Well, as you know, on the first Sabbath of the month, we go through our Sabbath Bible study, and I've been going through the discourses of Matthew that I covered on the pastoral care classes last year, and thought I'd share them with the congregation. I think they're very helpful. We're in Matthew 13, and Matthew 13 is made up, as you know, of seven parables about the Kingdom of God. And as we found last time, it appears they were all given in one day, one particular discourse there.
And Matthew, and others, of course, put them down. Matthew put them down in the way he did, and it's the third of his discourses, which we're going over. So we went over the parable of the sower last time, which was the first one, and it took the most space. Now, in verse 24, Matthew 13, in verse 24, another parable he put forth to them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field.
Now, this is the parable of the wheat and tares. And notice this parable also involves a man, a field, and seed, like the previous one. Now, interestingly, the parable is not explained till verse 36, farther down, when he explains it later privately to his disciples. To the people who heard it, though, he didn't explain it, as we will see. And the phrase, Another parable be put forth to them expositive, says that word, a particular Greek word, he put another parable literally, he set another before them. He set another parable before them. This verb is used in the New Testament only here and in verse 31.
In the sense of teaching, though that meaning is not attested elsewhere, them must be the crowd. And that's exactly correct. Them is the crowd, the multitude is their call. So, the kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. That introduction, the kingdom of heaven is like, is going to be for the next six parables. Each one has the same introduction. The parable is a sower, the first one is the only one that doesn't use those words.
And it says he sowed good seed in his field. There's an implication here, I think many miss, that we want to notice here. Jesus came to proclaim the kingdom of God, as we know, from verse 19. When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, so he talked about that in verse 19. In the first two parables, he mentioned that assignment to sowing good seed in his field.
Both the seed and the field are his. So the king of the kingdom of God arrived on the scene to sow seed, but time would be needed before the crop is harvested. Now it's been almost 2,000 years, and the harvest isn't in yet. It's really an amazing thing. But this is the plan. So the kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. Verse 25, But while men slept, his enemy came, sowed tears among the wheat, and went his way. While men slept. It doesn't mean they were inattentive to their duties. All humans sleep. We all need sleep.
But the enemy was stealthy and treacherous. And the expositor says, What he sowed was zazania, weeds, almost certainly bearded darnal, which is botanically close to wheat, and difficult to distinguish from it when the plants are young. The roots of the two plants entangle themselves around each other. But when the heads of grain grow on the wheat, there's no doubt which plant is which. This wheat, the enemy sowed among the wheat. The Greeks suggest thorough distribution.
The growing plants gradually become identifiable, and the servant tells their master about the weeds. And it says, He planted a seed, and then he went his way. He didn't have to attend to them. He didn't have to cultivate them. Once they're sowed, they're going to come. When he sows his seed, the weeds, they needed no further attention. As we'll see, they'll only be separated at harvest time. Verse 26, But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared. Before they sprouted and produced a crop, it's difficult to tell the difference between the two different plants.
Barnes notes on a New Testament, says, Then appeared the tares also. That is, the tares were first discovered. They had grown with the wheat, but were so much like it as not to be noticed until the wheat began to ripen. So true piety and false hopes are not known by professions, by blades and leaves and flowers, but by the fruit. That's, I think, a very interesting point. You don't see it until the fruit is there, and then you know which is which. As Jesus taught, by their fruits you will know them.
Verse 27, So the servants of the owner came to him and said, Notice it's the owner. That's his field. The earth is the Lord's, and the fold is thereof. So the servant said to the owner, the servants of the owner came and said to him, Sir, by the way, that word is kyrios, Lord, it could be translated, but it is occasionally translated, sir. Anyway, sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares? He said to them, An enemy has done this.
The servant said to him, Do you want us then to go and to gather them up? But he said, No, lest while you gather the tares you also uproot the wheat with them. The roots are intertwined. Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, First gather the tares, take the tares first, and bind them in bundles and burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn. And the tares, he ends with no explanation.
