold or silver, whose entrance is discovered by accident. Unlike a pot of money, which easily (although illegally) could be carried away, the mine would require excavation and, no doubt, draw considerable attention. So the discoverer “reburies,” or hides again, the entrance to the mine, sells all he has and buys the field. His actions are questionable, if not unethical; Jesus does not condone this unscrupulous man’s tactics any more than He approves of the actions of the unjust steward in Luke 16:1-8. The point is that the man who discovers the treasure finds it to be more valuable than all he owns, and he strikes out with great urgency to make the treasure his.

Details

We should be careful not to read too much into this parable. Some, for example, say the treasure is the church, the field is the world and the man is Christ. By this interpretation, Christ in His foreknowledge saw such value in the church that He sold all He had – He gave up His heavenly glory and came to earth – for our salvation, and in the process bought the world. But this is not consistent with Jesus’ teaching about the kingdom or with the purpose of His parables. Others  argue that the gold or silver mine is the kingdom and Christ is the entrance; indeed, Jesus declared Himself to be “the door” (John 10:9) and “the way” (John 14:6), and He urges us to enter the kingdom through “the narrow gate” (Matt. 7:13). The field is the world and the man is anyone God has drawn to Himself. While this explanation seems more in line with Christ’s teaching about the kingdom, it still may force more meaning than Jesus intended.

Jesus’ parables are realistic stories that communicate a single truth; the details are just “window dressing.” The simple meaning of this parable is that the kingdom of heaven is of more value than anything we possess, and it is worth all we have.

Spiritual application

Entrance into the kingdom is worth everything we have; nothing is more precious.

The Pearl of Great Price

Central theme

The central theme of this parable is the same as the theme of the hidden treasure: The kingdom of heaven is a treasure whose value transcends every other possession.

Central character

The priceless pearl is this parable’s main character. Even though Jesus says the kingdom may be likened unto a merchant in search of fine pearls, it is the great value of the kingdom that He has chosen to emphasize. Pearls are precious stones, found in the shells of oysters. Their beauty, size and rarity make them valuable. In John’s vision of heaven, one extraordinarily large pearl makes up each of the 12 gates of New Jerusalem (Rev. 21:21), and only the citizens of the kingdom are welcome inside. Such pearls are unfathomable on earth but serve to illustrate the immeasurable value of the kingdom of heaven.

Details

The merchant is experienced and recognizes the rarest of pearls when he comes upon it. Matthew Henry comments: “All the children of men are busy, seeking goodly pearls: one would be rich, another would be honourable, another would be learned; but the most are imposed upon, and take up with counterfeits for pearls…. Jesus Christ is a Pearl of great price, a Jewel of inestimable value, which will make those who have it rich, truly rich, rich toward God; in having him, we have enough to make us happy here and for ever.”

George Eldon Ladd adds context to both the parable of the hidden treasure and the pearl of great price: “The Kingdom of heaven is like a treasure whose value transcends every other possession; it is like a pearl whose acquisition merits the loss of all other goods. Now again, the idea that the man buys the field or that the merchant buys the pearl has nothing to do with the basic truth of the parable. This parable does not tell us that we can buy salvation. Salvation is by faith, the free gift of God; and Matt. 20:1-16 teaches that the Kingdom is a gift and not a reward which can be earned. Yet even though the Kingdom is a gracious gift, it is also costly. It may cost one his earthly possessions (Mark 10:21), or his friends or the affections of his family or even his very life (Luke 14:26). But cost what it may, the Kingdom of God is like a treasure or a costly pearl whose possession merits any cost” (The Gospel of the Kingdom, p. 62).

Spiritual application

People should see the immense value in the kingdom of heaven and willingly give up anything that keeps them from becoming its citizens.

 
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Posted by on June 24, 2010 in Kingdom of Heaven

 

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The Victorious Underdog: The Parables of the Mustard Seed and Leaven

16 Jun

Following is chapter 5 of The Kingdom According to Jesus. You may order the entire study from a number of the nation’s leading booksellers.

