067. Chapter 8 - The Sermon in Parables

Chapter 8 - The Sermon in Parables Matthew 13:1-53;Mark 4:1-34;Luke 8:4-18 Previous Parables

Parables are frequently found in the Old Testament. In fact, the use of stories and accounts to illustrate hidden truths is universal. But no one else ever has used parables with the peculiar power seen in the teaching of Jesus. Parables are found in His teaching before this great sermon by the lake shore. The Sermon on the Mount contains a large number of “germ parables,” where the idea or the account is suggested, but not fully developed. As the reader comes to the close of the sermon, he finds fully developed parables, such as that of the builders — one, on the rock; the other, on the sand. The Sermon Unique This great sermon in parables represents a dramatic change in the teaching of Jesus in that He spoke on this occasion only in parables and offered no explanation of the parables to the vast multitude. They were perplexed and mystified by this sudden change of method. Even the apostles were deeply troubled. They could not understand the truths that were being illustrated and asked for assistance in interpreting two of the parables They could not understand why Jesus should suddenly become so mysterious in His teaching. Jesus explained to them the reason and His purpose.

Purpose of the Sermon The sermon in parables was a sifting process by which Jesus prevented the violent, worldly, or curious elements in the throngs about Him from becoming so dominant that they would try to take control of His campaign or that they would prevent His maintaining a spiritual atmosphere. The Zealots are not mentioned by name in the Gospel narratives, but we know from Josephus that they were numerous and powerful in Galilee. There can be no doubt that they exercised a strong, negative influence upon the ministry of Jesus. If we knew the circumstances that so frequently caused Jesus to make a swift departure by night to some other field of evangelistic labor, we might learn that the excitement here was at the point of violent explosion in a revolution against Rome headed by the Zealots. It is obvious this was the situation at the feeding of the five thousand. It seems highly probable that the Zealots were also fomenting violent aims now and furnished one of the reasons for Jesus’ change in His teaching methods. The general longing and expectation of the worldly-minded was for a messiah who would bring back the military and political glory of the reigns of David and Solomon. Jesus had to combat this undercurrent throughout His ministry. This sermon in parables was so difficult to understand that the worldly-minded who threatened to corrupt the atmosphere of the multitude were disgusted and turned aside. The spiritually-minded would be stimulated by the difficulty of the sermon to seek the more diligently for the hidden truths. The apostles were told that it was their high privilege to have the truths made plain to them (Matthew 13:10-17). But no prohibition was placed upon them that they should keep the explanations of the parables away from those in the crowd who came to them seeking help in understanding.

Isaiah’s Irony

One of the most difficult passages in the Old Testament is quoted by Jesus in explaining to the apostles His reason for changing to obscure, difficult teaching. Isaiah 6:1-13 is very familiar because of the thrilling vision of Isaiah, his call to be a prophet, and his courageous response. But the latter part of the chapter is not familiar. The first part is constantly used today in teaching and preaching, but it is never quoted in the New Testament. It is this latter part of the chapter which is repeatedly and emphatically quoted in the New Testament (Matthew 13:14, Matthew 13:15; Mark 4:12; Luke 8:10; John 12:40; Acts 28:26, Acts 28:27; Romans 11:8; 2 Corinthians 3:14). Matthew gives a fuller quotation than do Mark and Luke. It is notable that john introduces this passage as his editorial comment on the amazing unbelief with which the entire ministry of Jesus was met. Luke records how Paul quoted this passage to the unbelieving Jews in Rome. Thus it is a sort of epilogue in both the Gospel of John at the close of Jesus’ final appeal to the nation and in Acts at the close of Paul’s last recorded appeal to the Jews in Rome. His Mother and Brethren

Matthew has just recorded the venomous attacks of the unbelieving Jews which led Jesus to issue His solemn warning concerning the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. He has also given the revealing account of how even the mother and the brethren of Jesus had come undertaking to interrupt His ministry. Evidently the unbelieving brethren of Jesus, the sons of Joseph and Mary (John 7:1-5), had worked on the fears and sympathies of Mary until they had persuaded her to join them in this effort to take Jesus home for a rest. The Present Crisis

