July 27, 2008
A Pair of a Pair of Parables
Matthew 13: 31-33 & 44-46
delivered on July 27th, 2008
In the past two weeks we have been looking at and seeking guidance from the longer and more developed parables in Matthew 13. Today we are going to look at 4 of the shorter parables in that chapter.
As we begin our delightful excursion into God’s word this morning, I would like to remind you of two things.
1. When Jesus spoke these words they were prophecies. The phenomena that these parables describe were just beginning to occur. In these parables Jesus was prophecieing how the kingdom of God on earth would grow until it became a part of the kingdom of God in heaven or in eternity.
2. The term “the Kingdom of Heaven” is Jesus’ term for the message that Jesus gave and the Salvation and forgiveness of sins that Jesus procured for us on the cross.
I think you can easily see that by subject matter these 4 parables are divided into 2 pairs. The parables of the Mustard seed and the Leaven describe the effects of the kingdom, (the message and work of Jesus) while the parables of the treasure and the pearl describe the responses that people will have to the Message and work of Jesus.
Some of you have noticed that many of Jesus’ parables could be described as agricultural parables, in that they refer to actions involved in the planting and growing of crops. In Jesus’ day and time, most people were involved in agriculture and all were close enough to fields to observe the methods and actions of growing and harvesting crops.
The first of our parables today is one of those agricultural parables. For the past two Sundays, we have been dealing with parables that described the planting of wheat or similar crops. This parable of the Mustard seed or mustard bush describes the phenomenon of amazing growth. While the growth of a wheat seed into a stalk or several stalks of wheat is something to be observed with awe, and while the growth of a kernel of corn into a tall corn stalk is magnificent, the growth of the mustard seed into a large, 10 foot tall bush or shrub is way beyond what you would have expected. A mustard seed is the smallest of the seeds that a Galilean or Judean farmer would plant. And yet it yielded the largest plant.
What Jesus was prophecieing in this parable was that his message and death and resurrection were a small seed that would grow into something huge. He was telling his apostles and others who would believe in and follow him that they were just the small beginnings of something that would have global implications.
But this little parable deals with more than just the growth of the kingdom of God on earth. It also describes its effect on some of the people around the world.
Jesus said that the mustard plant was so large that birds would make nests in its branches. In the teachings of Jewish Rabbis, the gentiles were sometimes described as birds.
In this detail Jesus was predicting that the kingdom of God on earth would offer shelter and refuge for people of many nations other than Israel. Within 100 years of the day on which these words were spoken, there were more gentile Christians than there were Jewish Christians and gentiles have been in an ever increasing majority ever since.
We live in an age where this parable has become a reality. Christianity has become one of the major religions of this world. People from all over the world have come to Christ and his church. But Jesus has not yet returned. We are to still be planting those tiny seeds of faith in our children and their children and in people around the world. The Gospel of the Salvation of Jesus still needs to be planted and to grow some more.
The second parable we are looking at this morning describes another aspect of the growth of the kingdom of God.
Jesus said that the kingdom of God, was like leaven. Leaven is that starter dough that you mix into the ingredients of bread dough to make it rise and to change the character of the other ingredients. It actually has a form of mold within it that begins a fermentation process.
In Judiasm, Leaven had become a symbol for corruption. During the Passover celebration Jewish families get rid of all the leaven in their homes so they can celebrate the Passover properly. So it is rather surprising that Jesus would use a symbol of corruption for his kingdom.
He was of course trying to describe the kind of changes that his gospel, his kingdom would bring into the nations and the people of this world. The gospel has a way of changing lives and cultures. Jesus was saying that this movement that began with the preaching and death and resurrection of one person would become an incredible life changing and world changing force. And it has.
There is a story about a woman who was being ridiculed because she said she believed that Jesus had actually changed water into wine. When asked how she could believe such a thing she said, “My Husband used to spend most of his pay check in the bar. I had a hard time feeding my children with what was left. Then my husband became a Christian and stopped spending all our money in the bar and we now have plenty of food to eat. In my family, Jesus turned whiskey into bread and meat, so I don’t think turning water into wine would be very difficult for him.