Matt. 13:31-33 (HCSB)

31 He presented another parable to them: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field.
32 It’s the smallest of all the seeds, but when grown, it’s taller than the vegetables and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the sky come and nest in its branches.”
33 He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into 50 pounds of flour until it spread through all of it.”

The parable of the mustard seed also is found in Mark 4:30-32 and in Luke 13:18-19.

The parable of the leaven also is found in Luke 13:20-21.

The context

Jesus continues teaching the crowds from a boat at the shoreline of the Sea of Galilee. Already, he has given them the parable of the sower, and the parable of the wheat and tares. He has explained to His disciples the meaning of the parable of the sower, as well as why He is teaching the mysteries of the kingdom in parables. Later, He will explain the meaning of the parable of the wheat and tares. But for now, He presents two short parables that describe how the kingdom of heaven begins humbly, almost imperceptibly, on earth.

Remember what Jesus has said in Matt. 12:28; it is crucial in understanding His parables in chapter 13: “If I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come to you.” Jesus declares that the long-awaited kingdom of heaven has come – but not in the way the Jewish leaders were expecting. Rather than as a political and military machine, the kingdom has come quietly and with great spiritual power, invading Satan’s kingdom and binding him (the “strong man” of Matt. 12:29) so that He may plunder the evil one’s kingdom.

The scribes and Pharisees will have none of this teaching and reject the King and His kingdom. So in chapter 13, Jesus leaves Peter’s house and sits beside the sea. Multitudes gather around Him, having witnessed His miracles and having heard His declaration that the kingdom of heaven has come. Jesus gets into a boat – perhaps Peter’s boat or a boat made available for Jesus’ use whenever He needed it – and begins a series of eight parables on the kingdom of heaven. The parables of the mustard seed and leaven are the third and fourth of these parables.

The Parable of the Mustard Seed

Central theme

The central theme of this parable is that the kingdom of heaven has begun on earth humbly, almost imperceptibly. It is like a tiny, insignificant mustard seed; in fact, to ancient Jews the mustard seed was the proverbial symbol of something of little importance. Nevertheless, it is God’s kingdom and must not be despised or ignored.

It should be noted that some see this parable as an illustration of the monumental growth of the kingdom, from humble beginnings to towering majesty. True, the kingdom starts small, then grows quickly and powerfully. From 120 believers gathered to pray following Jesus’ ascension, the early church grows to more than 3,000 in a single day following Peter’s sermon on the Day of Pentecost (see Acts. 1:15 and 2:41). Yet this is not the key point of the parable, for Jesus could have used better illustrations, like an oak, to illustrate a sturdy and towering kingdom. His point is to emphasize the “mystery” that the kingdom, as a present reality, is not in the form Jewish leaders are expecting.

George Ladd comments: “The Kingdom of God … is here as something tiny, as something insignificant, as something as small as a mustard seed. The important thing is that even though it is like a tiny seed, it is still the Kingdom of God. Jesus says, ‘Do not let its apparent insignificance deceive you. Do not be discouraged. The time will come when this same Kingdom of God, which is here like the tiny seed, will be a great shrub, so great that the birds of the heaven will come and lodge in its branches’” (The Gospel of the Kingdom, pp. 58-59).

Central character

The mustard seed, or khardah, symbolizes humble beginnings and denotes the smallest of weights and measures.

Details

The great shrub growing from the mustard seed often reaches heights of 10-20 feet within a matter of months. Some say the “birds” symbolize Satan and his evil ones, who find their place in the church. Others say the birds foretell the denominations of Christendom. But more likely, if there is any significance at all, Jesus uses the birds to illustrate the strength and security believers find in the kingdom.

Spiritual application

Nearly 2,000 years after Jesus told this parable, the kingdom of heaven continues to be more like a mustard seed than a towering tree. But believers should look up. Christ reigns today in the hearts of men, and His kingdom is growing. One day it will be impossible to ignore.

