Matthew 13

“The Bible says that Jesus spoke in parables to reveal ‘things hidden since the creation of the world’ (Matt.13:35). In other words, Jesus used figurative tales as a means to reveal scriptural truths to the common people. In many of these stories natural things are used symbolically in order to explain principles of truth. For instance, the ‘ground’ in The Parable of the Sower represents a person’s heart and ‘seed’ represents the word of God. While these parables are easy-to-understand for those with spiritual discernment they simultaneously hide truth from arrogant fools, including sterile religionists, like the Pharisees (Matt.13:10-15 & 1 Cor. 2:14).” (Hell Know by Dirk Warren ) “But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear; 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. Therefore’— because perhaps it will be given to you- ‘hear the parable of the sower. That is, I will interpret Matthew 13:4-9: When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is he who received seed by the wayside. But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles. Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful. He who receives “by the way” are the ones who do not understand. “But he that received the seed into stony places” finds such understanding. “This is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy.’ They have not seen their guilt and danger, and the true excellency of Christ. ‘Yet he has no root in himself.’ “Their hearts are not right. They are not ‘really’ attached to the gospel; and when they are tried and persecution comes, they fall - as the rootless grain withers before the scorching rays of the noonday sun.” (Albert Barnes) —

“‘But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.’ (16-23) He receives the truth into the heart, and acts under its abiding influence. This represents the pious, the friends of God and men.” (Justin Edwards)

Click link to the next study in my sequential chapter study through the Gospel of Matthew. https://www.mymorningmanna.com/post/matthew-14

“Let’s [now] observe a clear example of everlasting destruction contained in The Parable of the Weeds (or ‘Tares’ in the KJV) (Hell Know by Dirk Warren): “Another parable He put forth to them, saying: "The kingdom of heaven is like a man who 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 grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared. So the servants of the owner came and said to him, 'Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?' He said to them, 'An enemy has done this.' The servants said to him, 'Do you want us then to go and gather them up?' But he said, 'No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, ‘First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.’" (24-30)

"Though every minister of God should separate from the Church of Christ every incorrigible sinner, yet he should proceed no farther: the man is not to be persecuted in his body or goods, because he is not sound in the faith - God tolerates him; so should men. False doctrines are against God - he alone is the judge and punisher of them - man has no right to interfere in this matter. They who burnt Vanini for atheism usurped the seat of judgment.” (Adam Clarke)

“Another parable He put forth to them, saying: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field, which indeed is the least of all the seeds; This parable is a representation of the progress of the Gospel in the world; and of the growth of grace in the soul. That grace which leads the soul to the fullness of glory may begin, and often does, in a single good desire - a wish to escape hell, or a desire to enjoy God in heaven.” (Adam Clarke) — “but when it is grown it is greater than the herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches.’" (31-32) It is great in God’s eye and others comes and get shade from the sun under its branches.

“Another parable He spoke to them: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened.’"(33) As the property of leaven is to change, or assimulate to its own nature, the meal or dough with which it is mixed, so the property of the grace of Christ is to change the whole soul into its own likeness; and God intends that this principle should continue in the soul till all is leavened - till the whole bear the image of the heavenly, as it before bore the image of the earthly. Both these parables are prophetic, and were intended to show, principally, how, from very small beginnings, the Gospel of Christ should pervade all the nations of the world, and fill them with righteousness and true holiness. ‘All these things Jesus spoke to the multitude in parables; and without a parable He did not speak to them, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying: ‘I will open My mouth in parables; I will utter things kept secret from the foundation of the world.’ (34-35) As the quotation is taken from Pslam 78:2, which is attributed to Asaph, he must be the prophet who is meant in the text; and, indeed, he is expressly called a prophet, 1 Chronicles 25:2.” (Adam Clarke) In the psalm— a Masal of Asaph, he says, “My people, hear my law ; listen to the words of my mouth. I will open my mouth with a parable.’ The word for parable (masal) gives the book of Proverbs its title. Basically this means a comparison, i.e., a saying which uses one realm of life to illuminate another.” (Derek Kidner) “’I will utter dark sayings of old’ Heb. I will well out (as from a spring or fountain) dark or sharp sayings, transacted and recorded of old, but of good use forever.” (Trapp) — “things we have heard and known, things our ancestors have told us. We will not hide them from their descendants [the church]; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of Yahweh, His power, and the wonders He has done.” We will “bring out, and apply,” to their cases, 'the maxims of ancient wisdom' (Albert Barnes)

A prime example is Israel of old. "Israel was ordained to be a type; the tribes and their marchings are living allegories traced by the hand of an all-wise providence. Unspiritual persons may sneer..., but Paul spake well when he said ‘which things are an allegory,’ (Galatians 4:24) and Asaph in the present case spake to the point when he called his narrative ‘a parable.’ That such was his meaning is clear from the quotation.” (Treasury of David)