Some of you have known changes like this in your lives or in the lives of people you know or love. Thanks be to God for his life changing Word.
But some in this world see God’s kingdom as a corrupting influence. In some places, Christians have been considered enemies of the state. In some contexts we have been considered weak or weak minded. In some times we have been considered to be corruptors of youth.
Maybe Jesus used leaven as a symbol for his kingdom because the changes it would bring would not always be welcome in this world.
The last two parables we will look at deal with the value of the Christ’s kingdom and show us the proper response to it.
Both the parables of the treasure and the Pearl portray the kingdom of Heaven even in its earthly form as of immense value. The difference in the two parables lies in the status of the ones who find the kingdom.
In the parable of the Treasure, the one who finds it is presumably a tenant farmer who has no higher aspirations than paying the rent and taking care of his family. Then one day as he is working in his rented field, he finds a valuable treasure. In Palestine this was not unheard of. Palestine or Israel is a land that has often been invaded and residents have often had to flee for their lives. Sometimes they could not take their treasures with them so they hid them hoping to someday return and recover them. This man found such a treasure. So he went and gathered all the possessions he had accrued from his entire lifetime and sold them so he could buy that field and claim that treasure.
This parable is not a morality parable, it is not intended to encourage us to hide treasures from their rightful owners until we cam claim them as ours. The parable simply demonstrates the normal response to something as valuable as the kingdom of God that comes to us through the words and deeds of Jesus.
The parable of the pearl merchant and collector is similar to the parable of the Treasure. It also offers some local flavor. Israel or Palestine was in those days on several important trade routes. Palestine is a land bridge between Africa and Europe and Asia. Merchants caravans carrying valuable and rare commodities were not uncommon. Here we have one of these merchants who is searching for the perfect pearl. He is not just surviving with no higher aspirations like the guy who found the treasure. This man is a searcher. He is searching for something of great value. And when he finds it, he is willing to sell all his other pearls and everything else he has to buy that one pearl.
The focus of these two parables is on the value of the prize and the willingness of the finder to sacrifice everything to possess it.
How much do you value what Christ has done for you? Do you value his death and forgiveness as being of greater value than anything else in your life?
Some of us were searching for what we found in Christ. Some of us stumbled on it. It was in our homes as we were growing up. Some of us had to spend some time and effort searching before Christ found us.
What God has done for us in Christ is like a tiny seed that grows to something huge that offers shelter to those who land in it.
What God has done for us in Christ is like leaven, it may at times be suspected of being moldy, but it has changed the world and it can still change lives and societies.
What God has done for us in Christ is of more value than all of our accomplishments or possessions all put together. We should treat this great gift with care, reverence, and honor. It is the most precious thing we will ever have. It is with us in this life in all good and bad times. And it will take us into God’s marvelous eternal kingdom.
Next Sunday we will gather here to honor our Lord’s sacrifice for us by eating and drinking His Holy Supper. I would like you to prepare yourselves this week by asking yourself if you really value Christ’s salvation as your greatest possession, and if so, what you can do to demonstrate that to others and to God.
Posted by faithpres at 02:30 PM | Comments (0)
July 20, 2008
The Wheat, the Weeds, and the Net
Matthew 13: 24-30, 36-43 & 47-50
delivered on July 20th, 2008
Last Sunday we began our study of the parables of Jesus that are recorded in Matthew 13 by looking at the parable of the sower and the explanation that Jesus gave of that parable. Today we are looking at two parables that on the surface seem to be addressing the same subject, but on closer examination we will find that there are some important differences.
The first of our two parables for today is the parable of the Wheat and the Weeds. You may have noticed that this parable begins almost the same as the parable of the sower. They both start with a farmer planting seeds. But in this parable there is no description of the various kinds of soil that the seeds fell on. In that parable there was only one kind of seed, the good seed that represents the words and salvation of Jesus.
In this parable there is another kind of seed. The bad seed. In the parable, this seed is bearded darnel, a weed that resembles wheat, but is not compatible with the human digestive system.
