Matthew 13 - The Secrets of the Kingdom!

Matthew 13 - NIV

Enduring Word Commentary

Verses of the Day:

10 The disciples came to him and asked, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?” 11 He replied, “Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. 12 Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.  Matthew 13:10-12

Commentary:

Jesus' favorite method for teaching was to use earthly parables to illustrate spiritual truth. Because the disciples lived in an agricultural society, many of his parables illustrate farming principles like sowing and reaping, wheat and weeds, and the harvest time. Jesus told these stories so that they could learn the secret of how God's kingdom comes and would come through them.  

In almost all of the parables in Matthew 13 Jesus starts by saying, "The kingdom of heaven is like". The kingdom of heaven is a major theme in the gospels. When John the Baptist first saw Jesus he said, "Repent for the kingdom of heaven has drawn near." Matthew 3:2 and Mark 1:15  

Mark uses the phrase "the kingdom of God", but it does not change the meaning of Jesus' teaching. Jesus wanted to teach people what the kingdom of heaven is like. 

What does it look like when it comes? How does one participate in the kingdom? What will be the results when God's kingdom comes? 

Remember the prayer Jesus taught the disciples to pray included, "Your kingdom come, your will be done!" 

Jesus embodied the kingdom. Everything he did was a manifestation of the kingdom. Whether it was turning water into wine, or announcing forgiveness and new life for the woman caught in adultery. When God's kingdom comes to earth, everything is the way it should be. It is what the world looks like when God is in charge. It is the result of God ruling or reigning. 

But there is a another kingdom that opposes God's kingdom coming. As Jesus inaugurated God's kingdom coming to earth, the devil used his limited power to try to thwart the coming of God's kingdom and those who would seek to be a part of it. The kingdom of the world ruled by the devil and the kingdom of God are in conflict with each other. One day when Jesus returns he will set up his eternal kingdom. Those who became a part of God's kingdom through faith in Jesus Christ, will reign with him forever. 

Importantly Jesus says the secrets of the kingdom are given to the disciples but not to the world. We also know from other teaching that those who seek the kingdom will find it. 

Jesus didn't assume the disciples got what he was teaching. He took them personally aside to explain the meaning of two of the parables in chapter 13. He explained the meaning of the Parable of the Sower and the Parable of the Weeds

In the Parable of Sower, Jesus tells a parable about a farmer who sows seed in the field. He sows indiscriminately. Then he describes the condition of four different types of soil and how they affected the growth of the seed. In only one of the four was the soil conducive to producing fruit.  

So what is the secret in this parable? Jesus makes a connection between the good soil, and the believer who hears the Word of God (the seed), understands it and puts it into practice. To translate for today it would be the Christian who stays rooted in God's Word, which we call the bible. The Christian who reads, meditates and seeks to understand the Word of God. The Christian who doesn't just study the bible to understand it but put it into practice in obedience. 

This is the type of Christian who will bear much fruit in this life and be rewarded in the life to come!

We learn in John's gospel, which is written 30 years after Matthew's, that Jesus is the Word made flesh! So one could equally say to know God's Word is to know Jesus. To understand God's Word is to learn from Jesus and become the type of person who do the things Jesus would do if he were you. 

When we follow Jesus and do the things he did and treat people the way he treated him, we will bear fruit 30, 60, and 100 over. We will make disciples who make disciples. This is fruit that will last forever. This is the secret to living a life in the kingdom of God. A kingdom that will never end! 

Application:

Where is Jesus teaching you about how to live in His kingdom and be like the seed that bore fruit many times over? 

If you review the three soils that did not produce fruit, you may want to look why they bore no fruit.  Staying clear of these impediments will also insure you will bear prodigious fruit. 

Finally, Jesus gives us an exciting promise for you to think about as you apply this parable.

"Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them." 

Prayer of the Day:

Jesus, your kingdom will surely come, but we pray that we would be a part of its coming here on earth as it is in heaven. Help us to stay rooted in Your Word. Help us to learn from you how to live a life worthy of our calling. Send Your Holy Spirit to guide us to correctly understand your Word and the power to put it into practice. Amen. 

 

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