13 Chapter XIII
CHAPTER XIII
We have said that it was a most important day in the life of our Lord which we are studying. For this was the day on which His crisis came, the day when it was evident that the Kingdom of the heavens which He had been offering was to be rejected, the day when He first said "Whosoever" and began the new message: "Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." On that "same day Jesus went out of the house (typical of Israel), and sat by the seaside (typical of the Gentile nations)" (Matthew 13:1), and spoke in parables, the mysteries of the Kingdom of the heavens.
You will recall that in the Introduction to these studies in Matthew’s Gospel we learned that "the Kingdom of the heavens" has more than one meaning. That which John the Baptist preached to be "at hand," for the King was present, and which our Lord presented to His own people Israel, was the Messianic earthly rule of the Lord Jesus, the Son of David. This was rejected by the Jews. That Kingdom of the heavens which is spoken of in Matthew thirteen we shall find does not refer to that Messianic earthly reign, nor to the Church, (and by the Church we mean the Body of believers), as it is so often misinterpreted to mean, but to Christendom, that is, professing Christianity during our Lord’s bodily absence from the earth.
Matthew 13:10-11; Matthew 13:34-35
Such a conclusion is based on the very definite teaching of our Lord Himself. His "disciples came, and said unto Him, why speakest Thou unto them (the multitudes) in parables? He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of the heavens, but to them it is not given" (Matthew 13:10-11). The dictionary definition of the word mystery is: Something unknown, unexplained, or incomprehensible in its nature. "Because it is given unto you to know the things which are unknown or unexplained of the Kingdom of the heavens." Eleven times the word mystery is used in the Word of God for something which is then being explained: in other words, the Bible definition of the word mystery is: A previously hidden truth now divinely revealed. Further, in Matthew 13:34-35, we read: "All these things spake Jesus unto the multitude in parables; and without a parable spake He not unto them: That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, I will open My mouth in parables; I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world."
Now we know that the Kingdom of the heavens as presented to Israel by our Lord, the Messianic earthly reign when He should come to sit upon the throne of His father David in a glorious and visible manner, was known and foretold by the prophets, yet here our Lord said to His disciples: "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" (Matthew 13:17). Therefore, the mysteries which heretofore had not been revealed, the things which the prophets of old had not seen or heard, could not have been the Kingdom of the heavens announced by John the Baptist, presented by our Lord and rejected by Israel. No; here the Lord Jesus Christ, the Anti-type of Joseph, the revealer of secrets, was unfolding in the parables not the old, but new truths, the mysteries of the Kingdom of the heavens. We have said that the Kingdom of the heavens of this chapter is not the Church (we repeat that by the Church is meant not the great ecclesiastical organization, but the Body of believers), but that it represents Christendom, that is, professing Christianity. The Church is only mentioned twice in Matthew’s Gospel, in 16:18, where our Lord spoke of building His Church, and in 18:17. Where the Church is mentioned in the Word of God by a name other than His Church, it is called the Bride of Christ, the Body of Christ, the Habitation of God, a Temple, a House, but not the Kingdom of the heavens. We have stated that our conclusion that the Kingdom of the heavens of these parables represents Christendom rather than the Church is based on the definite teaching of the Lord Jesus. Let us look at the parable of the wheat and the tares which the Lord Himself interpreted in Matthew 13:24-30; Matthew 13:36-43. Using as a key the interpretation, the parable reads: The Kingdom of the heavens is likened unto the Son of Man Who sowed the children of the Kingdom in the world; but while men slept, Satan came and sowed his children among the children of the Kingdom, and went his way. But when the blade was sprung up and brought forth the fruit, there appeared the children of the wicked one also. So the servants of the householder came and said unto the Son of Man, Sir, didst Thou not sow the children of the Kingdom in the world? From whence then hath it children of the evil one? He said unto them, Satan hath done this. The servants said unto Him, wilt Thou then that we go and gather them up? But He said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the children of the wicked one, ye root up also the children of the Kingdom with them. Let both grow together till the consummation of the age: and in the time of the consummation of the age I will say to the angels, Gather ye together first the children of the wicked one, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the children of the Kingdom into My barn." The only necessary comment at this point is that the Kingdom of the heavens cannot mean the Church, the Bride of Christ, for in the Bride of Christ there can never be children of the wicked one. The Kingdom of the heavens therefore must be Christendom, composed of saved and unsaved; the Church is a part of Christendom, but it is not Christendom.
