Mateus 13
John MacArthur · Citado em PreceptAustin
Mateus 13
MacArthur applies this truth - "The longer a person knows and is faithful to Christ, the more his Lord is faithful to reveal His truth and power. The longer a person rejects the knowledge of God he has, whether much or little, the less of God’s truth he will understand. Willful human rejection leads to divine judicial rejection. When a man says no to God, God says no to that person. God confirms men in their stubbornness, and binds them with their own chains of unbelief." (See Matthew Commentary) This begs the simple question, are you progressing or regressing spiritually. Standing still or neutrality is not an option! The New Living Paraphrase is helpful - "To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given, and they will have an abundance of knowledge. But for those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them." For (gar) is a term of explanation. What is Jesus explaining? John Broadus says "In v12f., He declares that He withholds some truths from the outside crowd (Mark 4:11) because of their willful blindness." Pulpit Commentary says for explains "The reason of God's action spoken of in the preceding verse. It is based on the following principle." (Matthew 13 Commentary) NIGTC says the for (gar) "explains why the point made in v. 11 can stand as the basis for the present strategy of using parables with the crowds. (See The Gospel of Matthew - Page 53)
Mateus 13
MacArthur says "In Palestine during New Testament times, the average ratio of harvested grain seeds to those that were planted is said to have been less than eight to one. Even a tenfold crop would have been well above average; and the yields of which Jesus speaks were truly phenomenal." (See MacArthur Commentary) Crop (fruit) (2590)(karpos) literally refers to fruit, produce or offspring which is produced by the inherent energy of a living organism. In the 3 synoptic accounts of the parable of the sower/soils, karpos is used by Jesus in it literal sense 4 times each time translated as crop but- Mt 13:8+, Mk 4:7, 8+ and Lk 8:8+. Karpos is what something produces naturally. But for believers karpos is something God's Spirit does through us supernaturally. Each literal use by Jesus pointed to a figurative meaning of spiritual fruit as indicated by His explanation describing people as unfruitful (akarpos in Mk 4:19+, Mt 13:22+) and as those who bear fruit (karpophoreo in Mk 4:20+, Mt 13:23+). Scripture describes 3 general kinds of spiritual fruit: (1) Spiritual attitudes that characterize a Spirit-filled, Spirit-led believer - Gal 5:22-23+ (2) Righteous actions - Ro 6:22+, Php 4:16, 17+; Heb 13:5+ (3) New converts - Ro 16:5+ Matthew 13:9 “He who has ears, let him hear.” NET Matthew 13:9 The one who has ears had better listen!" GNT Matthew 13:9 ὁ ἔχων ὦτα ἀκουέτω. NLT Matthew 13:9 Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand." KJV Matthew 13:9 Who hath ears to hear, let him hear. ESV Matthew 13:9 He who has ears, let him hear." NIV Matthew 13:9 He who has ears, let him hear." ASV Matthew 13:9 He that hath ears, let him hear. CSB Matthew 13:9 Anyone who has ears should listen!" NKJ Matthew 13:9 "He who has ears to hear, let him hear!" NRS Matthew 13:9 Let anyone with ears listen!" YLT Matthew 13:9 He who is having ears to hear -- let him hear.' NAB Matthew 13:9 Whoever has ears ought to hear." NJB Matthew 13:9 Anyone who has ears should listen!' GWN Matthew 13:9 Let the person who has ears listen!" BBE Matthew 13:9 He who has ears, let him give ear. Mt 13:16 11:15 Mk 4:9,23 7:14-16 Rev 2:7,11,17,29 3:6,13,22 13:8,9 Matthew 13 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Parallel Passages: Mark 4:8+ “And He was saying, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” Luke 8:8+ Other seed fell into the good soil, and grew up, and produced a crop a hundred times as great." As He said these things, He would call out, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear. GOT EARS? THEN USE THEM! He who has ears, let him hear (akouo) - "If you can understand it, then understand it." Mark 4:9+ has "He who has ears to hear, let him hear." Who has ears? Most everyone has a pair, even Malchus (thanks to the Creator)! (Jn 18:10, Lk 22:49, 50, 51+). But Jesus is not speaking solely of physical ears, but of "spiritual ears." This translation almost sounds like a proverb, suggesting it is a good idea for a person to hear. Actually this is a command from Jesus Who commands let him hear using the present imperative (see need to depend on the Holy Spirit to obey). Jesus is not just saying take in the "sound waves!" He is saying make sure you accurately interpret the "sound waves" and respond obediently and without hesitation to the "sound waves!" As His half-brother James would later write "But prove (present imperative) yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.." (James 1:22+). While I realize the words of Jesus were spoken Pre-Pentecost and so the Spirit was not indwelling believers as He is in the Church Age, (in my opinion) the principle still applies that for one to "hearken" to Jesus' command calling for a supernatural response, he or she can only do so by (1) jettisoning self-reliance and (2) relying wholly on the Holy Spirit to provide the enabling power! John alludes to this in John 3:3-8+, especially verse 8 "The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit.” Unless the Spirit blows, we cannot truly hear! Notice James' parallel passage where he commands us to be "doers." This begs the question "Can we do anything supernatural in our own power?" Not really! And that includes understanding the Word of the Gospel spoken to us! Jesus amplifies this important principle declaring "I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me (AND TODAY THAT MEANS APART FROM RELYING ON THE ONE HE SENT TO BE OUR "HELPER" OR "ENABLER," THE SPIRIT OF CHRIST!) you can do (ABSOLUTELY) nothing (OF ETERNAL VALUE OR SPIRITUAL FRUIT THAT "REMAINS" - Jn 15:16)." (Jn 15:5). I like the NET Note (see note 12) - The translation "had better listen!" captures the force of the third person imperative more effectively than the traditional "let him hear," which sounds more like a permissive than an imperative to the modern English reader. This was Jesus' common expression to listen and heed carefully (cf. Matt 11:15, 13:43; Mark 4:9, 23; Luke 8:8, 14:35). MacArthur - Jesus was not mocking His hearers but was rather pointing out to them that they would need more than their own human understanding to interpret the meaning...Only those who accept the King can understand the King and profit from His teaching and lordship. To all others His teaching is meaningless riddles. (See Matthew Commentary) Let him hear - Only on the lips of Jesus and found 16x in NT, 8 times while He was still on earth and 8 times after He ascended to Heaven! - Mt. 11:15; Mt. 13:9; Mt. 13:43; Mk. 4:9; Mk. 4:23; Mk. 7:16; Lk. 8:8; Lk. 14:35; Rev. 2:7; Rev. 2:11; Rev. 2:17; Rev. 2:29; Rev. 3:6; Rev. 3:13; Rev. 3:22; Rev. 13:9 (Click for comment on let him hear in Jesus' command to the church at Ephesus) Spurgeon rightly said "There are many, who have ears, who do not hear to any real purpose. There is the physical act of hearing, but they do not hear in the heart and the mind. It is a very different thing to have an impression on the drum of the ear and to have an impression on the tablet of the heart. “He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.” Mark Hitchcock - One of my favorite lines from the lips of Jesus is His oft-repeated statement, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear." Jesus is saying, "Look, if you have a set of ears on your head you'd better use them and listen up to what I'm about to say." It's a direct challenge to us to be spiritually sensitive to the words of Jesus. The responsibility to listen carefully to Him is serious. As we move into a careful study of Jesus' forecast for the future, I can't think of a better reminder. Let's listen carefully and willingly to the mighty Master as He leads us down the corridors of time to the end of the age. And be ready to follow His instructions about how to live while we wait for that day to come. (See What Jesus Says about Earth's Final Days) John
Mateus 13
MacArthur writes that "Many thousands of people heard Jesus teach and saw Him perform miraculous signs as evidence of His divine messiahship; but most of them did not recognize Him as Lord or receive Him as Savior. They were exposed to God incarnate, and yet they rejected Him—either by direct opposition or by indifferent neglect. They said no to the King, and because they refused to receive the divine light that shined on them, they drifted deeper and deeper into spiritual darkness. To this day, no people on earth are more religiously disoriented than Jews. They were called to be God’s people, given His promises, His covenants, His laws, and His immeasurable blessings. They were even sent His only Son as one of their own people—to teach, heal, comfort, redeem, and deliver them—but they would not have Him rule over them (Luke 19:14). Because they rejected God’s perfect Light, even the light they had went out, and everything in their religion lost its true meaning. The Temple was destroyed by the Romans in A.D. 70, and with it the priesthood and the sacrifices. The ceremonial and sacrificial requirements of their covenant with God could no longer be met; but since that time Jews have continued to follow various aspects of their ancient religion—without prophets, priests, kings, Temple, or sacrifices. Even those who call themselves orthodox believe and practice only a small part of what their own Scripture teaches and commands. The conservative and reformed branches of Judaism believe and practice even less. Most Jews do not even try to make sense out of most of the Old Testament. For most, all that is left is a nonreligious tradition." (See Matthew Commentary) R C H
Mateus 13
MacArthur writes "Here Matthew seems to suggest that their own unbelief causes their spiritual blindness. Luke 8:10, however, emphasizes God’s initiative in obscuring the truth from these unbelievers (“to the rest it is given in parables, [so] that ‘Seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand’”; cf. Isa. 6:9). Both are true, of course. Yet we are not to think that God blinds them because He somehow delights in their destruction (cf. Ezek. 33:11). This judicial blinding may be viewed as an act of mercy, lest their condemnation be increased. (MacArthur Bible Commentary) Matthew 13:14 In their case the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled, which says, ‘YOU WILL KEEP ON HEARING, BUT WILL NOT UNDERSTAND; YOU WILL KEEP ON SEEING, BUT WILL NOT PERCEIVE; NET Matthew 13:14 And concerning them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says: 'You will listen carefully yet will never understand, you will look closely yet will never comprehend. GNT Matthew 13:14 καὶ ἀναπληροῦται αὐτοῖς ἡ προφητεία Ἠσαΐου ἡ λέγουσα, Ἀκοῇ ἀκούσετε καὶ οὐ μὴ συνῆτε, καὶ βλέποντες βλέψετε καὶ οὐ μὴ ἴδητε. NLT Matthew 13:14 This fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah that says, 'When you hear what I say, you will not understand. When you see what I do, you will not comprehend. KJV Matthew 13:14 And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive: ESV Matthew 13:14 Indeed, in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says: "'"You will indeed hear but never understand, and you will indeed see but never perceive." NIV Matthew 13:14 In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah: " 'You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving. ASV Matthew 13:14 And unto them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall in no wise understand; And seeing ye shall see, and shall in no wise perceive: CSB Matthew 13:14 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. NKJ Matthew 13:14 "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; NRS Matthew 13:14 With them indeed is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah that says: 'You will indeed listen, but never understand, and you will indeed look, but never perceive. YLT Matthew 13:14 and fulfilled on them is the prophecy of Isaiah, that saith, With hearing ye shall hear, and ye shall not understand, and seeing ye shall see, and ye shall not perceive, NAB Matthew 13:14 Isaiah's prophecy is fulfilled in them, which says: 'You shall indeed hear but not understand you shall indeed look but never see. NJB Matthew 13:14 So in their case what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah is being fulfilled: Listen and listen, but never understand! Look and look, but never perceive! GWN Matthew 13:14 So they make Isaiah's prophecy come true: 'You will hear clearly but never understand. You will see clearly but never comprehend. BBE Matthew 13:14 And for them the words of Isaiah have come true, Though you give ear, you will not get knowledge; and seeing, you will see, but the sense will not be clear to you: the prophecy - Isa 6:9,10 Eze 12:2 Mk 4:12 Lu 8:10 Joh 12:39,40 Ac 28:25-27 Ro 11:8-10 2Co 3:14 Matthew 13 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries TWO PARADOXES SEEING AND HEARING A paradox is a self-contradictory or counter-intuitive statement. Those who can see (hear) but can't see (understand) is a paradox. In their case the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled - The Jews of Jesus' day were a living fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah 6:9, 10+. Moody Bible Commentary. - The citation from Isa 6:9-10+ (vv. 14-15), spoken by God through the prophet, was for Isaiah's contemporaries, and addressed their spiritual unresponsiveness. That citation served as an analogy for the Jewish rejection of Jesus Fulfilled (378)(anapleroo from aná = up or as an emphatic + pleroo = to fill) means to fill up, spoken of a measure. Anapleroo occurs nowhere else in the Gospels, but occurs in the Pauline Epistles. It means to fill up like a cup, to fill another’s place (1 Cor. 14:16), to fill up what is lacking (Phil. 2:30) Here it means that the prophecy of Isaiah is fully satisfied in the conduct of the Pharisees and Jesus himself points it out. Which says, ‘YOU WILL KEEP ON HEARING, BUT WILL NOT UNDERSTAND - This speaks of "divine deafness" resulting in failure to understand spiritual truth, especially the truth about the Messiah. Leon
Mateus 13
MacArthur explains "Because they chose to ignore God and His word, God judicially locked them up in their unbelief so that they would fear His judgment. The first fulfillment of Isaiah’s warning came in the judgment of the Babylonian Captivity, just as the prophet promised. The second fulfillment, Jesus declared, was about to be accomplished as Israel once again turned her back on the Lord and faced the judgment of centuries of darkness and despair. Jesus’ parables were a similar form of judgment on unbelief. Those who would not accept His clear and simple teachings—such as those in the Sermon on the Mount—not only would not be able to understand His deeper teachings but would lose the benefit of the teaching and miraculous witness they had been given." (See Matthew Commentary) Matthew 13:16 But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear. NET Matthew 13:16 "But your eyes are blessed because they see, and your ears because they hear. GNT Matthew 13:16 ὑμῶν δὲ μακάριοι οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ ὅτι βλέπουσιν καὶ τὰ ὦτα ὑμῶν ὅτι ἀκούουσιν. NLT Matthew 13:16 "But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear. KJV Matthew 13:16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear. ESV Matthew 13:16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. NIV Matthew 13:16 But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. ASV Matthew 13:16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see; and your ears, for they hear. CSB Matthew 13:16 "But your eyes are blessed because they do see, and your ears because they do hear! NKJ Matthew 13:16 "But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear; NRS Matthew 13:16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. YLT Matthew 13:16 'And happy are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear, NAB Matthew 13:16 "But blessed are your eyes, because they see, and your ears, because they hear. NJB Matthew 13:16 'But blessed are your eyes because they see, your ears because they hear! GWN Matthew 13:16 "Blessed are your eyes because they see and your ears because they hear. BBE Matthew 13:16 But a blessing be on your eyes, because they see; and on your ears, because they are open. Mt 5:3-11 Lk 16:17 Lu 2:29,30 Lk 10:23,24 Joh 20:29 Ac 26:18 2Co 4:6 Eph 1:17,18 Matthew 13 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries THE GREATEST BEATITUDE: ABILITY TO SEE AND HEAR JESUS But (de) is a term of contrast which introduces a dramatic change of direction, from spiritual blindness and deafness to spiritual sight and sound. The idea of blessing goes back to what He had stated earlier in Mt 13:12 "To him more shall be given, and he will have an abundance." Since the disciples had chosen to believe, Jesus would now give them more truth in the form of an explanation of the parable. Olshausen writes that “All the longing desires of the pious throughout the Old Test. centred in the Messiah. To behold Him was the loftiest object of Old Test. hope. This blessing was granted to the disciples, and all their happiness, all their glory, consisted in this, that they were illumined by the radiance of the Sun of righteousness. The special grace thus vouchsafed is brought to their remembrance by Christ, not to exalt them above the Old Testament saints, but to lay them low before the Lord.” Turning to the disciples, He said privately, “Blessed are the eyes which see the things you see,for I say to you, that many prophets and kings wished to see the things which you see, and did not see them, and to hear the things which you hear, and did not hear them.” (Lk 10:23-24+) Blessed are your eyes - Your eyes refers to the twelve (and others in the inner circle - cf the phrase "His followers, along with the twelve" in Mk 4:10+) What a contrast with most of Israel who had closed their eyes and therefore could not see the Messiah. John tells us "He came to His own (THE JEWS, ISRAEL), and those who were His own did not (ABSOLUTE NEGATION) receive (paralambano - to take to oneself - active voice = they made a choice of their will not to receive) Him." (John 1:11+) In Luke 10:23ff+ we find similar language used on a different occasion. Blessed (3107)(makarios from root makar, but others say from mak = large or lengthy) means to be