In the parable, the good farmer has an enemy. This enemy has his servants plant the poisonous weed in the field where the farmer has already planted wheat. The servants of the good farmer ask their master if he wants them to try to tear out the weeds. He says No, let the two grow together and when it is time to harvest the wheat, they are to cut them down together and then sort out the good from the bad. The good grain will be stored in the Master’s barn while the bad will burned.
Matthew tells us that Jesus later gave an explanation for this parable. He said that the farmer is the son of man = Jesus. The field is the world. The good seeds are the Children of the kingdom (Christians). The weed seeds are children of the evil one. The harvest is the final judgment at the end of the age and the harvesters are angels.
Now, you would think that with such a succinct explanation of this parable being given by Jesus, there would be no misunderstandings of the parable. But there have been. One of the standard interpretations of this parable is that the field is the church and that this parable tells us that there will be non Christians and non Christian ideas in the church and that we are supposed to accept that state of affairs because the farmer told his servants not to root out the weeds until the harvest which is later interpreted to be the final judgment at the end of the world.
Even the revered John Calvin thought that Jesus was speaking about the church in this parable. How could he and so many others think this when Jesus was so clear about the field being the world?
Because the parable begins with the words: The kingdom of heaven may be compared to… Many church scholars think that any saying or parable having to do with the kingdom of heaven refers directly to the church. So in this case even though Jesus clearly said that the field in this parable is the world, many in the church think it is the church. And they may be in the majority. Fortunately for me, true to my Scottish ancestry, I have never allowed my being in the minority to make me suspect that I may be wrong.
But I have an answer to those who insist that the Church must be in this parable because it begins with the phrase “the kingdom of heaven”. The church is in this parable. It is not the field, it is the servants of the farmer. They are the ones who helped him plant. They are the ones who discovered the evil seeds in the field and they are the ones who asked their master how such a thing happened and what the master wants them to do about it.
And what does he want us to do? He does not want us to try to root out evil. That is the task given to the angels at the end time. In the meantime, the task of restraining evil in this world is given to the civil governments. To them is given the task of seeking out and punishing evil doers. Some Christians work for the civil government, they are called by God to do so, it is part of their Christian Calling. But it is not what the church as an organization or body is called to do. As members of the church, we are called not to fight the defensive war against evil, but an offensive war.
What can we assume was the task given to the farmers’ servants in the parable? They are told not to tear out the weeds, but we can assume that they did assist the farmer in planting the seeds of the kingdom. And that is our offensive against evil, to fill as much of our world as we can with the word of God, with seeds of righteousness. Ours is not to defend against evil, it is to plant so much righteousness and goodness and so much Gospel in the world that evil won’t find any room to grow. Now, will we ever perfectly accomplish this task before Jesus and the angels come for the harvest?
No. But until he returns, we are to be his offensive agents against evil.
When interpreted correctly, this parable gives us the answer to a question that is asked in all generations. “Why is there so much evil in the world, especially now, since Christ has come into the world. The answer is simple. There is a master evil being who is responsible. He is sometimes called satan. He is just as busy as he can be planting evil seeds and growing people who will do evil deeds.
And he will have a fair measure of success in some places and times. But God has an end game. He will put an end to satan and those who do his evil bidding.
Now some of you might say, “You’ve got to be kidding, how can any reasonably intelligent 21st century person believe in a personal satan or devil? My answer is simple. I believe that there is such a being because Jesus, the son of God who should know such things, said there was and He even spoke with him on occasion.
I must confess that I have an ulterior motive in trying to make you understand that this parable does not speak directly of the church. One of the details of the parable is the farmer telling his servants not to root out the weeds. If this parable speaks directly of the church, that would mean that our master does not want us to root evil seeds out of the church. This misunderstanding has led some Christian leaders to say that we ought not to stop heretics from teaching and preaching falsehoods in our churches. We are not called to root out and stop to all evil in the world, but neither are we to allow non Christians and heretics to lead and teach Christians in our churches. We are to expose them and stop them. St Paul makes this clear in his epistles where he speaks against false apostles.