There are eight parables in Matthew thirteen, the seven parables of the mystery of the Kingdom, and the final parable of verse fifty-two which instructed the disciples as to the position of the revelation given them in relation to Old Testament Scripture. The seven Kingdom parables are divided into two sections: the first four were told before the multitudes, the final three to the disciples alone. There is a relationship between the parables and the message to seven churches of Revelation two and three which it will be impractical for us to study here, but which is suggested for your consideration. The key to the interpretation of all of the parables is our Lord’s own unfolding of the first two; if the man who sowed the seed in the second parable is the Son of Man, the man of the first, fifth and sixth parables is also the Son of Man. If in the second parable the field is the world, then surely the field in the third and fifth parables is also the world.
"And He spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow. ... The Kingdom of the heavens is likened unto a man who sowed good seed in his field. ... The Kingdom of the heavens is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field. ... The Kingdom of the heavens is like unto leaven which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal. ... The Kingdom of the heavens is like unto treasure hid in a field. ... The Kingdom of the heavens is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls. ... The Kingdom of the heavens is like unto a net, that was cast into the. sea ..."
Matthew 13:3-9; Matthew 13:18-23
"Behold, a sower went forth to sow; And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the wayside, and the fowls came and devoured them up. Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth: And when the sun was up, they withered away. And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them: But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundred fold, some sixty fold, some thirty fold" (Matthew 13:3-8). The Lord Jesus interpreted His own words (vs. 19-23). He did not say who the sower was, but in the second parable He explained that the "man who sowed good seed" was the Son of Man, and since the seed was the Word (vs. 19) we know the sower was the Lord. "The sower went forth" -- this was a new beginning; no longer was the message for Israel, but He now went forth unto the Gentiles.
"Some (seed) fell by the wayside, and the fowls came and devoured them up." Is the world to get better and better, as we are often told? Will the world be converted? The Lord Jesus taught His disciples to the contrary. The Word was sown by the Son of Man, but some fell by the wayside; only one-fourth of the seed took deep root. The Word continues to be sown by The Sower, The Son of Man, Who by the Holy Spirit scatters the Word through believers, and as it was not received by all who heard it in our Lord’s day, at the beginning of the new age, so it is not universally received today. Some falls by the wayside and the wicked one catches it away.
"Some fell upon stony places, ... and when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away." There are those who hear the Gospel with great joy, but they only endure for a while. Trial, misunderstanding, persecution -- these are the Devil’s instruments that wither the rocky-ground hearer, and he is offended.
"Some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them." There are those who hear the Word, but because of the world, the deceit of riches and power, the Word is choked. Satan has attacked -- the Devil, the flesh, and the world have defeated the wayside hearer, the stony-ground hearer, and the thorny-ground hearer.
"But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the Word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty." The Word finds deep root in some hearts, which are fruitful. May you be one of these. But not all bring forth an hundredfold. Are you fruitful? Does your heart bring forth thirty, sixty, or an hundredfold for the Lord Jesus Christ?
Matthew 13:24-30; Matthew 13:36-43
"The Kingdom of the heavens is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? From whence then hath it tares? He said unto them, an enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather of the tares ye root up also the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into My barn" (Matthew 13:24-30).
