GENERAL OUTLINE FOR CHAPTERS 10-13 (JESUS’ “SECOND AND THIRD DISCOURSES”) Matthew 10 – Jesus commissions His Disciples (compare Mk 6:7-13 and Lk. 9:1-6/10:1-12) Matthew 11 – varying responses to Jesus’ ministry and message Matthew 12 – Jesus versus the Pharisees Matthew 13 – Parables of the Gospel/the Kingdom
CONTEXT OF MATTHEW 13 Chapters 11 – 12: illustrate the growing divisions among men in their attitude re: Jesus (see Matt. 12:46-50 for a summary statement, contrasting the receptivity of Jesus’ true disciples from all others). The conclusion of Chapter 12 serves as the setup for Chapter 13. Chapter 13 continues the “division” theme, and helps the reader understand why some rejected Jesus’ message while others responded positively. It’s a study in contrast, and the parables explain the contrasting attitudes in Chapters 11-12. Jesus presents eight parables in chapter 13 – this is the first time the term “parables” appears in Matthew, though Jesus has had previous, smaller sayings that sound like parables (e.g. Matt. 5:25–26; 11:16–19; 12:43–45). OUTLINE OF MATTHEW 13 Introductory parable: the sower (1–9) Interlude: the purpose of parables (10–17) Explanation of the sower (18–23) Three parables of growth: weeds (24–30), mustard seed (31–32) and yeast (33) Interlude: the purpose of parables (34–35) Explanation of the weeds (36–43) Three further parables: treasure (44), pearl (45–46) and net (47–50) Concluding parable: the householder (51–53) NOTES ON MATTHEW 13 Parable of the Sower (13:1-9) 13:1-2: - the “house” setting (perhaps the same house as in 8:14; 9:10, 28?) serves here and in v. 36 to separate the public teaching of Jesus from the private explanation and further teaching He gives His disciples - Jesus’ seated posture gives import to what He is saying; it is a traditional teaching posture for rabbis 13:3-8: We shouldn’t get hung up about details or “over-analyze” them (like the rate of wastage of the seed, the rate of increase of the crop, whether all the soil types were in one field, etc.) – this is not a detailed description of contemporary agriculture, but a story designed to make a point! 13:9: Jesus’ words are not only challenging us to understand the parable itself, but to apply it to our lives, as well. Explanation of the Parable of the Sower (13:18-23) 13:18: Like the parable of the Prodigal Son in Luke’s gospel, the title often given to this parable (“The Parable of the Sower”) can mislead us; the key elements are not the sower, but the seed and the soils. 13:19: - “the word of the Kingdom” appears only here in Matthew - it’s one thing to “hear” the word, but a very different thing to understand and internalize/comprehend/receive/hearken to it (see Matt. 7:42 for a similar concept between “hearing” and “doing”) 13:20-21: - starting is very different from finishing - the word is “received” with joy (not “understood”); joy without understanding and commitment does not last - “tribulation” is a general term for suffering that is inflicted from the outside, while “persecution” is deliberately applied, and usually implies a religious motive (remember the backdrop of Chapters 11-12) - “fall away” is literally “tripped up” in the original Greek; it is a collapse under pressure, and not a gradual loss of interest 13:22: - by “the world,” Jesus means the current age and the concerns of the secular world - “the world” offers both “cares” (anxieties, worries) and “delights” (pleasurable enticements) 13:23: At last “hearing” and “understanding” are linked together in the good soil, leading to a life of kingdom fruitfulness.
Summary: The parable has at least a couple of applications. - It explains the historical reception of Jesus’ teaching and preaching to the original audience. The fault lies not in the message, but with the audience. - It explains why (in today’s world) the preaching and teaching of the gospel often falls on what appear to be deaf ears. Mankind – in his own power – is incapable of responding positively to the gospel. It is God’s prevenient grace that enables us to choose what kind of soil we’re going to be – the choice between only “hearing” and actually “understanding”/implementing. - Within the church (meaning the body of believers), the parable is sometimes preached/taught as a reminder to believers to analyze/consider what kind of soil they are (i.e., how receptive they are to the word). - It is both reassuring and challenging to personal and corporate evangelism. The Purpose of Parables (13:10-17) 13:10: - This is a private conversation between Jesus and the disciples. Matthew’s intent is to draw a sharp contrast between the receptivity/privilege of the disciples and the hard- hearted crowd. - “Parables” in the original Greek means more than our English “parables.” It includes stories, proverbs, riddles and wise sayings. 13:11: - The original Greek word is “mysterion,” used only here in the Gospels. - Later on, Paul would seize on this word and concept; he taught that God’s truth came only by revelation, not natural instinct (prevenient grace, again). 