It was in the midst of such a hectic crisis in His ministry, with the vast crowds about Him, that He delivered this sermon in parables It is not possible to understand this declaration which God made to Isaiah, and which is quoted by Jesus, except as the sarcasm of despair. God tells Isaiah to go forth and tell the people to close their ears, eyes, and hearts so that they will not hear and repent. God might have to forgive them. Such a sarcastic introduction to a sermon from a pulpit today would certainly shock all the hearers into the most concentrated attention. This was precisely God’s purpose for Isaiah’s proclamation. It is as if a father has talked, pleaded, prayed, and said everything he can to turn his wayward son from the way of death. Finally in desperation the father uses the sharp sword of irony and says to the boy, “All right, go ahead and jump headfirst into hell!” This is the last thing in the world he wants the boy to do. And by this extreme of irony he tries to Irony shock him into awareness of his deadly peril. It is thus with Isaiah’s proclamation. It is thus that Jesus quotes the passage to get the apostles to see the virulent unbelief which surrounds Him and that it is this unbelief which has caused Him suddenly to turn and speak in riddles. We have studied these parables from earliest childhood, and their explanation has become so commonplace it is hard for us to comprehend just how difficult they were for the first hearers. The Assembly The setting of this sermon furnishes a fascinating picture. Jesus was always careful to keep good order in the vast assemblies. Only once is there mention of pushing and crowding which threatened bodily injury (Luke 12:1). It was of the utmost importance to select an amphitheater in which the acoustics would be most favorable. The size of the crowd became so great at Capernaum on this occasion that Jesus entered into a boat (Peter’s boat, always at His command?) and used this as a pulpit. Jesus sat in the boat as this was the customary posture for a speaker in a lengthy service. The crowd also usually sat down, but on this occasion they stood. Evidently the crowd was so dense they stood in order that more could be within reach of sight and hearing. Luke does not mention the use of a boat as a pulpit, but like Matthew and Mark he declares the crowd was very large. He alone states that many of the people were from other cities (Luke 8:4). What a picturesque scene this must have made with Jesus seated in the boat teaching the vast multitudes standing close together on the shore. The Interpretation of Parables The Greek word parabole comes from a compound verb paraballo. Ballo means to throw or cast (in Hellenistic Greek it many times loses its violent force and can mean simply “to lay” or “lead”); the preposition para means “alongside.” Thus a parable is an illustration, a story, an account which is placed alongside a spiritual truth to be made plain. The details of the parable may or may not represent accurately something in the spiritual realm. An allegory differs from a parable in that every detail of the allegory represents something in the spiritual realm that is being illustrated. The most famous allegory in the English language is Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress. The second most famous, and far more difficult to understand, is Spencer’s Fairy Queen. The people who have found themselves perplexed by the parables of Jesus usually have involved themselves in the difficulty of trying to make every detail mean something. But a parable attempts to teach a fundamental principle or several principles. The details may fit or they may be mere scenery, true in the account of the earthly things, but without significance in the revelation of spiritual realities. If the details pair off with spiritual things they illustrate, as they do in the parable of the sower, we rejoice in this additional help in understanding. But if the details do not fit, we should not be disturbed.

Scenery The parable of the Unjust Judge is a good illustration of how details often do not fit. The judge represents God, but he is the very opposite of the character of God. His motives are entirely selfish when he finally grants the petitions of the widow. But Luke states the fundamental principle that is being taught at the outset: “Men ought always to pray and not to faint.” Jesus also states the principle at the close of the parable in profound language; if a wicked judge will grant the petitions for justice of a poor widow just in order to get rid of her, how much more will the righteous, loving God of all grant the prayers of those who persist in seeking His favor and help?

