Matthew 14:1-36

What is the theme of this chapter?

Attack by Herod, followed by miracles.

What is the key verse(s) of this chapter? Verse 33

And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

What can I apply to my life from this chapter (things to do/avoid)?

Peter stopped walking in faith when he took his focus off Jesus Christ and put it on his circumstances.  I must recognize when I do the same thing and quickly put my focus back on Him.

Additional observations/questions:

Matthew 14:28-36

And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.” Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.” And when they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret. And when the men of that place recognized him, they sent around to all that region and brought to him all who were sick and implored him that they might only touch the fringe of his garment. And as many as touched it were made well.

land at Gennesaret - NW of the Sea of Galilee — on the plain northwest of the Sea of Galilee between Capernaum and Tiberias

"Christ explained the reason that Peter began to sink. Peter had obeyed the command of Christ. He had begun the walk by faith. But the fact that he began his walk by exercising faith did not mean that he could stop walking by faith. When Peter ceased to walk by faith, even though in the will of God and in the presence of Christ, he began to sink. Christ brought Peter to the boat, and it was then that 'the wind died down' (Matthew 14:32). Those in the boat had seen Christ walk on the water. They had seen Peter walk on the water, and they had seen Christ rescue and restore Peter when he failed in his walk by faith. Now their response was to cry out, 'Truly you are the Son of God.' (Pentecost)

Matthew 14:22-27

Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, but the boat by this time was a long way from the land, beaten by the waves, for the wind was against them. And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” and they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.”

Also found in Mark 6:47-52 and John 6:16-21.

made = compelled, by threat, entreaty, force or persuasion

evening - probably around 6:00 pm

a long way from the land - The Sea of Galilee is about six miles wide at this point (eight miles at its widest and 13 miles at its longest).

fourth watch - between 3:00 and 6:00 a.m.

"The Sea of Galilee is tucked between hills and is subject to violent storms. Several of the disciples were fishermen who knew boats well. In at least nine hours, they had only managed between three and four miles of rowing. It would have been easier, I imagine, for them to turn the boat around and run before the wind. But their loyalty to Christ, who said to meet Him on the other side, or His compelling them to go — or probably both — kept them rowing."

Matthew 14:13-21

Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a desolate place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick. Now when it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a desolate place, and the day is now over; send the crowds away to go into the villages and buy food for themselves.” But Jesus said, “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.” They said to him, “We have only five loaves here and two fish.”  And he said, “Bring them here to me.” Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass, and taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up twelve baskets full of the broken pieces left over. And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children.

This is the only miracle (except the resurrection) that appears in all four gospels — Mark 6:30-44; Luke 9:10-17; John 6:1-13

heard this - John’s death, or that Herod had heard of His ministry (or both)

Herod never saw Jesus until His trial, at which time Jesus refused to speak in his presence.

evening - probably around 3:00 p.m. by Jewish reckoning

"The Hebrew day, that is, the interval between dawn and darkness, was divided into three parts: morning, noon, and evening (Ps 55:17).  The Jews distinguished two evenings in the day:  the first began about 3 P.M. and the second at sundown (see Ex 12:6), lit., 'between the evenings').  In this verse [Matt 14:15] the first evening is meant, in verse 23 [Matt 14:23] the second." (Ryrie)

five loaves and two fish - the meal of a boy, discovered by Andrew. The loaves were barley, a poor type of bread (Psalm 132:15).

baskets = small baskets carried on the arm

Matthew 14:1-12

At that time Herod the tetrarch heard about the fame of Jesus, and he said to his servants, “This is John the Baptist. He has been raised from the dead; that is why these miraculous powers are at work in him.” For Herod had seized John and bound him and put him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife, because John had been saying to him, “It is not lawful for you to have her.” And though he wanted to put him to death, he feared the people, because they held him to be a prophet. But when Herod's birthday came, the daughter of Herodias danced before the company and pleased Herod, so that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she might ask. Prompted by her mother, she said, “Give me the head of John the Baptist here on a platter.” And the king was sorry, but because of his oaths and his guests he commanded it to be given. He sent and had John beheaded in the prison, and his head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, and she brought it to her mother. And his disciples came and took the body and buried it, and they went and told Jesus.

This account also appears in Mark 6:14-29 and Luke 9:7-9.