The second parable in our texts this morning does speak directly of the church. Jesus had told his apostles that they were to become fishers of men. This parable speaks directly to that mission. The net is the gospel preached by the apostles and the church. The net referred to in the parable is a large net that fishermen used on the Sea of Galilee. This net was suspended between two boats, or between the shore and a single boat. It was designed to capture a large number of fish from a large volume of water. The problem with it was that it would capture all of the swimming and floating creatures in that part of the sea, even the ones that the Jews couldn’t eat. According to the Jewish dietary laws, they could only eat swimming creatures that had fins and scales. Anything else had to be thrown back or thrown out.
This parable then encourages the church to cast a wide net with the gospel, throwing the gospel at all peoples of all types, even those who would have been considered especially sinful or evil. The bad side of this is that some people are going to be brought into the church who don’t really belong. Some will eventually come to believe in and follow Jesus, but some won’t. Those who do not really belong in the net are to be allowed to remain as long as they do not attempt to lead others astray. God and his angels will determine who really belongs among his people in the end, at the final judgment. So not only should we not be too judgmental of others in the church, leaving the final judgment to God, we also need to look carefully at our own lives, our faith in Jesus and our desire to follow his command. Each of us needs to do our best to determine if we are one of the ones who really belongs, or if we just happen to have been caught in the net with the ones who do truly belong.
What we believe and how we behave and what we allow to be taught and preached in our church are all things that really matter.
So are our mandates from God to sow the seeds of the gospel so there is less room for evil and to cast the net of the gospel wide to catch all who are to come to Jesus.
Posted by faithpres at 02:28 PM | Comments (0)
July 13, 2008
The Parable of the Sower
Matthew 13: 1-9 & 18-23
delivered on July 13th, 2008
For the remainder of July, we are going to be studying some of the parables of Jesus that are recorded in the 13th chapter of Mathew. Before we do that, I guess some explanation or reminder about the nature of Jesus’ parables is in order.
Jesus was not the only rabbi in his time to use parables. In fact, rabbinic literature furnishes many examples of other Jewish teachers and preachers using parables to illustrate their teaching.
The word “parable” comes from a combination of two Greek words which combined mean to throw beside. A parable then is a story or a concept that a teacher would throw down beside a more difficult concept to help the students understand the more difficult concept. That of course is the more usual use for a parable, and Jesus often used parables in this way. The parable of the good Samaritan is an imaginary story that Jesus used to answer a question as to who should be identified as ones neighbor. It did not need an explanation. The man who asked the question clearly understood Jesus’ answer in the parable.
But Matthew tells us that Jesus also used parables to hide some aspects of his teaching from some of those who were listening to him. Matthew identifies at least the parables that we will be discussing this Sunday and next Sunday as parables that were not to be understood by all.
These parables come from a time when Jesus was facing some rejection. There was among certain groups of the Jews some resistance and animosity to his message. So Jesus began using parables as ways of saying things that his enemies would not understand. These are parables that were to inform and encourage those who would believe in Jesus and would attempt to follow him.
Matthew tells us that this parable of the Sower as it has been called was preached from a boat. Jesus had been teaching and healing in a house. Now he has moved his ministry outdoors where there was more room. He had walked through or beside some fields and had arrived at the shore of the Sea or lake of Galilee. A large group of people followed him and assembled around him on the shore, so he got into a boat and had it pulled out just a few feet or yards so he could set a little distance between himself and the crowd.
I do not envy Jesus his pulpit on this occasion. I have preached from a boat and I have decided that while I generally like boats, I do not care for them as a pulpit. The darn things shift and move at the slightest provocation. An enthusiastic gesture can set small ripples in motion. Matthew tells us that Jesus sat in the boat. Sitting is safe, but human beings can get better volume for speaking in a standing position. But standing in a small boat is not a good idea.
According to Matthew, as Jesus sat in that boat, he began to tell a story about a farmer without any introduction. Jesus often began parables of this type with a preface “the kingdom of God is like”. In this case he just said “Listen” and he then told a story about a farmer who planted seeds in a field. There were probably fields within sight of Jesus and his hearers.