Limitations of Illustrations A study of illustrations shows that while they are illuminating and very helpful to our understanding, if one attempts to demand too much agreement and exact representation, the reader is sure to find himself in trouble. When a dumb animal, such as a sheep, is taken to represent man’s reactions and conduct in life, it becomes plain immediately that this comparison cannot be pressed too far. Only man possesses the intelligence and the spiritual nature which God gave to His choice creation. Still more is it evident that vegetable or inanimate matter, without understanding or will, cannot exactly represent man s experiences. We see this immediately in the parable of the sower; the different kinds of soil were not responsible for their nature, nor could they have the power of choice and change. We must not he disappointed at the limitations of illustrations, but should seek to understand their nature and purpose. There may be discussion and differences of opinion as to exactly what principles and how many principles are being taught in a parable. They are a fascinating subject of analysis, but we should learn at least to seek for the principles anti not be disturbed if the details do not fit.

Seeking the Principles The parables also offer difficulty to some because they do not present in one parable the full gospel. The concentration upon an important principle or several principles compels the limitation of the illustration to the focal objective. Even the most famous of all the parables, that which tells the story of the prodigal son, does not present the complete gospel. There is nothing in the parable that represents or suggests the divine Person and work of Christ. There is not even any messenger of any kind sent to the boy wallowing in his sins in the far country. The parable concentrates on the love of God. There are other principles, but this is central. But it is this very concentration which makes possible the marvelous brevity and simplicity of the parables; it is the secret of their charm and effectiveness. After all, any person who tries to tell everything he knows in one paragraph is apt to he confused, confusing, and boring. As we survey the parables in this great sermon, it should be of interest to observe the concentration anti its effectiveness. Other truths that need to be revealed can be presented at other times in other parables or in direct teaching. The Parable of the Sower

Jesus Himself gives the name to this parable. Its fitness is immediately apparent. The first words of the parable introduce this main actor. His experiences capture the attention throughout the account. What the sower did and our contemplation of how the sower must have felt as he reacted to the various results of his labors naturally attract our attention. But this is only one side of the parable. It might have been called “The Parable of the Soils.” Here is another central principle of the parable. But Jesus chose to emphasize in this title the glorious good news of redemption for man and the grand opportunity which God has given to man to share in the redemptive campaign. It is as if by this title Jesus underscores our solemn responsibility as Christians and the sublime results when the good seed is permitted to come to its proper harvest. Moreover, we must not forget the critical situation Jesus faced in His ministry as He was surrounded with vast crowds that contained so many who were worldly, unbelieving, selfish, or merely curious. He was giving a penetrating analysis of the what and the why of His own ministry. He was also reaching out across the centuries to instruct all the sowers who would follow after. The Good Seed

“Behold, the sower went forth to sow.” This is true of any sower. It was true even of Jesus. It is possible that some farmer could have been seen on a distant hillside with his sack of grain slung under his left shoulder with his right hand reaching in and out in constant, steady motion as he walked across the field and scattered the grain in a regular, measured swath before him. It is possible, but not necessary. The parable suggests a scene most familiar to all. The mind would immediately re-create the picture. We naturally reflect that all men sow something each day. Not all are good and wise enough to sow the good seed God has provided. We glance at this idea in passing and wonder whether this is one of the principles. It certainly is in the background of the entire parable. The Sower When Christians read this parable, they naturally place themselves in the role of the sower. The title helps us to do this. We are moved to reflect, as we read of the farmer frustrated in much of his efforts, of the many times we have visited, taught, exhorted, pleaded, prayed, and failed even to get people to come to church. We think of the people we helped to win to Christ who have become discouraged or weary and quit, or those who have succumbed again to the lures of the world. Then we rejoice with the farmer in the grand harvest that is reaped finally, and we thank God again for the times when our sowing brought precious sheaves into the divine garner.

