God’s Secret Wisdom Shared: Matthew 13:10-23


H
ow do you communicate the good news of Jesus in the middle of a war zone? Where Christ-followers are a small minority, where witnessing is banned and literature censored, where Christ-followers face persecution and are even being martyred? How do you encourage people to consider Jesus where there is repression, censorship, terrorism, fanaticism, informers? And that was just in the 1st Century.

 

How do you lead people to Jesus where there is suspicion and mistrust between the faith communities? When there has been centuries of false teaching about Jesus? Where Christianity is equated with Western imperialism? Where parallels with the Crusades are common? How? Have you ever found yourself speaking with someone who doesn’t understand English? What is our instinctive reaction? Like John Cleese in Fawlty Towers - we speak more loudly. We think if we speak more loudly and more slowly they will understand. Shouting doesn’t make comprehension any easier.  In fact it usually makes things worse. No - you find another way to communicate - if words fail, you try sign language don’t you? You gesticulate. You look for common points of reference, for symbols, like the stick man or woman on a door - very useful when you have a funny tummie…That is what Jesus does here by using parables - by being a parable. And that is how we can best communicate also.

 

These Sunday evenings in May and June we have been considering the Da Vinci Code. What we have discovered is that the secret message of Jesus isn’t found in some lost manuscript found recently in the Egyptian desert. The secret message of Jesus isn’t found in an old Da Vinci painting, or a book by Dan Brown. The secret message of Jesus is not being guarded by some secret society who will release it when all the planets are aligned.

 

The secret message of Jesus is hiding in plain sight, right in the New Testament. The secret is… wait for it…. The Kingdom of God. The kingly rule of God in our lives, in our community, in our world.

 

If you go on to Biblegateway.com and type in ‘kingdom’, you’ll get all the times ‘kingdom of God’ or ‘Kingdom of Heaven’ occurs in the New Testament. Jesus never gives a definition of the kingdom, he instead talks in metaphors: the kingdom of heaven is like a woman who lost coin, an shepherd who lost a sheep, a father who lost a son; the kingdom is like a treasure buried in a field, a pearl of great worth, like seed in a field, yeast in dough, a net in the sea… And even then, he doesn’t much say what the kingdom is, he speaks more about how to enter or join the kingdom, or how to miss it rather than what it looks like when we do enter. Story telling comprised a large part of Jesus ministry. 7% of Mark, 14% of Matthew and 18% of Luke is made up of parables.

 

The word ‘parable’ is derived from two Greek words, para and ballo. Para means “beside,” or “alongside,” and ballo, which is where the English word “ball” originates, means “to throw,” or “to lay down.” A parable is basically when one story is thrown out or lain down beside another story, and the two stories run beside one another. In other words, the two stories are “parallel” to each other. Put simply, a parable is an earthly story with a heavenly meaning.

 

1.      The Context of the Parable (Matthew 13:10-17)

2.      The Meaning of the Parable (Matthew 13:18-23)

3.      The Application of the Parable (Matthew 13:9)

 

1. The Context of the Parable

“The disciples asked, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?” He replied, “The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. This is why I speak to them in parables: “Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand.” (Matthew 13:10-13)

 

What do you read into the detail which Matthew provides of the context of the parables? It depends on your perspective. If you have been wired by God as a pastor, seeing a large crowd will energise you. Like Jesus you’re looking for the nearest boat. If you are a church warden or operations manager, however, you might be counting the available chairs - you are practical. If you are a policeman you might be thinking about crowd control - you anticipate problems before they happen. If you are a media person you will be thinking how to communicate the event. And if you are a despotic ruler you will be worried about subversion. Large crowds mean different things to different people. Remember this is still early in Jesus public ministry and he is attracting large crowds. Jesus spoke in parables for two reasons:

 

1.1 Parable as Effective Communication

Because story is a more effective and memorable means of communicating truth than straight propositions. Let me test you on this. Can you remember the three point outline of any sermon over the past year? Can you remember any illustration? Stories are the most effective and memorable means of communication and the funnier the better. The way Jesus conveyed the truth of the Kingdom is as timely and relevant today as it was then.

Because story telling is transcultural. However, this is not the actual reason Jesus gives for communicating in parables. In answer to the disciples question, Jesus says ‘This is why I speak to them in parables: “Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand.”’ (Matthew 13:13). This is the real reason.