happy, but not in the usual sense of happiness based on positive circumstances. From the Biblical perspective Makarios describes the person who is free from daily cares and worries because his every breath and circumstance is in the hands of His Maker Who gives him such an assurance (such a "blessing"). Makarios is a key word at the beginning of the Sermon of the Mount and yet so few of those who heard those gracious words actually partook of those beatitudes because they refused to believe. No belief mean no beatitudes! Because - Term of explanation. This one is easy to decipher! They were blessed because they knew this God-Man was Jesus the Christ, their Messiah. They see; and your ears, because they hear (akouo) - Jesus distinctly intimates that He is the Messiah. "Seeing and hearing are here to be understood both of the senses and of the spirit; they saw the miracles and heard the teachings of Jesus, and they understood and appreciated their spiritual meaning." (Broadus) Without Jesus opening their eyes and ears they were like every natural (unregenerate) man who "does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised." (1 Cor 2:14+) Why are the disciples now able to see and hear spiritual truth? Because the Spirit had opened their eyes and ears. Because they saw and heard and believed Jesus. In John 7:17 Jesus said "“If anyone is willing to do His will, he will know (ginosko - know by experience) of the teaching, whether it is of God or whether I speak from Myself." The disciples were willing to do His will. The disciples of Jesus could see and hear Jesus' words (like His beatitudes on the Sermon on the Mount) and understand (of course they often still misunderstood some things and would until Pentecost and they received the Spirit of Truth - Jn 14:17, 15:26, 16:13) what He was saying (as stated not completely because after His resurrection He had to open "their minds to understand [suniemi = put together the "pieces of the puzzle"] the Scriptures [especially the OT prophecies of the Messiah]." Lk 24:45+) After Jesus had explained the parable of the sower to them He asked "Have you understood all these things?” They said to Him, “Yes." (Mt 13:51+) These "ignorant" men could understand the truth that the "educated" religious leaders could not grasp! What was the difference? The disciples believed while the Pharisees and scribes did not believe. Such was the price of unbelief then, and such is still true today! It is that simple! The result was that their eyes were blinded to the truth of Jesus’ teaching because of their unbelief. Let us be among those like godly Simeon who believe and see Jesus as He really is (Lk 2:29,30+). While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal. (2 Cor 4:18+) I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. (Eph 1:18-19a+) Oh that Thou would give us eyes to see and ears to hear more clearly the things of God and eternity. Amen Paul alludes to this same truth emphasizing that believers can now see deeper spiritual truth because of the illuminating ministry of the Holy Spirit but just as it is written, “THINGS WHICH EYE HAS NOT SEEN AND EAR HAS NOT HEARD, AND which HAVE NOT ENTERED THE HEART OF MAN, ALL THAT GOD HAS PREPARED FOR THOSE WHO LOVE HIM.” 10 For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God. (1 Cor. 2:9-10+) Petulant for toys and trifles! (James Meikle, "Solitude Sweetened") O for what trifles, will men cast away their precious souls! It is proper only to children, not to men--to be petulant for toys and trifles. So let the men of this world lament the loss of worldly vanities. But let the heirs of God, the joint-heirs with Christ, rejoice that the treasures of eternity are theirs! "But blessed are your eyes, for they see." Happy are those who have the eyes of their mind opened, and clearly see . . . the deformity of sin, the beauty of holiness, the excellency of piety, the necessity of the new birth, the preciousness of Christ, the glory of eternal realities. I see the mutable and fickle state of temporal things, and therefore hold a loose grip on the creature, however dear, however near--and set my affections on things which are above! "Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. 3For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory" Colossians 3:1-4+ Matthew 13:17 “For truly 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. NET Matthew 13:17 For I tell you the truth, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it. GNT Matthew 13:17 ἀμὴν γὰρ λέγω ὑμῖν ὅτι πολλοὶ προφῆται καὶ δίκαιοι ἐπεθύμησαν ἰδεῖν ἃ βλέπετε καὶ οὐκ εἶδαν, καὶ ἀκοῦσαι ἃ ἀκούετε καὶ οὐκ ἤκουσαν. NLT Matthew 13:17 I tell you the truth, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, but they didn't see it. And they longed to hear what you hear, but they didn't hear it. KJV Matthew 13:17 For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them. ESV Matthew 13:17 For truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it. NIV Matthew 13:17 For I tell you the truth, many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it. ASV Matthew 13:17 For verily I say unto you, that many prophets and righteous men desired to see the things which ye see, and saw them not; and to hear the things which ye hear, and heard them not. CSB Matthew 13:17 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. NKJ Matthew 13:17 "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. NRS Matthew 13:17 Truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it. YLT Matthew 13:17 for verily I say to you, that many prophets and righteous men did desire to see that which ye look on, and they did not see, and to hear that which ye hear, and they did not hear. NAB Matthew 13:17 Amen, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it. NJB Matthew 13:17 In truth I tell you, many prophets and upright people longed to see what you see, and never saw it; to hear what you hear, and never heard it. GWN Matthew 13:17 I can guarantee this truth: Many prophets and many of God's people longed to see what you see but didn't see it, to hear what you hear but didn't hear it. BBE Matthew 13:17 For truly, I say to you that prophets and upright men had a desire to see the things which you see, and saw them not; and to have knowledge of the words which have come to your ears, and they had it not. That many - Lu 10:24 Joh 8:56 Eph 3:5,6 Heb 11:13,39,40 1Pe 1:10-12 Matthew 13 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries For (gar) is a term of explanation. What is Jesus explaining in context? Truly (amen) I say to you - Truly underscores the truth of what Jesus is about to say, while I say to you underscores the authority with which Jesus says it. He did not need to quote the rabbis or the Talmud but always spoke as the One "having authority and not as their scribes." (Mt 7:28+). That many prophets (prophetes) and righteous (dikaios ) men desired (epithumeo) to see what you see and did not see it, and to hear (akouo) what you hear (akouo) , and did not hear (akouo) it - This implies that the prophets and righteous men of the Old Testament knew Messiah was coming and they naturally desired to see and hear Him. Righteous men would be men like Moses of whom the writer of Hebrews wrote "By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, 25 choosing rather to endure ill-treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, 26 considering the reproach of Christ (IMPLICATION? MOSES KNEW OF THE COMING CHRIST) greater riches than the treasures of Egypt; for he was looking to the reward. 27 By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured, as seeing Him who is unseen (CHRIST). 28 By faith he kept the Passover (A PICTURE OF CHRIST) and the sprinkling of the blood, so that he who destroyed the firstborn would not touch them." (Heb 11:24-28+) Righteous men would be men like Abraham who "believed in the LORD; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness." (Ge 15:6+) As Paul would later explain "The Scripture (SYNONYMOUS WITH THE OLD TESTAMENT), foreseeing that God would justify (DECLARE RIGHTEOUS) the Gentiles by faith, preached the Gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “ALL THE NATIONS WILL BE BLESSED IN YOU.” (Gal 3:8+) In short, the righteous men were saints in the Old Testament, men and women, who believed in God's promise of a Redeemer, a Redeemer they had never seen (EXCEPTION - OT Christophanies - see Angel of the LORD). Righteous (1342) see note below on dikaios Desired (longed) (1937)(epithumeo from epí = upon, used intensively + thumós = passion) (Click study of noun epithumia) means literally to fix the desire upon, in this case upon the Messiah, the Christos, the Expected One, the One promised in the Old Testament. Peter has a parallel passage "As to this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace that would come to you made careful searches and inquiries, 11 seeking to know what person or time the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating as He predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow. 12 It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves, but you, in these things which now have been announced to you through those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven–things into which angels long to look." (1 Pet. 1:10–12+). THOUGHT - Believers do not have Jesus sitting with them and explaining His teaching like He did to the disciples. We do have His Spirit of Truth Who is God's gift to us to enable us to understand spiritual truth. It behooves us to be careful not to grieve or quench Him lest we hinder His "eye opening " ministry. Practically, this suggests that it would be an excellent practice to confess and repent (as necessary) before we open the Word of God. C H Spurgeon gives a great illustration of our desperate, constant need of the Holy Spirit to open our natural eyes to supernatural truth... The Spirit guiding into all truth - Truth may be compared to some cave or grotto, with wondrous stalactites hanging from the roof, and others starting from the floor; a cavern glittering with spar and abounding in marvels. Before entering the cavern you inquire for a guide, who comes with his lighted flambeau. He conducts you down to a considerable depth, and you find yourself in the midst of the cave. He leads you through different chambers. Here he points you to a little stream rushing from amid the rocks, and indicates its rise and progress; there he points to some peculiar rock and tells you its name, then takes you into a large natural hall, tells you how many persons once feasted in it, and so on. Truth is a grand series of caverns, it is our glory to have so great and wise a Conductor as the Holy Spirit. Imagine that we are coming to the darkness of it. He is a light shining in the midst of us to guide us. And by the light He shows us wondrous things. He teaches us by suggestion, direction, and illumination. May our prayer ever be...Open My Eyes, That I May See - Play this hymn by Clara H Scott Open my eyes, that I may see Glimpses of truth Thou hast for me; Place in my hands the wonderful key That shall unclasp, and set me free. Refrain: Silently now I wait for Thee, Ready, my God, Thy will to see: Open my eyes, illumine me, Savior divine! Open my ears, that I may hear Voices of truth Thou sendest clear; And while the wave notes fall on my ear, Ev’rything false will disappear. Refrain Open my mouth, and let me bear Gladly the warm truth ev’rywhere; Open my heart, and let me prepare Love with Thy children thus to share. Refrain Related Resource Illumination of the Bible Matthew 13:18 “Hear then the parable of the sower. NET Matthew 13:18 "So listen to the parable of the sower: GNT Matthew 13:18 Ὑμεῖς οὖν ἀκούσατε τὴν παραβολὴν τοῦ σπείραντος. NLT Matthew 13:18 "Now listen to the explanation of the parable about the farmer planting seeds: KJV Matthew 13:18 Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower. ESV Matthew 13:18 "Hear then the parable of the sower: NIV Matthew 13:18 "Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: ASV Matthew 13:18 Hear then ye the parable of the sower. CSB Matthew 13:18 "You, then, listen to the parable of the sower: NKJ Matthew 13:18 "Therefore hear the parable of the sower: NRS Matthew 13:18 "Hear then the parable of the sower. YLT Matthew 13:18 'Ye, therefore, hear ye the simile of the sower: NAB Matthew 13:18 "Hear then the parable of the sower. NJB Matthew 13:18 'So pay attention to the parable of the sower. GWN Matthew 13:18 "Listen to what the story about the farmer means. BBE Matthew 13:18 Give ear, then, to the story of the man who put the seed in the earth. Mt 13:11,12 Mk 4:14-20 Matthew 13 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries THE SAVIOR EXPLAINS THE PARABLE OF THE SOWER John Broadus notes that "Our Lord’s authoritative explanation of this parable and that of the Tares, furnishes us a model for the interpretation of his parables in general (comp. on v. 3),—a beautiful medium between excessive meagerness and excessive minuteness." (Matthew 13 Commentary) Hear (akouo) then the parable of the sower - KJV = "Hear ye therefore," with strong emphasis on "ye" which sets the disciples in clear distinction from the hardened Jews to whom He gave no explanation (The "ye therefore" is not in the newer translations but in the Greek text!) Hear is in the aorist imperative commanding immediate attention (see our need to depend on the Holy Spirit to obey). The other synoptic accounts do not have this command. Mark 4:13+ does give us the added information "And He said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How will you understand all the parables?" In other words, understanding of the parable of the sower would enable one to understand the other parables of Jesus. Broadus - The idea of this parable as a whole is, that as the same grain yielded variously, according to the character and preparation of the soil which received it, so the same word of truth produces various effects according to the way in which it is received. No analogy between physical and spiritual things can ever be perfect. The soil was not responsible if it was trampled, or rocky, or thorny; but men are accountable for hearing the word improperly. MacArthur - The most fascinating thing about this parable is that it says nothing about the skill of the sower. It completely undercuts the contemporary notion that in order to be effective in evangelism, Christians have to use the right formula or implement a certain program that employs the appropriate “seeker–friendly” technique. Instead, the issue is the condition of the soils. John
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MacArthur - The Old Testament would call them the hard-hearted and the stiff-necked. They are resolute and rigid in their indifference, disinterest and love of sin. This is the condition of the heart which corresponds to the hardness of that footpath around the field. The heart of this kind of person is a thoroughfare, crossed by the mixed multitude of iniquities that traverse it day after day after day after day. And it's not fenced so it lies exposed to all the evil stompings of everything that comes along. It's never broken up. It's never plowed by conviction. It's never plowed by self-searching, self-examination, contrition, honest assessment of guilt, repentance. The heart is callous. It's callous to the sweet reasonings of grace and it's callous to the fearful terrors of judgment. Nothing wrong with the seed. Nothing wrong with the sower. Something terribly wrong with his hard, impenitent heart. (Sermon) And does not understand it - Such hearts are hard to begin with. As noted earlier, understand is a key word in this section on the parables (6x = Mt. 13:13, 14, 15, 19, 23, 51). Understand is the verb is suniemi which means in essence these truth rejecters will be unable to put together the pieces of the puzzle (so to speak) regarding the Kingdom of God (see resources), the King Jesus and the good news of the Kingdom, the Gospel.
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MacArthur explains how evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart - How does he snatch it? Through false teachers that come and attack the Gospel. He snatches it through the fear of man (ED: Pr 29:25 = The fear of man brings a snare [moqesh]."), an embarrassment about being identified with Jesus Christ or fear of being unsynagogued or cut off from your friends (ED: THIS IS PARTICULARLY AT PLAY IN MUSLIM AND HINDU CULTURES WHERE A BELIEVER MAY LOSE HIS/HER FAMILY!) He snatches it through pride. You think you know everything and you are not willing to confess that you don't and be broken before God. He snatches it through doubt, through prejudice, through stubbornness, mostly through the continual love of sin which he panders to this wretched world system. It's either crushed under the continual pedestrian activity of wickedness or snatched away by Satan. That's such a sad thing. (Receptivity to the Gospel) Ray
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MacArthur - Though believers are not saved by doing good works (Eph. 2:8-9+), those who are truly saved will give evidence of their new life in Christ through the fruit of obedience (Eph. 2:10+; cf. Matt. 7:16-20+; 2 Cor. 5:17+). John the Baptist called for fruit bearing to validate the authenticity of one's repentance... “Therefore bear fruit (aorist imperative only possible as one depends on the Holy Spirit - which in fact is evidence that one has the Spirit indwelling!) in keeping with repentance." (Mt 3:8+) Abundant fruit bearing is God's will for every believer for Jesus declared “My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples. (Jn 15:8) David Thompson - Some produced a yield of 30 times, some 60 times and some 100 times. Naturally, 100 times yield would be the ideal. But all these numbers are good. Now Palestinian interpreters say that a typical yield in Palestine would be fivefold or tenfold at most, so the numbers described here are remarkable. Herodotus, the Greek historian who lived about 450 B.C., claimed that some of the soil was so rich in Palestine that it had a 700 fold return. He was probably exaggerating a bit, but Jesus uses the top number of 100 times return.(Sermon) Alan Carr asks "So, what kind of fruit does good soil produce?" Good works – Col. 1:10+, cf Col 1:6+ Holiness and righteousness – Ro 6:22+; Phil. 1:11+ Genuine spirituality – Gal. 5:22-23+ A burden for souls – Ro 1:13+ Praise and thanksgiving – Heb. 13:15+ Sharing material goods – Ro 15:27-28+ (The Parable Of The Soils) John Broadus - Even of those who truly understand and receive the word, some exhibit better results than others.