Two Principles

What is the central objective of this parable? Or does it have two main objectives? Is it meant as a warning to the messenger or to the hearer? It is to prepare the messenger for that hardest of lessons a farmer has to learn — not all the seed he plants will come to a maximum harvest. It thus throws a glowing shaft of light upon the crisis Jesus is facing in His own ministry. It is to assure the messenger that he will reap a harvest of his sowing if he is faithful. But this parable is also to warn the hearer to beware how lie uses his precious opportunity to hear the message that God is sending to him. The title underscores the first principle; the second is powerfully set forth in the concluding statement, “He that hath ears, let him hear” (Mark 4:9).

What Kind of Soil?

It is easier for the Christian to approach this parable from the viewpoint of the sower. He can commiserate or congratulate himself at will and find endless comfort and satisfaction. It makes him far less comfortable to begin to ask himself, “What kind of soil am I?” After having preached unto many, do I harbor a heart so hard to the preaching of others that the good seed cannot even sprout? Am I shallow ground? Do I tell the preacher at the door what a good sermon it was and then find myself stuttering in dismay when the shut-ins at home ask for the topic, text, and content of the sermon? Am I foul ground too filled with desires for more money, a bigger, finer home, a newer automobile, not to mention the base lures of life? These are very embarrassing questions for all of us. Jesus meant that it should be so. Preachers are notoriously poor listeners. Why is this? Is it conceit? or lack of loving consideration? or impatience? “He that hath ears, let him hear.”

Concentration

One of the greatest weaknesses of our worship is the lack of concentration. If a person doubts this, he should test himself, without any previous plan, by attempting to write down upon his return home from the morning service the list of hymns that were sung, the subject matter which was brought before the throne of God in prayer, the scripture that was read, and an outline of the sermon. After having failed this exam, he could go to church some morning with the deliberate plan to take a written test on the service and to listen to every item with the utmost attention so that he would be able to reproduce as much as possible. Without doubt each of us would be appalled at the difference in what a service meant to us if we really concentrated, as contrasted to what it ordinarily means. The Unfavorable Kinds of Soil

“The wayside” would have been seen in many fields, as the highways were but paths leading through the grainfields. The question immediately arises, did not the sower realize there was little or no chance that any of this seed would germinate? The hard, much-trodden soil would not receive into itself the seed, and the seed would readily be devoured by birds. Why did not the farmer anticipate this and save his good seed and his hard labor? If the sower was the one who had prepared the field, the tangled mass of briars, thistles, and weeds he had contended with in his plowing certainly should have warned him of what would happen to his seed in the foul ground. The rocky soil does not mean ground where stones can be seen everywhere cluttering the surface of the soil. It is rather shallow soil, where the shelf of rock underneath the field is too close to the surface for the ground to have sufficient depth to produce. This might not be apparent to the farmer the first year. But how about this sower the second year? Is he to repeat this program where three-fourths of the grain is lost?

Sowing in Hope

We come to the concentration of parables when such questions are raised. Jesus will give further instruction as to the sowing when He sends the twelve apostles out on their preaching tour. We must not expect everything to be told in one parable. But even in cities where they are finally advised to flee for their lives to some more hospitable hearers, they at least were told to seek first to preach to each city, if any would hear. There is in this parable a sturdy emphasis on the universality of the gospel. The sower is not sluggish or parsimonious. He sows his seed with a generous hand just as far and as wide as he can reach. Let it fall where it will. It will fail in the beaten path, but who knows what a harvest may come from some seed nestled very close to the beaten path? God blesses the generous sower of the gospel. The more seed he sows, the more he has to sow; his own understanding of the message and appreciation of his responsibility increase with his diligent labors.

Disappointments and Hopes The parable does not state that three-fourths of all the seed sown by this sower failed to bring forth a good harvest. It does not state how large the field was or how much of the field was taken up with public paths or how large the sections of shallow and foul ground were. Such circumstances would differ in various fields. But the picture was true to life as wheat was sown in a given field in tiny, crowded Palestine in the first century, when every foot of tillable soil had to be used. It is also true in the spiritual realm. The parable braces the sower for the disappointments that are sure to come. But is also gives high hopes that the word of God will not return unto Him void. There were three divisions even in the ground which did produce a good harvest. The fertility of the soil was different in various sections of the field.