The story is about an unnamed farmer who scattered seeds all over a field, including the part that had been used as a path and become packed down and hard. In those days in Palestine, farmers scattered seeds on unplowed fields and then plowed the fields, plowing under the seeds in the process.
The seeds fell on four different types of soil. Some fell on the hard path, and before the plow could cut into that hardened soil, the birds came and plucked the seeds of the hard soil.
Some seeds fell on shallow ground that covered buried rock ledges. The seed sprouted and grew for a while, but in the dry season, it could not get moisture from the deeper soil because of the rock ledge, so it died.
Some seeds landed on soil that was infested with the seeds and roots of weeds which used up most of the nourishing elements of the soil leaving the good seeds to die, strangled by the weeds.
Some seeds landed on Good soil and grew to maturity producing a great crop for the farmer.
Then he said “if you have ears, Listen”, then he either left the boat or told some more stories.
Later, the Disciples came to him and asked what was up with the parables. Why was he telling stories without explanations?
Jesus told them that the stories contained secrets of the kingdom of heaven. Only believers were to understand them. Then he explained the parable of the sower to them.
Most of you have read and studied the explanation to the parable. You know what kind of person each of the types of soil stands for.
The soil that is packed down as a path represents people who are hard of heart, who have no interest in spiritual things. Don’t judge these people. Some of them have good reason for not being interested in religion, even the Christian Religion. Jesus said that the evil one keeps the seed of faith from having a second chance at these people. He takes away the seed, perhaps distracting them with other things until they are no longer interested in taking in the Gospel of Jesus.
I will be saying more about the evil one next week when I will have more time.
The shallow soil over rock represents those who receive the good news about Jesus and seem to have faith in Him for a while. Then the hard times of life come and they abandon him.
The soil among the thorns represent those who also begin in the faith but the good stuff of this life, including wealth, and offspring and all of their accompanying worries, distract them and they never grow into a mature faith in Jesus.
The soil that allows the seeds to grow in it represent those who come to a full faith in Christ. But notice that it is stressed that they bear fruit and produce a crop that is up to hundred times what was planted. Christians bear fruit, not only a mature faith but they grow in the Graces of God, they also plant more seed and help others to come to faith and grow in faith.
After almost 2000 years of Christianity, we know that this parable explains the growth and the lack of growth of the Kingdom of God on earth, the Christian Community. Some receive the seed and grow into mature fruit bearing believers. Some don’t.
But what I want you to see this morning is that when Jesus spoke these words, none of this had happened yet. The words of Jesus were just beginning to be preached and people were only starting to respond. When Jesus spoke these words about the growth of his Kingdom on earth, they were prophetic. They described responses that we have all come to know.
But I want to take just a few more minutes this morning and see if we can figure out some strategies to deal with the truths that are presented in this parable.
The parable proclaims that only a percentage of the people who hear the gospel will actually come into the kingdom of God. That means that as we seek to bring more people into God’s kingdom we need to reach more to get more. If we cannot greatly improve the percentages, we need to increase the larger number of people we get the message to. We need to think of and develop more ways to tell more people about Jesus.
We know a lot about soil that the people of Jesus day did not. We know that with treatments and fertilizers, you can change soil.
I have come to the conclusion through observation that the soil my house is built on does not naturally offer good support to grass. It does support clover really well, and that would be fine with me if it weren’t for those white flowers that proclaim to the world that this is not grass that is growing in the Horners’ yard.
But I know that there are processes and treatments that will enable my soil to grow grass. The problem is that I don’t want my lawn to be too healthy and grow too quickly because I really don’t like mowing grass.
The point I am trying to make is not that I don’t like lawns, but that we can change soil and make it more receptive to accepting and nurturing seeds.
So it is with the soil of Human beings. We can by acts of kindness and demonstrations of our faith soften hearts and human soil so they will be more responsive to the seeds we hope to plant.
To grow more Christians into God’s kingdom and into Faith Presbyterian Church we need to plant the gospel of Jesus in a larger field. We need to expand our horizons.
And we need to improve the soil in the field we already have.
Ideas about how to do these are invited and needed.
Posted by faithpres at 02:26 PM | Comments (0)