He doesn't give an explanation to the people. But let's notice, he's indicating there will be a judgment made. There will be separated the wheat and the tares. And the wheat and tares will be burned and the wheat gathered into his barn. Now he goes into another parable right away. And he said, another parable he put forth to them. That's that same expression. The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field, which indeed is the least of all the seeds.
But when it is grown, it is greater than the herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches. Like the first two parables, this one also involves a man, a field, and seed. God always starts small. You know, God began his plan of salvation with Abraham, who was 75 years old and childless. The twelve tribes began with Jacob, who was deceived into marrying two wives, each of whom had a handmaiden.
Daniel, in his vision, saw one stone cut out without hands, and it grew to fill the whole earth. When God began his end-time work here, as I understand it, he began with Herbert and the Roman Armstrong. Did you know they kept the Holy Days by themselves for seven years before anybody joined them?
They kept them for seven years. But gradually, over the decades, it grew to a worldwide church, literally, with a headquarters, three college campuses, and congregations and offices all around the world. And nothing like that has happened within the Church of God community since the fall of Jerusalem in 70 AD. It's just amazing how it just began so tiny, and then it grew. When Jesus was giving this parable, Jesus was the only converted man on the earth.
Talk about a small beginning. Just one. After three and a half years, he had 12 apostles and about 120 people attending.
That's after three and a half years of his ministry. And the Book of Acts begins with just 120 people. Then, on the day of Pentecost, they baptized 3,000. Then, a few days later, they baptized 5,000 more, and the Church began to grow, and it began to take off.
Today, many think Christianity is one of the major religions of the world, with multiple millions of members. Well, wait till they find out how small true Christianity is.
How many truly converted people do you think there are on earth right now? Well, I have no idea, of course, but I bet it's fewer than most of us think.
The lesson of this parable is God always starts small, but then the growth never ceases.
God's kingdom will continue to increase. And there's a point in here that's mentioned in the message of Matthew. It says, the image of birds coming to roost would have been eloquent, if rather ominous, to those reared in the Old Testament.
They found it in Ezekiel 1723 and Daniel 4, 12 and Daniel 4, 20-22. It is the Gentiles who are in mind. See, they had these birds that come and flock in the trees. The message of Matthew sees an allusion to that, that hits the audience there were Jews, and they would have known those prophecies. It is the Gentiles who are in mind. Jesus is hinting not only that his apparently tiny seed will grow to a remarkable size, but that it will spread beyond the narrow confines of Judaism and provide a home for the Gentiles in the tree. It may look insignificant. At present, it is, but it will not stay that way. I thought that's a good comment. We sometimes look around at these things that are a little small. Yep. That's the plan. And wait till it starts to really go. If you want to look at Isaiah chapter 9, well-known verses that Mr. Handel put in his Oratorio the Messiah to help them be more well-known in my view, Isaiah chapter 9 verses 6 and 7.
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government will be upon his shoulder. And his name will be called Wonderful. I can't resist. Every time I read that verse, lived all over the world, and I have never lived in a place where they call the government wonderful.
Everybody complains about their government.
At least we're allowed to complain. Some people aren't. And his name will be called Wonderful. Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace, and of the increase of his government and peace. They grow together.
There shall be no end upon the throne of David and over his kingdom to order it, an establishment with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this. It's going to grow tiny, but then it's going to get much, much bigger. When the kingdom of God is revealed to the whole world, they'll be astounded at what God has been doing all through the years and centuries and millennia. It will be astonishing. And this is our opportunity to participate in that kingdom, which the world can't yet see. It's been given to us to see, as we read earlier in the parable, in the first parable. Okay, let's go to Matthew 13 and verse 34.
