The Preface:
When all seems lost, can we still trust God with what He is doing?
The Passage: Mark 4:26-34; Matt 13:24-43
The Purpose:
What was God doing? Why did He have this written down?
The impact of what had just happened must have been overwhelming for those disciples. They had just seen their Messiah being rejected by the religious leaders, and the nation following in their example. Jesus had just condemned this whole generation for their unbelief. They must have been filled with so many questions.
- Now what? What is God going to do now that they have rejected the Messiah?
- How can God’s kingdom come without the Messiah? And what about all the things you have said and done? Is it all in vain? (the seed growing on it’s own)
- How could God let this happen? (tares)
- There are so few of us who have chosen to stand with you, what can we do with so few? (mustard seed)
- Your kingdom was supposed to change the world. How is that going to happen now? (yeast)
As Jesus and His disciples sat beside the sea reminiscing and discussing what had happened, Jesus assured His disciples that all was not lost. He encouraged them that God had a secret to tell them (Matt 13:11), something that had never before been revealed. God was now going to build a new kingdom! But, because the people had rejected Him, it was a secret that He was only going to share with those who believed in Him. For everyone else He would only speak in parables. But for each parable He told, He explained them to the disciples in private. (Mark 4:34)
The Process:
Each of these parables served to explain this secret, this “new” plan and program, this new kingdom that God had in mind. I believe that as the disciples asked questions, Jesus answered them, but because of the crowds, He spoke in parables in public, but each parable answered a question. As you read the parables, think about how Jesus may have used the parable to answer these questions.
- Mark 4:26-29 How can God’s kingdom grow and flourish without a physical leader (Messiah)?
- Matt 13:24-30; 36-43 Why didn’t God just deal with the religious leaders and take them out of the way? What can we expect in this new program?
- Mark 4:30-32; Matt 13:31-32 There are so few of us who have chosen to stand with you, what can we do with so few?
- Mark 4:33-34; Matt 13:33-35 Your kingdom was supposed to change the world. How is that going to happen now?
The Plan:
As I ask these questions of myself, I encourage you to ask them too.
· What can I learn from this? What is God saying to me and my life from this passage?
Each of these parables have a message for us today. Jesus was describing the church. This new kingdom is the church! What is God saying to me, as a part of His church?
1. This kingdom is an internal kingdom that will grow on it’s own from what God has planted in the hearts of men. (Mark 4:36-39)
How does God’s Word impact my heart? Jesus said, that the seed (His Word) would sprout and grow on it’s own. As I read God’s Word, does it have this kind of effect?
2. There will be many false teachers who will try to confuse the true kingdom followers, many will follow them, and it will be hard to tell the difference. (Matt 13:24-30; 36-43)
As Jesus gave His disciples the work of sowing, Jesus wanted to prepare them to be on guard for Satan’s work of sowing false seed, or false doctrine, while they were sowing the good seed. Am I faithful to sow God’s Word, as I see people who are confused and don’t know the truth?
3. This kingdom will start from something very small, but the results will be very large (Matt 13:31-32)
We may not see the results of our work, but rest assured, God is building a great kingdom and while it seems like a tiny little mustard seed, when this kingdom grows, it will become some large enough the change the world! Do I believe God wants to use my life to impact the world around me?
4. The kingdom will be hidden. It will not an earthly kingdom. It will not be limited by race or geography, but a kingdom built by the believing hearts of those who follow Jesus. Their faith will impact the whole world. (Matt 13:33)
As you interact with those around them, and “mix in” with the world, is your faith seen? Can they tell you are different? How does your faith impact the world around you?
· What do I need become more aware of? Which of these is most impactful to me?
As I interact with those around them, and “mix in” with the world, is my faith seen? Can they tell you are different? How does my faith impact the world around me?
How often do I bring God into my conversations? How often do I share what God is speaking to me about? How can I lead my students by my example?
· How does God want me to engage with this? What does He want me to do because of what He is saying here?
My students are like the parable of the mustard seed. They will be one family, two families in the midst of a language group who doesn’t know Jesus. I need to share these thoughts with them this week!
As I interact with our workers, I want to be the yeast that permeates, and affects the whole lump.
The Power; Implement and Integrate
The power to change is in the implementation and integration of what God is saying to us. We can talk all we want, make lots of plans, but until we do something about it, and develop habits that integrate those truths, we will never change. What is the one thing I need to do as a result of this study today?
My commitment:
- Share these thoughts with my students this week.
- Continue to look for ways to be a light to our employees.
Verse by verse insights:
What would the conversation between Jesus with His disciples have been like? Jesus just pronouncement judgement on this generation. They realize that their hope for this kingdom everyone had been waiting for was now slipping away. They must have been so discouraged. I can’t imagine trying to comprehend the weight of what just happened. This was what every Jew lived for… the coming of their Messiah… the restoration of the great kingdom of Israel… to be ruled by their rightful king… As Jesus and His disciples continue to reminisce, I am sure they were asking Jesus the question, “What now?” “If you are the Messiah (and we know you are), and you are here, but they rejected you, what does that mean for God’s kingdom? What about all the work you have done and all the things you have taught? Is is all meaningless? So few have followed you. is this all in vain?
