Sunday Morning Service

Matthew 13:24-43 (Click title for audio access)

"It's Starting To Make Sense" • 9.12.10 • Sunday Morning Service, Calvary Christian Fellowship

Intro.

- The parable of the sower explains for us the nature of sharing the gospel, which is the message of the Kingdom and the results that we can expect.

- When the message is shared, 25% of the seed falls on good ground, while the remaining 75% is lost, all of which is based on the hearts of those who are receiving the Word.

- This brings us into the next logical subject: What hope is there in building this Kingdom? With results like that, how will it ever succeed?

- I can imagine what the disciples were thinking: This is hopeless!

- Jesus gives out three parables that will help to explain the nature of the Kingdom in the parable of the tares, the mustard seed and the leaven.

Text

• Matthew 13:24,25 : "Another parable He put forth to them, saying: 'The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way." : This man sowed good seed in his field. This good seed is wheat, profitable for resale and his own food. He has been busy at work. Unfortunately, He is not the only one.

- The men who worked the field slept after working the fields all day. During their slumber the enemy of the owner sowed tares among the wheat.

- This was actually common enough to actually require a Roman law in this day.

- In more modern times, people in India have been known to say to one another, "I will sow bad seed in your field" as a colloquial threat!

- It's hard to believe, but there were people who purposely sabotaged other people's fields, in order to ruin them.

- This enemy sowed a type of weed that are here called "tares," but have also been called "darnel" weeds.

- These weeds resemble wheat but upon closer examination, one would see black markings instead of the pure gold color of the wheat as it grew.

- During the growth process, even a very skilled farmer would have a difficult time discerning the difference.

- When Jesus says that this enemy sowed tares "among" the wheat, it is to be understood that he sowed these weeds in close proximity to the wheat and in great amount.

- He did this stealthily at night, with the desire to destroy the wheat.

• Matthew 13:26,27 : "But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared. So the servants of the owner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?’" : Usually, a crop of wheat has a quick sprout before the harvest, which is the final collection point. That first crop came up and to everyone's surprise, the weeds came up as well!

- The servants can't imagine how this had happened. How could tares be in well tilled, well seeded field? They are frustrated and confused as to how this could be!

• Matthew 13:28-30 : "He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The servants said to him, ‘Do you want us then to go and gather them up?’ But he said, ‘No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, 'First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.'" : Why would an enemy do this? For exactly the reason that comes up. The servants, well meaning, want to go in and get the tares out. They want to surgically remove these valueless weeds!

- However, this would only endanger the wheat that would inevitably get caught up in the gathering of the tares.

- The wheat is in close proximity to the weeds and it's likely that even with great care, the wheat could be harmed, and that is the cash crop.

- There is only one solution to be had. The harvest time would bring in a third group of employees, which would be the reapers. They would be specialists in distinguishing the two.

- The harvest is at the end of the growing curve, the end of the season, when the field would be returned to it's original state.

- The plan is to allow everything to continue growing and at harvest time, to separate the two. The tares would be burned, the wheat would be barned!

- Jesus will give us the explanation of this parable in a few verses, so hold on!

• Matthew 13:31,32 : "Another parable He put forth to them, saying: 'The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field, which indeed is the least of all the seeds; but when it is grown it is greater than the herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches.'" : Jesus continues with the agricultural themes, this time speaking about a mustard seed. This is a specific seed in the Middle East and it is the smallest herb seed in their index.

- It is not the smallest seed in the world. That distinction belongs to the Epiphytic Orchid, whose seed weighs 1/35 millionth of an ounce!

- It was however the smallest, least of the seeds in that part of the world, among those who grew herbs. This man, loving the taste of mustard, sowed this in his field.

- Botanists testify that this particular type of mustard plant can grow to a fairly large bush size, and grow strong branches. Barclay quotes a man who saw one as large as 12 feet!

- Jesus says that this tree becomes so great, that the birds come and nest there. Birds feel comfortable enough there to actually enjoy shade and shelter in this "tree."