Again the Lord was the interpreter (vs. 36-43). Some comment on this parable has already been made. The sower is the Son of Man; the field is the world. The good seed is not the Word in this case. The seed of the first parable has taken root and has been fruitful; the Word has brought forth children of the Kingdom. The good seed represents the children of the Kingdom; the tares, the children of the wicked one. The enemy is Satan; the reapers are the angels; the harvest is the end of the age. The children of the Kingdom were sown in the world. While men slept, not The Sower Who neither slumbers nor sleeps, but while men slept, Satan sowed his children among the others. It was manifest when the blade sprung up: in the time of Paul the children of the evil one began to manifest themselves freely. No sooner had our Lord revealed the truth, than Satan began his further work. The wheat and the tares will grow together during this age, but at the end of the age, the children of the devil will be bound for eternal punishment, while the children of the Kingdom will be taken to be with the Lord. Not until then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the Kingdom of their Father" (vs. 43). It is not of our works or our own righteousness that we shall be there, but if we are believers, then, clothed in the righteousness of our Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, we shall shine forth in Him, as the sun, in the Kingdom which He shall deliver to His Father and to our Father.
"The Kingdom of the heavens is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field: which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof."
If the Kingdom of the heavens here were, as many suppose, the Church, the Bride of Christ, then the Body of Christ should grow into a great tree, in which the sinners of all nations would find refuge. But comparing Scripture with Scripture, we cannot believe that our Lord so taught. The fowls of the parable of the sower are the wicked one and his agents, the birds of Revelation 18:2 are unclean and hateful, and are connected with the devil; therefore it is indicated that the birds of the air of this parable are the children of Satan. The teaching becomes clear when we see that the Kingdom of the heavens is Christendom. The Sower planted seed, the Word. This seed, deeply rooted in the field, the world, has sprung up into a monstrous growth (for the mustard plant is a bush, and not a tree), the great ecclesiastical organizations of Romanism, Protestantism, the world system. In the branches of this great organization the devil’s agents lodge, the birds, unconverted, who possess only the outward form of Christianity but are none of Christ’s, who find shelter in the tree.
"The Kingdom of the heavens is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened."
Many of the great commentators of this century and the past have come to the conclusion: the woman is the Church, the leaven is the Gospel, the three measures of meal represent humanity. Therefore, hiding the leaven (the Gospel) in the meal (humanity) means that the Gospel will permeate humanity. We quote from Dr. John Peter Lange, known as "the Prince of Commentators:" "The woman, the Church; the leaven, the Gospel; the three measures of meal, humanity; result -- the life from God in its progressive victory over the natural life of the world." Heubner wrote of this parable that it shows "the all-penetrating power of the Gospel and of its economy, especially of the blood of reconciliation in the death of Jesus." We do not quote these able servants of God merely to show their mistake, but to indicate how universal is the interpretation that the Kingdom of the heavens is the Church. But is it not contrary to all the teaching of the Word of God to believe that the Gospel will permeate the world, that the little leaven of the Gospel will leaven the whole lump? Let us look, by the Holy Spirit, into the meanings of the symbols of the woman, the leaven, and the three measures of meal where they are used elsewhere in Scripture.
First, what does leaven mean in the Word of God? If you know any orthodox Jews, ask them what leaven stands for. No Jew could imagine it to indicate anything good, but only evil. Even today the Jew, at the feast of unleavened bread, purges his house of any piece of bread that might contain leaven, that he may not be denied. The Lord was speaking to Jews, you must remember, and they knew that leaven symbolized evil. What does the New Testament teach of leaven? In Matthew 16:11-12, our Lord said: "How is it that ye do not understand that I spoke it not to you concerning bread, that ye should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees? Then understood they how that He bade them not beware of the leaven of the bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees." The leaven then was not good, but evil. Paul wrote to the Corinthians: "Your glorying is not good, know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump? Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened" (1 Corinthians 5:6-7). Only as they were unleavened could the new life be manifest.
What does meal mean as used in the Word of God? Meal comes from wheat, not tares; the wheat is the good seed. Meal is a symbol of good, not of humanity, in which there is no good thing. In Genesis 18:6-7, when Abraham wished to give good things unto the Lord, and to find favour in His sight, he prepared three measures of meal, and a calf: "And Abraham hastened into the tent unto Sarah, and said, Make ready quickly three measures of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes upon the hearth. And Abraham ran unto the herd, and fetched a calf, tender and good." Meal, in three measures, and the calf, are types of the Lord Jesus Christ. The three measures of meal in our parable therefore stand for His work, for the Word, which is pure and undefiled. And who is the woman? Is she the Church? In our Lord’s message to the fourth church, in Thyatira, which corresponds to the fourth parable, the woman, Jezebel, is not the Church, but the great worldly ecclesiastical organization professing Christ (Revelation 2:18-29).
