Matthew 13: 1-43

“Back to the Future, Part 1”

Matthew 13:1-43

    On the same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the sea. [2] And great multitudes were gathered together to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore.

1.  Multitude – general population.  In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus was speaking to His disciples.

2.  Jesus will now be telling them of things to come concerning the “kingdom of heaven.”  In this case, the kingdom of heaven speaks of all that is called Christianity.  The first four parables tell of Satan’s work in what we call Christianity.

3.  “kingdom of heaven” = Christianity = the Church

The Sower

[3] Then He spoke many things to them in parables, saying: "Behold, a sower went out to sow. [4] And as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds came and devoured them. [5] Some fell on stony places, where they did not have much earth; and they immediately sprang up because they had no depth of earth. [6] But when the sun was up they were scorched, and because they had no root they withered away. [7] And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked them. [8] But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. [9] He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"

1.  Commonly called the Parable of the Sower.  Truth is the focus is not on the sower, but on the four types of soils and how they relate to the future of Christianity.

2.  Luke’s Gospel (8:4-18) gives more clues to the meaning of this parable.

            a. field = the world

                seed = the Word of God

                sower = the Son of God (Jesus)

                birds = the wicked ones, or the Devil

3. (vs. 4) … some seed fell by the wayside … those that hear the Word of God (Gospel) but do not respond.  For whatever reason, reject the Word.  Satan comes and steals the Word from their hearts.

4.  (vs. 5)… fell on stony places … received the Word with joy … had no depth … These are people who hear the Gospel and are excited, emotional but lack depth.  Never develop a foundation for their faith and when times of testing come, they fall away.   These people are very shallow in their relationship with the Lord and understanding of His Word.

5.  (vs. 7) … some fell on thorns … choked them.  Others who received the Word allowed the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches and other things to “choke” it out of them.

6. (vs. 8) … fell on good ground and yielded a crop: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.  Instead of the Gospel producing more and more fruit, it would actually decrease in fruitfulness as time goes on.

The important things to see here is that the Gospel (the Word of God) will not be widely accepted by those that hear it.  In fact, if you were to use percentages, 75% of those that hear the Word will reject it and in the other 25%, it will decrease in effectiveness through human history. 

[10] And the disciples came and said to Him, "Why do You speak to them in parables?" [11] He answered and said to them, "Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. [12] For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. [13] Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. [14] And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says:

    'Hearing you will hear and shall not understand,

    And seeing you will see and not perceive;

    [15] For the hearts of this people have grown dull.

    Their ears are hard of hearing,

    And their eyes they have closed,

    Lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears,

    Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn,

    So that I should heal them.'

1.  What is a parable?

            a. A story used to illustrate a scriptural truth.

2.  Fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy.  Because of the dullness of their hearts, Jesus teaches them in parables.

[16] "But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear; [17] for assuredly, I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.

1.  Jesus tells the disciples just how blessed they are.  The O.T. saints died looking forward to the promises of God and the coming Messiah.

2.  The parables that Jesus told revealed truths of God’s Word. 

[18] "Therefore hear the parable of the sower: [19] When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is he who received seed by the wayside. [20] But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; [21] yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles. [22] Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful. [23] But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty."

Wheat and Tares

[24] Another parable He put forth to them, saying: "The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; [25] but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way. [26] But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared. [27] So the servants of the owner came and said to him, 'Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?' [28] He said to them, 'An enemy has done this.' The servants said to him, 'Do you want us then to go and gather them up?' [29] But he said, 'No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them. [30] Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, "First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn." ' "

1.  Jesus is beginning to show the “kingdom of heaven” (Christianity, the Church) will not be perfect. 

2.  Satan will oppose Gods’ work by filling Christianity, the Church with those who are not true Christians.

3.  Wheat = true Christians; Tares = false Christians.

            a. Tares- similar to wheat in the early stages of growth.  The roots wrap around the roots of the wheat and are difficult to remove.

4.  The wheat and tares (true and untrue Christians) will grow together until the time of harvest (end times) and then be separated.

Mustard Seed

[31] Another parable He put forth to them, saying: "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field, [32] 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."

1.  The mustard plant is the largest of the herbs.  Herbs are not trees, yet this mustard seed becomes a tree.  It is an abnormality.  Something is not right.

2.  Some believe the mustard seed represents the 12 disciples who spread the gospel from small beginnings until it grows large in size.  Remember, the first three parables the Wheat and Tares, the Mustard Seed, and the Leaven all follow the pattern set in Jesus’ parable of the Sower.  Satan will spread his evil influence in what we call Christianity.  Unbelievers dwelling with believers.

3. Birds = used in a bad sense – wicked, evil. In the parable of the sower, the birds came and devoured the seed.  In this parable, the birds nest in the tree.  The tree (Christianity) is not right, it is abnormal.  Not the way God intended.

4.  Christianity (Church) comprises both believers and unbelievers.

5.  Christianity will be used as a shelter for all kinds of evil purposes (cults, World Council of Churches, etc.)

6.  All this will be corrected in the end times.

The Leaven

[33] 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 all leavened."

1.  Two interpretations:

            a. Starter leaven will leaven the whole batch of dough- The church starts off small and will permeate throughout the whole world.

                        i. Problem:  leaven – used in the Bible as a type of sin

            b. Speaks of the process of deterioration by rotting

                        i. Evil influences in the church- leavening influence of Babylon by Constantine, pagan holiday celebrations incorporated in the church – still with us today. 

[34] All these things Jesus spoke to the multitude in parables; and without a parable He did not speak to them, [35] 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."

1.  Again, fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies.  Gospel of Matthew is the bridge tying Jesus Christ back to the prophecies of the Old Testament.

    [36] Then Jesus sent the multitude away and went into the house. And His disciples came to Him, saying, "Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field." [37] He answered and said to them: "He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. [38] The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one. [39] The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels. [40] Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age. [41] 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, [42] and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. [43] Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!

1.  Jesus was explaining to His disciples that God’s judgment was coming but not as soon as they were expecting it. 

2.  The “kingdom of heaven” (church age, Christianity) continuing on, including both wheat (believers) and tares (unbelievers) until God finally gathers everything in, and separates the bad from the good.

The seven parables in Matthew 13 give a prophetic overview of this age (Church, Christianity) until the return of Jesus Christ. The time period extends between the Birth of Christ and His Return. The first 4 parables show us Satan’s opposition to the Word of God and the Work of God.

1.  Sower:  Would not be widespread acceptance of the Word of God.

2.  Tares:  Satan would send in imitation Christians within the Church

3.  Mustard Seed:  The size of the church (Christianity) has grown abnormally large.  The true church made up of genuine believers is only a small part of what we see.

4.  Leaven:  Speaks of the spreading of false doctrine within Christianity.