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MacArthur adds that "It was a common enough crime for the Romans to have had a specific law against it." Gotquestions - In the agricultural society of Christ’s time, many farmers depended on the quality of their crops. An enemy sowing weeds would have sabotaged a business. Enemy (hostile) (2190)(echthros from échthos = hatred, enmity; noun = echthra = enmity, hostility) is an adjective which pertains to manifesting hostility or being at enmity with another, where enmity is a deep seated animosity or hatred which may be open or concealed or a "deep-rooted hatred." In the active sense echthros means to be hateful, hostile toward, at enmity with or adversary of someone. In the passive sense echthros pertains to being subjected to hostility, to be hated or to be regarded as an enemy. Echthros is one who has the extreme negative attitude that is the opposite of love and friendship. An enemy is one that is antagonistic to another; especially seeking to injure, overthrow, or confound the opponent. Scripture often uses echthros as a noun describing "the adversary", Satan! Like father like son! Sowed (1986)(epispeiro from epi = upon + speiro = to sow) means to sow afterward; sow in or among a previous sowing, to sow upon or on top of another crop. Tares (2215)(zizanion) describes a troublesome weed in grainfields and is nearly indistinguishable from wheat until the ear appears. Zizanion most likely refers to “bearded darnel.” This specie closely resembles wheat or rye, but its seeds can be harmful or even fatal if ingested. When the wheat is full grown it is easier to distinguish from darnel, hence it is usually separated carefully at harvest time. It is credited among the Jews with being degenerate wheat. The rabbis called it “bastard.” Wikipedia adds "Lolium temulentum, typically known as darnel, poison darnel, darnel ryegrass or cockle...Darnel usually grows in the same production zones as wheat and was a serious weed of cultivation until modern sorting machinery enabled darnel seeds to be separated efficiently from seed wheat.[1] The similarity between these two plants is so great that in some regions, darnel is referred to as "false wheat".[2] It bears a close resemblance to wheat until the ear appears." Broadus - The word rendered tares has been the subject of much discussion, but it is pretty generally agreed that it denotes darnel, a plant of the same family as wheat, and not readily distinguished from it in the early stages. Jerome, who lived in Palestine A. D. 385–420, states that it was quite difficult to distinguish them until the head of the wheat appeared. Robinson, journeying in Galilee in April, 1852, says, “Our path now lay through fields of wheat of the most luxuriant growth; finer than which I had not before seen in this or any other country. Among these splendid fields of grain are still found the tares spoken of in the New Testament. As described to me, they are not to be distinguished from the wheat until the ear appears. The seed resembles wheat in form; but is smaller and black. In Beirut poultry are fed upon this seed; and it is kept for sale for that purpose. When this is not separated from the wheat, bread made from the flour often causes dizziness to those who eat of it. All this corresponds with the lolium temulentum, or bearded darnel.” So the seeds of the tares were not merely useless for human food, but noxious, which fact (Plumptre) adds to the point of the parable. Thomson, 2., p. 395, says that often “the roots of the two plants are so intertwined that it is impossible to separate them without plucking up both.” ” The notion that the tares were a degenerate wheat, and by cultivation could be made to become wheat again, has been very pleasing to some minds, because it corresponds to the fact that wicked men are fallen and may be restored. Such a notion as to darnel appears in the Talmud, and is entertained by some persons in Palestine now; and also by some American wheat-growers as to what they call “cheat.” But (Thomson) it is not supported by adequate evidence, and the fancy may be abandoned without regret, for it would introduce an idea quite apart from the design of the parable. M'Clintock - Tares (ζιζάνια; Vulg. zizania). There can be little doubt that the ζιζάνια of the parable (Matt. 13:25) denote the weed called “darnel” (Lolium temulentum), a widely distributed grass, and the only species of the order that has deleterious properties. The word used by the evangelist is an Oriental, and not a Greek, term (the native Greek word seems to be αἶρα, Dioscor. ii, 91). It is the Arabic zawân, the Syriac zizána, and the zonîn (זוֹנִין) of the Talmud (Mishna, i, 109; see Buxtorf, Lex. Talm. s. v.). The derivation of the Arabic word from zân, “nausea,” is well suited to the character of the plant, the grains of which produce vomiting and purging, convulsions, and even death. Volney (Trav. ii, 306) experienced the ill effects of eating its seeds; and “the whole of the inmates of the Sheffield workhouse were attacked some years ago with symptoms supposed to be produced by their oatmeal having been accidentally adulterated with lolium” (Engl. Cyclop. s. v. “Lolium”). The darnel before it comes into ear is very similar in appearance to wheat; hence the command that the zizania should be left to the harvest, lest while men plucked up the tares “they should root up also the wheat with them.” Prof. Stanley, however (Sinai and Palest. p. 426), speaks of women and children picking out from the wheat in the cornfields of Samaria the tall green stalks, still called by the Arabs zuwân. “These stalks,” he continues, “if sown designedly throughout the fields, would be inseparable from the wheat, from which, even when growing naturally and by chance, they are at first sight hardly distinguishable.” See also Thomson (Land and Book, ii, 111): “The grain is just in the proper stage to illustrate the parable. In those parts where the grain has headed out, the tares have done the same, and then a child cannot mistake them for wheat or barley; but where both are less developed, the closest scrutiny will often fail to detect them. Even the farmers, who in this country generally weed their fields, do not attempt to separate the one from the other.” The grain-growers in Palestine believe that the zuwân is merely a degenerate wheat; that in wet seasons the wheat turns to tares. Dr. Thomson asserts that this is their fixed opinion. It is curious to observe the retention of the fallacy through many ages. “Wheat and zunin,” says Lightfoot (Hor. Heb. on Matt. 13:25), quoting from the Talmud, “are not seeds of different kinds.” See also Buxtorf (Lex. Talm. s. v. זוֹנין): “Zizania, species tritici degeneris, sic dicti, quod scortando cum bono tritico, in pejorem naturam degenerat.” The Roman writers (comp. “Infelix lolium,” Virgil, Georg. i, 154) appear to have entertained a similar opinion with respect to some of the cereals. Thus Pliny (Hist. Nat. xviii, 17), borrowing probably from Theophrastus, asserts that “barley will degenerate into the oat.” The notion that the zizania of the parable are merely diseased or degenerate wheat has been defended by Brederod (see his letter to Schultetus in Exercit. Evang. ii, 65), and strangely adopted by Trench, who (Notes on the Parables, p. 91, 4th ed.) regards the distinction of these two plants to be “a falsely assumed fact.” If the zizania of the parable denote the darnel, and there cannot be any reasonable doubt about it, the plants are certainly distinct, and the L. temulentum has as much right to specific distinction as any other kind of grass.—Smith. On the route from Beirût to Akka (1852), Dr. Robinson describes fields of wheat “of the most luxuriant growth, finer than which I had not before seen in this or any other country. Among these splendid fields of grain are still found the tares spoken of in the New Test. As described to me, they are not to be distinguished from the wheat until the ear appears. The seed resembles wheat in form, but is smaller and black. In Beirût, poultry are fed upon this seed, and it is kept for sale for that purpose. When not separated from the wheat, bread made from the flour often causes dizziness to those who eat of it” (Bibl. Res. iii, 55). The bearded darnel has the bad reputation of yielding the only deleterious grain among all the countless grasses. We are not aware that any injurious quality has been detected in the seeds of its own congeners, Lolium urvense, L. perenne, the rye-grasses so familiar to British husbandry; but if mixed with bread, L. temulentum occasions giddiness, nausea, difficulty of articulation, and other symptoms ranging from intoxication to paralysis, and instances are on record where mortification of the extremities, or even death, has ensued (see Burnett, Plantæ Utiliores, vol. iii). Hence the French have named it ivraie, or “tipsy-grass,” a word from which the English have dropped the first syllable, and bestowed it on those unoffending “ray” or “rye grasses,” by which the darnel is represented in our hay-fields. Thus understood, “how well do these ‘tares’ represent those who make a false profession; who appear among God’s people; who draw near with their mouth, and honor God with their lips, but their heart is far from him (Isa. 29:13; Matt. 15:8; Mark 7:6)! Both grow together, and at first may seem alike. Man cannot accurately distinguish between the true and the false; but at the great harvestday the Lord will separate them. He will gather the wheat into his garner, while the tares shall be consumed” (Balfour, Bot. and Relig. p. 251).—Fairbairn. See Kitto, Pict. Bible, ad loc.; Hackett, Illustr. of Script. p. 130; Calcott [Lady], Script. Herbal, p. 475 sq.; Tristram, Nat. Hist. of the Bible, p. 486; Bochelius, De Zizaniis in Eccles. Dei Disseminatis (Arg. 1661). (Cyclopaedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature) Related Resources: American Tract Society Tares Easton's Bible Dictionary Tares Fausset Bible Dictionary Tares Holman Bible Dictionary Tares Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible Tares Hastings' Dictionary of the NT Tares Hawker's Poor Man's Dictionary Tares Smith Bible Dictionary Tares Vines' Expository Dictionary Tares Whyte's Bible Characters The man which sowed good seed in his field but his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat Wilson's Bible Types Tares Watson's Theological Dictionary Tare International Standard Bible Encyclopedia Tares Kitto Biblical Cyclopedia Tares McClintock and Strong's Bible Encyclopedia Tares Matthew 13:26 “But when the wheat sprouted and bore grain, then the tares became evident also. Matthew 13 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Heads of Wheat and Weed Notice that Mk 4:26-29 is listed as a cross reference (from Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge), and while they may be some similarities, these are distinct, different parables with different primary teachings. But when the wheat sprouted and bore grain, then the tares became evident also - The fruit of wheat is distinguishable from the weed but only when the wheat shows grain. Notice how this parable in some ways parallels the parable of the soils, for it was only the fourth soil, genuine believers, who "sprouted and bore grain." In other words, the supernatural fruit they bore was evidence that they now had a supernatural Source, the Spirit of Christ, living inside of their mortal bodies. Became evident means the "fruit" of the wheat (believers) and the weed (non-believers) was now obvious. Here we see the similarity with the parable of the sower in which Jesus taught that there will be a mixed response to the Gospel seed, while the parable of the tares reminds us that the kingdom of Heaven will be a mixed constituency, so to speak. In other words, there will be no perfectly pure and righteous expression of the kingdom of God on earth until the Son of Man returns. Instead, there will be wheat and tares side by side. THOUGHT - Given that it will take some time to see the character/quality of the fruit, it is clear that some works of non-believers which now have the appearance of "good works" will in the final analysis be shown to be what they really are - "rotten fruit!" Woe! The point is that appearances can be deceiving and only time will allow distinction between the evil from the good! Sprouted (985)(blastano from blastos = germ) means to germinate, to put forth. Transitively, it describes the soil producing or yielding (James 5:18+, cf Lxx - Ge 1:11, Nu 17:8). Intransitively, it is used to describe the beginning of growth (plants, trees) and thus means to spring up, put forth (leaves), bud, sprout. Only 4x in NT - Matt. 13:26; Mk. 4:27+; Heb. 9:4+; Jas. 5:18+. Septuagint uses - Ge 1:11 = "Let the earth sprout vegetation"; Nu 17:8 twice = "the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi had sprouted and put forth buds and produced blossoms, and it bore ripe almonds."; Jdg. 16:22 = "hair of his head began to grow"; 2 Sa 23:5 = "will He not indeed make it grow"; Eccl. 2:6 = "growing trees"; Isa. 27:6; Joel 2:22+ Gilbrant comments that blastano speaks of "the (HUMAN) life to which the news of the kingdom of God has come. The life has allowed the message to "germinate" and now responds appropriately by bursting forth and producing fruit “worthy of repentance,” (Mt 3:8, Lk 3:8) despite the obstacles and attempts of the enemy to thwart such growth." (Complete Biblical Library Greek-English Dictionary) Tares (2215) see zizanion Became evident (5316)(phaino) means to bring to light, to cause to appear. It is interesting that this same verb is used to describe Jesus in John 1:5 ("The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend [OVERCOME] it.", cf Rev 1:16) and Jesus' disciples in Php 2:15 (" blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear [SHINE] as lights in the world"). In 2 Pe 1:19 it describes "the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts." Matthew 13:27 “The slaves of the landowner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?’ The slaves of the landowner - 1Co 3:5-9 12:28,29 16:10 2Co 5:18-20 6:1,4 Eph 4:11,12 whence - Ro 16:17 1Co 1:11-13 15:12-34 Ga 3:1-3 Jas 3:15,16 4:4 Matthew 13 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries The slaves of the landowner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares (Mt 13:38+)? - The NLT has "The farmer's workers went to him and said, 'Sir, the field where you planted that good seed is full of weeds! Where did they come from?" This is an picturesque paraphrase but the literal Greek does not actually state that the field was "full of weeds." Nevertheless, it was evident to the the slaves knew the master had sown good seed and yet now there were weeds mixed with the wheat Slaves (1401)(doulos from deo = to bind) was an individual bound to another in servitude and conveys the idea of the slave's close, binding ties with his master, belonging to him, obligated to and desiring to do his will and in a permanent relation of servitude. In sum, the will of the doulos is consumed in the will of the master. Landowner (3617)(oikodespotes from oikos = house + despotes = lord, master) means the master of the house, the head of a family. It denotes one who is empowered to rule over a household. Also in Mt 13:52. Sir (2962) (kurios from kuros = might or power, related to kuroo = to give authority) primarily means the possessor, owner, master, the supreme one, one who is sovereign (used this way of Roman emperors - Act 25:26) and possesses absolute authority, absolute ownership and uncontested power. Kurios is used of the one to whom a person or thing belonged, over which he has the power of deciding, the one who is the master or disposer of a thing. Tares (2215) see zizanion Matthew 13:28 “And he said to them, ‘An enemy has done this!’ The slaves said to him, ‘Do you want us, then, to go and gather them up?’ Wilt - Lu 9:49-54 1Co 5:3-7 2Co 2:6-11 1Th 5:14 Jude 1:22,23 Matthew 13 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries And he said to them, ‘An enemy (Mt 13:39+) has done this!’ - And we learn later that the enemy is Satan. Enemy (hostile) (2190) see preceding note on echthros The slaves said to him, ‘Do you want us, then, to go and gather them up?’ - The slaves thought they had the solution. They made the false assumption that they could discern the real from the counterfeit. They thought they had the skill necessary to remove the weeds without harming the wheat. Their heart was right, but their reasoning was wrong as was their method. The Master had another plan, a "master plan" if you will! v They needed to hear and heed the Master's voice, as do all His disciples. Gather up (4816) see sullego Ian Paisley - The Work of the Devil "He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up?" Matthew 13:28 The Sowing of the Tares Was Devilish Work The Lord Jesus in His interpretation of the parable stated plainly "The enemy which sowed them is the devil" (verse 39). Satan's aim is to produce a race of human beings activated by a hatred of God and all that God stands for. The Lord Jesus tells us that the tares are "the children of the wicked one". The Sowing of the Tares Was Devious Work It was not done openly but with the serpent's cunning of the devil. It was when light was extinguished and men slept that the sowing took place. The Sowing of the Tares Was Deceptive Work While growing, the tares can hardly be distinguished from the pure wheat. It is only as the tares come to full growth their ears are longer than wheat, and their grains almost black and very poisonous. The Sowing of the Tares Was Defeated Work The sowing of the deceptive, devious, devilish tares was defeated. In the time of harvest the clear cut distinction is so evident that the tares can be separated from the wheat and then burned with fire. In contrast the good wheat is barned (see Matthew 13:30). (from A Text A Day Keeps the Devil Away) Matthew 13:29 “But he *said, ‘No; for while you are gathering up the tares, you may uproot the wheat with them. Matthew 13 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries But he said, ‘No; for while you are gathering up the tares, you may uproot the wheat with them - The roots of tares would also wrap around the roots of wheat, making it difficult to separate one from the other. In addition, some of the good seed would not mature as quickly and so the danger would be that in pulling up the weeds, some of the good crop that had not yet matured would be mistaken for tares becaus e there was no mature grain to allow distinction. Gathering up (4816) see sullego Tares (2215) see zizanion Hindson - The implication seems to be that too much criticism of people's genuineness of faith may damage the saved before the lost are exposed. MacArthur points out that "Every time the church has presumed to do that it has produced an ungodly bloodbath. When the fourth-century Roman emperor Constantine required every person to make a profession of faith in Christ on pain of death, he succeeded in killing many true believers who refused to submit to his spurious brand of Christianity. During the Crusades of the Middle Ages, unbelievable brutality was committed against non-Christians, especially Muslims and Jews, in the name of the Prince of Peace. During the inquisitions in reaction to the Protestant Reformation, countless thousands of Christians who did not submit to the dogma and authority of Roman Catholicism were imprisoned, tortured, and executed.....In the present age, believers are not God’s instruments of judgment and destruction but of truth and grace. Toward unbelievers we are not to have hearts of condemnation but of compassion. The church is called to preach and teach against sin and all unrighteousness, but, in doing that, its purpose is not to judge but to win souls, not to punish but to convert sons of the evil one into sons of the kingdom." (MNTC-Mt) Matthew 13:30 ‘Allow both to grow together until the harvest; and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather up the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them up; but gather the wheat into my barn.”’” Allow both to grow together - Mt 13:39 3:12 22:10-14 25:6-13,32 Mal 3:18 1Co 4:5 to the - Mt 13:39-43 1Ti 5:24 First gather up the tares and bind them- 1Sa 25:29 in bundles to burn - Mt 25:41 Isa 27:10,11 Eze 15:4-7 Mal 4:1 Joh 15:6 but gather the wheat into my barn - Mt 3:12 Lu 3:17 Matthew 13 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Allow both to grow together - Both refers to the good seed and the tares. Until the harvest - The word until is an expression of time and specifically means something will continue to happen up to a point and then it will not happen. In this context there will come a day when the good seed and the tares will no longer grow together, because they will one day be supernaturally, eternally separated as Jesus explains in Mt 13:39-43. Grant Osborne - The idea of deferring judgment to God and to that final day has already been introduced in Mt 7:1–2 (“Do not judge”) and will be emphasized in Jesus’ final parable (Mt 25:31–46). (Teach the Text Commentary Series – Matthew) And in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers - Notice that Jesus is the Master of the harvest as indicated by the phrase I will say. Harvest (2326) see below on therismos First gather up the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them up - Notice the order is first remove the bad, then gather the good. Jesus explains the meaning in Mt 13:36-43. Gather up (4816) see sullego But - A striking, frightening term of contrast! Hindson comments - Note that the tares are gathered, bound, and burned first, whereas the wheat is gathered into "my barn" (probably the millennial kingdom). The same progression of judgment then blessing follows in Revelation 19-22. (Ibid) This passage recalls Mt 3:12 “His winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clear His threshing floor; and He will gather His wheat into the barn, but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” Gather the wheat into My barn - Notice again Jesus personalizes this referring to My barn! This picture recalls the "threshing" and separation described in Psalm 1:4-6+ The wicked are not so (NOT BLESSED), But they are like (term of comparison, specifically a simile) chaff which the wind drives away. 5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, Nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. 6 For the LORD knows the way of the righteous (GOOD SEED), But the way of the wicked (TARES) will perish. David Turner comments that "the developing dualism between landowner and enemy, good seed/wheat and weeds, and barn and fire already offers a glimpse of an ominous battle between the cosmic forces of good and evil." (See Matthew Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament) Matthew 13:31 He presented another parable to them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field; He presented another parable - Mt 13:24 Lu 19:11 20:9 The kingdom - Mk 4:30-32 Lu 13:18,19 Matthew 13 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Parallel Passages: Lk 13:18-19+ So He was saying, “What is the kingdom of God like, and to what shall I compare it? 19 “It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and threw into his own garden; and it grew and became a tree, and THE BIRDS OF THE AIR NESTED IN ITS BRANCHES.” Mark 4:30-32+ And He said, “How shall we picture the kingdom of God, or by what parable shall we present it? 31 “It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the soil, though it is smaller than all the seeds that are upon the soil, 32 yet when it is sown, it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and forms large branches; so that THE BIRDS OF THE AIR can NEST UNDER ITS SHADE.” Tiny Mustard Seeds This is the third consecutive parable that speaks of sowing seed (Mt 13:3–9, Mt 13:18–23. Mt 13:24-30) and one explanation follows (Mt 13:36–39). Notice that Mark's version begins the parable with two questions to draw in the audience - How shall we picture the kingdom of God or by what parable shall we present it? It is also important as John
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MacArthur - Jesus’ referring to the mustard seed as being smaller than all other seeds has often been cited as proof that Scripture is errant—that Jesus was either fallible and made a mistake or that He accommodated His teaching to the ignorance of His hearers and knowingly distorted the truth. (See Matthew Commentary) (ED: See note below). Smaller (3396)(mikros) has the basic meaning "small, little, translated according to the context. But - Contrast between small size of seed (mikros) and large size of the subsequent plant (megas). Although it might not look like it to His disciples at the moment, this parable shows that God is in sovereign control of history and the Kingdom of Heaven will be consummated in the future, when the harvest has come (Mk 4:29+). Matthew describes the consummation of the kingdom... “But immediately after the tribulation of those days THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED, AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT, AND THE STARS WILL FALL from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30“And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY with power and great glory. 31 “And He will send forth His angels with A GREAT TRUMPET and THEY WILL GATHER TOGETHER His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other. (Mt 24:29-31) ‘It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish.’ When it is full grown, it is larger than the garden plants and becomes a tree - See depiction of a large mustard plant above. While Mark says it "becomes larger than all the garden plants and forms large branches" (Mk 4:32+), Matthew and Luke refer to it as a tree (Lk 13:19+) Critics have argued that Jesus was exaggerating regarding the size of the mustard plant, but as noted above it has been well-documented that some mustard plants grew as tall as 15 feet high! Imagine a plant up to 10-15 feet tall and 6 feet wide, all the result of this one tiny seed! Now that is one powerful seed! The point is that the growth to which Jesus refers is not natural, but unnatural, yea, even supernatural! So just as the mustard plant surpasses the other garden plants in size, so too will the Kingdom of God surpass the size of all earthly kingdoms of men (see note on prophecy in Daniel 2). Bruce on tree - “Not in nature but in size; an excusable exaggeration in a popular discourse … it serves admirably to express the thought of a growth beyond expectation. Who would expect so tiny a seed to produce such a large herb, a monster in the garden?” Grown (837)(auxano; Eng = augment, auxiliary) means to grow or cause to increase. Notice that growth presupposes the germ of life in the seed put there by God. A dried splinter will not grow into a tree like a seed. Surely this is the glorious Gospel, which has the inherent power (dunamis) of God (Ro 1:16+) Zodhiates adds "The verb auxánō presupposes the God-given potential possessed by a seed or sperm. For all their scientific ingenuity, people cannot create the tiniest seeds because they cannot infuse life (zōḗ). In one sense, God has restricted humans to lifeless inventions." Albert