All these things, Jesus spoke to the multitude in parables, and without a parable, he did not speak to them, that it might be fulfilled, which was spoken by the prophet, saying, I will open my mouth in parables. I will utter things kept secret from the foundation of the world. Here he's telling him things of wonderful truths of the kingdom of God, but there was no comprehension or response. They weren't given understanding. The influence of the kingdom on the multitude was minimal.
But I'd like you to look at Psalm 78, the 78th Psalm, because this is the one that's being quoted. And Psalm 78 should be a Psalm we know pretty well.
Psalm 78. It's a Psalm, a contemplation of Asaph. Asaph rehearses the history of Israel.
Asaph was appointed choir master by David and continued in that role in the temple Solomonville.
Psalm 78 rehearses Israel's continual treachery toward God and his covenant, and why God called David of Judah to lead Israel and not the tribe of Ephraim.
I mentioned previously that when the Old Testament is quoted, it's not just the specific verses, it's the passage as well, usually, that's there.
And it's often enlightening to examine the context of the whole thing.
So let's notice here, Psalm 78, verse 1.
Give ear, my people, to my law. Incline your ear to the words of my mouth.
I will open my mouth in a parable. I will utter dark sayings of old, which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us we will not hide them from their children, telling to the generation to come the praises of the Lord and his strength and his wonderful works that he's done.
God told Israel to teach them. Teach your children.
For he established a testimony in Jacob, and he pointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children, that the generation to come might know them, the children who would be born, that they might arise and declare them to their children, and that they may set their hope in God, and may not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments, and may not be like their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation that did not set its heart to right, and whose spirit was not faithful to God. That goes down to that history, and even though God protected them, guided them, and blessed them, as the people often returned away from God. Though thousands came to hear Jesus and to see the miracles, in the end most of them turned away. And they also turned on him.
By speaking in parables, it enabled him to later have mercy upon them, because they won't be accountable. And today we know the plan of God is hidden for most people on earth.
Yet the wheat and the mustard seed are discreetly growing, and the leaven will be growing right with it as well. We'll see that in the next parable. Let's go back to Matthew 13. And verse 36, Then Jesus sent the multitude away, and went into the house. Now again, the multitude's gone.
And his disciples came to him, saying, explain to us the parable of the tares of the field.
So before he explained it, he sent the multitude away. He had given them four parables. The parable of the sower, the parable of the wheat, and the parable of the tares. But he, oh, I skipped that one. Verse 33. Sorry about that one. That's why I'm having my troubles here. Verse 33. This is the one he spoke to them, and he gave it to them, but didn't explain it. Another parable he spoke to them, the kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal, till it was leavened. One short verse. The leaven actually spreads through the whole thing, goes through the whole part. And he actually changed, sorry, I'm struggling here today.
He actually changes the nature of the bread. With the seed, it grew. This is changing the nature. You don't get more bread, but it changes the nature of the bread. And leaven is often used as a bad example. But in this case, it's a good example. It's going to spread. It changes the nature. It's going to change the nature of the whole world when the kingdom is here.
Okay. Now, let's go, he said, the way back to verse 37. Sorry, I slipped up there. Verse 37.
Well, he said, Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field. He answered and said to them, He who sows the good seed is the son of man. The field is the world. The good seed are the sons of the kingdom and the tares are the sons of the wicked one. Let's go back there to verse 37 again. Who sows the good seed? The son of man. Jesus Christ himself.
You remember Luke 4 verses 18 and 19? Luke 4, 18 and 19? He said, The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He has appointed me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim the liberty to the captives, and to recover the sight of the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord. See, Jesus has been sent with that message Himself. And we saw previously when we went through the previous sower that Jesus reported to Himself in Matthew 9, 37-38 as the Lord of the harvest. The Lord of the harvest is the one to determine who is to sow the seed, where, and when, and then who's to reap the harvest and when. Today there are many who say that they've been called to preach, and some have different messages, but if they haven't been sent by the Lord of the harvest, their claim is false.
