THE GOSPELS: LESSON 39:

JESUS TEACHES IN PARABLES, PART THREE

TEXT: MATT. 13: 44 - 53; MARK 4: 21 - 29; LUKE 8: 16 - 18

WE WILL LOOK AT THE ACCOUNTS IN MATTHEW AND MARK.

MATT. 13: 44 - 53. MORE PARABLES OF THE KINGDOM

(Parables of the gospel message)

Verse 44: “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field . . .”

          What is the treasure in this parable? The riches of God’s truth which leads men to salvation.

The field? That which contains the treasure – the scriptures. This parable is about the joy of finding the truth of Christ’s message. Any cost is not too dear to purchase this truth that you may be saved. For the sacred treasure of God’s Word and the message of salvation, men have given up wealth, power, and even their lives.

          In what sense is the treasure (message of salvation) hidden? It was certainly hidden to the Jews of Jesus day, and that was what Jesus had come to reveal to them! It is hidden to those who will not take time to seek salvation. It is hidden to those whose minds are blinded to the truth by their lust and corruption. This parable is about the VALUE of the gospel message – the greatest treasure any person may find in his lifetime.

Verses 45, 46: “. . . the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls . . .”

          We call this parable the parable of the Pearl of Great Price.

          How is the merchant of this parable different from the man of the last parable? The merchant was actively seeking pearls. The man in the last parable just happened upon the treasure in the field.

          The merchant is one who actively seeks salvation. The Pearl of Great Price is the truth of salvation he finds in the gospel message. This parable is about the value of God’s Word and the message of salvation it contains. When we count our blessings, surely one of the greatest is the message of salvation Christ delivered to this lost and dying world.

Verses 47 - 50: “. . . the kingdom of heaven is like a net which was thrown into the sea . . .”

          This parable compares the preaching of the gospel to a great net in which a fisherman caught fish. Most fishermen seek one type of fish to the exclusion of all others, but this net gathers fish of EVERY kind. As Jesus told his disciples before his ascension to heaven,

“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age.” (Matt. 28: 19, 20) The Kingdom of God will include men and women of every race and tribe under heaven.

          But there is more to this parable. Like the parable of the Sower, this one makes it clear that not just good men respond to the gospel message. Good fish are kept and bad fish are thrown away. Even in the church there will be good and bad ones. This is what Paul warned the Ephesian elders in Acts 20: 28 - 30.

Take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God which he obtained with the blood of his own Son. I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves will arise men speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them.

          At the last judgement, the angels of God will escort these “pretend Christians” to hell. They did not value the gospel message as did the men in the parables of the treasure and the pearl.

Verses 51 - 53: “Have you understood all this?” Parable of a householder (master of the house).

          Jesus’ disciples understood these parables. (Maybe after he had explained them. See Mark 4: 33.) The disciples are the scribes of the parable (see Matt. 23: 24) – not the bad scribes Jesus so often railed against, but good scribes – good keepers of God’s Word.

          Jesus compares the disciples – ones who had been trained for the kingdom of heaven – to a master of a household who brings out of his wealth (his saved goods) things both old and new. That is, those who are teachers and elders of the church are to draw out of the storehouse of scripture things both new and old. Every good teacher of scripture uses old concepts to teach new insights. We can also think of this in the sense that we use not just the New Testament to teach Jesus, but also the Old Testament.

For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that by steadfastness and by the encouragement of the scriptures we might have hope. Romans 15: 4. From their experiences as Jews and as Christians, the apostles would bring forth lessons to bring the lost world to Christ.

MARK 4: 21 - 29. BE CAREFUL HOW YOU HEAR THE PARABLES

Verses 21 - 23: “Is a lamp brought in to be put under a bushel, or under a bed, and not on a stand?”

          This little parable of the lamp is about how Jesus preached the gospel message. He didn’t hide it. All things were done and taught in plain sight; often in the presence of thousands of eager listeners. The gospel message should always be presented open and plain for all to hear and understand. But, the message of the gospel isn’t always obvious, especially to the worldly minded, “If any man has ears to hear, let him hear.”

          The cults, the Catholics, and many other so-called Christian groups have failed to heed this parable. We don’t need priests or “enlightened ones” or Bible Codes to understand Jesus’ message of salvation. NO! He has lighted the lamp of truth and placed it on a lampstand, NOT under a bushel basket.

Verses 24, 25: “Take heed what you hear . . .”

          The word “what” can also mean “who.” So, be care ful to listen to JESUS (not the false teachers)and then APPLY his teachings to your life. If you do this then you will increase in spiritual understanding, which you can then share with others. If you fail to PAY ATTENTION to the scriptures, then what little spiritual understanding you have will wither away and die, and you will lose your salvation. Isn’t this the same injunction which Paul made to the young evangelist Timothy?

Study to show yourself to God as one approved, a workman who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. II Tim. 2: 15 Why study God’s Word? Because,

All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. II Tim. 3: 16, 17

Verses 26 - 29: “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed upon the ground . . .”

          This is the other parable of the Sower. It deals with preaching the gospel.

Verse 26: The seed is the gospel - the message of salvation preached in accordance with God’s Holy Word. The man is not Christ, for Christ does not sleep (verse 27). The man is anyone who teaches the true gospel to others.

Verse 27: Each day goes by and eventually the preacher (or teacher) sees that his seeds of truth have sprouted. These hearers grow not by the sower’s power, but by God’s. (See I Cor 3: 6, 7.)

Verse 28: This shows how gradually the Word of God often works in a person’s heart and mind. Like a plant growing, it is steady and sure, but not often sudden.

Verse 29: This is NOT the harvest of souls at the end of time as mentioned in the parable of the Tares and Wheat and the parable of the Net and the Fishes. This harvest represents the bringing in of mature hearers into the fold of God. The “he” mentioned here is the same one who preached the gospel in verse 26. No man brings souls in for judgement. That job is consigned to Christ and his Holy Angels. In what sense then does a preacher “harvest” souls? When a person hears true preaching, they start to change inside. Each new hearing changes them more. Finally, after hearing the Gospel several times, an honest man or woman will come to Christ to be saved. Then the soul can be added to God’s kingdom. This is the “harvest” spoken of in THIS parable.

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