The hard heart The emotional heart The worldly heart The Christian heart Matthew 13 Free - Not For Sale Living Giving Ministry
Introduction Many people find Matthew 13 confusing. This book is a commentary to help people understand what Jesus is teaching. Please use this book as a verse by verse overview and aid. Also, please dig deeper than just this book. Text ESV Matthew 13 That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. 2 And great crowds gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat down. And the whole crowd stood on the beach. 3 And he told them many things in parables, saying: A sower went out to sow. 4 And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. 5 Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, 6 but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away. 7 Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. 2
8 Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. 9 He who has ears, let him hear. The Purpose of the Parables 10 Then the disciples came and said to him, Why do you speak to them in parables? 11 And he answered them, To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. 12 For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. 13 This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. 14 Indeed, in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says: You will indeed hear but never understand, and you will indeed see but never perceive. 15 For this people's heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them. 16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. 3
17 For truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it. The Parable of the Sower Explained 18 Hear then the parable of the sower: 19 When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path. 20 As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, 21 yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away. 22 As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. 23 As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty. The Parable of the Weeds 24 He put another parable before them, saying, The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, 4
25 but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. 26 So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also. 27 And the servants of the master of the house came and said to him, Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds? 28 He said to them, An enemy has done this. So the servants said to him, Then do you want us to go and gather them? 29 But he said, No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn. The Mustard Seed and the Leaven 31 He put another parable before them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. 32 It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches. 33 He told them another parable. The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all leavened. 5
Prophecy and Parables 34 All these things Jesus said to the crowds in parables; indeed, he said nothing to them without a parable. 35 This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet: I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter what has been hidden since the foundation of the world. The Parable of the Weeds Explained 36 Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples came to him, saying, Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field. 37 He answered, The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. 38 The field is the world, and the good seed is the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, 39 and the enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. 40 Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. 41 The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers, 42 and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear. 6
The Parable of the Hidden Treasure 44 The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. The Parable of the Pearl of Great Value 45 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, 46 who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it. The Parable of the Net 47 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind. 48 When it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into containers but threw away the bad. 49 So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous 50 and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. New and Old Treasures 51 Have you understood all these things? They said to him, Yes. 52 And he said to them, Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house, who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old. 7
Jesus Rejected at Nazareth 53 And when Jesus had finished these parables, he went away from there, 54 and coming to his hometown he taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished, and said, Where did this man get this wisdom and these mighty works? 55 Is not this the carpenter's son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? 56 And are not all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things? 57 And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and in his own household. 58 And he did not do many mighty works there, because of their unbelief. Key words in this text we will examine: 4 different soils (types of people) Weeds (non-christians) Wheat (Christians) Harvest (separating Christians from non-christians) Mustard seed (Jesus and His kingdom) Leaven (Jesus working in a Christians) Reapers (angels) 8
Setting The setting in Matthew 13 is by the Sea of Galilee, a freshwater lake in Israel. 1. A boat in the Sea of Galilee was a good place for Jesus to speak from because the large crowds could not mob Him. 2. The sea had a cove that served as an amphitheater echoing His words without a sound system like we use today. Jesus spoke in parables (stories) to the people because the people had such hard hearts, He explained the parables only to His disciples. The disciples that longed to know Jesus were the only ones given the ability to understand the parables. Many people think Jesus spoke in parables so people would understand easier, however, that was the opposite reason for the parables. 10 Then the disciples came and said to him, Why do you speak to them in parables? 11 And he answered them, To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. 34 All these things Jesus said to the crowds in parables; indeed, he said nothing to them without a parable. 35 This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet: I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter what has been hidden since the foundation of the world. He was putting into practice Matthew 7:6 Do not cast pearls before swine... 9