As they reflect back over the past several months, they may have even asked, “How can we tell the difference between truth and error? We were all so convinced the religious leaders held the truth, and yet they are the ones who rejected you, and now the people have followed them in their rejection.”
I’m trying to picture what the conversation between Jesus with His disciples would have been following Jesus pronouncement of judgement on this generation. They must have been so discouraged. I can’t imagine trying to comprehend the weight of what just happened. This was what every Jew lived for… the coming of their Messiah… the restoration of the great kingdom of Israel… to be ruled by their rightful king… But as they walked out of that house, and made their way down to the sea that day, all of that was gone!
Scripture doesn’t really say when or how these parables were told. With the parable of the sower and the listeners, it seems like Jesus stopped at the end of the story, or at least the disciples were able to come an ask him to interpret the story afterwards. So, it seems like there was a break between that parable and these.
Matt 13:24-43 may have been spoken together, since we read in Matt 13:36, after these were finished, “Then he left the crowds and went into the house.” It is at that point that his disciples have another opportunity to ask Jesus to explain.
In these parables, Jesus is giving instruction, following up on what He told them earlier. He spoke of secrets (13:11) and indicated he was revealing to his disciples truths hidden since the creation of the world (13:35) Jesus is now going to reveal to His disciples something never before revealed. Because of Israel’s rejection of their Messiah, God now had another plan, another kingdom, to be offered to everyone, Jew and Gentile, by faith in Jesus. This “secret” or “mystery” is something that is going to be spoken of quite a bit in the epistles. (Ephesians 3:3-5, 9,)
From this day forward, Jesus would no longer speak clearly to the masses, but only in parables (Matt 13:35), because they had rejected Him as their Messiah. But, to those who did believe in Him (His disciples), He is now going to reveal a secret / a mystery about another kingdom. Jesus took time to explain to His disciples what each parable meant.(Mark 4:34)
The parables of Matthew 13 describe this “secret” kingdom. It covers the age between the first and second comings of the Messiah. More specifically, it began in Matthew 12-13 with the rejection of Jesus and will continue until Israel accepts His Messiahship just before the second coming (Mt. 23:37-39).
The eight parables of Matthew 13:24-53 and Mark 4:26-34 describe the outworking of the mystery kingdom in the present age. I have divided these into 2 sections of 4 parables each:
- How the kingdom will grow and expand (Mark 4:26-29; Matt 13:24-43)
- The impact of the kingdom (Matt 13:44-53)
How the kingdom will grow and expand
1. This kingdom is an internal kingdom that will grow on it’s own from what God has planted in the hearts of men.
Mark 4:26-29 And he said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground. 27He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; he knows not how. 28The earth produces by itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. 29But when the grain is ripe, at once he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”
Scripture doesn’t give us the explanation of this parable. And to be honest, the commentaries are all over regarding what they think Jesus meant by these things. But, as I try and picture the conversation Jesus was having with his disciples in private, and then see the things he said in public, this is what I think He may have been saying.
“I know it feels like the seeds I have planted, and the words I have spoken, haven’t produced anything. Some have been snatched away by the enemy. Some sprang up but quickly withered and died. Some have gotten choked out by the things of the world. But, just like this farmer, regardless of what he did, the seed germinated, sprouted, grew, produced grain, and eventually there was a bountiful harvest which he reaped. This is true of the new kingdom I am building. We don’t know which seeds will produce and which ones won’t. But, just like this farmer, He faithfully did His work, and God is the one who made things grow. Don’t be discouraged. God is still at work, even though things look helpless. I want to remember that in this new kingdom that God is building, Any harvest produced will be the result of sowing the seed and then allowing the life in the seed to manifest itself by growth and fruit at the time of harvest. I will help you understand that more later.
I believe Jesus was referring to the coming Holy Spirit which He would tell them more about later. I believe Jesus also had in mind the commission He would give them to proclaim the message of this kingdom to the ends of the earth (Matt. 28: 19-20). Knowing that it would be easy for them to feel that the harvest depended on their efforts. Christ wanted to make it clear that any harvest produced would be the result of sowing the seed and then allowing the life in the seed (the Holy Spirit) to manifest itself by growth and fruit at the time of harvest.
2. There will be many false teachers who will try to confuse the true kingdom followers, many will follow them, and it will be hard to tell the difference. (Matt 13:24-30; 36-43)
Matthew 13:24-30 He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, 25but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. 26So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also. 27And the servants of the master of the house came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds?’ 28He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ So the servants said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ 29But he said, ‘No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. 30Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, “Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.”
