Brit Chadasha Foundations-Concepts in Matthew-Chapter 13

Matt 13.1-58 gives us several kingdom parables and the kingdom is a very important teaching in the Scriptures. It is the message of the Basar (gospel-Mark 1.14) and for more information see our definition of the Basar (gospel) in the introduction to Matthew. The kingdom of God (or heaven) is also the restored kingdom of Israel (2 Sam 7.8-16; Mark 11.9-10; Acts 1.6; it is his movement, those who are ruled, and action in power).

v 1… On that same day Yeshua went out of the house, and was sitting by the sea.

v 2…And great multitudes gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat down, and the whole multitude was standing on the beach.

v 3…And he spoke (Yeshua is going to give eight parables of the kingdom of God in this chapter. The message of the kingdom or his movement, is the message of the gospel-Mark 1.14. The kingdom is also the kingdom of heaven and the restored kingdom of Israel-2 Sam 7.8-16; Mark 11.9-10; Acts 1.6. The kingdom of Satan is his efforts to stop this kingdom and establish one of his own. This battle started in Gen 3.15 and ends in Rev 22.10. Those in opposition to the truth of God are said to be supporting this satanic kingdom-John 8.44. Yeshua is offering the kingdom of God to Israel in the gospels and this chapter has the most references to the kingdom of God than any other in the New Testament) many things to them in parables (which are what is called “midrashic aggadot” which are illustrations using the familiar in nature or human life to explain unfamiliar spiritual truths), saying, “Behold, the sower went out to sow;

v 4…and as he sowed, some seeds fell by the road (and trodden down) and the birds (symbolic of evil) came and devoured them.

v 5…and others fell upon the rocky places, where they did not have much soil (the soil covered the rock); and immediately they sprang up, because they had no depth of soil.

v 6… But when the sun had arisen and they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away.

v 7…And others fell among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked them out (the ground was not totally cleansed).

v 8…And others fell upon the good soil (which was prepared before the seed was sown) and yielded a crop, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty.

v 9… He who has an ear (to perceive spiritual doctrine) let him hear (be instructed).”

v 10…And the talmidim came and said to him, “Why do you speak to them in parables (or why do you hide these things)?”

v 11… And he answered and said to them, “To you it has been granted to know the mysteries (the “sowd” level of interpretation, the hidden meaning) of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted (by the Father).

v 12… For whoever has (understanding, sees value in it) to him shall more be given, and he shall have an abundance; but whoever does not have (understanding, let’s it go or see’s no value in spiritual things), even what he has shall be taken away from him.

v 13…Therefore I speak to them in parables (aggadot); because while seeing (with the natural eye) they do not see (or perceive spiritually), and while hearing (with the natural ear) they do not hear (perceive spiritually), nor do they understand.

v 14… And in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled (given meaning, confirmed), which says, ‘You will keep on hearing, but will not understand, and you will keep on seeing, but will not perceive.

v 15…For the heart of the people has become dull, and with their ears they scarcely hear, and they have closed their eyes lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears; and understand with their heart and turn again, and I should heal them (the root cause is they didn’t want to change).’

v 16…But blessed (happy) are your eyes, because they see (perceive); and your ears, because they hear (what I am saying).

v 17… For truly 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.

v 18… Hear then the parable (midrashic aggadah) of the sower.

v 19… When any one hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it (why they don’t understand is not given; it may be they are too busy to study and when spiritual secrets come along, they miss it. The kingdom is worth more than anything else in this life but they don’t really care), the evil one (the birds) comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is the one on whom the seed was sown beside the road.

v 20… And the one on whom seed was sown on the rocky places (this is the one who understands briefly, but is overcome by negative things like incorrect doctrines and they don’t pursue further), this is the man who hears the word, and immediately receives it with joy;

v 21… yet he has no firm root in himself (the soil covered up the rocks and wasn’t very deep), but is only temporary, and when affliction or persecution arises because of the word (the truth he has heard), immediately he falls away (stumbles-like the idea found in the “eye of the needle” in Matt 19.24).

v 22… And on the one whom seed was sown among the thorns, this is man who hears the word, and the worry of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word and it becomes unfruitful.

v 23… And the one on whom seed was sown on good ground (which was prepared beforehand by God), this is the man who hears the word and understands it; who indeed bears fruit and brings forth, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty.”

v 24… He presented another parable (midrashic aggadah) to them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field (Yeshua).

v 25… But while men were sleeping (let their guard down) his enemy came and sowed tares (unbelievers) also among the wheat (Satan mixes his word and his servants into God’s to further his efforts to fight God’s kingdom and establish his own) and went away.

v 26… But when the wheat (believers) sprang up and bore grain, then the tares became evident also (you can tell the difference).

v 27… And the slaves of the landowner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?

v 28… And he said to them, ‘An enemy has done this!’ And the slaves said to him, ‘Do you want us, then, to go and gather them up?’

v 29… But he said, ‘No; lest while you are gathering up the tares, you may root up the wheat with them.

v 30… Allow both to grow together until the harvest; and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, ‘First gather up the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them up; but gather the wheat into my barn (the kingdom.. this parable teaches an important concept. The children of Satan and members of his kingdom grow together in the kingdom of God, but there will come a time when they will be cast out and the believer will be alone in the kingdom of God. The Book of Revelation teaches this concept).