“Then Jesus sent the multitude away and went into the house. And His disciples came to Him, saying, ‘Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field.’ He answered and said to them: ‘He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one. The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels.’ (36-39) After explaining this symbolism, Jesus says: “Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age.” (40) Christ is saying that just as weeds are burned in the fire in his story, so it will be with ungodly people—God’s enemies—at the end of this age on Judgment Day. When literal weeds are burned, they are burned up. Was Jesus using a wrong example here or did he mean what he said? The obvious answer is that he meant exactly what he said. When the ungodly are thrown into the lake of fire, they—like the weeds—will be burned up. ..As you can see, the Lord makes the issue of human damnation so simple and clear that even a child can understand it.” Hell Know by Dirk Warren)

”The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, and will cast them into the furnace of fire.” (40-42a) “As the weeds are burned, so it will be at the end-time. As weeds are put in the fire, so evildoers will be thrown into ‘the fiery furnace.’ This is clearly a teaching about final judgment at ‘the end of the age.’ In addition, the Greek words ‘everything that causes sin and all who do evil,’ appear in some Greek versions of Zeph 1:3, the beginning of a description of the ‘day of the Lord,’ a standard prophetic phrase for an occasion of judgment. Jesus borrows this generic language of judgment and applies it specifically to the final judgment—a clear emphasis to those who know the Jewish Scriptures.” (The Fire That Consumes by Edward Fudge) “There will be weeping (sorrow) and gnashing of teeth.” (42b) “When the Bible speaks of someone gnashing teeth, it means that person is very, very angry.” (Edward Fudge)

“Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” (43)

This “seems to come from Dan 12:3, where the language immediately follows Daniel’s reference in 12:2 to the resurrection of both righteous and wicked. Jesus’ phrase is also reminiscent of Mal 4:1–3, where the ‘sun of righteousness arises’ for the righteous, and the wicked become ashes under the soles of their feet. In the present parable the workers pull the weeds and burn them in the fire, a figure which, according to Jesus’ own ‘as . . . so,’ portrays what the angels will do to sinners at the end of the world.” (The Fire That Consumes by Edward Fudge)

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.” (44) In the interpretation of the parable, the case described is that of a man who, not having started in the pursuit of holiness or truth, is brought by the seeming accidents of life—a chance meeting, a word spoken in season, the example of a living holiness—to the knowledge of the truth as it is in Jesus, i.e., to Christ Himself, and who, finding in Him a peace and joy above all earthly treasure, is ready to sacrifice the lower wealth in order to obtain the higher. Such, we may well believe, had been the history of the publicans and the fishermen who made up the company of the Twelve. The parable had its fulfilment in them when they, at the bidding of their Lord, ‘forsook all and followed Him.’ Such, it need hardly be said, has been the story of thousands of the saints of God in every age of the Church’s life from that day to this.

‘Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that was cast into the sea and gathered some of every kind, which, when it was full, they drew to shore; and they sat down and gathered the good into vessels but threw the bad away. So, it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come forth, separate the wicked from among the just, and cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth." (47-50) Imagery of angels gathering and separating, as well as wailing and gnashing of teeth are also found the parable of the tares.

“This is the proper meaning…. ‘Which is cast into the water to catch fish, and the particular use of which is to drag them up from the bottom.’ As this is dragged along it keeps gathering all in its way, both good and bad, small and great; and, when it is brought to the shore, those which are proper for use are preserved, and those which are not are destroyed.... By drawing to shore, may be represented the consummation of all things, see Matthew 13:49; when a proper distinction shall be made between those who served God, and those who served Him not; for many shall doubtless be found who shall bear the name without the nature of Christ.” (Adam Clarke)

“Jesus said to them, ‘Have you understood all these things?’ They said to Him, ‘Yes, Lord.’ Then He said to them, ‘Therefore every scribe’— or minister of the Gospel— ‘instructed concerning the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure things new and old.’” (51-52)

Ministers “should not be novices, 1 Tim. 3:6, raw and ignorant men; but men mighty in the Scriptures, well acquainted with the writings of the Old and New Testament.” (Matthew Poole)

“‘Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished these parables, that He departed from there. And when He had come to His own country, He taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished and said, ‘Where did this Man get this wisdom and these mighty works?’ (53-54) They were highly privileged in having Jesus back in their midst, yet they failed to appreciate his teaching; they were astonished at His wisdom, but were unable to perceive the divine source from which it sprang— ‘Is this not the carpenter's son? Is not His mother called Mary? And His brothers James, Joses, Simon, and Judas? And His sisters, are they not all with us? Where then did this Man get all these things?’ So they were offended at Him. But Jesus said to them, ‘A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house.’ Now He did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief.”(55-58) This was a notable illustration of John’s words concerning Christ, ‘He came unto his own, but his own received him not.’” (C. H. Spurgeon)