The Ministry of Christ (Part 4)

Christ And The Parables - Matthew 13:1-17

As we continue to look at the ministry of Christ, we find many actions and sayings that are hard to understand at first glance. We have generally been taught that Christ came to bring PEACE and SALVATION to the world. This is based on the announcement of the angels who spoke to the shepherds on the night Christ was born (Luke 2:14).

As we have seen in our earlier studies of this series, Christ DID NOT come to proclaim Salvation to the world. He limited His ministry to the nation of Israel and His message was that the Kingdom (from heaven) was "AT HAND.

As we look at the conditions here on earth, we find anything but peace. Did the angels mean that because Christ was born there would be peace on the earth? Did they mean that when Christ began His earthly ministry He would pronounce the end of strife and war? If they did, we have a problem with the statement of our Lord in Matthew 10:34-35, for near the beginning of Christ's earthly ministry He said: "THINK NOT THAT I AM COME TO SEND PEACE ON EARTH; I CAME NOT TO SEND PEACE, BUT A SWORD. FOR I AM COME TO SET A MAN AT VARIANCE AGAINST HIS FATHER, AND THE DAUGHTER AGAINST HER MOTHER, AND THE DAUGHTER-IN-LAW AGAINST HER MOTHER-IN-LAW.";

What was Christ talking about in this passage and HOW was He going to accomplish this division between members of families? Also, WHY would He want to DIVIDE the nation of Israel?

To answer these questions we will have to reconsider what we have been taught or what we have conceived in our own minds about Christ's earthly ministry. Christ, according to His statement in Matthew 10:34-35, DID NOT come to fulfill the promise of the angels who spoke of peace on earth. (The "PEACE" the angels spoke of will not come until the PRINCE OF PEACE sets up His Kingdom and rules this earth with a hand of iron).

The way Christ was going to bring about this division within the nation of Israel was to present Himself as Israel's MESSIAH and as Israel's KING. Israel was going to. be given a test. Every man and every woman would have to make a choice. They would either RECEIVE Jesus for who He said He was or they would have to REJECT Him as their MESSIAH and their KING. There would be no
middle ground and which ever choice an individual made, it would surely divide him from those who took the other view.

When our Lord called His twelve Disciples, they responded by following Him whole-heartedly. When He called the leaders of Israel to repent (to change the direction they were going and the direction they were leading the nation) their response was to hold a council against Him, how they might destroy Him (Matthew 12:14). Thus, the battle lines are drawn and the nation is DIVIDED between those who believed Christ was their promised King and those who believed Christ was an impostor.

In Matthew 13:3, after the Pharisees had taken council as to how they might destroy Him, and after Christ had commanded the multitudes NOT to tell anyone that He was the Christ, we find that Christ speaks to the multitudes "IN PARABLES."

When His Disciples came to Him and asked WHY He spoke to them in parables (Matthew 13:10), Christ gives them a very strange answer. He said, "BECAUSE IT IS GIVEN UNTO YOU (the Disciples) TO KNOW THE MYSTERIES (Secrets) OF THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN, BUT UNTO THEM (the multitudes) IT IS NOT GIVEN" (Matthew 13:11). This statement makes one wonder about Christ's ministry to this nation. Why would Christ not want the unbelieving masses to know the secrets of the Kingdom? Let us remember that the events of chapter thirteen of the book of Matthew took place after the Pharisees took council to kill Christ and now Christ was beginning to turn away from the public and to confine His teaching to His Disciples. It was about this same time that Christ commanded His Disciples, "TELL NO MAN THAT HE WAS JESUS THE CHRIST" (Matthew 16:20). It
was during this turning from the public that Christ begins to teach in parables in order that the masses may not understand the things being taught but His Disciples would be taught the truths of the coming Kingdom.

Before we get into the reason for Christ teaching in parables and how they were to be used to bring this division within the nation, let us first consider what a PARABLE is and what Christ was doing when He spoke in Parables. The word " PARABLE" comes from two Greek words. One, PARA, means
ALONG SIDE OF, while the other word, BALLO, means TO THROW or TO LAY. Thus, the word PARABLE means the placing of one thing beside another with the view of comparison. A PARABLE is usually an utterance or narrative drawn from nature or human circum-stances, the object of which is to set forth a Spiritual truth.

Why Did Christ Use Parables?

There are two reasons for Christ using Parables at this time. One was to hide the truth concerning the secrets of the Kingdom from the unbelieving masses, as we saw in Matthew 13:11. The second reason for Christ using Parables is to put this nation to a test (especially the leaders of this nation). This test was to prove the failure of Israel's leaders to receive Christ as their Messiah and their King, even though their Prophets had foretold His coming and He Himself had proven that He was their Messiah by His words and His miracles. Also, there are two Scriptures that are being fulfilled by Christ using Parables to test the nation. In Luke 1:34, Simeon said, "THIS CHILD IS SET FOR THE FALL AND RISING AGAIN OF MANY IN ISRAEL; AND FOR A SIGN WHICH SHALL BE SPOKEN AGAINST" While Matthew 10:34 tells us, "THINK NOT THAT I AM COME TO SEND PEACE ON EARTH, I CAME NOT TO SEND PEACE, BUT A SWORD."