 

1.2 Parable as Appropriate Communication

Story is a more appropriate means of conveying truth in a hostile environment. Jesus had come to die -  but not yet. He would only reveal why he came when the people understood who he was. Here at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, he is therefore very careful not to agitate the crowds or give the authorities an excuse to arrest him. In Matthew 13:11, Jesus says

 

“The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them.” (Matthew 13:11)

 

Now why would Jesus hide the truth? Why not continue to reach out to them? Why not continue to offer grace? Why not teach them in a more clear and direct way? Why use parables? Why?

 

Because the people Jesus speaks to in Matthew 13 are people who have already heard the truth about Jesus and forever rejected it. They are hard. They are unrepentant. They are not interested in anything Jesus has to say.  These are people who have already seen Jesus heal the sick and raise the dead. Matthew 12:24 tells us that these are the people who accuse Jesus of driving out demons by the power of Satan. In Matthew 12:39 Jesus calls these people a wicked and adulterous generation. Do you want to know why Jesus teaches in parables to these people? Why Jesus hides the truth from people who refuse to receive it? Jesus hides the truth because Jesus honors the truth. We need to see something Jesus said earlier in this book. Look with me at Matthew 7:6. Listen carefully to what Jesus says. Jesus says,

 

“Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces.” (Matthew 7:6)


Here’s something we must remember. The good news of Jesus Christ is precious. There is nothing of greater value in all creation. In Christ we find all the fullness and glory of God. In Christ God held nothing back. Jesus died our death. He paid our penalty.

In Christ God loves us with unconditional love. In Christ God receives us when we deserve to be rejected. He forgives us when we deserved to be condemned. In Christ, God gives us heaven when we deserve hell. In Christ we find freedom and peace and joy. In Christ, God gave Himself up for the sake of wicked people like me and like you. There is no greater truth than the truth about Jesus. It’s sacred truth. And God will not let the cross of Christ be profaned by people forever. For those who mock, the day of grace is always followed by a day of judgment. This explains why Jesus quotes from Isaiah 6. Isaiah had encountered a similarly hostile reception when delivering God’s message. God longs for people to turn and be forgiven. He is not willing that any should perish.
But some people are resistant. They do not want another god in their lives. This then is the second reason Jesus spoke in parables. Not just the most effective method but also the most appropriate method.  Put simply, people who don’t get it won’t get it, and the people that do, will. In fact, this particular parable itself is all about who will receive the message of the kingdom, and who won’t get it at all. “Its purpose was to reveal just enough truth to raise intense curiosity, promising more if listeners went along, but also concealing enough of the truth that the complacent could walk away uninspired.”  Jesus says,

 

“For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.” (Matthew 13:12)

 

Jesus means that whoever desires to understand, will come to an understanding, and whoever does not have that desire will fall farther from the truth. Jesus does not restrict people from understanding his parables; they prohibit themselves.
So parables both reveal and conceal, and they do both at the same time to the same audience. Parables are therefore both the most effective means but also most appropriate means of conveying truth in a skeptical and hostile environment.  

The context for the parable. Lets now examine:

 

2. The Meaning of the Parable

“Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown along the path. The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away. The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful. But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.” (Matthew 13:18-23)

 

Somebody once said, "This parable doesn't really need explanation, just application." The sower is clearly God. The seed is the word of God - the scriptures. The seed is cast everywhere. These do not vary. It is the type of soil on which the seed falls that determines whether the seed bears fruit.

 

2.1 The Hard Path: Not Understanding the Good News of Jesus

How often have you been listening to someone and yet you haven't heard a word they said? You can tell when someone is doing it to you. Their eyes glaze over, they focus on some distant object as if they are looking right through you. They are miles away.  Jesus said "hearing they hear not". We would say it went in one ear and came out the other without passing through the brain. They hear the message but they are hard on the surface. It washes off. It cannot penetrate.  What makes people hard? Things like cynicism, indifference and pride act like asphalt or concrete and the good news just bounces off.  Our drive way is made of asphalt. Its hard and the seeds that fall on it get washed away.  But if you take a look at it sometime you’ll notice the asphalt is actually breaking up.  Seeds that fall on it may not be able to get through, but amazingly some seeds already in the soil below are breaking through.  Its incredible to see the power of a seed, a plant, a root able to break through even asphalt.  So don’t be discouraged. The Hard Path represent those who do not understand about Jesus.  They may be hardened to the good news of Jesus but through you, through your loving witness and your prayers, God’s power can break through misunderstanding, it can crack open pride and soften indifference.