Now let us look again at the parable of the leaven. "The Kingdom of the heavens (Christendom) is like unto leaven (evil doctrine), which a woman (the great ecclesiastical organizations) took and hid in three measures of meal (The Word as planted by Christ), till the whole lump was leavened (permeated)." Is not that the teaching of the Lord Jesus? Have we not found from history that the evil doctrine of Satanic forces, of Modernism and of those who do not accept the Word of God in its verity, mixed with the purity of the Gospel, "attacks in a hidden way that which is good"?
"The Kingdom of the heavens is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field." The man of this parable, as of the first and second mysteries, is the Lord Jesus Christ. The treasure is His chosen people Israel, His peculiar treasure (Exodus 19:5), who rejected Him and who have been put aside for a season. Meanwhile He sold all that He had, He gave His life to redeem the field, the world, and one day He shall take again to Himself Israel. We do not read that He obtained possession of the treasure until after He had sold all that He had. This and the parable to follow must teach that the Lord Jesus is the One Who sold all that He had. It cannot be the sinner selling what he has to obtain Christ, for the sinner has nothing to sell; Christ is not hid, and if He were found, He would not be hidden again.
"The Kingdom of the heavens is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it."
Here, again, the Lord Jesus is the man. It is He Who seeks the sinner, "For the Son of Man is come to seek and to save that which was lost" (Luke 19:10). The pearl of great price is the true Church, the Bride, and for her He went and sold all that He had; for "though He was rich, for your sakes He became poor, that ye through His poverty might be rich" (2 Corinthians 8:9).
"The Kingdom of the heavens is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind; which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away. So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth and sever the wicked from among the just, and shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth." Our Lord now spoke of that which should happen at the end of the age, during the Great Tribulation. The Kingdom of the heavens shall be like a great drag-net cast among the nations, when the good and the evil shall be separated. "So shall it be at the consummation of the age: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from the just, and shall cast them into the furnace of fire."
"Jesus saith unto them, Have ye understood all these things? They say unto Him, Yea, Lord. Then said He unto them, Therefore every scribe who is instructed unto the Kingdom of the heavens is like unto a man who is a householder, who bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old." The Lord Jesus Christ has in the store of His knowledge the Old Covenant, and the Word of God as given by the prophets; but He is God, all things are known to Him, and here He set forth the course of this Age of Grace, things which were new, things which had been "kept secret from the foundation of the world." Everything which has ever happened has taken place in knowledge of God that it should occur, and all things which are before us are known to Him. The mysteries of the Kingdom of the heavens have been revealed, the hidden things have been uncovered, the course of this age has been set forth. Is there something for our hearts in this teaching? Have you understood all these things? May God grant that our hearts have been good ground, bringing forth fruit an hundredfold. God grant that we are a part of the pearl of great price, the Church, the Habitation of God, for whom our Lord Jesus Christ went and sold all that He had, His very life at Calvary, that in Him we might have eternal life.
"And it came to pass, that when Jesus had finished these parables, He departed thence" (Matthew 13:53). The Gospel according to Matthew is replete with symbolism. Our Lord, having revealed in the parables of the Kingdom of the heavens the course of the present age, during which He should be absent in body, departed from them. The final verses of chapter thirteen demonstrate further that "His own received Him not." Coming into Nazareth, "He taught them in their synagogues, insomuch that they were astonished, and said: "Whence hath this man this wisdom, and these mighty works? Is not this the carpenter’s son?" (Matthew 13:54-55). "Whence hath this man this wisdom?" Not the King, not the Son of David, not the Christ, but this man -- "and they were offended in Him." It is so that He is looked upon today by unbelievers; not as the Saviour of the world, God manifest in the flesh, but as a man, a good man, perhaps, but a man. And the world is offended in Him, and in His Cross, yet our only course is that "We preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling block, and unto the Greeks foolishness, but unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God" (1 Corinthians 1:23-24).