Parables Unique to Gospel of Matthew Life B-P Church Adult Sunday School (Sanctuary class) Lesson 2, Text: Matthew 13: 24-30, 36-43; 47-52

A. A Recap. of Key Points of Lesson 1 1. A parable then is a story of something familiar to people that is placed beside another spiritual truths (as comparison, analogy) to drive home spiritual lessons for our lives. 2. In Gospel of Matthew, there are 8 “kingdom of heaven” parables that are found only in Matthew: i. Hidden Treasure (13:44) ii. Pearl of Great Price (13:45-46) iii. Wheat & Tares (13:24-30, 36-43) iv. Good & Bad Fish - The Net (13:47-50) v. The Unforgiving Servant (18:23-35) vi. Labourers in the Vineyard (20:1-16) vii. The Two Sons (21:28-32) viii. The Ten Virgins (25:1-13) 3. How to Interpret Parables? 1. Study the Context. Who was Jesus addressing? What was the geography & background. 2. A Parable Teaches One Main Point. What is the key thing that Christ was telling us about the kingdom of heaven? Be careful not to spiritualize or make a symbol or deeper meaning of every detail. 3. Gerald Bilkes defines the kingdom of heaven as “the gracious reign of God in the hearts of His people by faith in His Son, the king of the kingdom.” Note: It is an invisible kingdom which reigns in the hearts of God’s people (believers).

B. A Pair of Parables on Impending Judgment

1. Parable of the Wheat & Weed (Mt 13:24-30, 36-43) a. “Another parable” that Jesus taught is the Parable of the Wheat and Weed (verses – 24-30, 36-43) - which is about the Kingdom of Heaven (wheat) co-existing with the Kingdom of Satan (weed) until God’s timing for the harvest. b. It introduces a man sowing good seeds that grew to be wheat, and directs his servants on the harvest (v.24). He is also called the “householder” or Master (v.27). c. While the workers were sleeping (v.25, did not mean they were neglectful), but the enemy was stealthy and malicious. The Devil came in middle of night to sow tares (weeds), that look very similar to the wheat as they grow up (v.26). The roots of both the young wheat and weeds are tangled together, and it is very hard to tell them apart when they are young plants. Only when they have grown till harvest time, then you will see the fruit in the wheat (but none in the weeds). d. The servants spotted the weeds and asked the Master (27) whether they should pull out the weeds right away (28b). We expected any farmer to consider weeding as a primary activity in order to maximise his crop yield. Surprisingly, the owner said No, lest you may also uproot the wheat (tangled with weed roots) before it is ripe (29). His reason is simple: if you pull out the weeds, whose roots are tangled with the wheat, you will end up killing the young wheat plant as well. It is better to let them grow and ripen, then only you harvest both – and discard the weeds. e. Let them both grow together (30) until harvest time, when the weeds will be plucked out, separated from the wheat, bundled and used as fuel to be burnt in the fire. f. Interpretation: (verses 36-43) i. The disciples did not understand the parable and asked our Lord to explain it to them (36). This is one of two parables where the Lord interpreted and the explained the parable in detail for his disciples. ii. The Sower is the Son of Man (37). The field is the world (38) – presupposes a mission beyond Israel. John Calvin believes the field refers to the visible church comprising a mixture