Herod - "Herod Antipas, who ruled from 4 B.C. to A.D. 39, son of Herod the Great and brother of Archelaus." (Ryrie)

tetrarch = ruler of a fourth. Herod the Great’s kingdom had been divided among his sons

prison - probably in the castle of Machaerus, on the Dead Sea — John had probably been in prison for about a year.

Herodias - "The former wife of Herod's half brother Philip, her uncle.  She had been persuaded to leave her husband and marry Herod Antipas, thus committing incest (Lev 18:16).  John condemned him for this, and Antipas knew that John spoke the truth (see Mark 6:20)." (Ryrie)

daughter - Salome, who was probably around 17 years old.

"It was not long before the wicked ambition of Herodias led Herod to Rome to seek the title of king, given to Agrippa, the brother of Herodias. But in this quest he not only failed to obtain the title he sought but lost his dominions and was banished to Lugdumin in Gaul not far from the Spanish frontier, where he and the wicked Herodias later died in obscurity and dishonor. Salome was married to her uncle Philip, tetrarch of Trachonitis and Batanea, but after a brief time was left a widow and disappears from history. Tradition says that she met with an early and hideous death."  (Pentecost)

Matthew 13:1-58

What is the theme of this chapter?

Parables of the Kingdom.

What is the key verse(s) of this chapter? Verses 10-11

Then the disciples came and said to him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” And he answered them, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.

What can I apply to my life from this chapter (things to do/avoid)?



Additional observations/questions:

Matthew 13:54-58

And coming to his hometown he taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished, and said, “Where did this man get this wisdom and these mighty works? Is not this the carpenter's son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? And are not all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?” And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and in his own household.” And he did not do many mighty works there, because of their unbelief.

his hometown - Nazareth. This is probably a later visit than the one recorded in Luke 4:16-29 and is His last recorded visit to the town.

brothers - half-brothers, sons of Mary and Joseph

James - Not the apostle, but a leader in the Acts church and the writer of the New Testament book

Judas - the writer of the book of Jude

they took offense at him  = lit. “made to stumble”

"Rabbinical teaching consisted of the transmission of traditional interpretations, and so the crowd questioned His source of knowledge. They weighed both His words and works. They confessed that such knowledge could not be traced to His father, who would have been expected to teach the law to his son (Deuteronomy 6:7). They would have been aware that none of the others brought up in the same home and under the tutelage of the same father could display such knowledge or do such works. Because Christ had not been taught by an accredited teacher, the crowd discounted His words. In fact, “they took offense at Him” (Mark 6:3)." (Pentecost)

Matthew 13:52-53

And he said to them, “Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house, who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.” And when Jesus had finished these parables, he went away from there.

scribe - "The scribes originally were chroniclers, and were closely associated with the military movements of the ancient people. But with the advent of Ezra the scribe, filled a new office. He became, as in the case of Ezra himself, a reader and an expounder of the law of God. Ezra is the most conspicuous example of the true scribe, he who stood in the midst of the people and read the words of the law, indicating the meaning of them, not merely by elocutionary perfection, but by comment, annotation, exposition. That was the real office of the scribe. In the days of Jesus they were still the professed exponents of the law; but they then proceeded upon two principle, the first of oral tradition and that secondly of the interpretation of the letter with an almost painful accuracy. These two principles had become the means of obscuring rather than expounding the law. His disciples were to become in their age the interpreters of the law of God. He said in effect, You are to become the new scribes, the interpreters of the Kingdom, those through whom the age will know the facts concerning the government of the God." (Morgan)

householder - "In the East, the householder was one in absolute authority, a king, a shepherd, a father. And so the figure employed is that of a despot, apart from the undesirable significance of the term. In this word “householder,” then, there is present the thought of loving yet absolute authority. Christ often used the word, and almost invariably concerning Himself." (Morgan)

treasure - treasure laid horizontally; laid up, possessed

brings out = flings forth, scatters around; with the idea of prodigality, generosity

new and old (fresh and ancient) - They were to take what He was revealing to them about the Millennial Kingdom and add it to what was revealed about the Kingdom in the Old Testament.

"The whole picture is one of an eastern householder, the master of a house, an authoritative ruler, lavishly scattering out of his wealth the things which are necessary for the supply and government of his household. Those who are gifted with imagination see the picture. It is full of color. No neutral tints are in it. The eastern house-master, house-despot, out of his treasure scattering upon his people, upon the children of his family, the sheep of his flock, the subjects of his kingdom, all that they need. It is the attitude of the real kingship, and real fatherhood, and real shepherdhood." (Morgan)

"It was the message of the Millennial Kingdom that the disciples were to share with Israel. This is the message that they were told to share in Acts 1:8 when the Lord said: But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.

