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Dave Burnette's Commentary

Matthew Chapter 13
 

Written By: God through Inspiration
Penned By: Matthew (Levi)
Date Penned: (60-65 AD)
Overview: Jesus Christ the King (c 1-28)
Theme: Message and Ministry of Jesus, The King (c 4-25)
Message: Jesus Finishes Teaching about the Kingdom (v 1-50)

Matthew 13 Commentary
   
(13:1-9)  Jesus Tells the Parable of the Four Soils - Jesus left the synagogue and began to teach outdoors. He left those opposed to him and reached out to the responsive people. Jesus had already made unmistakable claims about his true identity, and there was increasing division between those who accepted and those who rejected. The religious leaders had already decided that Jesus was not the Messiah. Jesus began teaching a series of parables about the Kingdom of Heaven. These “parables” hid the truth from those who had their minds made up, having already chosen to reject Jesus. Those who truly wanted to know Jesus and listened carefully would understand his words.

(13:10-23) Jesus Explains the Parable of the Four Soils - 
When speaking in parables, Jesus was not hiding truth from sincere seekers, because those who were receptive to spiritual truth understood the illustrations. To others, they were only stories without meaning. Jesus purposely spoke in parables to weed out the halfhearted and curiosity-seekers from the true seekers. His words, like the farmer’s seed, fell on various types of hearts. Those who truly heard and understood would become his followers.


(13:24-30) Jesus Tells the Parable of the Weeds - While the Kingdom message is being sown, it faces a variety of different receptions. Some may have thought that the inauguration of the Messiah’s Kingdom would be accompanied by cataclysmic events. That did not seem to be happening with Jesus. In the Jewish mind, the coming of the Messiah signaled the coming of God’s promised Kingdom. Jesus stated that the Messiah had arrived with his Kingdom, but the fulfillment of the Messianic Kingdom would be delayed until he comes a second time. What, then, is the Kingdom of Heaven like? The parables in this chapter answer this question.

(13:31-32) Jesus Tells the Parable of the Mustard Seed - No one parable can completely describe God’s Kingdom in all its aspects, so Jesus gave several. Through this parable, Jesus explained that his Kingdom would have a small beginning. Indeed, it began with Jesus alone and, upon his ascension, was left in the care of twelve apostles and just a few hundred other followers.

(13:33-35) Jesus Tells the Parable of the Yeast - Like the parable of the mustard seed, this parable stresses small beginnings with great growth. Yeast permeates and transforms; thus, we see another aspect of the Kingdom.

(13:36-43) Jesus Explains the Parable of the Weeds - The young weeds and the young blades of wheat look the same and can’t be distinguished until they are grown and ready for harvest. Weeds (unbelievers) and wheat (believers) must live side by side in the world. God allows unbelievers to remain for a while, just as a farmer allows weeds to remain in his field so that the surrounding wheat won’t be uprooted with them. At the harvest, however, the weeds will be thrown away.

(13:44) Jesus Tells the Parable of the Hidden Treasure - The parable of the hidden treasure and the parable of the pearl merchant (13:45-46) form a pair and belong together. They teach the inestimable value of the Kingdom.

(13:45-46) Jesus Tells the Parable of the Pearl Merchant - This parable and the previous parable of the hidden treasure (13:44) are a pair and should be studied together (as noted by the word “again” in verse 45).

(13:47-52) Jesus Tells the Parable of the Fishing Net - The parable of the fishing net deals with the dividing of people much as the parable of the wheat and weeds does.

(13:53-58) The People of Nazareth Refuse to Believe - Jesus had been born in Bethlehem, but he had been reared in Nazareth (Matthew 2:19-23; Luke 2:39-40). This was not the first time he had spoken and taught in Nazareth (Luke 4:14-30).


Dave Burnette's Life Application

A Good Heart

Each day we walk through the Bible chapter by chapter making an application of our text to help us grow in the Lord. Many applications can be made from each day's text. Today we continue in the book of Matthew with Chapter 13. In our text today we see parables of the sower to show us how God's Word is received by us and how some will allow it to root up in their heart while others will not receive as the enemy tries to steal the Word before it takes root. In making application we see that our hearts are to be like "good soil" ready to listen and heed the Word of God so that it will take root producing fruit in our lives. How about you? Is your heart receptive to the Word of God? Let us learn from our text today and the parables of Jesus to see that we need to have our hearts tender and receptive to the Word of God that it may take root and produce fruit. 

 

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Matthew 13

Matthew 13

 1The same day went Jesus out of the house, and sat by the sea side.

 2And great multitudes were gathered together unto him, so that he went into a ship, and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore.

 3And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow;

 4And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up:

 5Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth:

 6And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away.

 7And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them:

 8But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold.

 9Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.

 10And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables?

 11He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.

 12For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.

 13Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.

 14And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:

 15For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.

 16But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.

 17For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.

 18Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower.

 19When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side.

 20But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it;

 21Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended.

 22He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.

 23But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.

 24Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field:

 25But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way.

 26But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also.

 27So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares?

 28He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up?

 29But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them.

 30Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.

 31Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field:

 32Which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof.

 33Another parable spake he unto them; The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.

 34All these things spake Jesus unto the multitude in parables; and without a parable spake he not unto them:

 35That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world.

 36Then Jesus sent the multitude away, and went into the house: and his disciples came unto him, saying, Declare unto us the parable of the tares of the field.

 37He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man;

 38The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one;

 39The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels.

 40As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world.

 41The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity;

 42And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.

 43Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.

 44Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.

 45Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls:

 46Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.

 47Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind:

 48Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away.

 49So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just,

 50And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.

 51Jesus saith unto them, Have ye understood all these things? They say unto him, Yea, Lord.

 52Then said he unto them, Therefore every scribe which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old.

 53And it came to pass, that when Jesus had finished these parables, he departed thence.

 54And when he was come into his own country, he taught them in their synagogue, insomuch that they were astonished, and said, Whence hath this man this wisdom, and these mighty works?

 55Is not this the carpenter's son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas?

 56And his sisters, are they not all with us? Whence then hath this man all these things?

 57And they were offended in him. But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house.

 58And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief.