Matthew 13:10-17 December 19, 2021 PM.
The people of Israel rejected their king, that is, Jesus Christ. The Lord turns His attention in another direction. The Disciples were mystified by how Jesus taught in Parables. Jesus' parables reveals truth about the kingdom and at the same time it hides that truth from unbelievers. Parables are revealed to believers as a blessing, while parables to unbelievers are a judgement against them. The truth content revealed in the parables has to do with the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven. There is a general principle given in v. 12 that we must take heed to: the person who has will be given more; and the person who
does not have will lose even what he does have. The "thing"
which is possessed is knowledge about the mysteries of the
kingdom of heaven. The implications of this statement are huge. If you believe and thus "have" a certain amount of God's revelation, that
knowledge can increase. It will not stay static. And this is what
you should want. Believe what God has given you and you will
receive more. If you want more, do something with what you
have already! If you ignore it, how do you expect God to "care"
to give you more? If you do not believe and thus do not "have" much or any revelation, then even that information and its positive effects
will degrade and become less and less. You might be an
unbeliever with some biblical literacy but no application. But
even that literacy will do you less and less good. Coming at this
from another angle, recognize that depravity is not static.
People get worse over time as they do not heed God's word. The principle of divine judgment, v. 13-15. Matthew records Jesus
here speaking of the people of His generation using words found in
Isaiah 6:9-10 about that generation. That was not a predictive
prophecy, but Matthew loosely refers to it as a prophecy in that
the idea is analogous or "translates" to the current situation. The principle of divine blessing, v. 16-17. If you can see and hear
(understand) the things Jesus says, you are blessed. Never forget
that. That blessing is not worked up from inside, but is given from
outside. This blessing is remarkable because many holy men of old
desired to see and hear what we see and hear, but could not
because of their placement in the chronology of world history and
divine revelation. You have the privilege to know revelation from
God that Abraham did not, that Moses did not; that David did not;
that Isaiah and Jeremiah and Ezekiel did not; that Daniel did not!
Think of it…and then remember the responsibility that it brings.
G. We have discussed reasons for the parables in general. Now I want
you to notice Mark 4:13. It indicates that a basic grasp of the
parable of the sower is the starting point for understanding the
other parables used in our Lord’s teaching. So this “first” parable
has a kind of "eye opening" function. It is a gateway, by
understanding it, to all the other parables. This is because it is a
very basic, entry-level lesson. It is not a secret key, but a
foundation upon which to build. By understanding and applying
this parable, you will demonstrate a basic grasp of the things of
God that indicates regeneration.
Our Scripture reading was found in 1 Chronicles 22:1-19.
