Summary: In the parable of the sower, we see what could be called a Kingdom-of-Heaven condition; that is, it exhibits God’s present ruler-ship over the entire earth as He calls out a people to His name.
Parable of the Sower
The Gospel of Matthew is probably the key Gospel to the Bible, and chapter 13 is the key to this Gospel; therefore this chapter is very important.
It provides us with a better understanding of the Kingdom of Heaven than any other passage.
Here, Jesus for the first time speaks in parables; called the Mystery Parables.
His teaching reveals the condition of the Kingdom of Heaven in our present time.
Now, what I mean by the Kingdom of Heaven, is God’s rule over the entire earth; the manner in which He is carrying out His program for mankind.
Today it’s a program; but when Jesus comes the second time, He will put down all unrighteousness and rebellion, and He will establish His Kingdom right here on earth.
And He will rule and reign forever.
Remember, Jesus followed John the Baptist in preaching “,….. Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matthew 4:17)
And Jesus talked about the laws that would be applied to that Kingdom, when He gave the Sermon on the Mount.
Then He demonstrated, through miracles, that He had the power to rule the kingdom; after which He sent His disciples out with the message.
The message was met with rejection-Israel rejected its King.
Therefore, Our Lord handed down a judgment against the cities where His mighty works had been done, and He also pronounced judgment against the religious rulers.
When they asked Him for a sign, He said that no sign would be given them, except that of Jonah.
He was speaking of His resurrection, and they were to have that fulfilled in Christ shortly after this.
Finally, He gave a very personal invitation, “Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)
Now the question arises: What will happen to the Kingdom of Heaven?
It is apparent that He will not establish it on the earth at His first coming.
So what will happen to the Kingdom of Heaven during the interval between His suffering on the cross and His glory that will be revealed at His second coming?
Well in the Mystery Parables, and there are eight of them, He sets forth the Kingdom of Heaven conditions on earth during this interval; the time in which we are currently living.
They are called Mystery Parables because in the Word of God a mystery is something hidden or secret up to a certain time and then revealed.
According to this definition, the church is a mystery, since it was not revealed in the Old Testament.
It was revealed after the death and resurrection of Christ.
Actually, there could be no church until Christ died and rose again.
Ephesians 5:25 says that “…..Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it.”
Other mysteries are Christ’s incarnation, His intersession for us, our justification and sanctification, and indeed the whole work of redemption.
These things are difficult to understand, but are made clearer by the action of the Holy Spirit.
Those lacking the Holy Spirit, are numb to spiritual things, so they think they are tall tales or just entertainment.
The Mystery Parables show the course of the kingdom after it had been offered, and then rejected by Israel.
They reveal what is going to take place between the time of Christ’s rejection, and the time when He returns to earth as King.
With these parables, Our Lord covers the entire period between his rejection by Israel and His return to the earth to establish his Kingdom; therefore these parables are very important.
As we begin reading chapter 13, notice that Jesus’ actions are extremely interesting, for it says, “The same day went Jesus out of the house, and sat by the sea side. And great multitudes were gathered together unto him, so that he went into a ship, and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore.” (v. 1,2)
He did not have a house of His own, and He did not have a chapel of His own to preach in.
By this He teaches us not to desire the external surroundings of worship, such as a large building, and beautiful grounds, but to make the best of the facilities that God gives us.
That’s what we are doing here at Laurens Memorial Home, and I am grateful that God has given us comfortable chairs, a podium, a piano and clean walls and floors.
But to God, we are the church, and it is our worship, obedience, faithfulness and love that matters.
But note the symbolism here, “The same day went Jesus out of the house,” which speaks of the house of Israel.
“And sat by the sea side,”–the sea represents the gentile nations (a symbolism used elsewhere in scripture).