The Soils Jesus is talking about salvation and comparing the four types of soils to the four types of people s hearts. 1. We see the seed of the gospel that falls on a hard path, as in Ephesians 4:18 They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. 2. We see the seed of the gospel that falls on rocky ground, as in John 2:23-25 Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many believed in his name when they saw the signs that he was doing. 24 But Jesus on his part did not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people 25 and needed no one to bear witness about man, for he himself knew what was in man. It was only the miracles getting their attention not Jesus. 3. We see the seed of the gospel that fell among thorns, as with the many disciples that left Jesus in John 6:66 After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him. 4. We see the seed of the gospel that fell on good soil, as with the centurion in Matthew 8:10 When Jesus heard this, he marveled and said to those who followed him, Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith. 10
Explanation to the Disciples Verses 10-23 While God is showing us there are 4 types of soil, He is not asking us to judge people as all types of people can eventually come to Christ. Use this as a guide and understanding of men s hearts. 1. Hard soil: The gospel that falls on the hard path is a person with a hard heart and no interest in Jesus. Satan immediately steals the gospel that they just heard. We have all seen this. You share the gospel with someone and they want nothing to do with it. Maybe they even make fun of it and curse Jesus name. 2. Rocky soil: This is the gospel shared with people that get all excited about Jesus but after a short time they walk away from Him. It is short lived because they never truly came to Jesus. You may see this at youth camps, concerts or any situation where someone gets really excited about the grace of Jesus but soon it wears off and they are nowhere to be found. It s like they entered the race and then disappeared. Jesus is not talking about losing salvation; He is saying they never truly had Him to start with. 3. Thorny soil: This is the gospel that falls among thorns and when hard times come or worldly treasures entice them they decide Jesus is not worth it, showing their repentance was not real. 11
People come to Jesus but if they are made fun of or persecuted, they decide they don t really want Him. Another form could be a person who comes to Jesus but if He doesn t fix their problems, they say, Jesus is not for me. A common statement is: I gave Jesus a try. A person doesn t come to Jesus saying, I ll give him a try. A person comes to Jesus saying, I want Jesus more than anything. The text states the man sold all he had to buy the field. He put everything into getting Jesus. He was not looking for anything else. He just wanted Jesus. V.44-46 4. Good soil: This is the gospel that was planted in a heart truly wanting Jesus. Not to be a fan of Jesus but a true follower who is obedient to Jesus. Not to do good works but to obey Jesus because they love Him. Doing good works is not the same as being obedient because we love Jesus. Good works is a man-made way of saying, I m a Christian. Obedience to Jesus (which does involve good works) is different. Obedience is because we love Jesus and He is working in us so that we are able do good works for His glory, not ours. This soil produces results for Jesus, some more than others, but it does produce results for the kingdom. It doesn t say a Christian has to lead a certain number of people to Christ, but we must share the gospel and eventually it will produce fruit. John 4:37-38 For here the saying holds true, One sows and another reaps. 38 I sent you to reap that for which 12
you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor. Now it is not saying some are exempt from sharing the gospel. Christians all share the gospel in different ways with different results. You may bring someone to Christ that someone else shared the gospel with years ago. We may not know this side of heaven what truly happened. The Parable of the Wheat and Weeds Verses 24-30 In this parable we see that Jesus has planted good seed in the world. Some explain this as wheat and weeds in the church. However, it is much more than that, as we see in verse 38. 38 The field is the world, and the good seed is the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, It very clearly states that the field is the world. While Jesus has sown good seed all around the world, Satan has sown weeds. Both the wheat and the weeds grow together in the world. The wheat represents people that come to Jesus (Christians). The weeds are people that reject Jesus and follow the things of the world (non-christians). This is a worldwide explanation and, sadly, we also have weeds in the church today. It is not limited to the church however, as it is a worldwide condition. 13
The Harvest The harvest takes place at the end of the world when Jesus returns. 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9. Mustard Seed 31 He put another parable before them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. 32 It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches. No one ever expected the kingdom of heaven to start so small. They expected an immediate kingdom, more than likely created through war. But Jesus came like a mustard seed, the smallest seed of the entire garden, and birds from all around the world have nested in this tree. The gospel cannot be contained. Even today as we read this people (birds) from around the world are coming to Jesus. Kings cannot stop it Dictators cannot stop it Politicians cannot stop it Sinners cannot stop it Atheists cannot stop it Laws cannot stop it Demons cannot stop it Satan himself cannot stop it. 14
