A. In the first two lessons of this series, we studied the parable of the sower (Matt. 13:1-23) and the parable of the wheat and the tares (Matt. 13:24-30, 36-43).
B. In this lesson, we will go back to Matthew 13 to consider the six shorter parables recorded in this chapter.
II. SHORT PARABLES OF THE KINGDOM FROM MATTHEW 13
A. The parable of the mustard seed describes the growth of the kingdom (Matt. 13:31-32).
1. A mustard seed is about 1/16 of an inch in diameter, but it grows into a plant large enough that birds may nest in its branches.
2. The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed in that it had a very small beginning and grew into a great kingdom.
a. The small beginning of the kingdom was at first one Man, Jesus, and then it was the apostles. On the first day that the apostles began preaching the gospel, there were 3,000 souls added, and many more were added afterwards (Acts 2:41, 47; 4:4; 5:14; 6:1, 7; 8:12; 9:31; 11:21, 26; 12:24; 13:48; 14:1, 21; 16:5; 17:4, 12, 34; 18:8; 19:10, 20).
b. By the time Paul wrote his letter to the Colossians around 60 A.D., the gospel had been "proclaimed in all creation under heaven" (Col. 1:23). Indeed, the word of the gospel is the "seed of the kingdom" (Matt. 13:19), and it has been sowed all over the world so that the kingdom has filled the earth through many believers worldwide.
3. The growth of the kingdom happened just as Daniel foretold, for what began as "a stone...cut without hands" became "a great mountain and filled the whole earth" (Dan. 2:34-35, 44-45).
B. The parable of the leaven illustrates the kingdom's influence (Matt. 13:33).
1. In 1Corinthians 5:6, Paul asked the rhetorical question, "Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough?" This question acknowledges the effectiveness of only a small amount of leaven.
2. The "three pecks" (NASB) or "three measures" of meal is a volume of approximately three gallons. By any measure, this is a large lump of dough.
3. Using the figures of the leaven and the meal, this parable shows how the kingdom starts small but then grows to have a profound and widespread effect on an individual and on the whole world.
a. Notice that the woman hid the leaven in the large lump of dough. Likewise, the kingdom of heaven started with just a small beginning as it was planted in the hearts of a few men by the preaching of the gospel.
b. Just as the leaven eventually leavened the whole lump, so also the leaven of the gospel spread to many hearts and eventually filled the earth. As Christ commanded in the great commission, the gospel has now been preached and disciples have been made in all nations (Matt. 28:18-20; Mark 16:15-16).
c. In the end, only the kingdom of heaven will remain, and the "unleavened" men and kingdoms of men will perish (Dan. 2:44-45; 1Cor. 15:23-28).
C. The parables of the hidden treasure and the pearl of great value describe the value of the kingdom (Matt. 13:44-46).
1. In each of these parables, a man finds an item of great value.
a. In the first parable, a man finds a hidden treasure in a field, and he is overjoyed. Such is the joy of a soul who finds the treasure of the gospel of Christ in the world.
b. In the other parable, a merchant is seeking fine pearls, and he finds an exceptional one. So it is for those who look for the kingdom of heaven according to Christ's words in Matthew 7:7-8:
"Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened."
2. Also in each of these parables, a man sells all that he has to obtain the item he has found.
a. The men in these parables did not own the items they found, so they had to act to obtain these valuable things. This shows that one must make effort to obtain the kingdom of heaven.
b. For the men in these parables, the items they discovered were worth everything they owned and even more. No price was too high to pay for the field with the treasure or the priceless pearl. This complies with Christ's words in Matthew 16:24-26:
"If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?"
D. The parable of the dragnet illustrates the final judgment (Matt. 13:47-50).
1. This parable of the kingdom is about the separation of the good from the bad.
a. A fisherman's dragnet gathers every fish in its path, whether they are good or bad. The dragnet itself is not the emphasis of the parable.
b. The parable's emphasis is on the work of the fishermen who divide the fish from the dragnet's catch. They gather the good fish into containers and throw away the bad fish.
2. Just as the fishermen separate the good fish from the bad fish, so also the angels will separate the righteous from the wicked at the judgment.
a. This parable illustrates the kingdom of heaven because the righteous will have their place in the kingdom while the wicked will have no such place. This is further illustrated by Christ's teachings in Matthew 25:34, 41:
"Then the King will say to those on His right, 'Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world'... Then He will also say to those on His left, 'Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels...'"
b. The place of the wicked will be "the furnace of fire" where "there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." This is the place of eternal destruction and separation from God (2Thess. 1:9).
E. The parable of the head of the household describes the responsibility of the disciples of the kingdom (Matt. 13:51-52).
1. Jesus gave this parable when his disciples stated that they understood all of the other parables recorded in Matthew 13.
a. Earlier, Jesus had told them, "To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven" (v. 11).
b. Rather than teaching the multitudes directly in plain language, Jesus spoke in figurative parables "because while seeing they do not see, and while hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand" (v. 13). However, He said to His disciples, "But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear" (v. 16).
c. Some of the parables in Matthew 13 were spoken to the multitudes (vv. 1-9, 24-35) and some were to the disciples only (vv. 36-53). Regardless, the disciples understood all of His teachings.
2. As disciples who understood the teachings of Jesus, they had the responsibility of being good stewards over this treasure of wisdom.
a. Like "a head of a household, who brings out of his treasure things new and old" (v. 52), the disciples of Jesus were to retain and use His valuable words.
b. In similar language, Paul later wrote concerning the preaching of Christ that "we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves" (2Cor. 4:7).
c. Indeed, the word of God is a treasure that is entrusted to those who receive it and understand it. Disciples of the kingdom of heaven have the responsibility for making good use of this priceless treasure.
III. CONCLUSION
A. All of the parables in Matthew 13 teach important lessons concerning the kingdom of heaven. Taken altogether, they give a broad view of many aspects of God's kingdom.
B. These lessons should motivate anyone to seek the glorious and priceless kingdom of God by conforming to His will.