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MacArthur writes that "The point of this parable is that viewed from an external, visible perspective, the eventually large size of the kingdom was not perceivable at the start...at this point there were only a small number of people who followed Jesus. The kingdom was obscure; it was not distinguished by any majesty, power, or public display. Those things will mark its consummation, not its beginning. Most of the Jewish people were unaware of it (Luke 17:20–21+), since its present form was not Messiah’s earthly reign, but the sphere of salvation where God reigns in the hearts of His people. The Lord’s illustration is also a powerful prophecy. The kingdom will steadily grow until its consummation, which will be amazingly out of proportion to its beginning. That will happen when the Lord Jesus Christ returns in glory (Rev. 19:11–15+) and “the kingdom of the world [becomes] the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ; and He will reign forever and ever” (Rev 11:15+). (See Luke Commentary) Nest (2681)(kataskenoo from kata = down, intensifies meaning of + skenoo = to pitch one's tent, to dwell) literally means “to pitch one’s tent” and hence to settle permanently.To find shelter as under a tent. Zodhiates - In the NT generally to sojourn or to dwell, spoken of birds as nesting in the branches (Matt. 13:32; Luke 13:19), or under the shadow (Mark 4:32; Sept.: Ps. 104:12; Dan. 4:12). With the meaning of to rest, remain (Acts 2:26 quoting Ps. 16:9). (Complete Word Study Dictionary – New Testament) Liddell-Scott - to pitch one's camp or tent, take up one's quarters, encamp, Xen.; generally, to rest, lodge, settle, While none of the synoptic accounts give an explanation by Jesus to the disciples of the meaning of the Parable of the Mustard Seed, Mark does make a statement that would suggest that He did explain this parable to the twelve. Mark 4:34+ records that "He did not speak to them without a parable; but He was explaining everything privately to His own disciples." To reiterate the main point of the Parable of the Mustard seed Jesus' point clearly was that the kingdom of heaven which was very small during His ministry and seemingly insignificant, would one day grow into a large Kingdom. "Jesus’ point is that, in spite of great opposition, represented by the three bad soils and the tares, His kingdom will start small and spread in power and influence to become victorious." (MacArthur) Alan Carr recounts the small beginnings of the Kingdom of Heaven (note) - While the mustard seed is not the smallest seed known to man, it was the smallest seed planted in the gardens of Jesus’ day. The mustard seed itself is very tiny. It takes about 750 of them to make up a single gram. There are 28 grams in an ounce. Thus, there some 21,000 mustard seeds in an ounce. It is a tiny seed, but it produces a very large plant. Let’s consider the facts. ·Jesus was born in the tiny town of Bethlehem in abject poverty. (Micah 5:2+) ·He was reared in Galilee, and no one believed that a man of God could come from there, John 7:52. ·He was raised in a Nazareth. The inhabitants of that city were considered to be wicked and worldly by the Jews. ·He had no family connections. He had no money. He had no support from the religious leaders of the day. ·Jesus was considered to be a nobody from nowhere Who would amount to nothing! (Isa 53:1-2+) ·His parentage was questioned, John 8:41 by His enemies. ·His followers were, for the most part, the dregs of society. ·His Own people rejected Him. ·He was despised and rejected by men. (Isa 53:3+) ·The Romans eventually nailed Him to a cross and buried Him in a tomb. ·His followers preached His resurrection, but most people ignored their message and considered them fools for following a dead man. ·Even the Lord’s message was hard to swallow. For some it still is! After all, Jesus said to get you have to give away what you have. He told people to love their enemies. He counseled men to turn the other cheek. He spoke of walking the second mile; succeeding through serving and denying self. There is no question that the Kingdom of our Lord was just like that tiny, insignificant mustard seed in the beginning. No one could see what the tiny seed Jesus was sowing would become! (See his excellent Sermon) THE PROBLEM OF THE MUSTARD SEED - As alluded to above Luke does not emphasize the small size of the mustard seed as does Mt 13:31-32+ ("this is smaller than all other seeds"), and so opponents of the inerrancy and infallibility of the Scripture, take Jesus' statement on the size of the mustard seed as CLEARLY ERRONEOUS. It is amazing the lengths to which godless men will go to in their futile attempts to obliterate all evidence of God from our world (really "His world" for He created it!) Given that attack below is an excerpt from an article that addresses this issue of seed size. "In this article the author seeks to demonstrate exegetically and botanically that our Lord Jesus Christ was not merely using the language of accommodation or even proverbial language, necessarily, when he referred to the mustard seed as the "least" of all seeds. The author appeals to the language of the text, the context, and to expert testimony in the field of botany to show that the mustard seed was indeed the smallest garden-variety seed known to man in Bible times." John Sproule quotes botanist Dr. L. H. Shinners regarding the "size" of the Mustard seed writing that "The mustard seed would indeed have been the smallest of those likely to have been noticed by the people at the time of Christ. The principal field crops (such as barley, wheat, lentils, beans) have much larger seeds, as do vetches and other plants which might have been present as weeds (the biblical tares) among grain.… There are various weeds and wild flowers belonging to the mustard, amaranth, pigweed, and chickweed families with seeds as small or smaller than mustard itself, but they would not have been particularly known or noticed by the inhabitants....The only modern crop plant of importance with smaller seeds than mustard is tobacco, but this plant is of American origin and was not grown in the Old World until the 16th century and later (Read the entire article - The Problem of the Mustard Seed,” Grace Theological Journal Spring 1980) (See also William Thomson's 19th century comment in the classic "The Land and the Book") Question: "What is the meaning of the Parable of the Mustard Seed?" Answer: As with all parables, the purpose of the Parable of the Mustard Seed is to teach a concept or “big idea” using various narrative elements or details that are common, easily recognized, and usually representational of something else. While the elements themselves do have importance, an overemphasis on the details or literal focus on an element usually leads to interpretive errors and missing the main point of the parable. The Parable of the Mustard Seed is a short one: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches” (Matthew 13:31–32). One of the possible practical reasons that Jesus used parables such as this is that, by depicting concepts in word pictures, the message is not readily lost to changes in word usage, technology, cultural context, or the passage of time. Literal, detailed narratives are more susceptible to becoming archaic or obsolescent. Two thousand years later, the imagery is still vivid. We can still understand the concept of a growing seed. Jesus’ parables are brilliant in their simplicity. This storytelling approach also promotes practicing principles rather than inflexible adherence to laws. The Parable of the Mustard Seed is contained in all three of the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew 13:31–32; Mark 4:30–32; Luke 13:18–19). In this parable, Jesus predicts the amazing growth of the kingdom of heaven. The mustard seed is quite small, but it grows into a large shrub—up to ten feet in height—and Jesus says this is a picture of kingdom growth. The point of the Parable of the Mustard Seed is that something big and blessed—the kingdom of God—had humble beginnings. How significant could the short ministry of Christ be? He had but a handful of followers, He was a man of no rank and without means, and He lived in what everyone considered a backwater region of the world. The life and death of Christ did not catch the world’s attention any more than a mustard seed would lying on the ground by the road. But this was a work of God. What seemed inconsequential at first grew into a movement of worldwide influence, and no one could stop it (see Acts 5:38–39). The influence of the kingdom in this world would be such that everyone associated with it would find a benefit—pictured as the birds perched on the branches of the mature mustard plant. Elsewhere in Scripture, the kingdom of God is also pictured as a tree. A passage in Ezekiel, for example, parallels the Parable of the Mustard Seed in many ways. In this prophecy, the Lord God promises to plant a shoot “on a high and lofty mountain” (Ezekiel 17:22). This small sprig “will produce branches and bear fruit and become a splendid cedar. Birds of every kind will nest in it; they will find shelter in the shade of its branches” (Ezekiel 17:23). This messianic prophecy foretells the growth of Christ’s kingdom from very small beginnings to a sizable, sheltering place. Some have wondered why, in the Parable of the Mustard Seed, Jesus calls the mustard seed the “smallest” of seeds and the mature mustard plant the “largest” of plants in the garden, when there were smaller seeds and larger plants. The answer is that Jesus is using rhetorical hyperbole—an exaggeration to make a point. He is not speaking botanically but proverbially. Jesus’ emphasis is on the change of size—from small to large—and the surprising nature of the growth. The history of the church has shown Jesus’ Parable of the Mustard Seed to be true. The church has experienced an explosive rate of growth through the centuries. It is found worldwide and is a source of sustenance and shelter for all who seek its blessing. In spite of persecution and repeated attempts to stamp it out, the church has flourished. And it’s only a small picture of the ultimate manifestation of the kingdom of God, when Jesus returns to earth to rule and reign from Zion. (Gotquestions) Craig Keener applies the principles of the parable of the mustard seed and the leaven - We Christians sound foolish to those outside Jesus' circle when we speak of a final judgment and living for a future kingdom; what does that have to do with the troubles of daily life in the present? But those who have pressed into Jesus' circle today, like those who did so two thousand years ago, know who Jesus really is. Despite the magnitude of the task before us, we dare not despise the "smallness" of our own works, for God's entire program long ago came hidden in a small package. (Matthew 13 Commentary) Spurgeon's Application - The kingdom of heaven is just like that in this world; wherever it comes, it comes to grow. And it is just like that in our hearts. Oh, how small is the first sign of grace in the soul! Perhaps it is only a single thought. The life divine may begin with but a wish, or with one painful conviction of error; but if it be the true and living seed of God, it will grow. And there is no telling how great will be its growth till, in that soul where all was darkness, many graces, like sweet song-birds, shall come and sing, and make joy and gladness there. Oh, that you and I might experimentally know the meaning of the parable of the mustard seed ! John Legg on the application of the truth of this parable - This encouragement is needed now, as often before. This is ‘the day of small things’ (Zech. 4:10). It is easy to despise such days and believe that nothing good can ever happen, that the work of God can never make real progress. Such an attitude cuts the nerve of our resolve and weakens our determination to preach the gospel. Jesus calls upon us to hear his parable and be encouraged. Although unbelievers will continue, and persecution and opposition will go on until the end of the age, we can expect growth and progress in the kingdom. This parable promises nothing about the conversion of the world as such, but it does encourage us to go on preaching the gospel, sowing the seed, in confidence that the kingdom is like a mustard seed. (The King and His Kingdom) Grant Osborne - The growth of the kingdom is under God’s control. One of the problems of modern ministry (and a sign of the secularization of the church) is the feeling that the church almost belongs to the senior pastor. People often speak of “Pastor So-and-So’s church,” and both the responsibility and the glory belong to the pastor. A friend of mine was told by a publisher that he would be published only if he was the pastor of a megachurch or was a television personality. Quality has been replaced by fame, and the glory all too seldom goes to the only one who deserves it, God. Throughout Scripture God chose the weak and the outcast through whom to bring greatness. It was not the great king Saul but a small shepherd boy, David, who defeated Goliath and the Philistines. The Twelve were a band of societal misfits. As Paul says, “I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses,” because God’s “power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Cor. 12:9). We need not worry about our inadequacies. We simply do our best and rely entirely on God, for he superintends our work and makes of us more than we can be in ourselves. We are part of God’s kingdom work, and the progress and greatness of his kingdom and of our ministry are under his sovereign control. (Teach the Text Commentary Series – Mark) ILLUSTRATION - Small Beginnings - When Laura Price, a roaring twenties flapper, converted to Christianity one summer, she had no idea what she was getting herself into. She simply gave herself to Jesus, and her lifestyle turned around. A few years later she was married to Carl Woll and en route to Kenya as one of the first Gospel Furthering Fellowship missionaries. She spent the bulk of her adult life living in Kenya, singing, ministering, and sharing the love of Jesus for African people in Swahili. Big things have small beginnings. The parable of the mustard seed is a parable of big things with small beginnings. What the seed is and what it becomes do not resemble each other. The seed is buried, hidden, and apparently inconsequential; but it grows into a tree. As in the parallel parable of the yeast, nothing appears to be happening, but in hidden places roots delve and bread expands. These parables illustrate the spiritual principle of slow and hidden growth. ILLUSTRATION - When Matthew Henry was a child he received much impression from a sermon on the parable of the “mustard-seed.” On returning home, he said to his child sister, “I think I have received a grain of grace.” It was the seed of the Commentary “cast upon the waters.” ILLUSTRATION OF SMALL THINGS WITH LARGE RESULTS - Western music is commonly composed of only twelve notes—the seven basic notes and their five sharps/flats. Every symphony, hymn, love song, oratorio, and other piece of music is made up of various combinations and octaves of those same few notes. Similarly, every poem, essay, novel, letter, and other piece of English literature is composed of combinations of the same twenty-six letters. Lord Kelvin once suspended a large piece of metal from a cord in his laboratory. He then proceeded to wad up small pieces of paper into balls about the size of a pea and systematically throw them at the metal weight. At first the almost imperceptible impact of paper hitting metal seemed to have no effect. But eventually the steel weight was swaying rhythmically back and forth due to the cumulative force patiently applied against it. In an immeasurably more dramatic and important way, God would demonstrate through the church how a handful of believers, totally weak and inept in themselves, would in His power turn the world upside down. The kingdom of heaven would grow and prosper in spite of Satan’s opposition and would ultimately permeate and influence the whole world in Jesus’ name. (MacArthur) ILLUSTRATION - We heard a presentation on Thursday by Dr. Henry Cloud where he told a story from his own life. He was facing having to write his doctoral thesis, something that seemed totally overwhelming to him. He couldn’t fathom being able to put together a project so huge. But he felt God speaking to him through the scripture that says, “Consider the ant”. He wasn’t sure what that was all about, but he went out and bought an ant farm. After setting it up, he watched the ants. They actually didn’t do much at all. An ant would take a grain of sand and walk it over to the side of the ant farm, then go take another grain and move it to the other side of the farm. It seemed pretty pointless. He went away for a couple of days and when he came back he was amazed. The ant farm had been transformed into tunnels, mounds, and cities. He realized that all the ants had done was to move one grain of sand at a time. When it came to writing his doctoral thesis, he realized that all he needed to do was just do one little thing at a time, a grain at a time. Be faithful in the little things. Move that grain. Plant seeds. Water seeds. You don’t know what might happen as a result. (Rich Cathers) Dr. Ralph Winter of the U.S. Center for World Mission has shown that in 1430 A.D., the total number of Bible-believing Christians proportionate to the total world population was only one percent. But by 1993, that number had progressively increased to ten percent. He says that the kingdom of Christ is currently expanding at a rate of over three times the rate of world population growth (“Mission Frontiers,” May/June, 1994, p. 5) ILLUSTRATION - Within forty years of the Resurrection, there were churches in every major city of the Roman Empire. Within two and a half centuries, the entire Roman Empire was Christianized, not by a sword like Islam did it, but by the grace of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit. Today we see the last remaining 6000 people groups on earth which have been unengaged with gospel contact being prayed for, strategically chosen, and engaged with the Good News. (Gene Brooks) ILLUSTRATION OF Martha Berry. - She was born just outside the town of Rome, GA in 1866. She was born into a wealthy family that owned a vast estate in that area. She asked for a playhouse and her father had a cabin built for her. One Sunday as she was studying her Bible in the cabin, Martha Berry heard the voices of children outside. She went out and saw some of the poor children from nearby Possum Trot playing. Miss Berry was a teenager by this time and she called the children to her and began to tell them stories from the Bible. Her Bible classes met each week in her playhouse. She taught children that would never have had the opportunity to go to school. She taught them how to read and write. She taught them arithmetic and other lessons. Then, in 1902, she had the idea to start a boy’s school on nearby Lavender Mountain. She deeded land, raised funds and opened the doors to students, and The Berry Industrial School for Boys was formed. The school continued to grow, adding a program for girls. If you visit Rome, GA today, you can still visit the house Martha Berry lived in until she died. You can also see the cabin playhouse where she taught poor children about the love of God. If you visit Rome, GA you can also see what her little mustard seed school has become. Today, Berry College sits on 28,000 beautiful acres of Georgia real estate. There are 38 major buildings and well over 2,000 students. Berry College is widely recognized as one of the outstanding comprehensive colleges in the southern United States. A school that had very humble beginnings has been a blessing to tens of thousands of Americans. (Alan Carr)
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MacArthur adds that "To take this leaven as representing evil that permeates the kingdom is to twist the obvious meaning and construction of words—whether in the Greek or English texts. Nor does that interpretation fit Jesus’ development of this group of parables, in which this one parallels that of the mustard seed. They both illustrate the power of the kingdom to overcome the resistance and opposition illustrated in the parables of the sower and of the wheat and tares. Craig Blomberg agrees noting that "Yeast can be a positive symbol (e.g., Lev 7:13–14; 23:17) and, with all the parables dealing with the growth of plants and seeds in this chapter having the positive referent of the growth of the kingdom, the parable of the yeast must almost certainly be taken this way too." (NAC-Mt) Leaven (yeast)(2219)(zume probably from zeo = to heat, as occurs in fermentation of dough when leaven is mixed in) was literally a small portion of dough that was retained in order to start a new batch of dough (literal uses - Mt 13:33, 16:12; Lk 13:21; 1 Cor 5:6; Gal 5:9). In ancient times, when bread was about to be baked, a small piece of dough was pulled off and saved. That leaven or yeast would then be allowed to ferment in water, and later kneaded into the next batch of fresh dough to make it rise. Zume was used proverbially to demonstrate great effect from little causes (Gal 5:9). Zume is used figuratively to depict corruption of thought and conduct, which Jesus termed hypocrisy here in Lk 12:1. Zume was used figuratively to describe teachings based on unspiritual value systems (Mt 16.12). Finally, zume was a metaphor for sin within a believing community, and was identified as wicked ways (1Cor 5.8). The first use of zume in the Septuagint (Ex. 12:15; 12:19) is associated with the Passover, where the Jews were instructed to eat bread without leaven for seven days. Parable (symbols) (3850) see preceding note on parabole Grant Osborne - The analogy indicates that the kingdom, though now small and seemingly insignificant, will have an influence beyond expectations. In the end, the kingdom will be clearly and fully revealed. Matthew introduces the motif of hiddenness in this parable by using the verb enkryptō (NIV: “mixed”; RSV: “hid”), which indicates something becoming concealed by being mixed in with something else. This motif is explicit at 13:35, 44. (Teach the Text Commentary Series – Matthew) As with the parable of the mustard seed, Jesus gives no recorded interpretation (although He presumably explained the meaning to His disciples - Mk 4:33). And as you might surmise, the result is that there are a number of interpretations which are widely divergent. And so some commentators (Walvoord, et al) interpret the leaven (as they do the birds in Mt 13:32) as indicative of evil permeating the kingdom. For example, Warren Wiersbe (who I greatly respect) makes a fairly dogmatic statement that "The mustard seed illustrates the false outward expansion of the kingdom, while the leaven illustrates the inward development of false doctrine and false living. Throughout the Bible, leaven is a symbol of evil." (Bible Exposition Commentary) While it is true that leaven is used to symbolize evil or sin in other contexts, there is nothing in the present parable which would strongly support that interpretation. As Turner says "Birds or yeast need not always be viewed as symbols of evil, since a lion may signify Satan in one context and Jesus in another (1 Pet. 5:8; Rev. 5:5). These parables both speak of the deceptively subtle yet dramatically significant growth of God’s kingdom." (BECNT-Mt) In my humble opinion to see the parable of leaven as evil is an incorrect interpretation and totally misses Jesus' point to the disciples. After seeing their leader accused of being demon possessed and after the "poor yield" of the Gospel seed in the parable of the soils, the disciples had to be wondering about the future of the Kingdom of God. Therefore it would not be encouraging to hear that the Kingdom was going to be infiltrated and corrupted by Satanically inspired, sinful people who would profess to be Christians. It seems far more likely that He was giving His disciples the parable of the unstoppable growth of the mustard seed and penetrating influence of the leaven to encourage His men. And so I am much more in agreement with interpretations like John MacArthur who writes "The first point in this parable is that small things can have great influence, in the way that a small piece of leavened dough can permeate a large piece of unleavened dough to make it rise. The power of the kingdom of heaven is great, far greater than its initial size and appearance would suggest. The smallest part of the kingdom that is placed in the world is sure to have influence, because it contains the power of God’s own Spirit. The influence of the kingdom is the influence of the King, of His Word, and of His faithful people. The second point of the parable is that the influence is positive. Leavened bread has always been considered tastier and more enjoyable than unleavened. To symbolize the break with their former life in Egypt, God commanded His people to eat only unleavened bread during the Feast of the Unleavened Bread, which began on Passover evening. They were not even allowed to have leaven of any sort in the house during the seven days of the feast (Ex. 12:15, 18–19). But the bread they ate the rest of the year was leavened and perfectly acceptable to the Lord. To the average person of Jesus’ day, Jew or Gentile, there is no evidence that leaven carried any connotation of evil or corruption. The ancient rabbis often referred to leaven in a favorable way. One of them wrote, “Great is peace, in that peace is to the earth as leaven is to the dough.” When a Jewish girl was married, her mother would give her a small piece of leavened dough from a batch baked just before the wedding. From that gift of leaven the bride would bake bread for her own household throughout her married life. That gift, simple as it was, was among the most cherished that the bride received, because it represented the love and blessedness of the household in which she grew up and that would be carried into the household she was about to establish. (MNTC-Mt) (For more background discussion on leaven see Dr MacArthur's companion sermon The Power and Influence of Christ's Kingdom 2) Blomberg - Neither parable (Mustard Seed and Leaven) depicts the culmination of the kingdom so impressively as to justify grandiose dreams of Christianizing the earth, but each does caution against a defeatism or siege mentality when Christian witness seems temporarily ineffective. One day God’s causes will triumph (Ed: see note).