The Parable of the Leaven

Central theme

The central theme of this parable is the same as the theme of the parable of the mustard seed: The kingdom of heaven has begun on earth humbly, almost imperceptibly. For background, note that the Hebrew housewife could not buy a yeast cake at the corner market. She had to take a piece of dough that already was leavened and put it in a batch of unleavened dough, where it would do it work without fanfare.

There are two general interpretations of this parable, both of which miss the main point. First, some say the parable illustrates the gradual but complete spread of the kingdom. Certainly, it’s true that yeast works its way through the dough until the entire lump is leavened. And it’s true that the kingdom of heaven reaches around the world one heart at a time until people from “every tribe and language and people and nation” become its citizens (Rev. 5:9). But the main point of Jesus’ parable has to do with the imperceptible nature of the kingdom; it is not now here in power and glory, as the Jewish leaders expected; rather it hides itself in people’s hearts and comes quietly through its King, a Galilean carpenter.

The second interpretation of this parable is that it illustrates the spread of false teachings throughout the kingdom, since leaven in scripture normally typifies impurity or evil. It is true that Jesus warned His followers about the leaven of the Pharisees (hypocrisy), Sadducees (rationalism) and Herodians (worldliness) [see Matt. 16:6-12; 22:16-21, 23, 29; 23:27-28; Mark 8:15]. However, as with the parable of the mustard seed, Jesus’ point is to show His followers that the kingdom has already come, but not in the way they expected – not as a glorious political and military machine led by a conquering king, but as transformation of the human heart made possible by a Suffering Servant.

Central character

The kingdom, Jesus said, is like leaven. So leaven, not the dough or the woman who kneads it, is the central character. The kingdom of heaven, as God’s reign, is good; therefore, leaven cannot symbolize evil in this context, even though it normally does in other scripture passages. The leaven in Jesus’ day consisted of a piece of fermented dough kept over from the former baking. This preserved lump of dough either was dissolved in water in the kneading trough before the flour was added, or was “hidden” in the flour and kneaded along with it, as in the case of this parable.

The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia helps draw the distinction: “The figurative uses of leaven in the New Testament, no less than with the rabbis, reflect the ancient view of it as ‘corrupt and corrupting,’ in parts at least, e.g. Mt 16:6 parallel, and especially the proverbial saying twice quoted by Paul, ‘A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump’ (1Cor 5:6f; Gal 5:9). But as Jesus used it in Mt 13:33, ‘The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven,’ it is clearly the hidden, silent, mysterious but all-pervading and transforming action of the leaven in the measures of flour that is the point of the comparison.”

Details

This is such a simple parable that we risk clouding the message by treating it as an allegory. It is true that the woman is used figuratively in scripture three ways: as a kingdom (Babylon, for example), a city (Jerusalem), and the church (both the true church and the apostate church). Some would argue that the woman in this parable symbolizes the apostate church, which hides her false teachings among true teachings and thus permeates the entire body of Christ with “doctrines of demons” (1 Tim. 4:1). Others would argue that the dough signifies the church, or the fellowship believers have with God; both are corrupted by false teachings. But assigning these meanings to the woman and the dough misses the point and fails to recognize that a parable has one simple lesson, not many hidden meanings. So it’s best for us to consider the details as “window dressing” and focus on the simple message of this parable: that the kingdom of heaven is among us, but not in the way it was anticipated.

Spiritual application

Though the kingdom of heaven is within the hearts of believers today and its King is not reigning outwardly, Christians should take heart. The King of kings and Lord of lords will return one day in power and great glory, just as surely as the yeast will permeate the dough and rise in the oven.

 
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Posted by on June 16, 2010 in Kingdom of Heaven

 

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The Parable of the Wheat and Tares

09 Jun

Following is chapter 4 of The Kingdom According to Jesus. You may order the entire study from a number of the nation’s leading booksellers.