Broadcasting the Gospel

There are times when the preacher comes from his pulpit feeling beaten and heartsick with disappointment. This parable is meant to prepare us for what we must face in this wicked, unbelieving world. It should help keep our morale high and our resolution unwavering. The parable itself should not produce an impression of frustration. We must cherish the glorious conclusion. We usually shoot at definite targets, but there is a certain amount of broadcasting the gospel to all who will hear in every sermon. This is especially true in swift-moving evangelistic campaigns. This parable should be dear to the heart of every radio preacher; he cannot even see the faces of his audience. Longfellow expresses the zeal of the preacher who sows the good seed in hope.

I shot an arrow into the air, It fell to earth, I knew not where;

For, so swiftly it flew, the sight Could not follow it in its flight.

I breathed a song into the air, It fell to earth, I knew not where; For who has sight so keen and strong, That it can follow the flight of song?

Long, long afterward, in an oak, I found the arrow, still unbroke; And the song, from beginning to end, I found again in the heart of a friend.

Human Responsibility In the explanation of this parable as recorded in Matthew 13:19-23 and in Mark 4:10-20, the participles are masculine gender. Both the a.v. and the a.s.v. translate accurately: “These are they by the wayside, where the word is sown” (Mark 4:15; so Mark 4:16, Mark 4:18, Mark 4:20.) It is an utterly perverse interpretation to attempt to make out that this is a parable on heredity and environment — that the people are the ones who are sown in the hard paths, the shallow ground, or the foul soil. Mark is perfectly clear in his declaration, “the sower soweth the word” (Mark 4:14). The masculine gender of the participles presents a figure of speech — personification. The word that is sown in the heart is now identified with the person who has received the word. Any effort to interpret the persons as being the victims of untoward circumstances for which they had no control contradicts the fundamental teaching of the parable, “Who hath ears to hear, let him hear” (Mark 4:9). The fact that inanimate soil is taken in the parable to represent intelligent human beings with freedom of the will should guard us against being led astray by any such false application as to say that a child born into the home of a drunkard and surrounded by all sorts of vile things from infancy is not responsible for the foul soil. We must not expect the details to fit completely. We must seek the principles. The principle here, as far as the hearers are concerned, is the solemn warning of responsibility for what and how we hear. It is the very opposite of an interpretation which would say, “I am the shallow soil; I cannot help it. It is just the way I was made. I am shallow in understanding and fickle in resolution. There is nothing I can do about it.” One might as well take the parable of the lost coin as showing that a person can do nothing but wait until he has been picked up bodily and transported into the kingdom.