1 of good and evil. The ‘good seeds’ refers to the “sons of the kingdom of heaven” i.e. the true believers who are saved, and already safe in the kingdom of heaven (38). The ‘tares’ or weeds are the sons of the evil one i.e. the non-believers (39). And the enemy who sowed those evil weeds was the devil, Satan, who stands opposed to the kingdom of heaven (39). It tells us that the kingdom of heaven can be present in the world without wiping out all opposition. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels (24:30-31; 25:31). It does not mean that God is powerless, but the time if not right – when judgment is ripe, the weeds and non-believers will be discarded, when God receives His own people. When will judgment come? V.39 “the harvest is the end of the world” or “the end of this world” (v.40). Question: Is after covid-19 the end of the world? NO. Because the signs are NOT YET here. iii. All who do evil will be thrown into the fiery furnace where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth (42). Hell is a place of fire: “tares are gathered and burned in the fire” (v.40); “furnace of fire” (v.42); and a place of torment - “weeping and gnashing of teeth”. iv. While the righteous will shine as the sun in the kingdom of God the Father (43). v. Who that have ears, let him take heed (43). A solemn warning: Do not presume you are saved just because you have been baptised. Just as the weed (“tare” on the right) looks very much like the wheat (left), the difference is presence of fruit: so we must check for fruit (wheat) in our lives (compared to weed - no fruit). Paul reminds the Corinthian believers in 2 Corinthians 13:5 “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?” vi. Key Lessons: • 1. Our Lord Jesus (sower) is (a) Our Creator (He owns the world & all of us; we owe Him our life, worship & adoration); (b) The Judge of all men (v.41) • 2. It parallels the history of human race: (a) Its earliest times (sowing); (b) its problems (devil, tares), and (c) its end (judgment). • 3. What Divine Patience. God allowed the wicked and righteous to co-exist until the full harvest is ready. As Romans 9:22 reminds us of God’s longsuffering “What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction:” Do we exercise a heavenly patience with respect to evil around us? Wait upon the Lord (Ps 37:9 For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the earth.) One day all wrongs will be righted. Believers, take comfort for there is happiness and safety prepared for him on the great and dreadful day of the Lord. Are we inclined to look for conversion of the whole world by the labour of missionaries, evangelists and pastors? Let us remember this parable that we will never see the whole world believing in Jesus. The “wheat of God” must be content to grow in the midst of the “weeds” until the harvest. The kingdom of this world will never become the kingdom of Christ until the Millennium when Christ returns. • 4. Urgency of seeking salvation before it is too late. The unbelievers ought to tremble to read about their certain doom, unless he repents and is converted. The sermon “Sinners in the hands of an angry God” preached by Jonathan Edwards led to the Great Awakening - revival in 1741. He spoke of the reality and terror of hell that caused the hearers to fear God, and cry out for mercy. • Have you ever heard of non-believers mocking Christianity because of the false Christians within the church? Let us remember this parable, that the state of the church and unbelief within and without does not surprise us or our Lord.

2. Parable of the Good & Bad Fish (or Parable of the Net) (Mt 13: 47-52) a. “Again” ties it to the previous parable of the weed and wheat. It’s a pair; makes the same point but with different emphasis (wheareas the previous were b. Fishermen at the Sea of Galilee used a drag net (up to 300m long) with weights that could trap all kinds of things without discrimination – plastic, trash, inedible fish of little commercial value, etc.

2 c. The net is drawn into shallow waters and then dragged to shore. d. This parable speaks of 2 Separations: 1. Net separating fish from the sea: Fish of all kinds from the sea into the net. The gospel calls all kinds of people out of the world into the visible church. Not all who join as church members will be true believers. 2. Fishermen separating good fish from the bad. Fishermen retain the good fish that sell for more money, while the “bad fish” are discarded. Likewise, the day of Judgment will separate the converted from hypocrites in church. e. Lessons from Parable of the Good & Bad Fish: The visible organized church presents the gospel to all. It attracts all who profess faith in Christ into our fellowship – catechism class, interview, baptism. But only God knows our hearts. At the end you cannot deceive God; God will separate the true believers from false believers.

3. Common Theme of this pair of parables: a. Good fish = good seed (produce fruit of wheat). b. Bad fish = tares (produce no fruit – weeds). c. How do you know whether you are a true believer or hypocrite? Examine yourself whether you are in the faith • Is there fruit of repentance & holiness? [be ye holy as God is holy] • Is there humility and willingness to forsake sin & obey God’s command? [my sheep hear my voice] • Is there desire to study God’s Word? • Is there a desire to be a disciple of Christ – to do God’s will – and be disciple-maker? To serve Him? • Let us learn the warning from the life of Judas Iscariot: One of the 12, yet he is a devil. He squandered so many opportunities to learn from Christ our Holy God because of his hardened heart. He was so near to salvation, and yet so far. Let is not be said of any of us on the day of judgment.

4. Judgement : End of this world – when will this happen? See chart below:

Source: Revelation ERBL lectures notes by Rev Ho Chee Lai, page 144.

Next week, read the Parable of The Unforgiving Servant (Matthew 18:23-35).

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