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MacArthur comments in regard to these things being hidden in the past that "The rejection of His messiahship did not catch the Lord by surprise, and the postponement of the kingdom was not a backup plan. The things hidden since the foundation of the world pertained to “the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven,” which Jesus explained to His disciples but not the unbelieving multitudes and religious leaders (Mt. 13:11–16). To those who rejected Him, He spoke “in parables; because while seeing they [did] not see, and while hearing they [did] not hear, nor [did] they understand” (Mt 13:13). God made no alterations of His plan of redemption. Everything was exactly on schedule and according to the predictions of His Word." (MNTC-Mt) Alan Carr - This verse tells us that there are some things that have been kept secret from the foundations of the world. There are some things that were “hidden, a mystery” from before the world was ever formed. This “mystery” is spoken of in other passages as well, Ro 16:25; 1 Cor. 2:7-10; Col. 1:25-27. All these verses, plus others, reveal to us the fact that there are some things that have been hidden from eternity. These hidden mysteries have been revealed to the saints of God. God says that we can know these mysteries and be blessed by them. Robert Mounce - Since they refused to hear him, his message would fall on their ears as difficult and obscure. The truths that Jesus revealed to those who by faith had taken the first step toward understanding were secrets concealed since the beginning of time. Only in fulfillment, and then only to those who have the insight of faith, are the truths of God’s sovereign reign made clear. To outsiders they come as riddles and meaningless sayings. (UBCS-Mt) Parables (3850) see preceding note on parabole John Broadus has an interesting note on Matthew's use of the verb fulfill - Fulfill is the translation of a Greek word (pleroo) signifying to ‘make full,’ to ‘fill up.’ (So the English fill full or fulfill). It is often used in New Testament, both literally, as to fill a valley, boat, etc., and figuratively, as to fill with gladness, knowledge, etc. In a derivative sense it signifies to ‘perform fully,’ ‘accomplish,’ being applied to a work or a duty, and to predictions, as here. This last very important use, to fulfill (a prediction), is found frequently in Matthew (Mt 1:22; 2:15, 17, 23; 4:14; 8:17; 12:17; 13:35; 21:4; 26:54, 56; 27:9), and in John (Jn 12:38; 13:18; 15:25; 17:12; 18:9, 31; 19:24, 36); several times in Luke (Lk 1:20; 4:21; 21:22; 24:44), and in Acts (Acts 1:16; 3:18; 13:27); once in Mark (Mk 14:49) and in James (Jas 2:23.) An examination of these passages would show that in general they will admit only the strict sense of fulfill, implying a real prediction, and that no one of them requires the quite different meaning attached to the term by some expositors, viz.: that while there was no real prediction, the New Testament occurrence reminded the Evangelist of the Old Testament passage, or so resembled the Old Testament occurrence as to warrant the application to it of the same language. This serious departure from the etymology and regular use of the word is supposed by such expositors to be required by a few passages in which it is difficult for us to see that there exists the strict relation of prediction and fulfillment. But such passages, it will be found, all admit of at least a possible explanation in consistency with the idea of a real fulfillment (see on Mt 2:15, 18), and we have no right to take this or any other word in a sense alien to its origin and use, unless there be found passages in which it cannot possibly have the usual meaning. The strict application of this rule of interpretation is here a matter of importance, as the question involved seriously affects the prophetic relation between the Old and the New Testament. But two things are to be observed. (1) The New Testament writers sometimes quote Old Testament expressions as applicable to gospel facts or truths, without saying that they are prophecies (e. g., Ro 10:18), and in some cases it is doubtful how they intend the quotation to be regarded. (2) It is often unnecessary, and sometimes impossible, to suppose that the prophet himself had in mind that which the New Testament writer calls a fulfillment of his prediction. Some predictions were even involuntary, as that of Caiaphas. (John 11:50.) Many prophecies received fulfillments which the prophet does not appear to have at all contemplated. But as God’s providence often brought about the fulfillment though the human actors were heedless or even ignorant of the predictions they fulfilled (e. g., John 19:24), so God’s Spirit often contemplated fulfillments of which the prophet had no conception, but which the Evangelist makes known. And it is of a piece with the general development of revelation that the later inspiration should explain the records of earlier inspiration, and that only after events have occurred should the early predictions of them be fully understood. (Matthew 1 Commentary) Technical Note on this verse spoken by the prophet - A few important manuscripts (a* Q ¦(1, 13 )33) identify the prophet as Isaiah, a reading that is significantly harder than the generic "prophet" because the source of this prophecy is not Isaiah but Asaph in Ps 78. Jerome mentioned some MSS that had "Asaph" here, though none are known to exist today. This problem is difficult because of the temptation for scribes to delete the reference to Isaiah in order to clear up a discrepancy. Indeed, the vast majority of witnesses have only "the prophet" here (a(1 )B C D L W 0233 0242 Û lat sy co). However, as B. M. Metzger points out, "if no prophet were originally named, more than one scribe might have been prompted to insert the name of the best known prophet - something which has, in fact, happened elsewhere more than once" (TCGNT 27). In light of the paucity of evidence for the reading VHsai?ou, as well as the proclivity of scribes to add his name, it is probably best to consider the shorter reading as authentic. (NET Note) Matthew 13:36 Then He left the crowds and went into the house. And His disciples came to Him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field.” Then He left the crowds - Mt 14:22 15:39 Mk 6:45 8:9 Went into - Mt 13:1 9:28 Mk 4:34 Explain - Mt 13:11 15:15,16 Mk 7:17 Joh 16:17-20 Matthew 13 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries DISCIPLES REQUEST EXPLANATION OF THE TARES Then (tote) is an expression of time which means "At that time." When used as an adverb THEN is always worth pausing to ponder and query asking questions like "What time is it? What happens next? Why does this happen now?, etc". When then is used (as determined by the context) to be an expression of time or "time phrase", it usually indicates sequence and thus marks that which is next in order of time, soon after that, following next after in order of position, narration or enumeration, being next in a series (See English definitions or here). He left the crowds and went into the house - Into the house apparently in Capernaum (Peter's home and home base so to speak for His Galilean ministry - see Mt 8:14, 15+, Mt 12:46-50+, Mt 13:1+). From Mt 13:2+ to this point it is clear that Jesus had been teaching to the "large crowds (that) gathered to Him." Jesus now moves into a more private setting with His true disciples. Compare Mt 13:11-12 " “To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted. For whoever has, to him more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him." And His disciples came to Him and said, “Explain to us the parable (parabole) of the tares (zizanion) of the field.” - Mark 4:34+ says that after the parables (parable of soils, mustard seed, et al) "He did not speak to them (THE CROWDS) without a parable; but He was explaining everything privately to His own disciples." And so here Jesus discloses the meaning of the parables. Explain (aorist imperative)(1285)(diasapheo from dia = intensifies + sapheo = to manifest from saphes = clear) means to make thoroughly clear, fully manifest, told in detail (Mt 18:31 = "reported") and thus explain or clarify something that is obscure. Only 2 NT uses - Mt 13:36, Mt 18:31. Used 2x in the Septuagint --See commentary on use in Dt 1:5 where "Moses undertook to expound this law." Da 2:6+ "declare the dream (Lxx - diasapheo) and its interpretation (sugkrisis = comparing, interpretation)." Michael Andrus - Similarities of Parable of the Taresto and difference from the Parable of the Sower. First, the farmer here is identified as the Son of Man, or Jesus, whereas his identity in the previous parable is not stated. The field is not the hearts of people this time, but the world. The seed is not the Word of God here, but the sons of the kingdom, i.e. believers. The enemy is once again the devil, but instead of snatching seed from unresponsive hearts he is now sowing weeds in the world. The weeds are the sons of the evil one or unbelievers. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are the angels. QUESTION - What is the Parable of the Wheat and the Tares? ANSWER - The Parable of the Wheat and the Weeds, or Tares, is filled with spiritual significance and truth. But, in spite of the clear explanation of the parable that Jesus gave (Matthew 13:36-43), this parable is very often misinterpreted. Many commentaries and sermons have attempted to use this story as an illustration of the condition of the church, noting that there are both true believers (the wheat) and false professors (the weeds) in both the church at large and individual local churches. While this may be true, Jesus distinctly explains that the field is not the church; it is the world (v. 38). Even if He hadn’t specifically told us the world is the setting of the story, it would still be obvious. The landowner tells the servants not to pull up the weeds in the field, but to leave them until the end of the age. If the field were the church, this command would directly contradict Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 18, which tells us how to deal with unrepentant sinners in the church: they are to be put out of the fellowship and treated as unbelievers. Jesus never instructed us to let impenitent sinners remain in our midst until the end of the age. So, Jesus is teaching here about “the kingdom of heaven” (v. 24) in the world. In the agricultural society of Christ’s time, many farmers depended on the quality of their crops. An enemy sowing weeds would have sabotaged a business. The tares in the parable were likely darnel because that weed, until mature, appears as wheat. Without modern weed killers, what would a wise farmer do in such a dilemma? Instead of tearing out the wheat with the tares, the landowner in this parable wisely waited until the harvest. After harvesting the whole field, the tares could be separated and burned. The wheat would be saved in the barn. In the explanation of parable, Christ declares that He Himself is the sower. He spreads His redeemed seed, true believers, in the field of the world. Through His grace, these Christians bear the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-24). Their presence on earth is the reason the “kingdom of heaven” is like the field of the world. When Jesus said, “The kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 3:2; 4:17), He meant the spiritual realm which exists on earth side by side with the realm of the evil one (1 John 5:19). When the kingdom of heaven comes to its fruition, heaven will be a reality and there will be no “weeds” among the “wheat.” But for now, both good and bad seeds mature in the world. The enemy in the parable is Satan. In opposition to Jesus Christ, the devil tries to destroy Christ’s work by placing false believers and teachers in the world who lead many astray. One has only to look at the latest televangelist scandal to know the world is filled with professing “Christians” whose ungodly actions bring reproach on the name of Christ. But we are not to pursue such people in an effort to destroy them. For one thing, we don’t know if immature and innocent believers might be injured by our efforts. Further, one has only to look at the Spanish Inquisition, the Crusades, and the reign of “Bloody Mary” in England to see the results of men taking upon themselves the responsibility of separating true believers from false, a task reserved for God alone. Instead of requiring these false believers to be rooted out of the world, and possibly hurting immature believers in the process, Christ allows them to remain until His return. At that time, angels will separate the true from false believers. In addition, we are not to take it upon ourselves to uproot unbelievers because the difference between true and false believers isn’t always obvious. Tares, especially in the early stages of growth, resemble wheat. Likewise, a false believer may resemble a true believer. In Matthew 7:22, Jesus warned that many profess faith but do not know Him. Thus, each person should examine his own relationship with Christ (2 Corinthians 13:5). First John is an excellent test of salvation. Jesus Christ will one day establish true righteousness. After He raptures the true church out of this world, God will pour out His righteous wrath on the world. During that tribulation, He will draw others to saving faith in Jesus Christ. At the end of the tribulation, all unbelievers will be judged for their sin and unbelief; then, they will be removed from God’s presence. True followers of Christ will reign with Him. What a glorious hope for the “wheat”! GotQuestions.org Matthew 13:37 And He said, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man, He said - Mt 13:24,27 the good seed is the Son of Man - Mt 13:41 Mt 10:40 Mt 16:13-16 Lu 10:16 Joh 13:20 Jn 20:21 Ac 1:8 Ro 15:18 1Co 3:5-7 Heb 1:1 2:3 Matthew 13 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries SON SOWS SAINTS And He said, “The one who sows (speiro) the good (kalos) seed is the Son of Man - The sower is the Son of Man (the name used by Daniel - Da 7:13+), the Lord Jesus. It is interesting that He did not say "and the Son of Man" is Me." In other words, they had come to understand this was His title. This statement (the one who sows) implies that the "sowing" began with His earthly ministry as He went "throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the Gospel of the kingdom" (Mt 4:23+, cf Mt 9:35+, Lk 4:43, 44+). He sowed directly during His earthly ministry, and has been sowing through His servants (the good seed) in succeeding ages. Who is the good seed? The next passage says they are sons of the kingdom. These are the regenerate, redeemer believers throughout the world, strategically placed by the Son of Man to be salt and light in the midst of growing spiritual darkness in a crooked and perverse generation, supernaturally enabled by the Spirit to bear the fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:22-23+) and emit a fragrant aroma of Christ. Paul says "But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place (IN THE FIELD, THE WORLD). For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing; 16 to the one an aroma from death to death, to the other an aroma from life to life. And who is adequate for these things? (2 Cor 2:14-16). Good seed is an unusual figure of speech that describes human beings planted in the field! But this reminds us of Jesus words in John "“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit." (John 12:24). One is also reminded of Jesus' words in Luke 10:2+ that “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest." As Lord of the harvest, Christ directs the sowing process, i.e., the missionary mandate of the church. MacArthur comments that "The Lord of the harvest is the Lord Jesus Christ, to Whom the Father has committed all judgment (Jn 5:22, 27-29; cf. 2 Th 1:5-10). The compassionate Lord seeks to rescue people from His wrath and judgment through the prayers of believers. This is the paradox and wonder of the Gospel. The judge commands His people to pray that more sinners be saved from His judgment; more than that, that more evangels be sent to those sinners, because the Judge and Executioner was Himself executed to save others from being executed by Him!" (MNTC-Lk) Son of Man is frequently the title Jesus gives to Himself in Matthew - Matt. 8:20; Matt. 9:6; Matt. 10:23; Matt. 11:19; Matt. 12:8; Matt. 12:32; Matt. 12:40; Matt. 13:37; Matt. 13:41; Matt. 16:13; Matt. 16:27; Matt. 16:28; Matt. 17:9; Matt. 17:12; Matt. 17:22; Matt. 18:11; Matt. 19:28; Matt. 20:18; Matt. 20:28; Matt. 24:27; Matt. 24:30; Matt. 24:37; Matt. 24:39; Matt. 24:44; Matt. 25:31; Matt. 26:2; Matt. 26:24; Matt. 26:45; Matt. 26:64; Son of Man is the title which "focused on His humility and humanity in the incarnation, it was the title He most commonly used of Himself. It beautifully identified Him as He fully participated in human life as the perfect Man, the second Adam, and the sinless representative of the human race. It was also a title clearly understood by Jews as referring to the Messiah (Luke 22:69; cf. Dan. 7:13). The title is used of Jesus by others only twice in the New Testament, once by Paul (Acts 7:56) and once by John (Re v. 14:14)." (MacArthur) See also What does it mean that Jesus is the Son of Man?