Of the 9 parables Jesus told, scripture only records Jesus’ explanation of 2, the parable of the soils, and this one. Matt 13:36-43 gives Jesus’ explanation.
Considering what has just happened, and what the disciples had witnessed over the past few months, as they conversed in private, I believe they would have continued to reflect and discuss what had happened, what that meant for them and therefore what was next. Jesus’ parables and the interpretation of them I believe was helping to answer those questions.
Matt 13:37-39 He answered, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. 38The field is the world, and the good seed is the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, 39and the enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels.
Once again, Jesus is the farmer who sows the “good seed.” (Matt 13:24) The fields that He is sowing in is the world, and the “good seed” are “the sons of the kingdom.” In previous parables the seed has been His Word. But here, the seeds are actually believers, or the true kingdom followers.
The weeds are what Jesus describes as “the sons of the evil one.” (Matt 13:38) and the one sowing them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age and the ones who will reap are the angels.
(Matt 13:25-27) In the parable, the false sowing took place immediately after the sowing of the good seed seeing that both kinds of seed germinated and sprouted at the same time. As they reflect on what had just happened, they must have thought of times when Jesus had taught (sown the seeds of His word), but the religious leaders had countered what He said, and instead of leading people to believe in Him, had led the whole nation to reject Him.
These religious leaders were supposed to be the ones who could interpret the law and lead God’s people in the way of truth. But, they were the ones who were deceiving the people and were the ones who ultimately rejected their Messiah. People were confused. They couldn’t tell who was speaking truth and who was false.
The disciples may have asked Jesus, “Why don’t you do something about these guys? How can your Father let these guys deceive people like that?”
In the parable, Jesus describes how, in the process of waiting for the harvest, it became evident that weeds had been sown in the wheat field, but until they mature, these weeds are indistinguishable from wheat. The servants, like the disciples, were concerned for the results of their labors, so they suggested that they try to remove the weeds from the field. However, the owner of the field recognized that it would be impossible to remove the weeds without pulling up the wheat., the roots of the two would be so intertwined that it would be impossible to remove the weeds without destroying the wheat. So the servants were told to 30Let both grow together.
While there was a present reality to what had happened, Jesus was also preparing His disciples for the future of this “new” kingdom. As they take on the work of sowing, Jesus wanted to prepare them to be on guard for Satan’s work of sowing false seed, or false doctrine, while they were sowing the good seed.”
I can imagine His disciples maybe following that up with, “But, how will we know who are true followers and who aren’t? Jesus would have assured them, “That’s not your responsibility. Your job is to plant seeds. You will take on the work of the gardener. You will sow my word, and gather followers. But, just like the seed the grows on its own, just plant the seed, and I will make it grow. The harvest is my responsibility.
Matt 13:40-43 40Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. 41The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers, 42and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.
While they meditated on these things, I wonder if they thought, “But we are so few. And everyone has followed the religious leaders. If the people didn’t listen to you, and they didn’t believe in you, how are they going to listen to us and believe us?”
3. This kingdom will start from something very small, but the results will be very large (Matt 13:31-32)
Matthew 13:31-32 He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. 32It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.”
What an encouragement this must have been to those disciples. “I am starting a new thing. All is not lost. God is at work in people’s hearts! Yes, there are weeds that have caused confusion. Yes, many have been led astray. Seed has been snatched away. Some plants have withered and some have been choked out. But, some seeds are growing. And God is working in their hearts! My kingdom will come! You may not see the results of your work, but rest assured, God is building a great kingdom and while it seems like a tiny little mustard seed, when this kingdom grows, it will become some large enough the change the world!
As the disciples reflect on this, I can see them maybe saying, “How is that going to happen. We were all looking for the kingdom that was prophesied. Your kingdom, the kingdom the Messiah set up was supposed to be this great thing that would change the world. How is that going to happen now that they have rejected you as their Messiah?
4. The kingdom will be hidden. It will not an earthly kingdom. It will not be limited by race or geography, but a kingdom built by the believing hearts of those who follow Jesus. Their faith will impact the whole world. (Matt 13:33)
Matt 13:33 He told them another parable. “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all leavened.”
My earthly kingdom may be on hold for a little while, but this new thing, this mystery or secret that God is going to reveal is even greater. It will not be limited by race or geography because it is something that grows in people’s hearts.
Just like this woman who mixed the yeast into a large amount of flour. Three measures of flour is a lot of flour. As she mixed it, the yeast worked all through the dough. That little bit of yeast worked its way unseen through the entire lump, and it radically changed the size and shape of the dough. That is what it will be like with my kingdom followers. As they believe in me and follow me, as they interact with those around them, and “mix in” with the world, their faith will be seen and will impact the whole lump of this world!
Yes, you guys are just a few men. But, as you follow me, and as you share what I am doing in your life, and how I am changing your, your lives will change the world!
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