This is the message that Peter did in fact share at Pentecost in Acts 2:8 when he began his message with: But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel …

This is the message the twelve were still to preach after the Jerusalem Council in Acts 15 about which we read: When James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that had been given to me [Paul], they gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised.

The twelve were not preaching about the body of Christ, the church. That message was given to Paul. In the church, there was no circumcision or uncircumcision, no Jew or Gentile. But yet they were to go only to the circumcised, the Jews, with the message of the Kingdom.

This separation lasted until Acts 28 when the Jewish leaders in Rome rejected the risen Christ."

When they did not agree among themselves, they departed after Paul had said one word: “The Holy Spirit spoke rightly through Isaiah the prophet to our fathers, saying, ‘Go to this people and say: “Hearing you will hear, and shall not understand; and seeing you will see, and not perceive; for the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, so that I should heal them.”’ “Therefore let it be known to you that the salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will hear it!” (Acts 28:25-28)

Matthew 13:47-51

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind. When it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into containers but threw away the bad. So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. “Have you understood all these things?” They said to him, “Yes.”

net (dragnet) - "The largest kind of net, weighed below with corks on top, sweeping perhaps a half mile of water. Because of its large character, the net collects a multitude of different kinds of fish, described in the text as “every kind.” Nets of this size were too large to empty into a boat and had to be drawn to shore. Here the fish were sorted. Those that were bad, or for any reason unusable, were cast back into the sea." (Walvoord)

"Although the commentaries state that these events will take place when the Lord returns at the beginning of the Millennium, I think they are a perfect description of what happens at the end of the Millennium as described in Revelation 20:12-15. (I’ll give a few earlier verses as context.)"

And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life,he was thrown into the lake of fire.

Matthew 13:45-46

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value,went and sold all that he had and bought it.

"In the parable of the merchant looking for fine pearls, Christ revealed that God will get a treasure not only from the nation Israel but from the Gentiles as well. This is inferred from the fact that a pearl comes out of the sea. Frequently in Scripture the sea represents Gentile nations. Once again we see that a treasure from among the Gentiles becomes God’s by purchase."(Pentecost)

"If this take is correct, and I think it is, the pearl refers to the Gentile nations that will be blessed through Israel during the Millennial Kingdom. It does not refer to the church because 1) the Church wasn’t revealed until the revelation was given to Paul, and 2) the Church won’t be in the kingdom."

And now the Lord says, who formed Me from the womb to be His Servant, to bring Jacob back to Him, so that Israel is gathered to Him (for I shall be glorious in the eyes of the Lord, and My God shall be My strength), indeed He says, ‘It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also give You as a light to the Gentiles, that You should be My salvation to the ends of the earth’ (Isaiah 49:5-6).

Matthew 13:44

“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

field - In the previous parables, the field is the world

man - In the previous parables, the man is the Son of Man, Jesus Christ

"According to Exodus 19:5, God declared to Israel, 'If ye will obey My voice indeed, and keep My covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto Me above all people: for all the earth is Mine.' According to Psalm 135:4, 'The Lord hath chosen Jacob unto Himself, and Israel for His peculiar treasure.' … As we trace the gospel narratives, it is clear that Jesus came with a special purpose of redeeming Israel, although at the same time He reconciled the world unto Himself. It was Jesus, therefore, who sold all that He had in order to buy the treasure, Israel, and to purchase it with His own blood (Philippians 2:7-8; 1 Peter 1:18-19). During the present age, Israel is a hidden entity in the world, only to emerge at the end of the age as a major factor in the prophetic fulfillment leading up to the second coming of Christ." (Walvoord)

"I would agree with Walvoord except with his reference to the present age. This age was hidden when Christ was speaking, so He couldn’t have been referring to it. He could, however, have been speaking of the period on the prophetic timeline between when He spoke and His second coming. For the rest of the time before His death, for the period between Pentecost and Acts 28, and for the still future Tribulation, Israel will be hidden. The parable only goes this far. It doesn’t refer to the time when the treasure will be dug up."

Matthew 13:36-43

Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples came to him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.” He answered, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, and the good seed is the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, and the enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers, and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.

This is the explanation of the parable that the Lord taught in verses 24-30.