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MacArthur observes that "In the parable we are told that “the wheat sprang up and bore grain, [and] the tares became evident also” (v. 26). Jesus does not elaborate on that statement, but in light of His other parable explanations, that aspect of the parable would seem to teach that most true believers can be identified by their spiritual and practical fruit (grain) and unbelievers by their lack of it." (See Matthew Commentary) Lockyer - Pluck away hypocrites, and you will pluck up formal Christians who are not hypocrites along with them. Pluck up those "unsound" in doctrine, and you will pluck up some Christians who are travelling by paths of sincerest inquiry to the grandest views of truth. So (oun) could be translated therefore and indicates that Jesus is now presenting the consequence of the harvest just described. First comes the bundling; afterward the burning. -- John Phillips Just as the tares (zizanion) are gathered up (sullego) and burned with fire - Jesus continues the comparison to the weeds in the field in the original story which were gathered up and burned in the fire ("First gather up the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them up" - Mt 13:30). Tares are the evil workers of the devil and they will pay a painful price for having yoked themselves to Satan! Fire causes some of the greatest pain known, which is probably why the martyrs like William Tyndale (see part of his amazing, courageous story in "How We Got the KJV Bible") were often burned at the stake by evil tares rather than being beheaded or hanged on a gallows. Jesus explains in the next verse that it is His angels who will gather up the tares. Burned is in the present tense which depicts continually being burned (but not annihilated as when they burned magic paraphernalia in Acts 19:19+ which was totally consumed)! The passive voice is clearly a "divine passive." Is this fire literal or just symbolic? Frankly, either way, the point is that the nature of this punishment is simply unimaginable to our finite minds! It is bad! It is forever! So let me ask you "how will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation?" (Heb 2:3+).
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MacArthur - During an interview I saw recently on television, a reporter asked a girl involved in punk rock, "What are you looking forward to?" She said, "I'm looking forward to death." The reporter asked her why. She said, "I want to die so I can go to hell and have fun!" What deception! Hell is not fun. One writer said, "There is no way to describe hell. Nothing on earth can compare with it. No living person has any real idea of it. No madman in wildest flights of insanity ever beheld its horror. No man in delirium ever pictured a place so utterly terrible as this. No nightmare racing across a fevered mind ever produces a terror to match that of the mildest hell. No murder scene with splashed blood and oozing wound ever suggested a revulsion that could touch the border lands of hell. Let the most gifted writer exhaust his skill in describing this roaring cavern of unending flame, and he would not even brush in fancy the nearest edge of hell." (Study Guide) Henry Morris on furnace of fire - It is sobering to realize that many who appear to be in the kingdom are really "tares," destined for hell (see also Matthew 25:41-46). To such people, Christ warns that He "shall cut [them] asunder [with the reaping instruments, thereby separating them from the wheat], and appoint [them their] portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth" (Matthew 24:51).(Borrow The Defender's Study Bible) Furnace (2575) (kamino) literally oven, furnace, kiln, for baking, smelting metals, for burning bricks, especially in the Septuagint of the furnace Shadrach, etl were thrown into (Da 3:19-23+, Rev 1.15); figuratively, of hell described as a fiery furnace (Mt 13.42, 50), of the awesome holiness of God (Ex 19:18). Kamino - 4v - Matt. 13:42; Matt. 13:50; Rev. 1:15; Rev. 9:2 Kamino - Septuagint - Ge 19:28 (Of Sodom and Gomorrah - "behold, the smoke of the land ascended like the smoke of a furnace"); Ex 19:18 (figuratively of Mt Sinai = "like the smoke of a furnace"); Nu 25:8; Dt. 4:20 (figuratively of slavery = "But the LORD has taken you and brought you out of the iron furnace, from Egypt, to be a people for His own possession, as today.", cf similar sense in Jer 11:4); Job 41:20; Pr. 16:30; Pr. 17:3 ("The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold, But the LORD tests hearts."); Isa. 48:10 (figuratively of affliction = "“Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction."); Jer. 11:4; Ezek. 22:20; Ezek. 22:22 (figuratively of God's wrath on Israel = "As silver is melted in the furnace, so you will be melted in the midst of it; and you will know that I, the LORD, have poured out My wrath on you.’”); Dan. 3:6; Dan. 3:11; Dan. 3:15; Dan. 3:17; Dan. 3:19; Dan. 3:20; Dan. 3:21; Dan. 3:22; Dan. 3:23; Dan. 3:26; In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth - In that place means of course in hell. Weeping (wailing) speaks of emotional distress and gnashing of teeth speaks to physical distress. Have you ever wept uncontrollably? Have you ever gritted your teeth in pain or torment? Tares, ultimately every soul that rejects Jesus' gracious offer of forgiveness, will experience weeping and gnashing forever and ever in a place of a bottomless pit (abussos) (have you ever had a dream you were falling and could not stop falling? If you have that is the reality of all in hell forever!) and utter darkness. There will be no parties in hell because there will be no socializing. Tares will experience torment alone...forever. Do not these thoughts make you want to share the Gospel with those in your sphere of influence? They should, for you may have the only clear Gospel presentation those persons ever have a chance to hear! Are you shy? I am too! Let me encourage you to at least buy good Gospel tracts and hand them out and/or strategically place them (list of tracts). Note also that Jesus' words indicate that eternal punishment is a place of conscious sorrow for the unconscious would not weep. Clearly Hell is not a place to joke about as so many do today. As John MacArthur says "Hell will have no friendships, no fellowship, no camaraderie, no comfort. It will not even have the debauched pleasures in which the ungodly love to revel on earth. There will be no pleasure in hell of any kind or degree—only torment, “day and night forever and ever” (Rev. 20:10+)." (See Matthew Commentary) The descriptions Jesus gives of Hell must be understood as representing something real and terrible to experience. This is tragic beyond our most vivid imagination. Let us mourn at the thought of even a single person who has to suffer such a fate and let us preach the gospel without compromise and without ceasing for the day comes when no one can work the works of the Father. Redeem every opportunity for the glory of the Lamb Who was slain. Gotquestions has a sobering comment on hell - The variety and symbolic nature of descriptors do not lessen hell, however—just the opposite, in fact. Their combined effect describes a hell that is worse than death, darker than darkness, and deeper than any abyss. Hell is a place with more wailing and gnashing of teeth than any single descriptor could ever portray. Its symbolic descriptors bring us to a place beyond the limits of our language—to a place far worse than we could ever imagine (READ THAT AGAIN). (Ref) John Blanchard amplifies the preceding comment - In common communication the thing being symbolized is always greater than the symbol. In the case of hell, this has to be so, because without symbols employing things we understand we would never be able to grasp anything of the nature of hell. By using symbols, God accommodates our ignorance. When telling us about heaven he speaks of it as ‘the city of pure gold’ (Revelation 21:18) with ‘each gate made of a single pearl’ (Revelation 21:21), but this does not mean that heaven has any kind of commercial value. The language is obviously symbolic and ‘combines to convey, as far as it is possible for the human mind to grasp and human language to express, the infinite and inexpressible beauty and perfection of heaven’. In the same way, even if we can prove that hell’s ‘fire’ and ‘worm’ are metaphorical we shall not have removed one iota of their horror or terror. (What Ever Happened to Hell?) Francis Chan on weeping - the image of “weeping” as the wicked are cast into hell (“the fiery furnace”) is common among first-century Jewish writers....These images of “everlasting fire” and a “hell of fire” were typical in the first century. Jesus used this common vocabulary to convey an unmistakable message—no Jew would have scratched his head wondering what Jesus was getting at. The everlasting fire of gehenna is a place of punishment for all who don’t follow Jesus in this life. J S Lang comments that Jesus' picturesque phrase expresses "the agony of eternal torment (and)...perhaps more than any images of fire and brimstone, the weeping and gnashing of teeth suggests pain, regret, and eternal sorrow of an earthly life wasted. (Lang, J. S.. 1,001 Things You Always Wanted to Know About Angels, Demons, and the Afterlife. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers) Robert Morey commenting on Jesus' description writes that "The rabbinic picture used by Christ of people “weeping and gnashing their teeth” in the excruciating pain caused by the fires of Gehenna cannot be ignored or downplayed (Mt 13:42, 50). In Rev 14:10+, Rev 14:11+, we are explicitly told that they will be tormented by sulfuric fire…for all eternity…without rest day or night. The words of the Apostle could not be clearer or plainer. The text says “tormented,” not annihilated. (BORROW Death and the afterlife) Steven
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MacArthur - Believers already shine in that they possess the Spirit of Christ and the glorious message of the gospel (Mt 5:16; 2Co 4:3–7+, ED: cf 2 Cor 3:18+). We will shine even more in the glory of Christ’s kingdom and eternal heaven (Ro 8:16–23; Php 3:20, 21; Rev 19:7–9). (BORROW The MacArthur Study Bible ) Righteous (1342)(dikaios from dike = right, just) defines that which is in accordance with high standards of rectitude. It is an individual who is in right relation to another and so defines the one who is morally and ethically righteous, upright or just. In simple terms righteous describes being in accordance with what God requires. The righteous man does what he ought and conforms to the standard, will or character of God. Of course no person in themselves is righteous (Ro 3:10+), but only by grace through faith does God declare a person righteous (Ro 3:24+ "being justified" = declared righteous). Shine forth (1584)(eklampo from ek = out + lampo = to shine) means literally to shine out or shine forth, to be radiant or resplendent. Gilbrant comments that saints that shine forth "calls to mind the divine glory that will be their inheritance (1 Corinthians 15:40; cf. Matthew 17:2)"
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MacArthur commenting on the ethics writes "In the first place, it is obvious that the treasure was not hidden by the present owner of the field and was unknown to him. Otherwise, he would have retrieved it before he sold the field. The man who bought the field obviously knew the owner was not aware of the treasure or he would not have offered to buy the field, knowing the treasure would not be included in the deal. In the second place, rabbinic law provided that “if a man finds scattered fruit or money, it belongs to the finder.” If a person came across money or other valuables that were obviously lost and whose owner was dead or unknown, the finder had the right to keep what was found. In the third place, the basic honesty of the man is testified to by the fact that, had he been dishonest, he would simply have taken the treasure without any thought of buying the field. But he did not even use part of the treasure to buy the field; rather, he sells all that he has, and buys that field." (See Matthew Commentary) Leon
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MacArthur says "we can learn at least six valuable lessons about the Kingdom of Heaven, and therefore about salvation: The Kingdom of Heaven must be personally appropriated, The Kingdom of Heaven is priceless, The Kingdom of Heaven is not superficially visible, The Kingdom of Heaven is the source of true joy, The Kingdom of Heaven may be entered from different circumstances The Kingdom of Heaven is made personal by a transaction." (For detailed discussion of each point see Matthew 13:44-46: Entering the Kingdom - Study Guide - click dropdown) Example of entering the Kingdom of Heaven from different circumstances - Charles Haddon Spurgeon grew up in a Christian home, but as a boy he attended church only because it was the proper thing to do. He was not immoral or rebellious but was basically satisfied with his life and was not seeking any more religion than he had. One New Year’s morning, when he was fifteen years old, he decided he ought to attend the service at his church. When the snow and cold wind became too fierce for him, he ducked into a little storefront type of church, as much to get out of the cold as anything. “When I could go no further,” he writes of the event, “I turned down a court and came to a little Primitive Methodist church. The preacher who was to have conducted the service never got there because he was held up by the weather, and quickly one of the officers had to be brought forward to conduct the service with the congregation of perhaps fifteen people. The man was really stupid. His text was, ‘Look unto Me and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth.’ And he just kept repeating it because he had nothing else to say.” But something about Spurgeon caught the man’s eye, and he said, “Young man, you look very miserable. And miserable in life and miserable in death you will be if you don’t obey my text.” He then shouted, “Young man, look to Jesus! Look, look, loo k!” “I looked,” said Spurgeon; “and then and there the cloud was gone and the darkness rolled away and that moment I saw the Son.” (For more see Spurgeon's Testimony) Here are examples of individuals who were seeking the Kingdom of Heaven - That was the experience of the Ethiopian eunuch whom the Holy Spirit led Philip to intercept on the road to Gaza. The man was a Gentile proselyte who had come to Jerusalem to worship, and as he returned home he was reading from Isaiah but understanding nothing of what he read. After all his seeking and study, he was still confused and unsatisfied. But when Philip explained that Isaiah was writing about Christ, the Savior, the Ethiopian immediately believed. His long quest was ended, and he “went on his way rejoicing” (Acts 8:26–39). Another Gentile, Cornelius, was also a God-fearing proselyte, who “gave many alms to the Jewish people, and prayed to God continually.” God honored his sincere seeking by sending Peter to explain the gospel and lead him and his household to salvation (Acts 10). In similar ways, the Gentile Lydia (Acts 16:14–15) and both Jewish and Greek worshipers in the synagogue at Berea (17:10–12) sought and found the Lord. Several years ago I met a couple attending our church who were celebrating their fiftieth wedding anniversary. The husband had been blind for a number of years, and they were visiting from a distant state. They told me they had sought God all of their married lives, trying one religion after another and finally ending up in the Unity cult. They soon came to realize that that religion was just as empty as their lives, and they went home from a service one day in utter despair. They turned on the radio and came across one of my broadcasts. After listening intently during the first half of the message, they both broke down in tears and said to each other, “This is the truth for which we’ve been searching for fifty years. At last we’ve found it!” (John MacArthur - MNTC-Mt) Bruce Barton - To teach the inestimable value of the kingdom of heaven and of being part of that kingdom, Jesus described it as a treasure hidden in a field. (LAC) William
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MacArthur explains one reason pearls were so highly valued - It is incredible what was involved in pearl hunting. Pearls were found in the Red Sea, the Persian Gulf, and the Indian Ocean. The price to pay in obtaining them was great--many people died from pearl hunting. They did not have the equipment that is available today for pearl diving. Rather, a pearl diver would tie rocks to his body, jump over the side of a little boat, go down into the dangerous waters infested with sharks and other creatures, and scour the mud below for oysters. A pearl diver had to hold his breath during the whole dive, and hope that he wouldn't burst and die....A pearl that was perfect and beautiful was priceless. The Talmud said that "pearls are beyond price." The Egyptians actually worshiped the pearl, and the Romans copied that practice. When women wanted to show their wealth, they put pearls in their hair (1 Tim. 2:9). The wife of the Roman emperor Caligula, Lollia Paulina, once went to a dinner party with pearls on her hair, ears, neck, and fingers that would be worth $36 million today. The historian Pliny said that Cleopatra had two pearls that were each worth half a million dollars at that time (and money had twenty times more buying power then than it does now!). When Roman emperors wanted to show how rich they were, they dissolved pearls in vinegar and drank them in their wine.( FOR AN EXCELLENT DISCUSSION SEE Matthew 13:44-46: Entering the Kingdom - Study Guide - click dropdown) Phil Newton - Others are on a different course in their conversion. They are "seeking fine pearls," that is, they are in pursuit of something better and grander than what they know but they do not know how and where to find it. They may try one religion or philosophy or principle of life but realize that their search has not ended. They follow the Golden Rule but it cannot satisfy. They obey the law but do not find it satisfying for their guilt. They engage in various rituals and religious practices; they read the latest popular books for self-help, but nothing fills the void that aches in their lives... until they see Jesus Christ in the gospel! George Whitefield was such a one, seeking fine pearls in religious service, devotion to prayer and Bible reading, disciplining himself to follow God's law, fasting and denying himself to appease God for his guilt. But nothing satisfied him; he felt only desperation and misery. But as he read Matthew Henry's Expositions, Joseph Alleine's Alarm to the Unconverted, and Richard Baxter's Call to the Unconverted, he testifies, "About this time God was pleased to enlighten my soul, and bring me into the knowledge of His free grace, and the necessity of being justified in His sight by faith only" [Whitefield's Journal, 62, italics his]. No doubt remains about Whitefield's life. He discovered the "one pearl of great value" to who he was devoted until he died. We need not think that there is only one manner of coming to Christ. For certain, there is only one way to God, and that is through Jesus Christ alone. But coming to Christ might take different paths and experiences and circumstances, yet all yield the same treasure - Jesus Christ alone as Redeemer and King! (Sermon) QUESTION - What is the meaning of the Parables of the Hidden Treasure and the Pearl of Great Price? ANSWER - Jesus had just finished explaining to the disciples the meaning of the Parable of the Wheat and the Tares, and these two short parables are a continuance of His discussion of the “kingdom of heaven.” He expressed truths about the kingdom in three pairs of parables in Matthew 13: the seed and the sower (Matthew 13:3-23) and the weeds in the field (Matthew 13:24-30); the mustard seed (Matthew 13:31-32) and the leaven (Matthew 13:33); and the hidden treasure (Matthew 13:44) and the pearl of great price (Matthew 13:45-46). The similarities of these two short parables make it clear they teach the same lesson—the kingdom of heaven is of inestimable value. Both parables involve a man who sold all he had to possess the kingdom. The treasure and the pearl represent Jesus Christ and the salvation He offers. And while we cannot pay for salvation by selling all our worldly goods, once we have found the prize, we are willing to give up everything to possess it. But what is attained in exchange is so much more valuable that it is comparable to trading an ounce of trash for a ton of diamonds (Philippians 3:7-9). In both parables, the treasures are hidden, indicating that spiritual truth is missed by many and cannot be found by intelligence or power or worldly wisdom. Matthew 13:11-17 and 1 Corinthians 2:7-8, 14 make it clear that the mysteries of the kingdom are hidden from some who are unable