Matt. 13:24-30, 36-43 (HCSB)

24 He presented another parable to them: “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field.
25 But while people were sleeping, his enemy came, sowed weeds among the wheat, and left.
26 When the plants sprouted and produced grain, then the weeds also appeared.
27 The landowner’s slaves came to him and said, ‘Master, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Then where did the weeds come from?’
28 “‘An enemy did this!’ he told them. “ ‘So, do you want us to go and gather them up?’ the slaves asked him.
29 “‘No,’ he said. ‘When you gather up the weeds, you might also uproot the wheat with them.
30 Let both grow together until the harvest. At harvest time I’ll tell the reapers: Gather the weeds first and tie them in bundles to burn them, but store the wheat in my barn. ’”

Jesus Interprets the Wheat and the Weeds

36 Then He dismissed the crowds and went into the house. His disciples approached Him and said, “Explain the parable of the weeds in the field to us.”
37 He replied: “The One who sows the good seed is the Son of Man;
38 the field is the world; and the good seed—these are the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, and
39 the enemy who sowed them is the Devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.
40 Therefore just as the weeds are gathered 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 gather from His kingdom everything that causes sin and those guilty of lawlessness.
42 They will throw them into the blazing furnace where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in their Father’s kingdom. Anyone who has ears should listen!”

The context

Jesus continues teaching the crowds from His boat at the shoreline of the Sea of Galilee. He has just explained the parable of the sower to His disciples, as well as why He is teaching the mysteries of the kingdom in parables (see chapters 2 and 3). Now, without further delay, Matthew records that Jesus “presented another parable to them” (v. 24). As with the parable of the sower, Jesus later explains the parable of the wheat and tares to His disciples.

Keep in mind what Jesus has said in Matt. 12:28. It is crucial in setting the stage for Jesus’ parables in chapter 13: “If I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come to you.” Jesus declares that the long-awaited kingdom of heaven has come – but not in the way the Jewish leaders were expecting. Rather than as a political and military machine, the kingdom has come quietly and with great spiritual power, invading Satan’s kingdom and binding him (the “strong man” of Matt. 12:29) so that He may plunder the evil one’s kingdom.

The scribes and Pharisees will have none of this teaching and reject the King and His Kingdom. So in chapter 13, as Jesus leaves Peter’s house and sits beside the sea, multitudes gather around Him, having witnessed His miracles and having heard His declaration that the kingdom of heaven has come. Jesus gets into a boat – perhaps Peter’s boat or a boat made available for Jesus’ use whenever He needed it – and begins a series of eight parables on the kingdom of heaven. The parable of the wheat and tares is the second of these parables.

Central theme

The central theme of this parable is that God’s kingdom and Satan’s kingdom will exist side-by-side during this “present evil age” (Gal. 1:4). Contrary to the Jewish expectation that the Messiah would be a conquering political king, Jesus comes the first time as the Suffering Servant to invade Satan’s kingdom and rescue His own out of it (Col. 1:13). This is the “mystery” of the kingdom. The day will come when Jesus “abolishes all rule and all authority and power” (1 Cor. 15:24), but that day is future. For now, believers and unbelievers will live together – in many cases indistinguishable from one another – until the resurrection and judgment.

Central characters

The “good seed” are believers and the “weeds” or “tares” are unbelievers – more specifically, unbelievers who are “holding to the form of religion but denying its power” (2 Tim. 3:5). Manners and Customs of Bible Lands gives us a clearer image of these false professors of the faith by describing the nature of tares:

In the Holy Land, tares are something called ‘wild wheat,’ because they resemble wheat, only the grains are black. Thomson has this to say about the tares:

“The Arabic name for tares is zawan, and they abound all over the East, and are a great nuisance to the farmer. The grain is small, and is arranged along the upper part of the stalk, which stands perfectly erect. Its taste is bitter, and when eaten separately, or when diffused in ordinary bread, it causes dizziness, and often acts as an emetic. In short, it is a strong soporific poison, and must be carefully winnowed, and picked out of the wheat, grain by grain, before grinding, or the flour is not healthy. Of course the farmers are very anxious to exterminate it, but that is nearly impossible.”

Interestingly, Satan’s deception is so great that even the tares suppose themselves to be children of the kingdom (Matt. 7:21-23).