You will notice that in every parable, Christ is teaching some aspect of the coming Kingdom. He is either speaking of the Messiah being rejected as King, Messiah being absent from the Kingdom or Messiah returning to reign in the Kingdom.

All the parables follow the pattern established by the first parable our Lord spoke. This parable is recorded in Matthew 7:24-29 and speaks of TWO KINDS OF MEN. These men are pictures of the people within the nation of Israel. Those who will re-ceive Christ as their promised Messiah are identified with the "WISE MAN" while those who reject Christ's claim are identified with the
"FOOLISH MAN." Here is the DIVISION that Christ spoke of and the TEST for the nation is to make a choice concerning Christ. Those who are "WISE"; will build their lives on the foundation of Christ's claim, for He is THE ROCK (First Corinthians 10:4). Only a few individuals in this nation were "WISE."
The masses in Israel were identified with the "FOOLISH MAN" for they chose to reject THE ROCK and build their lives upon the "SAND" of their own understanding and their own works. When the "STORM" of God's wrath comes, those who have built their lives upon the foundation of "SAND" will suffer great loss, while those who have built upon THE ROCK will stand and find their blessings in the Kingdom.

Most of the parables present TWO PERSONS or TWO THINGS in contrast with each other. In every parable, these TWO PERSONS or TWO OBJECTS will represent the TWO DIVISIONS within Israel - THE WISE and THE FOOLISH.

What Did The Parables Teach?

In His use of parables, Christ was teaching some aspects of the coming Kingdom. He started His ministry proclaiming the Kingdom as being "AT HAND." Now, in the parables, Christ is teaching His Disciples some of the specifics of that coming Kingdom. How the King would be REJECTED; how the King must be ABSENT from the Kingdom for a while; and finally, how the King would RETURN and set up His kingdom. Also, Christ used the parables to teach the VALUE of the Kingdom, the SCOPE of the Kingdom, and the RESPONSIBILITY of the Leaders of Israel toward the Kingdom.

An example of the VALUE of the Kingdom is seen in the Parable of the Pearl, in Matthew 13:45. The "PEARL"; is Israel. The "MERCHANT" is Christ. Christ wanted Israel so He sold all that He had (He gave His life) and bought Israel. What is the VALUE of the Kingdom in which Israel will be exalted to
be head over the nations of the earth? It cost Christ His life.

An example of the SCOPE of the Kingdom is seen in the Parable of the Mustard Seed, in Matthew 13:31-32. Here the Mustard seed speaks of Israel, the smallest of the nations, yet in the Kingdom Israel will be expanded to be a great nation and all the inhabitants of the earth will be blessed in the strength of Israel.

The RESPONSIBILITIES of the Kingdom is seen in the Parable of the Ten Pounds (Luke19:11-27). Christ is the "NOBLEMAN" who "WENT INTO A FAR COUNTRY TO RECEIVE FOR HIMSELF A KINGDOM, AND TO RETURN" (verse 12). He left His servants to "OCCUPY" till He returned (verse 13). The "CITIZENS" are the Leaders of Israel and they send a "MESSENGER" after Him to tell Him He was
not welcome to return. This "MESSENGER" was Stephen, who was killed in Acts 7:54-60. When Christ returns, He will call these "SERVANTS" to give an account of how they used that which was placed into their hands. Notice the judgment upon the ones who hated Him (verse 27).

In the parable of Matthew 21:33-40, when Christ was talking to the Chief Priest and Pharisees, He speaks of some wicked servants who were left in charge of a vineyard while its owner went into a far country. When the owner sent other servants to re-ceive the fruit of the vineyard, the husbandmen in charge killed them. Finally the Son of the owner is sent, but He, too, is killed by these wicked servants. Then Christ asks these Priests and Pharisees, "WHEN THE LORD THEREFORE OF THE VINEYARD COMETH, WHAT WILL HE DO UNTO THOSE HUSBANDMEN?" (Matthew 21:40). The Chief Priest and Pharisees knew Christ was charging them with the crimes of this parable, for notice their reaction in Verses 45 and 46.

Conclusion

Today, we are NOT living under that Prophetic program, but we ARE living during the time the King is absent from His Kingdom. The King has not as yet returned to Israel to set up His Kingdom, but someday He will return. In the meantime, Christ is offering FORGIVENESS and SALVATION to anyone who will believe that He is God and the One Who died as a substitute offering for their sin. Will we accept the record of God's Word concerning Christ or will we reject that record and suffer loss as did the "Foolish Man"; of the Parable? What will you do with Christ?

Pastor Marvin Duncan
Bible Treasures, 1820 Drollinger Street, Wichita, Kansas 67218

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