to hear, see, and comprehend these truths. The disobedient reap the natural consequences of their unbelief—spiritual blindness. Those whose eyes are opened by the Spirit do discern spiritual truth, and they, like the men in the parable, understand its great value. Notice that the merchant stopped seeking pearls when he found the pearl of great price. Eternal life, the incorruptible inheritance, and the love of God through Christ constitute the pearl which, once found, makes further searching unnecessary. Christ fulfills our greatest needs, satisfies our longings, makes us whole and clean before God, calms and quiets our hearts, and gives us hope for the future. The “great price,” of course, is that which was paid by Christ for our redemption. He emptied Himself of His glory, came to earth in the form of a lowly man and shed His precious blood on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins.GotQuestions.org Matthew 13:46 and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it. NET Matthew 13:46 When he found a pearl of great value, he went out and sold everything he had and bought it. GNT Matthew 13:46 εὑρὼν δὲ ἕνα πολύτιμον μαργαρίτην ἀπελθὼν πέπρακεν πάντα ὅσα εἶχεν καὶ ἠγόρασεν αὐτόν. NLT Matthew 13:46 When he discovered a pearl of great value, he sold everything he owned and bought it! KJV Matthew 13:46 Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it. ESV Matthew 13:46 who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it. NIV Matthew 13:46 When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it. ASV Matthew 13:46 and having found one pearl of great price, he went and sold all that he had, and bought it. CSB Matthew 13:46 When he found one priceless pearl, he went and sold everything he had, and bought it. NKJ Matthew 13:46 "who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it. NRS Matthew 13:46 on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it. YLT Matthew 13:46 who having found one pearl of great price, having gone away, hath sold all, as much as he had, and bought it. NAB Matthew 13:46 When he finds a pearl of great price, he goes and sells all that he has and buys it. NJB Matthew 13:46 when he finds one of great value he goes and sells everything he owns and buys it. GWN Matthew 13:46 When he found a valuable pearl, he went away, sold everything he had, and bought it. BBE Matthew 13:46 And having come across one jewel of great price, he went and gave all he had in exchange for it. and upon finding one pearl of great value - Pr 2:4 Isa 33:6 1Co 3:21-23 Eph 3:8 Col 2:3 1Jn 5:11,12 Rev 21:21 he went and sold all that he had - Mk 10:28-31 Lu 18:28-30 Ac 20:24 Ga 6:14 Matthew 13 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries DISCOVERY OF A PEARL OF GREAT VALUE Since the parable of the treasure in Mt 13:44 is so similar to the parable of the pearl see comments on Mt 13:44. In sum, the Kingdom of Heaven is the greatest of treasures, the greatest in value. And upon finding one pearl of great value - Finding is heurisko which gives us our English exclamation "Eureka!" The merchant was an entrepreneur who would seek fine pearns and sell them for a profit to retailers and as noted above they were used for investments in the ancient world. Finding (2147)(heurisko) means to find after searching and so to discover (Mt 7:7), to find accidentally or without seeking (Mt 12:44), to experience for oneself and to to obtain or procure (Heb 9:12). Heurisko is used in the Septuagint of Jeremiah 29:13 which was written to Israel but in principle applies to all who would seek the Kingdom of Heaven - "‘You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart." As discussed above under seek, clearly no one would seek God's Kingdom unless the Spirit urged them. As Jesus said to Nicodemus "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit." 7 “Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ 8“The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit.” (John 3:5-8+) Great value (4186)(polutimos from polus = great + timos = value) means literally great value. He went and sold all that he had and bought it - Normally financial advisers tell you to diversify your portfolio, but this man did just the opposite, which in effect emphasizes the great value. To repeat what we stated above, Jesus is not saying one can buy their way into the Kingdom of Heaven (see note). A T
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MacArthur adds that the seine "required a team of fishermen to operate and sometimes covered as much as a half square mile. It was pulled into a giant circle around the fish, between two boats out in deep water or by one boat when working from the shore. In the latter case, one end of the net would be firmly moored on shore while the other was attached to the boat, which would make a large circle out into the water and come back to the starting place. Floats were attached to the top of the net and weights to the bottom, forming a wall of net from the surface to the bottom of the lake. Because the net permitted nothing to escape, all sorts of things besides the desirable fish were caught. It swept everything in its path—weeds, objects dropped overboard from boats, all manner of sea life, and fish of every kind." (See Matthew Commentary) QUESTION - What is the meaning of the Parable of the Dragnet? ANSWER - Jesus tells the Parable of the Dragnet, or the Parable of the Various Kinds of Fish, in Matthew 13:47-50. Jesus prefaces the parable by saying it illustrates an aspect of the kingdom of heaven. The story concerns fishermen using a dragnet, a weighted net dragged along the bottom of a body of water to collect an assortment of fish. In the parable, the dragnet is cast into the sea and pulled onto shore full of all kinds of fish. Then the fishermen sat down to the business of sorting the fish into the “good” and the “bad.” The fish worth keeping were gathered into containers, but the rest were tossed away. Jesus then interprets the parable for His disciples: “This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (verses 49-50). This parable is similar to the Parable of the Wheat and the Tares (Matthew 13:36-43). Both parables concern an end-times sorting, aided by angels, when believers will be separated from unbelievers once and for all. Just as the net was cast into the sea drawing many fish, the gospel message is spread into the world, drawing many people to it. Just as the net gathered all types of fish, regardless of their value, so the gospel attracts many people who neither repent nor desire to follow Christ. Just as the fish could not be sorted until the net was pulled ashore, so false believers masquerading as true Christians will not be made known until the end of the age. These “bad fish,” or false believers, can be likened to the rocky soil and thorny soil in Matthew 13:5-7 and to the tares in verse 40. They claim to have a relationship with Jesus, saying “Lord, Lord” (Matthew 7:22), and Jesus’ reply will be “I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!” (verse 23). The sobering main point of the parable can be stated thus: “A day of reckoning will come in which God will separate the true believers from mere pretenders, and those found to be false will be cast into hell.”GotQuestions.org Matthew 13:48 and when it was filled, they drew it up on the beach; and they sat down and gathered the good fish into containers, but the bad they threw away. NET Matthew 13:48 When it was full, they pulled it ashore, sat down, and put the good fish into containers and threw the bad away. GNT Matthew 13:48 ἣν ὅτε ἐπληρώθη ἀναβιβάσαντες ἐπὶ τὸν αἰγιαλὸν καὶ καθίσαντες συνέλεξαν τὰ καλὰ εἰς ἄγγη, τὰ δὲ σαπρὰ ἔξω ἔβαλον. NLT Matthew 13:48 When the net was full, they dragged it up onto the shore, sat down, and sorted the good fish into crates, but threw the bad ones away. KJV Matthew 13:48 Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away. ESV Matthew 13:48 When it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into containers but threw away the bad. NIV Matthew 13:48 When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away. ASV Matthew 13:48 which, when it was filled, they drew up on the beach; and they sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but the bad they cast away. CSB Matthew 13:48 and when it was full, they dragged it ashore, sat down, and gathered the good fish into containers, but threw out the worthless ones. NKJ Matthew 13:48 "which, when it was full, they drew to shore; and they sat down and gathered the good into vessels, but threw the bad away. NRS Matthew 13:48 when it was full, they drew it ashore, sat down, and put the good into baskets but threw out the bad. YLT Matthew 13:48 which, when it was filled, having drawn up again upon the beach, and having sat down, they gathered the good into vessels, and the bad they did cast out, NAB Matthew 13:48 When it is full they haul it ashore and sit down to put what is good into buckets. What is bad they throw away. NJB Matthew 13:48 When it is full, the fishermen bring it ashore; then, sitting down, they collect the good ones in baskets and throw away those that are no use. GWN Matthew 13:48 When it was full, they pulled it to the shore. Then they sat down, gathered the good fish into containers, and threw the bad ones away. BBE Matthew 13:48 When it was full, they took it up on the sands; and seated there they put the good into vessels, but the bad they put away. gathered the good fish into containers - Mt 13:30,40-43 3:12 Matthew 13 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries SEPARATION OF THE SEINE Webster says a seine is "a large net with sinkers on one edge and floats on the other that hangs vertically in the water and is used to enclose and catch fish when its ends are pulled together or are drawn ashore." And when it was filled, they drew it up on the beach - Filled assumes a good catch. And then Jesus describes the way one did seine or dragnet fishing by bringing the filled net up on the beach to keep the fish from jumping out in the water. And they sat down and gathered (sullego) the good fish into containers but the bad they threw away - Sat down was the typical posture of fisherman examining their large nets of fish. Gathered (sullego) is the same verb used 5x in the parable of the tares (Mt 13:28, 29, 30, 40, 41) with the same goal which was the prelude to separation of the good from the bad. As noted above, the fish were bad because they were not edible or big enough to eat. For those things that were not clean (and thus not edible by the Jews) see Leviticus 11:9–12+. There is a tragic irony here for even in the band of 12 there were 11 good "fish" and one bad, Judas Iscariot. Bad (4550)(sapros from sepo = cause to decay, to putrefy, to rot away, be corrupted) describes that which is rotten, putrefying, corrupt, disgusting, perishing, rank, foul, putrid, worthless (Mt 7:17,18 = fruit, Mt 13:48 = fish). In secular writings sapros was used to describe spoiled fish, rotten grapes on the ground, crumbling stones. The basic meaning relates to the process of decay. Sapros is used of things unusable, unfit, bad. It describes that which is harmful due to the fact that it is corrupt and corrupting or defiling. Matthew 13:49 “So it will be at the end of the age; the angels will come forth and take out the wicked from among the righteous, NET Matthew 13:49 It will be this way at the end of the age. Angels will come and separate the evil from the righteous GNT Matthew 13:49 οὕτως ἔσται ἐν τῇ συντελείᾳ τοῦ αἰῶνος· ἐξελεύσονται οἱ ἄγγελοι καὶ ἀφοριοῦσιν τοὺς πονηροὺς ἐκ μέσου τῶν δικαίων NLT Matthew 13:49 That is the way it will be at the end of the world. The angels will come and separate the wicked people from the righteous, KJV Matthew 13:49 So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just, ESV Matthew 13:49 So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous NIV Matthew 13:49 This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous ASV Matthew 13:49 So shall it be in the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the righteous, CSB Matthew 13:49 So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will go out, separate the evil people from the righteous, NKJ Matthew 13:49 "So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come forth, separate the wicked from among the just, NRS Matthew 13:49 So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous YLT Matthew 13:49 so shall it be in the full end of the age, the messengers shall come forth and separate the evil out of the midst of the righteous, NAB Matthew 13:49 Thus it will be at the end of the age. The angels will go out and separate the wicked from the righteous NJB Matthew 13:49 This is how it will be at the end of time: the angels will appear and separate the wicked from the upright, GWN Matthew 13:49 The same thing will happen at the end of time. The angels will go out and separate the evil people from people who have God's approval. BBE Matthew 13:49 So will it be in the end of the world: the angels will come and take out the bad from the good, the angels - Mt 13:39 24:31 take out the wicked from among the righteous - Mt 22:12-14 25:5-12,19-33 2Th 1:7-10 Rev 20:12-15 Matthew 13 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries THE SAVIOR'S SOLEMN WARNING OF SEPARATION It is worth noting that in Mt 13:49 Jesus repeats the solemn warning in the parable of the tares (Mt 13:38-41), specifically repeating the first seven Greek words in Mt 13:40 "so shall it be at the end of the age." Here is the Greek which is identical in v40 and v49 = οὕτως ἔσται ἐν τῇ συντελείᾳ τοῦ αἰῶνος. Repetition of anything signifies importance, especially if it is something repeated by Jesus. Jesus' repeated warnings are not given to "scare" people into Heaven, but to to cause them to look to His claims as the Lamb of God, the only One Who could take away the sins of tares and wicked people. Jesus used repetition regarding the coming separation in the Olivet Discourse declaring... “For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away (SEPARATION OF RIGHTEOUS FROM THE WICKED); so will the coming of the Son of Man be. Then there will be two men in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one will be left." (TWO MORE EXAMPLES OF SEPARATION OF RIGHTEOUS AND WICKED) (Mt. 24:38-41) In John we see Jesus' heart in his double warning (die at beginning and end of sentence) “Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am [He], you will die in your sins.” (John 8:24) In Ezekiel God asked rhetorically “Do I have any pleasure in the death of the wicked,” declares the Lord GOD, “rather than that he should turn from his ways and live? (Ezek. 18:23) Peter added The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:9+) And so Jesus the repeats the warning that men might "Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else." (Isaiah 45:22KJV) (Verse God used to save Spurgeon) So it will be at the end (sunteleia) of the age (aion) - To what age does Jesus refer? As noted above (see preceding discussion), this is not as easy to answer as one might initially surmise. In support of this premise is the fact that a number of commentaries simply say end of the age and add no further explanation! While I favor the age to be the one in which we are living and which will terminate at the Second Coming, there are some difficulties with this interpretation (see notes) John MacArthur has a dramatic description of men who are like fish trapped in a net preparing for final separation - During the present era, which is the church age, God permits unbelief and unrighteousness. But the time is coming when His toleration will end and His judgment begins. The first phase of judgment will be the separation of the wicked from among the righteous, the tares from among the wheat. The dragnet of God’s judgment moves silently through the sea of mankind and draws all men to the shores of eternity for final separation to their ultimate destiny—believers to eternal life and unbelievers to eternal damnation. Men move about within that net as if they were forever free. It may touch them from time to time, as it were, startling them. But they quickly swim away, thinking they have escaped, not realizing they are completely and inescapably encompassed in God’s sovereign plan. The invisible web of God’s judgment encroaches on every human being just as that of the dragnet encroaches on the fish. Most men do not perceive the kingdom, and they do not see God working in the world. They may be briefly moved by the grace of the gospel or frightened by the threat of judgment; but they soon return to their old ways of thinking and living, oblivious to the things of eternity. But when man’s day is over and Christ returns to set up His glorious kingdom, then judgment will come. (See Matthew Commentary) The angels will come forth and take out the wicked from among the righteous (dikaios) - By comparing the parallel passage in Mt 13:41 the one calling the angels to come forth is again the Son of Man, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. Take out means to separate. In the previous verse Jesus referred to bad (sapros) fish but now switches to wicked (poneros) men, those who actively carry out evil deeds, even with a desire to harm. MacArthur points out that "The separation will include all persons who are then living and all who have died—“those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment” (John 5:29)." Angels (messengers)(32)(aggelos/angelos) literally means a messenger (one who bears a message - Lk 1:11, 2:9, etc or does an errand). Most of the NT uses refer to heavenly angels (messengers) who are supernatural, transcendent beings with power to carry out various tasks. All uses of aggelos that refer to angels are masculine gender (so much for the painting often depicting female angels!) Angels will one day gather the righteous (Mt 24:31, Mk 13:27) as well as the wicked as described in Matthew 13 (Mt 13:41, 49). Vine adds that aggelos refer to "an order of created beings, superior to man, Heb 2:7; Ps. 8:5, belonging to Heaven, Mt. 24:36; Mark 12:25, and to God, Luke 12:8, and engaged in His service, Ps 103:20. Angels are spirits, Heb 1:14, i.e., they do not have material bodies as men have; they are either human in form, or can assume the human form when necessary, cp. Lk 24:4, with Lk 24:23, Acts 10:3 with Acts 10:30." THOUGHT - One has to wonder what the interaction of the wicked person will be with the angel? Will they see the angel, etc? Imagine the moment of horror presaging far greater horrors to come, and those horrors for all eternity! The implication is that they will, but we cannot be dogmatic. Perhaps this is where the idea of the so-called "Angel of Death" came from but the Bible does not specifically describe such an angel. Take out (separate) (873)(aphorizo from apó = off from, apart + horizo = mark out the limit) means to mark off the boundaries, to appoint, set one apart for some purpose. Aphorizo is used of the final separation of the righteous from the wicked not only here in Mt 13:49 but also in Mt 25:32 Jesus explaining "All the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates (aphorizo) the sheep from the goats." Aphorizo is used of the separation of the disciples from the world (Lk 6:22); and of the setting apart of apostles to special functions (Acts 13:2). Matt. 13:49; Matt. 25:32; Lk. 6:22; Acts 13:2; Acts 19:9; Rom. 1:1; 2 Co. 6:17; Gal. 1:15; Gal. 2:12. Wicked (wicked, bad) (4190) see discussion on poneros. Poneros in Matthew - Matt. 5:11; Matt. 5:37; Matt. 5:39; Matt. 5:45; Matt. 6:13; Matt. 6:23; Matt. 7:11; Matt. 7:17; Matt. 7:18; Matt. 9:4; Matt. 12:34; Matt. 12:35; Matt. 12:39; Matt. 12:45; Matt. 13:19; Matt. 13:38; Matt. 13:49; Matt. 15:19; Matt. 16:4; Matt. 18:32; Matt. 20:15; Matt. 22:10; Matt. 25:26 Matthew 13:50 and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. NET Matthew 13:50 and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. GNT Matthew 13:50 καὶ βαλοῦσιν αὐτοὺς εἰς τὴν κάμινον τοῦ πυρός· ἐκεῖ ἔσται ὁ κλαυθμὸς καὶ ὁ βρυγμὸς τῶν ὀδόντων. NLT Matthew 13:50 throwing the wicked into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. KJV Matthew 13:50 And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. ESV Matthew 13:50 and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. NIV Matthew 13:50 and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. ASV Matthew 13:50 and shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth. CSB Matthew 13:50 and throw them into the blazing furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. NKJ Matthew 13:50 "and cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth." NRS Matthew 13:50 and throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. YLT Matthew 13:50 and shall cast them to the furnace of the fire, there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of the teeth.' NAB Matthew 13:50 and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth. NJB Matthew 13:50 to throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth. GWN Matthew 13:50 