Details

Jesus describes Himself (the Son of Man) as the sower. Apart from Him, there is no everlasting life. And like the sower in His preceding parable (Matt. 13:1-9), Jesus determined that the gospel of the kingdom would be spread broadly, taking root across all racial and ethnic lines (Rev. 5:9-10). That’s why the “good seed,” or believers, would not just be restricted to the nation of Israel.

“The field” is the world, the mass of humanity stretched across the globe. God has placed believers everywhere.

“The enemy” is Satan, who craftily plants his counterfeit Christians wherever believers spring up. He does so “while people are sleeping,” a warning to the church to be ever vigilant against false teachers who, Paul says, are “savage wolves” bent on destroying the flock (Acts 20:29-31).

“The harvest” is the end of the age – this present evil age (Gal. 1:4) – at which time God will separate true believers from false ones.

“The harvesters” are God’s angels, who assist Him in resurrection and judgment (Matt. 24:30-31).

Spiritual application

The day is coming, says Jesus, when there will be a harvest and a gathering – resurrection and judgment in which He will separate believers from nonbelievers (John 5:28-29). Just as the tares are gathered and burned, those who have rejected Christ will receive the same judgment pronounced on Satan: everlasting separation from God in hell (Matt. 25:41; Rev. 20:10-15).

Believers, however, will receive glorified bodies similar to Christ’s resurrected body, be rewarded for their faithfulness and spend eternity with Him (John 14:1-3; Rom. 14:10; 1 Cor. 3:11-15; 1 Cor. 15:51-57; 1 Thess. 4:13-17; Rev. 21:1-8).

While eagerly anticipating that day, believers should be diligent to “confirm your calling and election” (2 Peter 1:10) and to be on guard against false professors of the faith who are wolves in sheep’s clothing (Matt. 7:15).

 
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Posted by on June 9, 2010 in Kingdom of Heaven

 

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The Parable of the Sower

12 May

Following is chapter 3 of The Kingdom According to Jesus. You may order the entire study from a number of the nation’s leading booksellers.

Matt. 13:1-9, 18-23 (HCSB)

1 On that day Jesus went out of the house and was sitting by the sea.
2 Such large crowds gathered around Him that He got into a boat and sat down, while the whole crowd stood on the shore.
3 Then He told them many things in parables, saying: “Consider the sower who went out to sow.
4 As he was sowing, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and ate them up.
5 Others fell on rocky ground, where there wasn’t much soil, and they sprang up quickly since the soil wasn’t deep.
6 But when the sun came up they were scorched, and since they had no root, they withered.
7 Others fell among thorns, and the thorns came up and choked them.
8 Still others fell on good ground, and produced a crop: some 100, some 60, and some 30 times [what was sown].
9 Anyone who has ears should listen!”

18 “You, then, listen to the parable of the sower:
19 When anyone hears the word about the kingdom and doesn’t understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the one sown along the path.
20 And the one sown on rocky ground—this is one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy.
21 Yet he has no root in himself, but is short-lived. When pressure or persecution comes because of the word, immediately he stumbles.
22 Now the one sown among the thorns—this is one who hears the word, but the worries of this age and the seduction of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.
23 But the one sown on the good ground—this is one who hears and understands the word, who does bear fruit and yields: some 100, some 60, some 30 times [what was sown].”

(This parable also is found in Mark 4:1-9, 13-20 and in Luke 8:4-8, 11-15.)

The context

Jesus probably is staying with Peter at his home in Capernaum. He has just tussled with the scribes and Pharisees who accused him of eating “unlawfully” and of healing on the Sabbath. He has foiled a plot by the Pharisees to kill Him. He has cast a demon out of a man and then answered the Pharisees’ accusation that He is casting out demons by Satan’s power. He has rebuked the Pharisees for demanding a sign that He is the Christ. And he has denied his own family’s request to see Him by declaring that His family consists of all who believe in Him. Now, in chapter 13, the Scripture says in verse one, “On that day Jesus went out of the house and was sitting by the sea [of Galilee].”

