What are Jesus’ illustrations comparable to? Who is granted understanding of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven? Why is it that these people who hear are unresponsive?
Matthew 13:10-11… So, the disciples came up and said to him: “Why is it you speak to them by the use of illustrations?” In reply he said: “To YOU it is granted to understand the sacred secrets of the kingdom of the heavens, but to those people it is not granted.
The disciples of Jesus Christ were the ones who were granted understanding of the sacred secrets of the kingdom of heaven. So, who are not granted this understanding?
Matthew 13:13-15… This is why I speak to them by the use of illustrations, because, looking, they look in vain, and hearing, they hear in vain, neither do they get the sense of it; and toward them the prophecy of Isaiah is having fulfillment, which says, ‘By hearing, YOU will hear but by no means get the sense of it; and, looking, YOU will look but by no means see. For the heart of this people has grown unreceptive, (G3975) and with their ears they have heard without response, (G191) and they have shut their eyes; that they might never see with their eyes and hear with their ears and get the sense of it with their hearts and turn back, and I heal them (G2390).’
Let us break down the meaning of these three Greek words in this passage of Scripture.
The Greek word found in Strong’s Concordance #G2390 iaomai, It means to heal from a physical or spiritual disease but with the emphasis on particularly the supernatural way, as it brings attention to the Lord himself.
The Greek word found in Strong’s Concordance #G191 akouo, It means to comprehend by hearing. So, what is the meaning of the word comprehend? It means to grasp the significance of what is being said and then acting on it.
The Greek word found in Strong’s Concordance #G3975 is pachuno, and it means to become stupid, unfeeling, and or dull. And this reminds me of when somebody gets inebriated from drinking too much, they become stupid, dull in their responses unable to fully understand their circumstances.
Did you notice that understanding the sacred secrets of the kingdom has to do with the heart of people? How is the prophecy of Isaiah stilling having fulfillment today?
They Are Unresponsive!
Why did Isaiah prophesy against the Jewish people?
Isaiah 6:10… Make the heart of this people dull (unreceptive), and make their very ears heavy (unresponsive), and paste their very eyes together, that they may not see with their eyes and with their ears they may not hear, and that their own heart may not understand and that they may not actually turn back and get healing for themselves.
God became very angry with his people because they were not wanting to serve him with their whole heart and their whole soul. The heart is the seed of motivation and God’s people lost the heart to serve God fully. So, God had Isaiah prophesy against his people, but it was not without hope for there was a purpose; let us read about that now:
Isaiah 6:13… And there will still be in it a tenth, and it must again become something for burning down, like a big tree and like a massive tree in which, when there is a cutting down [of them], there is a stump; a holy seed will be the stump of it.”
So, we see God called for a 10th of his people to be left over and called it a holy seed, the stump. How is this prophecy of Isaiah having fulfillment today? How do we become part of the Holy Seed?
The apostle Paul spoke about a remnant and how Israel has been kept from this knowledge by a veil. So, how is this veil to be removed?
2 Corinthians 3:14-16… But their mental powers were dulled. For to this present day the same veil remains un-lifted at the reading of the old covenant, because it is done away with by means of Christ. In fact, down till today whenever Moses is read, a veil lies upon their hearts. But when there is a turning (to the Lord), the veil is taken away.
He also spoke of a time of restoration when Israel could be grafted back into the olive tree, the Holy Stump. Romans 11:5-33
So, we can see by the reading of these two Scriptures God is able to graft into the olive tree his people, but they have to accept the Christ and act in faith. People will have to accept the Christ of God with their heart, they will need to act in faith becoming whole soul, wholehearted in their worshiping of the true God.
The Meanings
What are Jesus’ illustrations comparable too?
Mark 4:30… And he went on to say: With what are we to liken the kingdom of God, or in what illustration shall we set it out?
When Jesus gave his illustrations, it was to point out how the kingdom of God worked. He was giving us a look behind the scenes look as it were. The kingdom of God is invisible to the human eye so he had to show us by word pictures and illustrations, so we could understand the invisible kingdom.
The Sower of Seed
What is the seed being sown? Who are the birds? What are the place that the seed falls upon? Who is the Sower of the seed? What is their Fruit?
Matthew 13:3-9…Look! A Sower went out to sow; and as he was sowing, some [seeds] fell alongside the road, and the birds came and ate them up. Others fell upon the rocky places where they did not have much soil, and at once they sprang up because of not having depth of soil. But when the sun rose, they were scorched, and because of not having root they withered. Others, too, fell among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked them. Still others fell upon the fine soil, and they began to yield fruit, this one a hundredfold, that one sixty, the other thirty.
The Cause and Affect
The kingdom of God is being proclaimed as good news; it is as seed that gets into the hearts of men. The purpose for the message being proclaimed is to bring about a required action upon the recipient of the word. How effective the message is depends upon the heart condition, and the surrounding circumstances that the individual put themselves into or allows to happen to them.
What does it mean to have no root in yourself? What part do our eyes play in our decision-making process?
