That Christian Next Door

Not long after being told that his mother and brothers were looking to speak to Him, AND some time after he had being reprimanded for allowing his disciples to “work” on the day intended for rest, AND some time after he had healed a demon-oppressed man AND another man with a withered hand AND many of the others that followed Him, AND after he had refused to show a sign to the scribes and Pharisees to prove He was who He was saying He was, Jesus’ disciples asked Him a poignant question that He wants us all to learn from, even today.

The disciples had undoubtedly witnessed many wondrous things. Without doubt, they were processing and calibrating and standardizing everyday, all at once, and not long later having to recalibrate and reaudit everything all over again.

They were learning the ways of the Father, being introduced little by little to Holy Spirit and were also working their way through the preposterousness of having the Son of God, Jesus Christ, be their travel companion. Then, there was what He was saying His coming signified versus what they thought it should signify.

So when we join the story in Matthew 13 vs 10 ESV, there was a lot already going on and the question they asked – “why do you speak to them in parables?” – was just one outflow from a whole pipeline of resolved, semi-resolved and unresolved things.

As I read through this passage, it did not dawn on me immediately – although I should not have missed it because the Bible did not misspeak – that when the disciples used the word “them” in that question they actually meant “them”. As in: EVERY. ONE. ELSE.

So, that question in other words was: You do not speak to us this way, so why do you do so with them?

In Matthew 13 vs 11 ESV, Jesus Christ replied: “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.”

For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.

Matthew 13 vs 12 ESV

In John 6 vs 36 ESV, Jesus explains that all the Father has given Him will come to Him and those that come to Him he will never cast out.

In verse 40 of the same, he explains further. “For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in Him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”

Back to Matthew 13 vs 16 – 17 ESV, Jesus finishes his explanation of why he uses parables as follows: “But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. For truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.”

In the subsequent verses, Jesus uses various parables to illustrate the kingdom of heaven. Two of these stand out: the Parable of the Sower (vs 3 – 9) and the Parable of the Weeds (vs 24 – 30). In the first parable, the seed is the word of the kingdom of God. In the second parable, Jesus explains that the seed is the “sons of the kingdom” (vs 38).

In the first parable, the seeds fell on the path (and birds came along and devoured them). Others fell on rocky ground (but the resulting growth had no depth and were scorched by the sun). Others fell among thorns (and were choked). The rest fell on good ground and produced grain.

In the second parable, the seed was planted in the ground. When no one was watching, an enemy came by and planted weeds in the same ground. Some time later, it became apparent that weeds were growing alongside grain. So, questions were asked, conclusions were reached and the decision was made to leave as is – when harvest time would come around, the weeds would be gathered, bound in bundles and burned, but the wheat would be stored in the barn.

In explaining the first parable (Matthew 13 vs 18 – 23), Jesus identifies two distinct groups: (1) those that hear the word of the kingdom and do not understand (vs 19), and (2) those that hear the word of the kingdom and do understand (vs 23). This kingdom is the kingdom of heaven.

In the Parable of the Weeds, two groups are also identified: (1) the sons of the kingdom (vs 37), and (2) the sons of the evil one. The Sower of the sons of the kingdom is Jesus Christ. The enemy who sowed the sons of the evil one is the devil. With this parable, Jesus provides an analogy for what the kingdom of heaven is like.

So, we now have a good picture of the kingdom of heaven and the word of the kingdom that is heard and understood by people from that kingdom (who have been given to Jesus Christ by His Father, as in John 6).

Of the seeds sown, only the seeds that fell on the good soil thrived, the rest were devoured, scorched or choked out. Of the harvest collected, only the wheat was stored in the barn; the weeds were burned.

***

In Luke 10 vs 42 ESV, Jesus Christ commended Mary, the sister of Lazarus, for chasing after the one necessary thing – the good portion – “which will not be taken away from her.” This thing was to sit at His feet and listen to His teaching.

In Philippians 3 vs 13-14 ESV, the Apostle Paul shared his resolve:

But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

The prize: the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

The call. The word spoken.

The word: the entrance of which gives light and understanding (Psalm 119 v 130 ESV).

The word which is Spirit and life (John 6 vs 63 ESV).

The word: for which we forget what lies behind, and instead strain and press on toward.

The word: the good portion we must choose; that one necessary thing.

The word: which will not be taken away from the one that chooses it.

The word: the goal (the call of God to bring us up in and through Christ Jesus.)

Analyzing, calibrating and assimilating all of this needs prayer to the Father: for the eyes of our hearts to be enlightened, for our ears to be opened, for our inner man to be strengthened and stretched etc.

It will also take time. Time granted to us by the Father, for us to get to live and for us to put into practice the keeping of His word.

That said, if broadly-speaking there are two groups of people referred to in these parables and one of them is planted by Jesus Christ using seeds given to Him by the Father, then this is the group who are predisposed to hearing and understanding the word of the kingdom.

“As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty”

Matthew 13 v 23 ESV

Yes, yes. They are predisposed but they must still do the work to choose this one necessary thing. They hear the voice but still have to choose to follow (John 10 vs 27).

They must leave every other unnecessary thing behind and press forward to God and what he has laid ahead for them in Christ Jesus.

Some like them hear and understand but the word they hear gets scorched and choked out.

Not these though.

They are not perfect and they have not attained every thing, but they press on to make it their own, because Christ Jesus has made them his own (Philippians 3 vs 12 ESV).

Be blessed.