- Now, let's consider what Jesus is saying here. His Kingdom is like a very small mustard seed which grows way out of proportion to it's initial size.

- If one only saw the seed, one would never consider how big it would become! That is God's Kingdom! From one rejected, crucified Savior and 12 unlikely disciples, a global Kingdom emerges!

- Think of how small it was on the day Jesus died. From that "tragedy" to the exponential growth that the Kingdom of God has enjoyed! It's truly fantastic.

- That must have been a great encouragement to the disciples, even though at that time, it was going to be a while before they saw it.

- This brings us to the matter of the birds. These birds come and nest in the branches of the Kingdom of God.

- In the parable of the sower, the birds represent agents of Satan who come to snatch away the seed. In other places, birds are seen in a similar light.

- Remember in Genesis when Abraham chased away the birds while waiting for God?

- It's reasonable to understand from these passages that birds could represent evil within the Kingdom. That much might be true on some level.

- From experience, one could say that visually, the Kingdom has grown so large, that it contains some who are not truly converted, some with mixed motives and some who are predators.

- But that has really bothered me. This is about the Kingdom, not the church!

- Let me now offer us an alternate explanation. The birds are receiving a benefit from the Kingdom's presence. They have a nest, they have shade. This is made possible by the Kingdom.

- Turn with me over to Daniel 4. Nebuchadnezzar has had another dream, this time of a large tree that gave shelter to animals and birds. Daniel is brought in to give the dream it's meaning.

• Daniel 4:20-22 : "The tree that you saw, which grew and became strong, whose height reached to the heavens and which could be seen by all the earth, whose leaves were lovely and its fruit abundant, in which was food for all, under which the beasts of the field dwelt, and in whose branches the birds of the heaven had their home - it is you, O king, who have grown and become strong; for your greatness has grown and reaches to the heavens, and your dominion to the end of the earth."

- Is it possible that Jesus is using the same allusion here? I suggest that it makes sense. Wherever the Kingdom has gone, blessings have followed!

- Wherever Christ is honored and His people are active, the wicked have been given favor!

• Matthew 13:33 : "Another parable He spoke to them: 'The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened.'" Jesus takes us out of the field and into the kitchen. Now, we see a woman who was kneading out some meal, making some bread.

- She takes some leaven and puts it into three measures of meal. The leaven goes into all of that until the entire thing is leavened.

- Leaven is yeast or a piece of old bread that would be worked into the new one in order for it to rise. The end result is that the entire meal is leavened. It permeates the entire loaf.

- Here again, we have an issue. Everywhere in the Bible, leaven is used to symbolize the flesh, or sin. I ask us again: Can God's Kingdom breed sin?

- There again, I feel that this might be misinterpreted. But for the sake of the other side, let me share what has been said. Good men believe that the Kingdom has some admixture of sin.

- This has certainly been true in the church. The church however is not the Kingdom! The Kingdom comes into the Church, but they are not synonymous entities.

- The Kingdom is like leaven. Again, it is small, but when it has done it's work, it permeates, influences the entire loaf, which in this case, would be very large.

- The leaven type, though it mostly refers to evil in scripture, here, because of it's association with the Kingdom, can have another interpretation.

- Jesus is saying that the Kingdom will have great influence, way out of proportion to it's size.

- In this case, it works invisibly, under the surface, but where it is, it is unmistakeable! Nobody would confuse a piece of unleavened bread with leavened bread!

- I submit that this again would be a comfort to the disciples. Their Kingdom work would be invisible, but thoroughly effective.

• Matthew 13:34,35 : "All these things Jesus spoke to the multitude in parables; and without a parable He did not speak to them, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying: 'I will open My mouth in parables; I will utter things kept secret from the foundation of the world.'" : These parables were now the exclusive method of Christ's teaching.

- We learned last week that this was done in part to ease tensions and hide things of the Kingdom from the Pharisees.

- That was a fulfillment of prophecy given by Isaiah. Here again, Matthew notes another prophecy that was spoken, this time in Psalm 78:2,3.