One of the great joys of evangelism is to see the weak made strong by following after Christ. The hearer is not to diagnose his condition as hopeless and classify himself in one of the categories of failure. He should mellow the hardness of heart which afflicts him. He should deepen his shallow comprehension, appreciation, and determination. What a joy it is to see a man who has been a drunkard and enslaved with all manner of vice rise up out of it all, cast it aside, and become a noble Christian. This is the significance of this final warning with which the parable closes, “He that hath ears, let him hear.” The Parable of the Tares A second parable also concerns sowing and reaping. It, too, proved so difficult for the apostles that they asked an explanation during a break in the service when they were in “the house” (Matthew 13:36). This parable throws additional light on the situation which Jesus faced with the mixed multitude, many of them following with false ideas and motives. The tares in the midst are the result of the devil’s sowing. The impatience of man for God to move against the wicked and bring swift succor to the long-suffering righteous was the very thing which John the Baptist had exemplified in his question addressed to Jesus. As the first parable had been called the parable of the sower because the sower was the main actor in the parable, the second parable is called the parable of the tares because the tares furnish the main problem in It. In the first parable the seed sown was the word of God. In the second parable the people are sown; the good seed represents the good people God has begotten through the Word. God’s ownership is manifest in this parable, “A man sowed good seed in his field” (Matthew 13:24); “This is my Father’s world.” All the works of God are good. The fact that we do not remain good, but are marred by sin, does not enter into this parable. The simplicity of concentration separates the good from the bad. It is typical of the devil’s work that the enemy should have come by night and sown tares. But again the parable stays by the main principle and does not introduce any idea that the good man should have guarded his field by night and prevented this tragedy. It would be bad enough to sow tares in a spot by themselves, but to sow them throughout the field is the devil’s perfidy. The Problem of Evil The germination took place rapidly, but not until the grain began to “bring forth fruit” did the disastrous situation become evident. The tares were a type of “bearded darnel almost indistinguishable from wheat, while the two are only in the blade.” The servants were shocked and grieved. The question they raised, “Whence then hath it tares,” is one of the most profound philosophical problems — the presence of evil in the world. The servants were not responsible. The devil sowed the tares, but whence came the devil? The New Testament gives a clear answer to this question; the devil was created by God as a good angel, but he rebelled against God and was cast out of heaven with the angels who joined him in the rebellion (Revelation 12:7-9; Jude 1:6; 2 Peter 2:4). This means there was a time when the angels were also in a state of probation. The chief difficulty for us to understand is how the devil chose to become evil without a tempter, but this is the very thing that made his sin so great. No salvation is offered to the devil. Hebrews 2:14, Hebrews 2:15 describes the purpose of Christ’s coming to earth: “that through death he might bring to nought him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; and might deliver all them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.” The devil had been in heaven and had rejected it and rebelled against God. There is nothing now but unceasing war between God and the devil. This is the fundamental principle of this parable. It is a parable of the judgment. Men are ever more impatient than God. This spirit dominates much of the multitude listening to this sermon by the seashore. They want decisive action from Christ in destroying the wicked immediately. The parable gives assurance that in God’s own good time men will be summoned to judgment; the good and the bad will be separated; the good, rewarded; the wicked, punished. The Deity of Christ The parable gives a tremendous affirmation of the deity of Christ. Jesus declares that the householder represents the Son of man. He sows the good seed; He is the Lord of all; He judges all men at the end of the world. In later parables of the judgment delivered at the close of His ministry, Jesus spoke of His second coming (Matthew 25:1-46), but in this earlier sermon it was not possible to speak of the second coming when they did not yet understand about His death and His going away. The Field Is the World

Any effort to make this parable refer only to the church is upset by the plain declaration that the field is the world (Matthew 13:38). All men, good and bad, are represented by the wheat and the tares. It is a recognized rule of exegesis that a word should not be taken in two different senses in the same passage, unless the context compels it, but here the context does compel one to understand that “his kingdom” in Matthew 13:41 is the kingdom of the world. In Matthew 13:38 and Matthew 13:43 it is the kingdom of heaven. To say that the wicked who are judged and punished are the hypocrites in the church, would leave all the wicked out in the world without judgment or punishment. The kingdom of heaven is like unto this man who sowed the good seed in that the church finds itself surrounded by the wicked in this world. In John 17:1-26 Jesus sets forth that they are not rescued immediately because it is their mission to save the lost. They are to be in the world, but not of the world. The fact that vegetation such as wheat and tares is taken to represent men does not permit the parable to present the lessons of human responsibility and the possibility of change from good to bad or vice versa. The parable concentrates on the certainty of judgment and the necessity of delaying the final judgment until the end of the world in order that the righteous may come to their proper maturity. Violent destruction of all the wicked now would uproot many of the righteous. At the close of the explanation of the parable of the sower, Mark reports sharp warnings of Jesus (Mark 4:21-25). The germ parable of the lamp under a bushel, first given in the Sermon on the Mount, is now repeated on this different occasion and to a different audience. On the first occasion it had meant: “Let your light shine.” The application here is that this mysterious sermon in parables is meant to be understood and broadcast. The hearers must not put it under a bushel. By hard study they can come to understand it and will be able to put it on the stand. They are warned to give the most concentrated attention and effort: “If any man hath ears to hear, let him hear.” This solemn injunction repeated from Mark 4:9 (Matthew 13:9, Matthew 13:43) is most emphatic.