Very important to recognize that. He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. He's the one that does it. He does it through people. Specifically, once He raises up, we know He raised up the apostles, and He teaches it that way. He's in charge of it. He's the Lord of the harvest. He's the one who's in charge, and it's the most important project that God's given Him to get that living throughout the whole world, to have the thing come so the Gentiles come in so that it grows to fill the whole earth. Okay, the field is the world. Now we're told the identities of the characters in the parable. The field is the world. This statement is, this simple statement, is often missed by many. Many think that He's talking about the Church, and that in the Church you'll have some good and some bad. Now, the Greek word for world is cosmos, which means the present society that's there. Sayre says the first definition is an apt and harmonious arrangement or constitution, order, government. It describes this present society that is alienated from God and invisibly controlled by Satan the devil.
And Jesus was sent to deliver the world from that captivity. Mr. Armstrong used to teach that Adam and Eve sinned, that they founded the world, that was the founding of the world. Up until that time, they were with God. When they took the fruit, they were driven out of the garden, they made their own society with their own rules, and that was the foundation of the world.
You know John 3 16, for God so loved the world, the cosmos, that he gave his only begotten son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world, the cosmos, but that the world, the cosmos, might be saved. In John 15 19, John 15 19, he said, if you were of the world, the world would love you.
Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. So Jesus is sowed the good seed in the world.
He hasn't made a note to them all yet, but he sowed it in the world.
The field is the world. The good seed are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked ones. The good seed are the sons of the kingdom. They have received the seed and are now producing fruit, some 100-fold, some 60, and some 30, as we heard in the previous parable. The sons of the kingdom are also called the sons of God because they submit to God's rule. But the tares are the sons of the wicked one, he said. Spiritually, Satan is their real Father. You remember John 8 44, long verse, John 8 44, you are of your Father the devil, and the desires of your Father you want to do. You have the same desires he does. He was a murderer from the beginning, and he does not stand in the truth because there's no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the Father of it. In the New Testament, the church is always described as those in whom dwells the Holy Spirit. Romans 8 14, for as many as are led by the Spirit of God. These are the sons of God. Now, not those who might just attend for a time and never really receive the Spirit and walk in the Spirit. As we noted in Matthew 5 some time ago, the Hebrew thought is, son of can mean a person who epitomizes the characteristics described. We've heard of the sons of thunder and the sons of Belial. Jesus referred to the Pharisees as the sons of hell. Strong terminology.
And he said peacemakers will be called the sons of God. They epitomize the characteristic of their Father. They make peace. Here, Jesus talks about the sons of the kingdom. They epitomize the characteristics of the kingdom of God. That's an important lesson to learn. I remember when I first attended church in 1960, I came into the church and I thought everybody in the room was a very mature Christian and I was the new guy who didn't know anything. Well, that was true to some extent. Didn't know anything. But over the years, though, I've seen, and you have too, I'm sure, that some members and even some in the ministry turned out not to be really sons of the kingdom.
It's a sad thing, but it's happened many times over the years. So we learned to, you don't see the fruit right away. It takes time to see them. He said, the enemy who sowed them as the devil, the sons of the wicked, one reflects Satan's behavior. Satan sowed the seed to produce his weeds. And he said, the harvest is the end of the age. The harvest hasn't happened yet.
It's still ahead of us. Till then, the good seed and the tares will be growing together.
And he said, and the reapers are the angels. These are servants Jesus will send out to bring in the harvest. We usually think of angels as spirit beings that God created long ago, and that's usually how the word is used. But the Greek word translated angel can sometimes, not often, but occasionally refer to a man. When the reference is made to a human, the word is usually translated messenger. Behold, I send my messenger. The word is Angelos as well, but it's obviously talking about John the Baptist and others who had their responsibility. Okay. Therefore, now he sums it up here.
Verse 40, Matthew 13, 40.
Therefore, as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so will it be at the end of the age. Remember now, he's telling us to his disciples. He's not telling it to the multitudes. The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, and will cast them into the furnace of fire, and they'll be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine forth as the Son in the kingdom of their Father, he who has ears to hear. Let him hear. Sober a message.