Then the angels will throw the evil people into a blazing furnace. They will cry and be in extreme pain there. BBE Matthew 13:50 And will put them into the fire: there will be weeping and cries of sorrow. will throw them into the furnace of fire - Mt 13:42 in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth - Mt 24:50,51 Lu 13:27,28 Rev 14:10,11 16:10,11 Matthew 13 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Furnace of Fire CONSUMMATION: CAST INTO A CONSUMING FIRE Consummation means the ultimate end, in the present context the ultimate end of all the wicked. In the previous separation of the wheat and tares, the fate of both righteous and wicked were described, but here the focus is on the fate of the wicked Christ rejecters. Notice again that Jesus repeats the Greek exactly - καὶ βαλοῦσιν αὐτοὺς εἰς τὴν κάμινον τοῦ πυρός· ἐκεῖ ἔσται ὁ κλαυθμὸς καὶ ὁ βρυγμὸς τῶν ὀδόντων. (Mt 13:42 and Mt 13:50). And so again Jesus places emphasis on the final judgment of the wicked. The writer of Hebrews says "It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God" (Heb 10:31+) "for our God is a consuming fire." (Heb 12:29+). But the tragic paradox is that this is a consuming fire that does not consume. In other words, it does not annihilate one's soul. Now Jesus presents the main point of this parable, so it neither wise, nor profitable for edification to try to allegorize the details of catching the fish in the net. The main point is separation of men, good and bad. The Psalmist spoke of this separation writing "For the LORD knows the way of the righteous, But the way of the wicked will perish." (Ps 1:6+). THE WAY TO FACE CHRIST AS JUDGE IS TO KNOW HIM AS SAVIOR. John MacArthur writes "Perhaps no doctrine is harder to accept emotionally than the doctrine of hell. Yet it is too clear and too often mentioned in Scripture either to deny or to ignore. Jesus spoke more of hell than any of the prophets or apostles did—perhaps for the reason that its horrible truth would be all but impossible to accept had not the Son of God Himself absolutely affirmed it. It had special emphasis in Jesus’ teaching from the beginning to the end of His earthly ministry. He said more about hell than about love. More than all other teachers in the Bible combined, He warned men of hell, promising no escape for those who refused His gracious, loving offer of salvation. When an interviewer asked a young punk rock singer what she was looking forward to at the end of her career, she replied, “Death. I’m looking forward to death.” When asked why, she said, “I want to go to hell, because hell will be fun.” Such deception is tragic beyond words. Nothing could less describe hell than fun. The human mind cannot begin to conceive of the eternal horror that is hell. Even the biblical figures related to hell are only suggestive, because the finite mind cannot comprehend infinite pain and torment any more than it can comprehend infinite joy and bliss." (See Matthew Commentary ) (For a graphic description see MacArthur's sermon The Furnace of Fire.) And will throw them into the furnace (kamino) of fire (pur) - Throw is the verb ballo which means to cast or as BDAG says to cause the wicked "to move from one location to another through use of forceful motion." This same verb is used in John's description of God's final judgment at the Great White Throne... Then death and Hades (OT = Sheol) were thrown (ballo) into the Lake of fire. This is the second death, the Lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the Book of Life, he was thrown (ballo) into the Lake of fire. (Revelation 20:14-15+). Related Resources: What is the difference between Sheol, Hades, Hell, the lake of fire, Paradise, and Abraham’s bosom? Births, Deaths, and Resurrections. In that place there will be weeping (klauthmos) and gnashing (brugmos) of teeth - To what does that place refer? This is Hell where the wicked will consciously experience eternal punishment which is why they will be weeping and gnashing their teeth. The judgment (and separation) in this passage recalls Jesus' parable of the wedding feast in Mt 22:1-14 in which the "slaves went out into the streets and gathered together all they found, both evil and good." (Mt 22:10) And then the king came and saw "a man who was not dressed in wedding clothes" (Mt 22:11), upon which he commanded the servants "Bind him hand and foot and throw him into the outer darkness, in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." (Mt 22:13). FUTURE JUDGMENTS 1) During the Seventieth Week of Daniel (commonly referred to as "The Tribulation") the earth and "earth dwellers" will be impacted by a series of "judgments" that flow sequentially from the Seal, Trumpet and Bowl judgments described in detail in Revelation 6-19. For an excellent, conservative (literal) verse by verse analysis of this time when God's wrath is poured out, I highly recommend Tony Garland's commentary on the Revelation entitled Tony Garland's commentary on the Revelation entitled "A Testimony of Jesus Christ". 2) The Judgment of the Nations (synonymous with "Gentiles") (Mt 25:31-46) The Sheep (saved Gentiles) and the Goats (unsaved Gentiles) will be separated. The Gentiles who come out of the time of the Great Tribulation are saved by grace through faith, but in Matthew 25 Jesus teaches that they will be identified on the basis of whether they befriended the Jews during the Great Tribulation in which anti-Semitism will reach its historical zenith. The fact that these Gentiles befriend Jews does not earn their salvation but demonstrates that they are saved. The saved Gentiles will have the wonderful privilege of entering into the Millennial Reign of Christ in their natural bodies. 3) The Judgment of Israel (Zech 13:8, 9+. Ezekiel 20:33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38). Paul taught in Romans "they are not all Israel who are descended from Israel" (Ro 9:6) and after the Great Tribulation there will be a time in which God specifically judges Israel to determine who is the "true Israel" and it is these born again Jews who will enter into the Millennial reign of Christ. 4) The Judgment of Satan and his fallen angelic cohorts These judgments are described in (Jude 1:6+, Re 20:1-10+) 5) The Judgment of the Unbelieving Dead This judgment is most commonly referred to as the "Great White Throne" Judgment (Rev 20:11-15+) and follows (1) the 1000 year binding of Satan, subsequent release and utter defeat and (2) the 1000 year reign of the saints with Christ on earth (Re 20:4-6+). Compare 2 Th 1:6, 7, 8, 9 which describes the tragedy of hell, which is eternal separation from the Living God. May this immutable, awesome truth drive us to pray fervently and urgently for the lost in our sphere and influence and to witness to the liberating truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Related Resources: What are the different judgments in the Bible? - excellent summary of past, present and future judgments Christ as Judge What is the Great White Throne Judgment? What is the Judgment Seat of Christ / Bema Seat of Christ? What happens at the final judgment? LET US PONDER OFTEN AND SOBERLY… THE BREVITY OF OUR DAYS and THE LENGTH OF ETERNITY! Matthew 13:51 “Have you understood all these things?” They *said to Him, “Yes.” NET Matthew 13:51 "Have you understood all these things?" They replied, "Yes." GNT Matthew 13:51 Συνήκατε ταῦτα πάντα; λέγουσιν αὐτῷ, Ναί. NLT Matthew 13:51 Do you understand all these things?" "Yes," they said, "we do." KJV Matthew 13:51 Jesus saith unto them, Have ye understood all these things? They say unto him, Yea, Lord. ESV Matthew 13:51 "Have you understood all these things?" They said to him, "Yes." NIV Matthew 13:51 "Have you understood all these things?" Jesus asked. "Yes," they replied. ASV Matthew 13:51 Have ye understood all these things? They say unto him, Yea. CSB Matthew 13:51 "Have you understood all these things?" "Yes," they told Him. NKJ Matthew 13:51 Jesus said to them, "Have you understood all these things?" They said to Him, "Yes, Lord." NRS Matthew 13:51 "Have you understood all this?" They answered, "Yes." YLT Matthew 13:51 Jesus saith to them, 'Did ye understand all these?' They say to him, 'Yes, sir.' NAB Matthew 13:51 "Do you understand all these things?" They answered, "Yes." NJB Matthew 13:51 'Have you understood all these?' They said, 'Yes.' GWN Matthew 13:51 "Have you understood all of this?" "Yes," they answered. BBE Matthew 13:51 Are all these things now clear to you? They say to him, Yes. Have - Mt 13:11,19 15:17 16:11 24:15 Mk 4:34 7:18 8:17,18 Lu 9:44,45 Ac 8:30,31 1Jn 5:20 Matthew 13 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Have you understood all these things?”They said to Him, “Yes.” - To whom is Jesus speaking? This is clearly the disciples, not the crowds, for earlier the disciples had asked "Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field.” (Mt 13:36+). Mt 13:50 supports that Jesus is addressing His disciples. What are all these things? In the immediate context of Matthew 13, it is all the main points of each parable such as the variable response of people (character of their heart - soils) to their message and yet despite the fact that many will reject their message, the Kingdom will grow. These things also includes the fact that the Kingdom will have both good people and evil people in it until the very end, but that one day these two groups would be separated by God. And while His disciples said they understood, we know from later statements and actions, they their understanding was not perfect (cf Mt 15:16). Notice that earlier we saw that understanding the Word was related to bearing fruit with perseverance (Mt 13:23+), so ultimately the disciples would demonstrate that they understood Jesus' parables by bearing fruit, something all did except for Judas Iscariot. Understood (4920)(suniemi from sun/syn = with + hiemi = send) literally means to send together or bring together which gives the idea of putting together "pieces of the puzzle" and so to exhibit quick comprehension. Suniemi is the ability to understand concepts and see relationships between them. Suniemi means to put together, grasp or exhibit quick comprehension. Suniemi is the manifestation of the ability to understand concepts and see relationships between them and thus describes the exercise of the faculty of comprehension, intelligence, acuteness, shrewdness. The noun sunesis was originally used by Homer in the Odyssey to describe the running together or a flowing together of two rivers. Understand is a key word in Matthew 13 Matthew 13:13 “Therefore I speak to them in parables; because while seeing they do not see, and while hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. Matthew 13:14 “In their case the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled, which says, ‘YOU WILL KEEP ON HEARING, BUT WILL NOT UNDERSTAND; YOU WILL KEEP ON SEEING, BUT WILL NOT PERCEIVE; Matthew 13:15 FOR THE HEART OF THIS PEOPLE HAS BECOME DULL, WITH THEIR EARS THEY SCARCELY HEAR, AND THEY HAVE CLOSED THEIR EYES, OTHERWISE THEY WOULD SEE WITH THEIR EYES, HEAR WITH THEIR EARS, AND UNDERSTAND WITH THEIR HEART AND RETURN, AND I WOULD HEAL THEM.’ Matthew 13:19 “When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is the one on whom seed was sown beside the road. Matthew 13:23 “And the one on whom seed was sown on the good soil, this is the man who hears the word and understands it; who indeed bears fruit and brings forth, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty.” MacArthur - Jesus had instructed the disciples to “beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest” (Matt. 9:38)—to proclaim the coming harvest of judgment and to warn men of it and tell them how to escape it while they could. In the following four chapters we see Him specifically call them to this ministry and begin teaching, training, and in every way preparing them for it. (See Matthew Commentary) John Broadus - Since you have understood these new views of the Messianic reign, it follows that you, and every Scribe who like you has become a disciple to that reign, will have good store of truths to teach, of new things as well as old. If the disciples had not understood, it could not have been at that time said that such a store of varied instruction would be possessed by them and other teachers under the New Dispensation. (Matthew 13 Commentary) J C
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MacArthur - Under Jesus’ instruction, each of the twelve was becoming a genuinely learned scribe and a true disciple of the kingdom of heaven. Scribe (1122)(grammateus from grapho = to write) refers to a learned person who was able to read and write, and so a writer. BDAG says grammateus in general described "one who has special functions in connection with documents....an expert in matters relating to divine revelation." (cf Mt 2:4+) Among the Greeks a scribe served the public by acting as the reader of legal and state papers. It was one who had acquired a high level of education in a given body of literature or discipline and thus a scholar or teacher. A scribe was one skilled in the Mosaic law and thus was distinguished as a learner, interpreter and teacher of the God's Word as revealed in the OT. Has become a disciple (instructed - NIV)(3100)(matheteuo verb form of mathetes = disciple) intransitively means to be the disciple of another, to follow his precepts and instruction, to be a pupil of another implying one is an adherent of the teacher. Andrus comments on matheteuo - The word “instructed” is of particular importance. It is often translated as “disciple.” The Kittel Theological Dictionary of the New Testament states that this term always implies the existence of a personal attachment which shapes the whole life of the one described as a disciple, and which in its particularity leaves no doubt as to who is deploying the formative power. This is instruction that occurs in the formative context of a strong personal relationship with Christ. It is beyond merely intellectual understanding. It is understanding that penetrates the heart; that understands and submits to the deity of Christ. It is every one in that position who is said to be like the owner of a house. (Sermon Notes) Brian Bell - The Scribe emphasizes Learning & the Disciple emphasizes Living. We must keep our lives balanced. Don’t emphasize learning at the expense of living. Every Scribe must be a Disciple, every Disciple must be a Scribe. We must be Stewards (see below) who dispense the truth. (Sermon Notes) Like (homoios) Jesus is now going to describe by way of comparison, what the "job description" of His disciples was to become in the future. A head of a household - The head is responsible for the welfare of his family, and here Jesus is speaking of spiritual welfare and that the disciples are to be like the head who takes care of his family, which after Pentecost would be the family of God, the Church. THOUGHT - Michael Andrus applies this passage - This is a term of stewardship. It is someone who is in a position of overseeing that which belongs to someone else. It is the term used in the parable of the talents in Matthew 25. Having being instructed in the truth of Scripture in the formative context of a personal relationship with Christ, these disciples have a reservoir from which they can teach others, whether that be truth with which they are already familiar, or additional truth that they will continue to learn and understand. This really is a position that many of us occupy. I am thinking much broader than church staff or elected leaders or even a Sunday school teacher. As each believer grows in their relationship with and knowledge of Christ, we accumulate a storeroom from which God expects us to share with others. That is a position of stewardship that had nothing to do with finances. (Sermon Notes) (See also What is Biblical Stewardship?) Who brings out of his treasure things new and old - Brings out is the verb ekbállō in the present tense indicating this was to be the head's continual duty. This verb ekballo conveys the idea of casting out ("hurls forth" - Robertson) or scattering widely (which makes me think of vigorously flings out the Gospel seed).
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MacArthur adds that "In this context (ekballo) also connotes generosity, giving out the truth of God both wisely and liberally." What is the treasure? In context this refers to the teachings the disciples had heard from Jesus and would continue to hear from Him right up to the time He ascended. And so we read that to the disciples Jesus "also presented Himself alive after His suffering, by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days and speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God. (THE VERY SUBJECT HE HAD BEEN EMPHASIZING IN THE PARABLES IN MATTHEW 13)." (Acts 1:3+) Brian Bell - New principles and insights are based upon old Truths. Caution! The new without the old is merely novelty & will not last. But the old does no good unless it is given new applications in life today. In answering affirmatively yes, Lord, they become responsible for making the truth known to others. New things and old things - The disciples were beginning to understand the new things Jesus was teaching in conjunction with the traditions from the Scriptures they already knew.(Sermon Notes) Carson has an interesting interpretation of treasure - The thesauros (“storeroom,”) so regularly stands for a man’s “heart,” its wealth and cherished values (see Mt 12:35+), that we must understand the discipled scribe to be bringing things out of his heart—out of his understanding, personality, and very being. (BORROW The Expositor's Bible Commentary : abridged edition: 1994). Knox Chamblin - Every true disciple has discovered the treasure (thesauros) of the kingdom (Mt 13:44); and each of them will in time have a full treasury (thēsauros again) from which to impart things both new and old (Mt 13:52b), including things formerly learned but now freshly illuminated by the foregoing parables and explanations. (Mentor Commentary -Mt - see related sermon on Matthew 13:24-58)
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MacArthur adds that "the root meaning carries with it the idea of systematic teaching or systematic training. It is the word that is used to refer to a choir director who trains a choir over a long period of rehearsals until they are able to perform. The gift of prophecy could be a one-time proclamation of Christ, but the gift of teaching is a systematic training problem to take a person from one point to another. What is the curriculum for the teacher? The Bible, the Word of God. The gift is to teach systematically the truth of God." Synagogue (4864)(sunagoge from sunago = lead together, assemble or bring together) refers to a group of people “going with one another” (sunago) literally describes a bringing together or congregating in one place. Eventually, sunagoge came to mean the place where they congregated together. The word was used to designate the buildings other than the central Jewish temple where the Jews congregated for worship. Historically, the Synagogues originated in the Babylonian captivity after the 586 BC destruction of the temple by Nebuchadnezzar and served as places of worship and instruction. Synagogues should have been (and frequently were) a place of teaching and proclamation of the Gospel (Mt 4:23, 9:35, 12:9, 13:54, Mk 6:2, Lk 4:15, 16, Lk 4:44, 6:6, 13:10, Jn 6:59, 18:20, Acts 9:20 = Paul immediately "began to proclaim Jesus," Acts 13:5 = Paul proclaimed "the word of God," Acts 14:1 = place Paul, et al, spoke and where "a large number of people believed," Acts 17:17, 18:4, 18:19, 19:8 = Paul, et al reasoned with various audiences in synagogues). Sadly many synagogues became hotbeds of hypocrisy (Mt 6:2), assemblies for arrogant display (a form of hypocrisy) (Mt 6:5, Mk 12:39, Lk 11:43, 20:46). So that they were astonished - They were "stunned," "jolted!" This is a significant statement for it indicates that they did recognize something different about Jesus. What did their astonishment lead to? Questioning and criticizing Jesus! Not believing in Him! It was the fact that they knew He had such a common upbringing that caused them their astonishment and subsequent reaction (questions). Sadly they were astonished, but not admonished. In other words, most of the Nazarenes went about with the majority opinion of all the Jews in Israel and failed to truly hear and heed His words, including His repeated warnings about their destiny in the furnace of fire if they persisted in their unbelief (cf Jn 8:24, Lk 13:23-30+). They heads were astonished, but their hearts remained apathetic.
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MacArthur: Jesus’ friends and former neighbors were offended by His claims. They were offended by His ordinary background, by the commonness of His family, the limits of His formal training, His lack of official religious status, and many other irrelevant or secondary issues. (MNTC-Mt)