13:12: “The laws of capitalist economics (capital breeds income; lack of capital spells ruin) serve as a ‘parable’ of spiritual enlightenment. The ‘secrets’ of God’s kingdom can be grasped only by those who already have the spiritual capacity to receive them, i.e. the disciples as opposed to ‘those outside’.” (R.T. France) 13:13: - The latter part of this verse alludes to Isaiah 6:9-10, and the unresponsiveness of Isaiah’s hearers to the message he was preaching. Jesus sees Himself in a similar prophetic light (and plight!). - The verse explains why parables are appropriate to the setting of Jesus’ ministry. Remember the context of Chapter 13 (Chapters 11-12)! The disciples are receptive to and can understand the parables, but the crowds are not, and can’t. 13:14-15: Jesus now quotes Isaiah 6:9-10 outright, not as a prophecy of His own ministry, but in typological kinship with what Isaiah (and so many of the prophets) experienced. He quotes Isaiah in an explanatory – not predictive – way. 13:16-17: Jesus directly contrasts the disciples (“you”) with the crowd in v. 13. By “prophets and righteous men,” Jesus is referring to all those who came before His time, who yearned to see Israel’s hopes consummated. In Jesus, the time for consummation of all Israel’s hopes is at hand! Three Parables of Growth (13:24-33) 13:24: “May be compared to” could be rendered into modern English as “this is what it is like when God is at work.” 13:25-30: Jesus tells a story rooted (no pun intended!) in real life. He is probably referring to a weed called “darnel,” which is very hard to distinguish from real wheat. Sowing darnel among wheat as an act of revenge was a punishable offense under Roman law. One could try and carefully weed to remove darnel, but mistakes would be easily made to the untrained eye (day laborers wouldn’t possess that kind of expertise). Explanation of the Parable of the Weeds (13:36-43) 13:36: We see the setting clearly. Jesus enters a “house,” and the disciples come to Him. Again, His explanation is for the privileged disciples, not the crowd. 13:37-39: Jesus carefully takes apart the parable, assigning meaning where appropriate. 13:40: - This parable is frequently seized upon by preachers and teachers as an illustration of the Church, in which true and false believers are intermixed. However…. - Jesus makes it clear that the parable has to do with the final judgment of God over the world. Jesus’ ministry initiated the “new age,” which will be consummated with the final judgment. 13:41: “Stumbling blocks” (“causes of sin” in some translations) are not things, but people. Peter is described the same way in Matt. 16:23! 13:42: The “furnace of fire” is linked to the parable itself; darnel was a useful fuel when wood was in short supply – again, Jesus draws on real life for this parable. 13:43: The ultimate glory of the “sons of the kingdom” draws on Daniel 12:3. The tares and wheat grew together in hiddenness in the parable; when the kingdom is consummated, “the righteous will shine forth,” and all hiddenness will be abolished.
The Remaining Parables of Growth (13:31-33) 13:31-32: - Don’t get hung up on the size of the seed; the point isn’t size, it’s the astonishing growth that occurs between the small seed that’s sown and the great tree (“bush” or “greatest of shrubs” in some translations) that ensues. - Jesus may have in mind language from Ezekiel and Daniel that compares a tree to a kingdom, and the birds nesting in its branches may refer to the eventual inclusion of Gentiles into the kingdom of God. - Regardless, the point of the parable is the tremendous growth that ensues from (apparently) small beginnings. Remember, Jesus started with a few disciples only! 13:33: Again, a parable about growth. Yeast is usually associated with evil in the Bible, but here it is its pervasiveness that’s being emphasized. Why Parables? (13:34-35) - Having used Isaiah 6:9-10 in His earlier explanation of the purpose of parables, He now turns to the fulfillment of Psalms 78:2. - Again, the point is that Jesus sees Himself in typological solidarity with the prophets of old. Three More Parables (13:44-50) 13:44: - Valuables were often stored in a clay jar and buried for safe-keeping; the discovery of such containers were a popular theme in stories of the day. - The context of the parable is the discoverer’s joy; he sells all he has from self-interest, and does so out of joy. Equating “giving up” with self-sacrifice misses the joyful element in the parable. 13:45-46: The same exact theme as is present in the preceding parable; pearls were extremely valuable items. 13:47-50: This is the third time in this chapter that Jesus tells a parable (13:47-48) and offers an ensuing explanation (13:49-50). - This parable is closely related to the Parable of the Weeds (13:24-30), and the ensuing explanation of that parable in 13:36-43 closely parallels His explanation in 13:49-50. - The explanation – again – is not tied to conditions within the Church, where authentic and false believers may be intermixed (as is usually preached and taught today). It refers to the sorting out (the drawing of the net) of believers from non-believers in the final judgment. The Parable of the Householder (13:51-53) 13:51: In 13:36, the disciples asked Jesus for explanation. Here, Jesus “checks in” with the disciples to see if they have absorbed what He’s said. Note that He asks them if they have “understood” – not if they have “heard.” There’s a huge difference between hearing and understanding for true disciples of Jesus. 13:52: - Jesus is not referring to “scribes” in the usual sense. Here, He describes His disciples as scribes (teachers/translators) of the kingdom of heaven. - This is a challenge to His disciples! Having understood and received Jesus’ teaching, they are then to “bring it out” in teaching others. Disciples of Jesus do not “sit” on the good news of Christ. Jesus regards this as an impossibility. - Some commentators see a little “dig” on the part of Jesus against the scribes of His day. After all, they could only produce teaching that was old! 13:53: Here’s the usual transitive statement in Matthew that denotes the ending of a discourse. Jesus up and leaves. Varying Responses to Jesus’ Teaching and Miracles (13:54-16:20) To be continued! Please read Matthew 18 (Jesus’ “Fourth Discourse”) in preparation for next week’s study. Prepare to be challenged – Matthew 18 contains one of the most misused verses in all of Scripture. Which one? Stay tuned to find out!