So the separation of the tares from the wheat takes place at the end of the age.
Notice this, he said, they'll gather out of his kingdom. It's his kingdom, and he's not going to have this in his kingdom.
Though all things that offend. Now, do you know how many times it's often mentioned in the New Testament about not giving offense? I don't know that everybody focuses on how that is something that is part of the that we're supposed to do. It's interesting, few commentaries comment on this verse. They almost say nothing. Almost all of them. Only a few do. Expositors points out that Matthew is phrasing, reflects, Zephaniah 1.3. The book of Zephaniah, I won't turn there, but the Hebrew word may mean stumbling blocks, offenses, and sometimes translated stumbling blocks. For what it's worth, etymology supports it, and the Targum understands it that way. Thus, in Zephaniah 1.3, the word may refer to idols or better yet, a figurative manner as people seen as things that cause offense. If so, Matthew's rendering is appropriate. You might consider reviewing Zephaniah chapter one. It's a real eye-opener, and I think when you do, you'll do like I did, and you read all three chapters, because it's very enlightening. Mr. Wust translates that, the Son of Man shall sun his angels on a mission, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all those who create stumbling blocks for others, and those who make a practice of lawlessness, and they shall throw them into a furnace of fire. You know, the New Testament has a lot to say about not being offensive. Let me just, I'll just read them to you here. Matthew 18, 6-7, Matthew 18, 6-8. Whoever causes one of these little ones who believes in me to sin, it would be better for a millstone who hung around his neck, and he would drown in the depths of the sea. Woe to the world because of offenses, for offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes.
And he says in Romans 14, verses 10-13, I thought, should I cut this down? I thought, no, I better put it in here and explain it, because to see how God had put this in his word repeatedly.
Romans 10, sorry, Romans 14, verse 10-13. Romans 14, 10-13. Why do you judge your brother, or why do you show contempt for your brother? Both things are offensive. For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. For it's written, as I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. So then each of us shall give account of himself to God.
Therefore, let us not judge one another anymore, but rather resolve this, not to put a stumbling block, or a cause to fall in our brother's way. Those are sobering words. And 1 Corinthians 10, verses 31-33, 1 Corinthians 10, 31-33. Therefore, whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. Everything you do, do it to the glory of God. Give no offense, either to the Jews or to the Greeks or to the Church of God. Just as I also please all men and all things, not seeking my own prophet, but the prophet of many that they may be saved. So we're not to defend anybody, either to the Jews or the Greeks or to the Church of God, to not be offensive.
And of course, those who practice lawlessness, that is, who disregard God's laws. And remember, God teaches us to respect man's laws as well. Throughout the Bible, there's often mention of a sorting out of the righteous and the unrighteous. But Jesus here describes the ultimate sorting out. The generally accepted views is that God will forgive everybody and overlook their shortcomings. It's just not in the Bible. And he said they will be wailing, and it's often translated weeping, and gnashing of teeth. That phrase occurs seven times in New Testament, six times in Matthew.
And once in Luke. It's a very sobering thing. Wailing indicates great sorrow and grief.
When they are gathered out of the kingdom by the angels, they begin weeping and wailing. Or gnashing of teeth suggests anger, even rage. Having been gathered out and rejected, they are angry at God for doing exactly what Jesus said he was going to do.
Over the years, I've noticed that two common characteristics of demons, the few that I've run into, is an outlook of wailing and gnashing of teeth. It's really discouraged. Jesus taught the righteous and the wicked will be sharing the planet until Jesus sends out his angels and gathers the harvest to remove the offensive, lawless people.
Verse 43, Then the righteous will shine forth as the son in the kingdom of their father, he who has ears to hear, let him hear.
The New King James, my particular version of it, has a marginal reference to Daniel 12.3.
Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament, and those who turn many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever.
And you know Isaiah 60? I've covered that several times. Isaiah 60, verses 1-3.
Isaiah 60, 1-3. Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon you. For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth and deep darkness the people, but the Lord will arise over you, and his glory will be seen upon you.
The Gentiles shall come to your light and kings to the brightness of your coming.
And Paul refers to it in 2 Corinthians 3, 2 Corinthians 3, verses 17 and 18. I'll read it to the NIV. It's particularly clear in that passage.
2 Corinthians chapter 3, verses 17 and 18.
Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we, with unveiled faces, all reflect the Lord's glory. God's people should be reflecting the Lord's glory.
We have none of our own. We have to reflect His.
And are being transformed into His likeness with ever-increasing glory. We should be growing more and more to be like Jesus Christ, which comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.
Okay, I think we got that. I think it's a very sobering one, but the lessons of the parable, I'll have to finish each parable by summing it up. The good seed and the tares will be growing together until the end of the age, and then they'll be separated forever.
The tares will be burned to fire, and the righteous will shine forth as the Son and the Kingdom of their Father.
And as He said, He who has ears to hear, let him hear.
Now we come to the final three parables that were given to His disciples only. Matthew 13, 44.
Again, that word again kind of points to something, another example, you might say. The Kingdom of Heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found in hid, and for joy over it, goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
The commentaries go all over the place with this one, but the meaning is, I think, quite clear.
The man somehow discovers treasure in a field. That sounds a little strange today.
What's he doing out in the field?
Why isn't he home?
The NIV Study Bible says, in ancient times it was common to hide treasure in the ground since there were no banks. You have to put it out there, they say, though there were bankers. Matthew 25.
In this case, the treasure is the knowledge of the Kingdom of God.
And perhaps, you know, I like to joke, maybe his metal detector picked up something going over it.
But when he realizes its value, he trades everything else he has to obtain it.
In the Hebrew Bible, before Jesus came to preach the Kingdom of God, wisdom was described as the principal gift to seek. And notice Proverbs 4.7, the NIV. Proverbs 4.7 in the NIV.
Wisdom is supreme. Therefore, get wisdom, though it costs you all you have. Get understanding. In other words, that's the principal thing to go for. Now we have the Kingdom of God.
And you know what? When you're seeking the Kingdom of God, you'll also get the greater gifts of love and wisdom as well. But they all have to go together.
They all have to go together.
Others don't know the treasure he stumbled upon.
Think about that. You probably have relatives that say, why are they living that way? Why are they doing that?
How are they following that way? And they may think he's foolish to make such a trade.
Yet he pursues it vigorously with everything he's got.
Expositors has a very interesting comment on this.
Derritt, a commentator, has pointed out that under rabbinic law, if a workman comes on a treasure in a field and lifted it out, it would belong to his master, the field's owner. But here the man is careful not to lift the treasure out until he's bought the field.
So the parable deals neither with the legality nor the morality of the situation as with the parable of the thief of the night, but with the value of the treasure, which is worth every sacrifice. When the man buys the field at such sacrifice, he possesses far more than the price paid.
The king who had his worth infinitely more than the cost of discipleship. And those who know where the treasure lies joyfully abandon everything else to secure it.
It's a good time for us all to reflect, is that the main goal that we've got? Have we got the Pearl of Great Price?
Or are we just walking through things here?
Let's check ourselves and say, am I going for the right goal?
The right goal is the Kingdom of God.
And if you see that, nothing else will be more important.
Now verse 45.
Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he is found one of great price, went out and sold all that he had and bought it.
This parable, the previous parable, mentions a man.
This one mentions a merchant seeking beautiful pearls. This suggests a person who is seeking to learn about God and interested in the Word.
He knows pearls.
And this one is special.
If you desire the really important things in life, knowing the truth, understanding the purpose of life, having a strong family, good friends, peace of mind, and gaining eternal life, what can compare to that?