Matthew 13:18-23…YOU, then, listen to the illustration of the man that sowed. (Proclaimer) Where anyone hears the word of the kingdom (Seed) but does not get the sense of it, the wicked one comes (Birds) and snatches away what has been sown in his heart; (Falls upon) this is the one sown alongside the road. As for the one sown upon the rocky places, this is the one hearing the word and at once accepting it with joy. Yet he has no root in himself but continues for a time, and after tribulation or persecution has arisen on account of the word he is at once stumbled. As for the one sown among the thorns, this is the one hearing the word, but the anxiety of this system of things and the deceptive power of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful. As for the one sown upon the fine soil, this is the one hearing the word and getting the sense of it, who really does bear fruit and produces, this one a hundredfold, that one sixty, the other thirty.
The Root of the Problem
The world that we are made to live in is full of problems that prevents the message about God’s Kingdom reaching the hearts of mankind. The wicked one makes sure to press in upon all who hear the word of God and to steal it away from them.
Persecution and tribulation are designed as a roadblock to our acting upon the word of God and accepting it then living it. We cannot accept the Kingdom of God and think that were going to take the easy route in life because the wicked one will not allow it.
The deceptive power of riches is to distract the attention of mankind so they cannot focus on the Kingdom of God. You cannot focus your attention upon two things and maintain a straight course in your Godly life. We only have a certain amount of daylight that we can devote our attention to, it should it not be to the work at hand, and for the Kingdom of God?
So, what does it mean to have root within oneself? To have root in oneself is simply this; to have determination. Without this characteristic you cannot press upward, and you cannot extract what is needed for your growth. And when the winds of persecution blow you, you break or let go to what you know to be true.
Our eyes are used to orientate and focus our attention to what matters most in our lives. If we lose our perspective or allow ourselves to be distracted by not paying attention to what we are doing and where were going, we are going to fall, to be tripped up, stumbled or worse to be led astray by others.
The Secret to Success
To be successful in this life we need to put our spirituality first in the decision-making process. You have to save yourself before saving others that is just a fact.
Pray and seek direction in all that we do from our Lord Jesus Christ who has been appointed king and priest before God. Revelation 19:11-16, Hebrews 6:19-20
We need to worship in spirit and truth to be pleasing before the sovereign Lord himself the creator of heaven and earth and of the things that are found in it. John 4:23-24
Each one of us will stand before the judgment seat of God as an individual and not as a group. 2 Corinthians 5:10
There is no one leading anyone else to everlasting life except the son of God. John 14:6
So, what is your determination in this life?
Matthew 11:12… But from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of the heavens is the goal toward which men press, and those pressing forward are seizing it.
Philippians 3:14-15… I am pursuing down toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God by means of Christ Jesus. Let us, then, as many of us as are mature, be of this mental attitude; and if YOU are mentally inclined otherwise in any respect, God will reveal the above [attitude] to YOU.
What else was Jesus trying to tell us about the Kingdom of the Heavens? It has become like what?
The Wheat & The Weeds
Who are the reapers? When is the harvest? Who are the weeds? What is collected first? How can you tell the weed from the wheat?
Matthew 13:25-30… While men were sleeping, his enemy came and over-sowed weeds in among the wheat and left. When the blade sprouted and produced fruit, then the weeds appeared also. So, the slaves of the householder came up and said to him, Master, did you not sow fine seed in your field? How, then, does it come to have weeds? He said to them, an enemy, a man, did this. They said to him, do you want us, then, to go out and collect them? He said, no; that by no chance, while collecting the weeds, YOU uproot the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest; and in the harvest season I will tell the reapers, First collect the weeds and bind them in bundles to burn them up, then go to gathering the wheat into my storehouse.
Jesus’ illustration about the weeds and the wheat is very interesting, there is one type of weed that looks identical to wheat, and it is intoxicating to eat. It is called the Darnel weed it is wheat evil twin. Only at the time of harvest can you tell the difference between the two because the wheat seed will become brown, and the seed of the weed is black.
Explain To Us
Matthew 13:36-43… Then after dismissing the crowds, he went into the house. And his disciples came to him and said: Explain to us the illustration of the weeds in the field. In response he said: “The Sower of the fine seed is the Son of man; the field is the world; as for the fine seed, these are the sons of the kingdom; but the weeds are the sons of the wicked one, and the enemy that sowed them is the Devil. The harvest is a conclusion of a system of things, and the reapers are angels. Therefore, just as the weeds are collected and burned with fire, so it will be in the conclusion of the system of things. The Son of man will send forth his angels, and they will collect out from his kingdom all things that cause stumbling and persons who are doing lawlessness, and they will pitch them into the fiery furnace. There is where [their] weeping and the gnashing of [their] teeth will be. At that time the righteous ones will shine as brightly as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Let him that has ears listen.
The Son of Man came as the Sower and planted sons of the kingdom in this world. The devil came and planted weeds in this world. The angels will come and reap at the time of the end all who are practicing lawlessness and destroy them. Then those who been planted by the son of man will begin to shine.
Follow the hyperlink to: Understanding Jesus illustrations.
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