Matthew 13:1-3
1 That day Jesus went
out of the house and was sitting by the sea.
2 And large crowds
gathered to Him, so He got into a boat and sat down, and the whole crowd was
standing on the beach.
3 And He spoke many
things to them in parables, saying, …
This is the same day that Jesus healed the demon possessed man, and the Pharisees had credited the work to Satan. The nation has rejected Jesus as their promised Messiah and He has rejected the nation as being evil and adulterous.
The crowds now were now so huge that He had to get into a
boat to get a little space to teach.
Notice now He doesn’t talk about the
We’ll look at this parable a bit later, but first notice the reaction of the disciples. They noticed that He had changed His teaching style:
Matthew 13:10-13
10 And the disciples
came and said to Him, "Why do You speak to them
in parables?"
11 Jesus answered
them, "To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of
heaven, but to them it has not been granted.
Mysteries is the Greek word
MUSTERION, and it refers to something not previously disclosed. Think of it like things you learn after you
join a fraternity. These mysteries were
referring to truth that had not been revealed in the Old Testament
scriptures. Jesus is no longer talking
about the promised
12 "For whoever
has, (faith in the Son of God) to him more (truth) shall be given, and
he will have an abundance; but whoever does not have, (faith) even what he has
shall be taken away from him. (the teachings and presence of Jesus Christ)
Since they did not have faith in Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God, then they were not able to understand the truth that He taught. Paul brings out this same principle:
1 Corinthians 2:7-8
7 but we speak God's
wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God predestined before the ages to
our glory;
8 the wisdom which
none of the rulers of this age has understood; for if they had understood it
they would not have crucified the Lord of glory;
Back in Matthew 13:
13 "Therefore I
speak to them in parables; because while seeing they do not see, and while
hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.
Spiritual truth is reserved for those who believe in Jesus Christ:
1 Corinthians 2:14
14 But a natural man
does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to
him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.
That’s why He spoke in parables! For believers, it taught a spiritual principle. For unbelievers, it was foolishness. Imagine the Pharisees, listening, wondering “what is He talking about seeds and farming for?!”
Next time we’ll get into the actual parable He teaches.