The Kingdom of God is the first, finest pearl there is.
But sometimes you may appear foolish to others until Christ becomes.
And then everything makes sense.
Everything will make sense.
The next one, verse 47.
Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a dragnet that was cast into the sea and gathered some of every kind, which when it was full, they drew to the shore, and they sat down and gathered the good into vessels, but threw the bad away.
To give you...
I'll finish the parable. So will be at the end of the age. The angels will come forth and separate the wicked from among the just, and cast them into the furnace of fire. Then they'll be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
Now, this one's interesting, talking also about the sorting out that's coming, that's the judgment.
JF and B say again, this Kingdom of Heaven is like a net. It was cast into the sea, gathered every kind. The word here, rendered net, that's in King James, signifies a large dragnet, which draws everything after it, suffering nothing to escape, as distinguished from a casting net. So this drags in everything. Expositor said, they used the Greek word, was drawn along between two boats, or tied on the shore at one end, and put out to a boat by the other end, which was then drawn to land by ropes. The angels drag in everything, determine which is which. Until that time, we can expect to find a wicked among the just in the world. Many teachers downplay or ignore these strong words of Jesus.
The lesson of the seven parables should be clear. The righteous and the wicked will be growing together in the world, but at the end of the age, Jesus will send his angels out to separate them, one into fire, and the other into the eternal Kingdom of God.
Notice verse 51.
Jesus said to them, Have you understood these things? He said to his disciples, Have you understood these things?
In verse 36, they asked him to explain the parable of the tares, and he did so, and then he gave them three more.
Now, like most people who teach, explaining something to others, he said, Have you understood those things? Did you get it?
It will benefit us to ask, Have we understood these things?
And how will we reply?
Our fruits will tell the difference.
Adam Clark said, Divine truths must not be lightly passed over. Our Lord's question here shows them to be matters of the utmost weight and importance, and they should be considered again and again till they are thoroughly understood.
We don't want to hear him say to us one day, But you said you understood.
We want to be able to say we do understand.
Then he said, Verse 52, Then he said to them, Sorry, Verse 51, Jesus said to them, Have you understood all these things?
And they said, Yes, Lord.
Then he said to them, Therefore every scribe instructed concerning the kingdom of heaven is like a householder, which brings out of his treasure things new and old.
The word is actually, every scribe, the scribe is a Greek word.
That's the definition of, in the Bible, a man learned in the Mosaic law and in the sacred writings, an interpreter, teacher, every teacher to be able to, New King James' margin has for the kingdom of God, is instructed for the kingdom of heaven.
Every scribe instructed for the kingdom of heaven. You see the margins for, at least in my Bible, will be like a householder who brings out of his treasure things old and new.
It's a marvelous thing.
The New Revised Standard Version says, And he said to them, Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like the master of a household who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.
The message of Matthew says, Christ does not come to eradicate all that we gained in life before we met him.
He comes to enrich it. This description of a teacher and the law who became a Christian leader is perhaps the best picture we could have of a man who actually penned the Gospel, Matthew himself. He shows all the characteristics of a Christian scribe. Very Jewish, but very un-Jewish, too. The New and the Old blend marvelously in his wonderful book, and what Jesus did for the author he can do for anyone.
I think you have to put the Apostle Paul in that category as well, somebody who knew the Bible well, and then when he came in, all of a sudden you could see things that he had not understood. It just kept going and growing and learning.
So when a Bible scholar understands Christ's teachings, the things he previously understood are reinforced and new and fresh insights constantly appear.
So the knowledge of the kingdom of God grows and buds and flowers of understanding. It's a wonderful blessing.
Then he said in verse 53, Now it came to pass when Jesus had finished these parables, he departed from the memory. That's the classic ending of one of Matthew's discourses, and this is the end of this particular discourse that he goes over. So Matthew ends his third discourse as he did the others, and we'll begin the next one, the fourth one, Matthew 18, in our next Sabbath Bible study.