I know, because Jesus did for me.  The hard ground.

 

2.2 The Stony Ground : A Shallow Understanding of Jesus

These are the impressionable ones who hear the word and have an instant and positive response. They join all the groups, buy all the books, come to all the courses. A great beginning but no finish. Shallowness. When the heat of adversity comes along they wither. The problem here is the lack of depth to enable roots to grow down deep and draw up nourishment. How can we avoid shallowness in our lives? Some people think that Sunday School is just for children. That shows shallow thinking. One of the primary reasons we come together on Sundays is to learn from God. Our worship of God and prayers to God are a response to what God says to us in Scripture. We meet to put our roots down into the Scriptures and learn how to draw strength from Jesus so that we become mature. Let me ask you, are you reading the bible daily? Hearting a few verses each Sunday are not enough. Are you in a bible study group? Hearing a sermon once a week is not enough. The word ‘Disciple’ actually means a learner.  How do you feel about making notes during the sermon? I’d rather you do that than fall asleep.  What ever will help you become a workman who can accurately handle the word of truth - do it.  We also learn from God through the school of life. At Sunday school, Monday school, Tuesday school... Life is an exciting adventure learning from Jesus every day. One of the best prayers to pray is “Lord, teach me new things today.”  The Hard Path stands for those who do not understand the good news about Jesus but are deceived.  The Stony Path, stands for those with a shallow faith that easily dries up in adversity. Don’t be content with a shallow faith, see Christ Church as a family, a place for learning and friendship.

 

2.3 The Thorny Ground : Choked by Worries and Distractions 

Then there are the people who hear the word gladly. They are sincere, and they make a solid beginning in the life of faith. God begins to bless them. They have children, grandchildren. They succeed in their jobs, promotion brings a pay rise but also additional responsibilities. They must be away more often. There’s the second home to keep up, the club membership privileges to take up. And the first thing you know, these good things begin to choke out their primary commitment, their first love for Jesus.  You cannot serve God and money said Jesus.  (Phil’s Samsung boss illustration). You made the right choice to be here this evening. Can you think of weeds that grow in our lives? Jealousy is one, greed is another. Worry is another. 

 

The Hard Path, an indifferent faith that's easily deceived.

The Stony Path, a shallow faith that quickly dries up.

The Thorny Path, a cluttered faith that's become choked.

 

2.4 The Good Soil : Bearing Much Fruit 

What a difference when seed is sown on good soil!

What a difference hearing and understanding God's word makes. The Bible is the word of God. It is the seed Jesus is talking about here.  When we share the word of God we can trust that people will come to faith in Jesus. (Sheik called Mohomed in Egypt). People will only come to faith in Jesus Christ as the Scriptures about Him are proclaimed:

 

‘"Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?... "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news! … Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.’ (Romans 10:13-17)

 

‘For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.’ (1 Peter 1:23)

 

It is our privilege to be the sowers of God’s seed in God’s field here in VW and beyond. We’ve looked at the The Context of the Parable. The Meaning of the Parable

 

3. The Application of the Parable

“Whoever has ears, let them hear”’ (Matthew 13:9) Each one of us is somewhere in God’s field. What kind of soil do you identify with? Are you hard soil? Do you dismiss God’s Word without consideration? Are you rocky soil? Do you profess faith in Jesus only to turn away when things get rough? Are you crowded soil? Just too busy for Jesus? Too worried? Too materialistic? Or are you good soil? Are you producing fruit? It’s not too late to change. It’s not too late to repent. But one day it will be.
Don’t let that day come for you. Listen and believe. Today is the day of salvation. Today is the day to put your trust in Christ.

He died on the cross and paid the penalty for all your sins. He rose from the grave and lives today to be your Lord and your Saviour. Trust Him and he will save you from your sin. Seek Him and He will not hide His truth from you. Lets pray.

 

Sources include inspirational sermon material of Mike Wilkins, Damian Phillips, Joel Pankow, William Mouser, Dean Shriver from www.sermoncentral.com