Jesus adds the further command, “Take heed what ye hear” (Mark 4:24). They are to reject false doctrine and to refuse to be led astray by false teachers. They are to receive the word of God and give it forth to others in generous measure. As they diligently hear, study, and proclaim, their precious possession of the gospel and their power to proclaim it will increase. A little parable of the seed, recorded only by Mark follows at this point in his report of the sermon (Mark 4:26-29). A farmer sows seed in the ground and goes about his other tasks. Day and night the seed germinates and grows. The farmer does not understand the secret of its growth. Finally comes the harvest. The key word in the parable is automate, which in both versions is translated of herself: “The earth bringeth forth fruit of herself” (Mark 4:28). God has created the soil of such nature that when the seed with its mysterious power is planted in the soil, it sprouts and grows as sunshine and rain permit. God has created the human heart with such marvelous qualities of understanding, emotion, and will, that when the divine seed of the word of God is brought into contact with the heart it is the natural result which God has planned: the seed germinates, grows, and yields a harvest. The tragic failure of much seed in the parable of the sower is due to man’s perversity. The seed God furnishes in His revelation is perfect. The human heart God has created is adequate by its very nature. Man must beware how he hears and what he hears.

Two brief parables of the future triumph of the kingdom are now added — the mustard seed and the leaven. The two parables with which the sermon opens, while filled with solemn warnings, might have given a somber cast to the entire sermon.

God’s Triumph But these two brief parables which follow show that God will not only triumph over the wicked in the end, but that during the very process of history there will be tremendous growth of the kingdom and permeating influence over all the world. Science has shown that the seed of tobacco is smaller than the mustard seed, but Jesus was not teaching botany. He was not robbing man of the privilege of discovering that which was within his reach. He was revealing the secrets of heaven and eternity. Jesus was speaking of the seeds that were sown in a garden. Of these seeds the mustard seed was the smallest.

Scenery Details

It would be a mistake to undertake to make the birds represent a definite parallel in the spiritual realm. They are a part of the scenery in the parable. They help to picture the beneficent power and influence of the church. The principle of the parable is the astonishing growth from the smallest of seeds sown in a garden to the largest of the herbs. The parable suggests gradual growth. A woman is the person who is the center of the parable of leaven because a woman was the person who made the bread. It is true to life. It is not necessary to give a hidden meaning to this feature of the parable. The Greek word for measure means about a peck and a half. Three measures would make a large amount of bread. But since they had to bake it in outdoor ovens of clay, it was customary to make large amounts at once.

It is immediately evident that the comparison of the church with leaven does not fit, if one insists on the details being parallel. Leaven is the source of the decay of food. It ordinarily in comparisons carries this obnoxious quality as its main idea. Thus Jesus warned His disciples against “the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees” (Matthew 16:6). Their evil teaching, example, and influence were to be abhorred. But there is nothing of this aspect of leaven in the parable of the sermon on parables If we seek the principle taught, it is plain that only the permeating nature of yeast is cited. The church is to have a leavening influence on all the wicked world. The Hidden Treasure

Two little parables follow concerning the exceedingly precious character of the kingdom and the fact that to gain it demands and justifies the giving up of everything the world can offer. We see again the mistake of trying to make the details match. Observe the immoral conduct of this man who finds the hidden treasure. He is working in or traveling through another man’s land. When he discovers the treasure, he does not go to the owner of the property and reveal this fact to him. He looks in all directions to see that no one is in sight, and then hides the treasure. He buys the land for its own price. But in a parable it is the principle we must seek. It may have been that this very thing had happened and that Jesus was citing a historic incident. People may have looked at one another and whispered, “I heard about this man and the treasure.” It teaches the principle of the precious character of the kingdom. It underscores the fact that the man had to sell all that he had to buy the field. It gives forth a grand challenge to all who hear that they must make a complete surrender if they would gain the kingdom. The Central Principle The parable of the pearl of great price has the same basic principle. It sets before us the important nature of our choices in life. If all we had to do was to choose between good and bad, it would not be so difficult. But we must constantly choose between good and better. At times these decisions are supremely difficult. But until we are ready to surrender everything to Christ, we are not fit to be His followers. The pearl fancier knew and loved pearls. He had many goodly pearls. But he knew there must be somewhere a pearl above all others in value. He was not content with mediocrity. He would have the best, even if it cost everything else he possessed.