v 31… He presented another parable (aggadah) to them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed (starts out small) which a man (Yeshua) took and sowed in his field (Israel)

v 32… and this is smaller than all the other seeds; but when full grown it is larger than the garden plants, and becomes a tree so that all the birds (the other nations) of the air come and nest in its branches (this is similar to Ezek 17.22-24 where a sprig (Messiah) is taken from a cedar and planted on a lofty mountain and all the birds find rest in its branches).

v 33… He spoke another parable (aggadah) to them.  “the kingdom of heaven is like leaven (it has life) which a woman (God is referred to with female imagery all through the Scriptures-Isa 49.15; Matt 23.37 for instance. Ruach ha Kodesh, the Holy Spirit, is feminine in Hebrew, as is “El Shaddai”) took, and hid in three pecks of meal (the heart of a believer-Psa 119.11) until it was all leavened (it had life and spread, the “whole” person was influenced by it).

v 34… All these things Yeshua spoke to the multitudes in parables (aggadot), and he was not talking to them without a parable (in the previous teaching)

v 35… so that what was spoken through the prophet might be fulfilled (given meaning, confirmed), saying, “I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things hidden since the foundation of the world.”

v 36… Then he left the multitudes and went into the house. And his talmidim came to him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field.”

v 37… And he answered and said, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man (Bar Enosh, a messianic title from Dan 7.13),

v 38… and the field is the world; and the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom; and the tares are the sons of the evil one;

v 39… and the enemy who sowed them is the devil, and the harvest is the end of the age; and the reapers are angels.

v 40… Therefore just as the tares are gathered up and burned with fire, so shall it be at the end of the age (at the end of the Olan Ha Zeh, but it can be referring to the end of the age in respect of the kingdom offer. Believers and non-believers were separated and Jerusalem, the Temple and the nation were literally burned with fire).

v 41.. The Son of Man (Bar Enosh, a messianic title from Dan 7.13) will send forth his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom (these parables teach the mixed character of the kingdom) all stumbling blocks (the fallen) and those who commit lawlessness (defined as those who do not follow the Torah= “anomos” or “Torah-lessness”)

v 42… and will cast them into the furnace of fire (God’s judgment); in that place there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth (speaking of the remorse of conscience).

v 43… Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. ]\\ He who has an ear (to perceive doctrinal truth), let him hear (be instructed).

v 44… The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure (the good news and promises of God) hidden in the field (the Torah, Prophets and Writings=Tanak) which a man found (had revealed to him, obtained knowledge of) and hid (in his heart) and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys the field (many gave up worldly possessions and their former lives and aspirations).

v 45… And again the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant (a desperate sinner) seeking pearls (true spiritual knowledge),

v 46… and upon finding one pearl of great value (the basar/gospel through Yeshua); he went and sold all that he had to obtain it (gave up his life in this world).

v 47…Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet (the basar/gospel) cast into the sea (of humanity-Isa 57.20) and gathering fish of every kind (good and evil people co-exist in the kingdom of heaven for a time out of every nation),

v 48… and when it was filled, they drew it up on the beach (the harvest) and they sat down, and gathered the good fish (Kosher/believer) into containers, but the bad (unkosher/unbeliever) they threw away.

v 49… So it will be at the end of the age (this present age, the Olam ha Zeh); the angels shall come forth, and take out the wicked from among the righteous (the wicked are gathered first-Matt 13.30, Matt 24.40-41)

v 50… and will cast them into the furnace of fire (God’s judgment), there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth (consciences are tormented).

v 51… Have you understood all these things?” They said to him, “Yes.”

v 52… And he said to them, “Therefore every scribe (archives the law; a person with knowledge of the scriptures already) who has become a talmid of the kingdom of heaven (his movement; Matt 23.34) is like a head of a household who brings forth out of his treasure (the truth he has stored; he knows of the scriptures hidden in his heart) things new (new and greater insight and truth) and old (old insight and truth).”

v 53…And it came about that when Yeshua had finished these parables (aggadot), he departed from there (Capernaum=”village of the comforter”).

v 54…And coming to his hometown (Nazareth), he began teaching them in their synagogue, so that they became astonished, and said, “Where did this man get this wisdom, and these miraculous powers?

v 55… Is this not the carpenter”s son (“carpenter ” meaning Joseph, whose trade may have a carpenter.  But, this was also an idiom for rabbi, building the house of God)? Is not his mother called Mary (ever wonder why in the Old Testament Moses’ sister was called Miriam, but over in the New Testament Yeshua’s mother had the same name and she is never called Miriam?), and his brothers, James (his name was really Jacob. Calling his name James is an attempt to de-emphasize the Jewishness of these people, just like his mother’s name) and Joseph (Yosef) and Simon (Shimon) and Judas (Yehudah)?

 v 56…And his sisters (according to Epiphanius, a historian, their names were Miriam and Salome), are they not with us (lived in the same town and were well known)? Where than did this man get all these things?

v 57… And they took offense at him (rather than believe him). But Yeshua said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his home town, and in his own household (A teacher is more esteemed among strangers because there is no bias).”

v 58… And he did not do many miracles (he did some) there because of their unbelief.

Posted in Articles, Idioms, Phrases and Concepts, Tying into the New Testament, Verse-by-Verse Bible Studies

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