It is significant that in chapter 12 Jesus shows clear evidence He is the Messiah and that His kingdom has invaded Satan’s kingdom:

  • He declares Himself greater than the Temple and is indeed “Lord of the Sabbath.”
  • He casts out demons and heals the sick.
  • He foretells His death, burial and resurrection as the one sure sign He is the Son of God.
  • He rebukes the Jews of His generation for their wickedness and foretells their judgment (which falls in 70 A.D.).
  • And He declares that His true family is not earthly but heavenly, not of flesh and blood but of spirit.

Matt. 12:28 is crucial in setting the stage for Jesus’ parables in chapter 13: “If I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come to you.” Jesus declares that the long-awaited kingdom of heaven has come – but not in the way the Jewish leaders were expecting. Rather than as a political and military machine, the kingdom has come quietly and with great spiritual power, invading Satan’s kingdom and binding him (the “strong man” of Matt. 12:29) so that He may plunder the evil one’s kingdom.

The scribes and Pharisees will have none of this teaching and reject the King and His kingdom. So in chapter 13, as Jesus leaves Peter’s house and sits beside the sea, multitudes gather around Him, having witnessed His miracles and having heard His declaration that the kingdom of heaven has come. So Jesus gets into a boat – perhaps Peter’s boat or a boat made available for Jesus’ use whenever He needed it – and begins a series of eight parables on the kingdom of heaven. In this first parable – the parable of the sower – it is possible that farmers on the hillsides along the sea were in their fields sowing seed, with the ever-present birds hovering in the air above them.

Central theme

The central theme of this parable is that the kingdom of heaven has come among men and yet men can reject it. As George Eldon Ladd writes, “The mystery of the Kingdom is this: The Kingdom of God is here but not with irresistible power. The Kingdom of God has come, but it is not like a stone grinding an image to powder. It is not now destroying wickedness. On the contrary, it is like a man sowing seed. It does not force itself upon men…. This was a staggering thing to one who knew only the Old Testament…. One day God will indeed manifest His mighty power to purge the earth of wickedness, sin and evil; but not now. God’s Kingdom is working among men, but God will not compel them to bow before it. They must receive it; the response must come from a willing heart and a submissive will” (The Gospel of the Kingdom, pp. 56-57).

Central character

Christ no doubt is the sower, but in a sense every believer who shares the gospel is a sower as well. In Jesus’ day, farmers walked through their fields scattering seed by hand broadly across their property, knowing that a high percentage of the seed would not bear fruit. Normally, another member of the family would follow the sower closely and plow the seed under. But many of the seeds were eaten by birds as they fell on footpaths; others landed in shallow soil with a stratum of rock beneath; and others fell at the fringes of the property among thorn bushes that the farmers used to build small cooking fires. Still, the seed is broadcast widely, and some seed finds the good soil, thus raising up a crop.

Details

Jesus interprets the parable for His disciples:

  • The seed is the word of God (Luke 8:11) – the good news that the kingdom has come in the Person of Jesus the Messiah and that all may enter into the kingdom by faith in Him, the Word (Logos, John 1:1).
  • The birds represent Satan, who “takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved” (Luke 8:12).
  • The seed along the path stands for the impact of the word on hearers who do not understand. Their hearts are hardened like the footpaths winding through ancient wheat fields. They cannot believe because they will not believe, much like the Jewish leaders Jesus described in Matt. 13:12-15.
  • The seed on the rocky ground represents the impact of the word on shallow, uncommitted hearers. They may have an emotional response to the gospel but walk away when the reality of kingdom living – which may include pressure or persecution – sets in. Jesus’ followers who left him in John 6:66 are examples of those who loved Jesus’ miracles but balked at the call to discipleship.
  • The seed among the thorns illustrates the impact of the word on worldly hearers. Though understanding the gospel of the kingdom, they prefer the “worries, riches, and pleasures of life” (Luke 8:14). The rich young ruler who encountered Jesus falls into this category of hearers (Luke 18:18-23).
  • The seed in the good ground represents the impact of the word on those who, “having heard the word with an honest and good heart, hold on to it and by enduring, bear fruit” (Luke 8:15) – “some 100, some 60, some 30 times [what was sown]” (Matt. 13:23).

