Matthew 13

When I was a youth, I loved reading the parables Jesus told in the Bible. Because I loved stories, so I treated them as stories and enjoyed reading them. Now I understand why Jesus told these parables and to whom He told them to. In Matt 13:10-13 Jesus explained to His disciples why He spoke in parables. The parables Jesus spoke are mysteries of the Kingdom of heaven; they are to reveal and at the same time conceal truths of the Kingdom. Huh??? you may ask. Well, in Matthew we see that during Jesus' ministry on earth, He had 2 groups of audiences - the disciples and the "crowd"- consisting of fishermen, spectators, the religious leaders, etc.
To the disciples, it is like family talk from Jesus to them. Matt 13:11 Jesus says to His disciples "To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of heaven, but to them (the crowd), it has not been granted." To the "crowd" they have the knowledge of the scriptures and who GOD is but they do not believe, do not want to understand and rejected GOD, thus the truths of the Kingdom are concealed to them V. 14-15.

Let's explore further the parables Jesus spoke in this chapter of Matthew, telling us what the Kingdom of heaven is like. Note the audience and the point of the parables as we go along;

1) The parable of the Sower V. 3-9
Audience : the crowd V. 2
Point : The seeds represent the Word of the Kingdom. The soil represents the heart condition of the receiver. Out of the 4 types of soil, the first 3 types of soil do not produce fruit but the 4th type is the good soil that represents the man whose heart condition is right (who hears the word and understands it) and bears fruit (Matt 3:8); some bringing forth a hundredfold, some sixty and some thirty.2) The parable of the Wheat and Tares V. 24-30
Audience : the crowd V. 34
Point : In the Kingdom, the good and bad exist but at the end of the the harvest the wheat and tares will be separated, the tares will be bonded together and burned (Matt 3:10). The wheat will be gathered into the barn. The good and evil will be separated at the end of the age.

3) The parable of the Mustard Seed V. 31-32
Audience : the crowd V. 34
Point : A mustard seed is smaller than all other seeds; a small beginning but when it is full grown, it is larger than the garden plants and becomes a tree. Watch it grow!

4) The parable of the Leaven V. 33
Audience : the crowd V. 34
Point : Leaven (yeast) is small, like the Mustard seed, it began small but watch it grow.
The preaching of the gospel works like leaven in the hearts of those who receive it; slowly but surely. Watch it grow!5) The parable of the Treasure V. 44
Audience : the disciples V. 36
Point : It will cost you something to own the treasure. Matt 10: 38

6) The parable of the Pearl of great value V. 45-46
Audience : the disciples V. 36
Point : You have to pay the price. Matt 6:33
7) The parable of the Dragnet V. 47-50
Audience : the disciples V. 36
Point : At the end of the age, there will be a separation of the righteous and the wicked. Similar to the parable of the wheat and tares.

Who is in the Kingdom?
(A) He who hears the Word and understands it and brings forth fruit.

How will the Kingdom come?
(A) It is not what we would expect but like a Mustard seed or leaven, it will grow. Like a treasure hidden in the field or the pearl of great value, it is worth everything a man has to give up to get it.

GOD's sovereignty and man's responsibility
(A) John 6: 63-65 It is the sovereignty of GOD to grant us the knowledge of the mysteries of the Kingdom yet we have a responsibility to live as light and salt for Him - Acts 28:23-24.

Matt 13 ended with a sad note : "And they took offense at Him. But Jesus said to them "A prophet is not without honour except in his hometown and in his own household." And He did not do many miracles there because of their unbelief."

Who Jesus is to you? Do you believe that He is the Son of GOD and Messiah and that there is no other way to the Father but through Him. If so, are we bearing fruit that comes from hearing, understanding and obeying Him?

Galatians 5:22-23:

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law."

Chorus:

The fruit of the Spirit is love,
Longsuffering, gentle and kind.
If joy is the Saviour above.

A Christian is what you will find.

V1

We walk in the spirit together.

We're careful in all that we say.

Not to offend our dear brother.

And holding him up when we pray.

V2

Living a life of example,

Pure in the spirit and true.

Helping our neighbours around us.

To know Jesus cares for them too.