- The Kingdom concept has been on the heart of God and in His mind since the very forming of the world! Matthew lived in the times where Jesus revealed it.

- He has shown us what the Kingdom of God would be like upon the world stage.

• Matthew 13:36 : "Then Jesus sent the multitude away and went into the house. And His disciples came to Him, saying, 'Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field.'" : The multitudes have gone away and it's just Jesus and the disciples now in the house. When they saw that the coast was clear, they ran over and asked for an explanation.

- I want to let you know something: Jesus wanted to explain it to them!

- Remember that He had told them that it was given to them to know the mysteries of the Kingdom. He looked forward to their asking.

- I believe that this illustrates for us something that needs to become part of our spiritual DNA. We need to come to Jesus first and ask Him to tell us to explain.

- "Explain your word to me Lord. What does this mean?" Like the disciples, we are given access and are invited to come and ask the same thing from the Lord.

- Jesus gladly obliges and opens up their understanding, as well as ours.

• Matthew 13:37,38 : "He answered and said to them: 'He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one. The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels." : Notice now that some of the symbolism is different from the previous parable.

- Jesus is still the sower, but the good seed is the sons of the Kingdom. In the other parable, it had been the word of the Kingdom.

- We can sow the word of the Kingdom, but only He can sow children of the Kingdom!

- The field is the world. That is His field. It is His world! He is at work and the devil is at work as welll. God is planting wheat, the devil is planting tares!

- The enemy is trying to outsow God! He is trying to overwhelm God's people with his own people! These two types of people will grow together in the field of the world.

- We will be in close proximity to one another. We will look alot alike. But there is a difference.

- At the end of the age, it will be the angels who reap and remove them from each other.

- I say all of this with fear and trembling. You and I are not the reapers. We want to be. I have asked to be, but we will never be reapers. That task belongs to the angels.

- The Kingdom of God, His field which is the world, needs some cleaning and only God can do it! He will do it at harvest time.

- Now, this tells us a few things that are severely important to remember: Everything will grow uninterrupted until the harvest time, the time of judgment.

- There is a clock over every human life. It's counting down and we have seven less days on it every Sunday. The tares also have seven less days. Let's consider that as we look at the next verse.

• Matthew 13:39-42 : "Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age. The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth." : Jesus makes a promise to His disciples that the judgment will come. Tares will be removed and burned in the fire.

- Everything that "offends" will be removed. We have noted that that word refers to stumbling. It's a word that refers especially to those that we look at that trip up the body.

- How are they described? They are those who practice lawlessness. That is their life. It's not an occasional stumble. It's a calculated desire and plan for them to be lawless.

- They are ones who specialize and fashion ways to do things against God's law. They will be allowed to continue now, but at the end of the age, there will be judgment.

- Like the tares who are burned, the lawless ones will face the furnace of fire. This refers to the finality of their judgment.

- Jesus says that there will be wailing. This refers to neverending pain. Then we see gnashing of teeth. Many have believed that this referred to further or deeper pain.

- That's not the thought. This is a picture of continual hatred spewed out at Christ. There will not be regret in hell. There will be a continual, hateful diatribe against Christ for eternity.

- Their hatred of Christ, veiled now under wraps, in silent rebellion, will one day be unveiled and openly vocal, forever!

- We cannot look at this and celebrate. The judgment of God is a terrible thing to consider.

• Matthew 13:43 : "Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!" : At the same time, the righteous ones, the good seed planted by the Lord, are brought into the barn.

- That is heaven, the dwelling place of our God, the city made without hands.

- It is the place where everything that we have endured makes sense and everything we have enjoyed, is enjoyed perfectly.

- The barn is where we want to be! And there, we will shine forth as the sun.

- We come into the safety and security of the Lord's presence.

Conclusion

- What is Jesus saying to us? The Kingdom will have great influence on the world stage. It will grow to immense proportions, even though it starts small.

- It's influence might be hidden, but it is working while yet unseen!

- We have time to sow it, but that time is running out! Every week that goes by is a week that we cannot get back. Harvest time is coming. Let's be about our business!