Spiritual application

In Jesus’ day, farmers sowed widely across their fields, knowing that perhaps one in three seeds would grow to maturity. As believers, we are to sow the gospel of the kingdom widely and indiscriminately, trusting God to grant the harvest.

Regarding the kingdom, Jesus’ parable of the sower is a clear message that His kingdom would not at this time come in power and great glory; instead, it would reside in the hearts of willing believers and be resisted by many. This is not what the Jews were expecting, and many rejected Jesus and His call to the kingdom because He is not the political and military leader they are seeking. At the same time, Satan, whose kingdom Jesus has invaded, will hover watchfully and snatch the gospel away from those whose hearts are hardened against it, lest, person by person, he lose power as “the god of this age” (2 Cor. 4:4).

 
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Posted by on May 12, 2010 in Kingdom of Heaven

 

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Why Jesus used parables to describe the kingdom

06 May

Following is chapter 2 of The Kingdom According to Jesus. You may order the entire study from a number of the nation’s leading booksellers.

Matt. 13:10-17, 34-35 (HCSB)

10 Then the disciples came up and asked Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?”
11 He answered them, “Because the secrets of the kingdom of heaven have been given for you to know, but it has not been given to them.
12 For whoever has, [more] will be given to him, and he will have more than enough. But whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.
13 For this reason I speak to them in parables, because looking they do not see, and hearing they do not listen or understand.
14 Isaiah’s prophecy is fulfilled in them, which says: You will listen and listen, yet never understand; and you will look and look, yet never perceive.
15 For this people’s heart has grown callous; their ears are hard of hearing, and they have shut their eyes; otherwise they might see with their eyes and hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn back— and I would cure them.
16 But your eyes are blessed because they do see, and your ears because they do hear!
17 For  I assure you: Many prophets and righteous people longed to see the things you see yet didn’t see them; to hear the things you hear yet didn’t hear them.”

34 Jesus told the crowds all these things in parables, and He would not speak anything to them without a parable,
35 so that what was spoken through the prophet might be fulfilled: I will open My mouth in parables; I will declare things kept secret from the foundation of the world.

What is a parable?

A parable is a story drawn from everyday experience to illustrate a deeper truth – in Scripture, a spiritual truth.  The teaching of parables goes back to antiquity. The first parable recorded in the Bible is that of the trees choosing for themselves a king (Judges 9:7-15). There are numerous parables in both the Old and New Testaments, but the most common parables are those taught by Jesus. While Jesus was not the first to use parables, He endowed them with unparalleled originality and spiritual depth. In fact, more than one-third of all His recorded sayings are parables.

Two Greek words are translated “parable” in the New Testament: parabole (48 times), meaning “to represent or stand for something,” and paroimia (four times in John), meaning “an adage, dark saying, proverb, a presentation deviating from the usual means of speaking.” As Herbert Lockyer writes in All the Parables of the Bible, “Parables prove that the external is the mirror in which we may behold the internal and the spiritual.” Parables also reward the faithful learner. As Matthew Henry writes in his unabridged commentary, “A parable is a shell that keeps good fruit for the diligent, but keeps it from the slothful.”

Parables and the mystery of the kingdom

Many of Jesus’ parables describe “the mystery/secret of the kingdom of God” (Mark 4:11). The term “mystery” means something God has held in secret throughout the ages but has finally disclosed in a new revelation of His redemptive work. In this case, the mystery of the kingdom is that God’s kingdom has come in an unexpected way – a way not fully revealed in the Old Testament.

With the coming of Jesus the Messiah as the Lamb of God, or the Suffering Servant, He invades Satan’s kingdom and reigns in the hearts of men. Yes, the day will come when God’s kingdom overcomes human authority, when the Lion of Judah appears in power and great glory to sit on the throne of David and rule the earth, but first He must come humbly and lay down His life as a ransom for lost sinners, destroying the enemies of God: sin, Satan and death. Jesus uses parables to reveal these previously hidden truths about the kingdom.

George Eldon Ladd puts it this way in The Gospel of the Kingdom: “But the mystery, the new revelation, is that this very Kingdom of God has now come to work among men but in an utterly unexpected way. It is not now destroying human rule; it is not now abolishing sin from the earth; it is not now bringing the baptism of fire that John had announced. It has come quietly, unobtrusively, secretly. It can work among men and never be recognized by the crowds. In the spiritual realm, the Kingdom now offers to men the blessings of God’s rule, delivering them from the power of Satan and sin. The Kingdom of God is an offer, a gift which may be accepted or rejected. The Kingdom is now here with persuasion rather than with power.” (p. 55).

Why Jesus used parables

In Matthew 13, after Jesus tells the parable of the sower, His disciples ask Him why He is now employing this form of teaching. His answer is revealing:

  • Because the mysteries/secrets of the kingdom have been given to Jesus’ disciples but not to others (v. 11). Jesus would spend three full years with the apostles, teaching them about the necessity of His death, burial and resurrection. Others would be taught the mystery in parables and, if they inclined their hearts toward God, would understand.
  • Those who received the gospel of the kingdom would benefit from the truths revealed in Jesus’ parables, while those who insisted on a political and military Messiah would no longer be entrusted with the Scriptures – a reference to the Jewish religious leaders (v. 12).
  • Those who already are rejecting Jesus as Messiah are so hard of heart they cannot understand these simple parables. Just as the Jews in Isaiah’s days had rejected God – leading to judgment – so the unbelieving Jews of Jesus’ day would face judgment in the destruction of the Temple in 70 A.D., as well as judgment after the kingdom comes in power (vv. 13-15). As Matthew Henry has written, “A parable, like the pillar of cloud and fire, turns a dark side towards Egyptians, which confounds them, but a light side towards the Israelites, which comforts them, and so answers a double intention.”
  • Jesus’ parables of the kingdom reveal spiritual truths that the prophets of old could only see in shadow form; the apostles should rejoice that they are witnessing the coming of the kingdom in mystery (vv. 16-17).
  • Jesus’ parables fulfill prophecy. The psalmist wrote that Messiah would “declare wise sayings; I will speak mysteries from the past” (Ps. 78:2), and that’s exactly what Jesus did (v. 35). See also Deut. 29:29; Rom. 16:25; 1 Cor. 2:7; Eph. 3:9; and Col. 1:26.

How we should study Jesus’ parables of the kingdom

We will study Jesus’ parables of the kingdom by considering:

  1. Context. We will ask: To whom is Jesus speaking? When? Where? Why? Who else is present? How does this parable compare with other parables and teachings of Jesus, and with other Scriptures?
  2. Theme. We will locate the central theme. Parables normally focus on a single key point. Jesus’ parables of the kingdom reveal key aspects of His reign.
  3. Character(s). We will identify the central character or characters and see how he, she, it or they relate to the central theme. We’ll also ask what role the other characters play in the parable.
  4. Details. We will look at the details of each parable, being careful not to impose unintended meanings.
  5. Personal application. We will explore what understanding, attitude or action Jesus is demanding of His listeners – and of us.

The design of speaking in parables

According to Barnes’ Notes on the New Testament, Jesus has the following four things in mind as He tells each parable:

1.    To convey truth in a more interesting manner to the mind; adding to the truth conveyed the beauty of a lovely image or narrative.

2.    To teach spiritual truth so as to arrest the attention of ignorant people, making an appeal to them through the senses.

3.    To convey some offensive truth, some pointed personal rebuke, in such a way as to bring it home to the conscience. Of this kind was the parable which Nathan delivered to David (2 Sam. 12:1-7) and many of our Savior’s parables addressed to the Jews.

4.    To conceal from one part of his audience truths which he intended others should understand. Thus Christ often, by this means, delivered truths to his disciples in the presence of the Jews, which he well knew the Jews would not understand; truths pertaining to them particularly, and which he was under no obligations to explain to the Jews (see Matt. 13:13-16; Mark 4:33).

 
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Posted by on May 6, 2010 in Kingdom of Heaven

 

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