Jesus kingdom is growing and it all started with a baby in a manger, the smallest seed. Leaven 33 He told them another parable. The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all leavened. Here are two definitions of leaven: 1. A substance, typically yeast, that is added to dough to make it ferment and rise. 2. A pervasive influence that modifies something or transforms it for the better. While in other parts of the Bible leaven is used as a negative explanation, here it is used as a positive. It shows that when you put the kingdom of heaven in something (our hearts) it starts to rise and transforms us to be like Jesus, making the kingdom of God rise and grow in the world. The Reapers So who harvests the wheat and weeds? Angels. 41 The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers 15
The Weeds Non-Christians 30 Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, The weeds (unsaved) are gathered first by angels and thrown into hell. The Wheat is Gathered Christians 30 (continued) but gather the wheat into my barn. Barn means heaven. The Treasure and the Pearl is Finding Jesus 44-46 The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. 45 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, 46 who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it A person finds Jesus when their eyes are opened to His grace and love and they want His grace and love more than anything. 16
Now He makes an even more important statement. 52 And he said to them, Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house, who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old. Every scribe that has been trained understands the Old Testament prophecies and promises and how they apply to the New Testament. They are not to be separated, the Old Testament and New Testament are one leading into the other. They are one continuous plan that started in Genesis and ends in Revelation. A pastor that understands should be able to look at the Old Testament and see how it relates to the New Testament. A pastor should not just preach and live the New Testament because it is tied to the Old Testament. They are one in the same, bringing God s word to fulfillment. Jesus rejected 53 And when Jesus had finished these parables, he went away from there, 54 and coming to his hometown he taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished, and said, Where did this man get this wisdom and these mighty works? 55 Is not this the carpenter's son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? 17
56 And are not all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things? 57 And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and in his own household. 58 And he did not do many mighty works there, because of their unbelief. Rather than listen to Jesus after being astonished by His teachings (verse 54) they tried to make it seem like He was a nobody from their town. We see many people in the world today trying to make Jesus sound like a nobody that never existed or never existed as God. The attitude is the same. The good news is good to those that accept it but it is very bad news to those that reject it. This is what causes the anger in those that reject Jesus. For this reason Jesus did not do many miracles there because of their unbelief. There comes a time when the miracles stop because of a person s unbelief. The miracles that were performed become a judgment against those that refuse Jesus. How do we know that? Let s look at Matthew 11:20-24. 20 Then he began to denounce the cities where most of his mighty works had been done, because they did not repent. 21 Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. 22 But I tell you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for you. 23 And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? You will be brought down to Hades. For if the mighty works done in 18
you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. 24 But I tell you that it will be more tolerable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom than for you. We see that God has much greater expectations of those who see His mighty works than those who did not. A little side note: Chorazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum were all Jewish cities and Tyre, Sidon and Sodom were all gentile cities. Back then the biggest insult you could give a Jew was to compare them unfavorably with a Gentile. So to say the evil gentile cities would have repented and become better people of God than Jewish cities if He had done so many great works with them was the biggest curse/insult God could give a Jewish city. The lesson: the more God does to reveal himself to someone the more responsibility that person has on judgment day. We also see in Verse 24 that the punishment in hell seems to be worse for them. 19
In closing How can we as Christians put this text to work in our lives? There are many ways. This list is a start and you can add more as God reveals ways to you. Share the Good News of Jesus Pray for people to hear and respond Fast Be obedient to God Be humble Be a testimony Be loving Be brave Be caring Never judge what kind of soil a person is but, like the disciples, be advised that there are four types of people. While not everyone will come to Jesus this does not change our calling to spread the gospel to everyone. You and I can only do these things through the power of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is already in the Christian. We need to ask Him to work in us so that we are people filled with the Holy Spirit. We need to allow the Holy Spirit s power to be unleashed in us and we will see the results of sharing the gospel. 20