Examples in Acts

It is interesting to look through the Book of Acts with its fascinating account of conversions in order to see how many of then’ seem to be like the hidden-treasure parable and how many resemble the pearl of great price. The man who found the treasure knew nothing of its existence. He came upon it suddenly and with great surprise. The pearl fancier knew there must be a pearl of great price and kept seeking it. Cornelius and the eunuch, both of whom were earnestly seeking the way of life, might well be classified with the pearl fancier. The Philippian jailor, who came suddenly upon the glorious good news of salvation God has sent to the world, is like the man who unexpectedly discovered the hidden treasure.

Parable of the Net The last parable of the series is distinctly a parable of judgment. There is a majestic movement through this entire sermon as first a solemn warning is given to the hearers of their responsibility for receiving and obeying the good news of the kingdom. The parable of the sower was followed by a parable of the judgment which will finally come upon the wicked and bring blessedness to the righteous — the parable of the tares. Two little parables then predict the mighty, eventual triumph of the kingdom of God. Two parables present the challenge of the exceedingly precious character of the kingdom and that the gaining of the kingdom requires the surrender of all worldly objectives. The parable of the net cast into the sea warns that not all those who seek to gain the kingdom will do so. In this parable there is no effort to suggest what will happen to the rest of the fish which are still in the sea. Only those in the net, which plainly represents the catch, are considered. The folly of expecting details to fit again is seen. The fish are taken by force. Death is the fate of all that are taken. An object such as a fish could only in a most limited manner represent intelligent man with freedom of the will. But the principle of this parable is not obscure. There will he two different kinds of people who will be within the net — good and bad. There will be a time of separation. Each will he accorded his proper fate. The part that the angels will have in the summons to final judgment and the terrible fate of the wicked are emphasized in this parable as in the parable of the tares. The sermon in parables has as a sort of epilogue a germ parable of the householder who had the wisdom to provide things both new and old: fresh garden vegetables and meat — the fresher, the better; the old, long-cherished, precious heirlooms of the household still in constant use. How foolish it would be to reject either because it was old or new regardless of its worth and our need. To say that we will have only new things in our homes would be as foolish as it would be fatal to say we will have only old things. A famous daily newspaper in America carried at its masthead for many years this maxim, “if new and true, not otherwise.” This is a good motto for a newspaper, but what dreadful folly for a life! We should say for our lives, “If true and valuable, whether old or new, not otherwise.” The listeners to this mysterious sermon were evidently saying to themselves, “What strange new teaching is this!” Jesus challenges them to cherish the old which they have as given of God, but to welcome now this new revelation of final glory.

Jesus’ Objectives This profoundly difficult sermon sifted the crowd by offering a rebuff to those who were hardhearted in their unbelief, to those who were shallow in their attitude and endurance, and to those who were engulfed in worldliness. That this was a definite purpose of Jesus is made clear in the private explanation Jesus gave to the disciples (Matthew 13:10-17). But any earnest listeners in the crowd would have been stimulated to diligent study and could have found help in unraveling the difficult parables by continuing as His disciples. The sermon itself carries no such statement of purpose. The conclusion of the sermon is warm and inviting. Particularly intriguing is the almost casual reference to the men of scholarly instincts and attainments who have been attracted to Jesus — “every scribe who hath been made a disciple to the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 13:52). How many such scribes were in this vast crowd listening to this sermon? The conclusion of the sermon offers “an invitation to learning” — heavenly learning.