In the Millennial Kingdom, those who believe in Jesus Christ are represented by the wheat in this parable. Those who don’t believe are the tares.

Sin will be punished severely, so those who don’t believe will behave and look very much like believers, just as tares look like wheat.

But at the end of the age, the unbelievers will be separated and throw into everlasting fire.

Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea. They went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them. The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever (Revelation 20:7-10).

Matthew 13:33-35

He told them another parable. “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all leavened.” All these things Jesus said to the crowds in parables; indeed, he said nothing to them without a parable. This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet: “I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter what has been hidden since the foundation of the world.”

three measures - a common baking measure; about a gallon and a half

"It has been correctly pointed out that it is both important and interesting to interpret any expression or thought in Scripture by the presence thereof in other parts of Scripture, and especially by its first occurrence. Following that principle of investigation, we find that the first occasion upon which the three measures of meal are mentioned in Scripture is as far back as Genesis 18:6. There we have an account of the entertainment of Jehovah by Abraham. In one of the great Theophanies of the Old Testament Jehovah manifested Himself as an angel. Recognizing Him as supernatural, Abraham hastened to entertain Him. Sarah took three measure of meal and prepared it. Passing on through eh Bible I find the figure again in connection with the meal offering. For this there was fixed a minimum and maximum amount. Gideon brought an offering, and Hannah also, and on each occasion three measures of meal are spoken of. In the book of Ezekiel, in connection with the final and perfect offerings, seven times over in one brief instruction the amount of the meal offering is three measures of meal. In the Divine economy the meal offering followed the burnt offering. The burnt offering signifies the devotion of the life to God. The meal offering was the result of cultivation, manufacture, preparation, and, therefore, so far as man was concerned, always signified dedication of his work to God. Remember, too, the meal offering was an offering of hospitality; part was retained by the worshiper and part was at the disposal of the priest. In the meal offering, then, we have a symbol of the perfect communion established between the worshiper and God upon the basis of the worshiper’s service. From the simple rites of home life was taken that which was to be the perpetual symbol of dedication to God in service as the ground of perpetual communion with Him." (Morgan)

"Leaven is in itself corrupt, and is always an agent of corruption. When Sarah prepared the meal for the angel, she mixed no leaven with it. Leaven was distinctly forbidden in the meal offering, and when Paul used the figure of the leaven, whether in reference to the Levitical code, the Jewish custom, or the Master’s use of it, it was always in the sense of evil. 'your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump? Purge out the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, even as ye are unleavened. For our passover also hath been sacrificed, even Christ: wherefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth (1 Corinthians 5:6-8).'" (Morgan)

"The first use of 'leaven' in the New Testament, in the actual reading of the books rather than in the chronology of events, is in our text. Later on, as the King came to Caesarea Philippi, and approached the crisis when the period of His propaganda merged into that of His passion, He warned His disciples to 'Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.' Mark tell us that He said, 'Beware of the Leaven of the Pharisees, and the leaven of Herod;” while Luke reports Him as saying, 'Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.' Coming to the letter to the Corinthians, Paul uses the figure in connection with the toleration in the church of an incestuous person, and the lack of discipline which characterized that toleration. Yet again, in the Galatian epistle, in combating the influence of Judaizing teachers, Paul declared, 'A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.' These referenced exhaust the use of the figure in the New Testament. Thus in the Old and New alike, leaven is the symbol of that against which the men of faith are to guard." (Morgan)

The quote in verse 35 is from Psalm 78:2.

"Again, the commentaries apply this parable to the current age. I’ve already given my reasons why I don’t agree with this.

There will be sin in the kingdom. It will be judged (Isaiah 65:20) as it was with Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5), but it will be there.

The kingdom will start with all believers, of course, all unbelievers having died off at Armageddon. However, these believers will have children who can’t inherit salvation — they must believe for themselves. As is the case now, the majority of people don’t believe. Thus by the end of the kingdom, Satan is able to amass an army against God “whose number is as the sand of the sea” (Revelation 20:7-8). That’s how “the whole was leavened”, as the parable says.

The parable features a woman introducing the leaven since she is the one who bears the children who will leaven the kingdom."

Matthew 13:31-32

He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.”

This parable is also found in Mark 4:30-31.

"We are not to understand from our Lord’s words that the mustard seed is the most infinitesimal of all seeds in the entire vegetable kingdom, but it is the least of all the seeds of the garden herbs; yet when it is grown it becomes the greatest of all the herbs, towering over all the rest, so that it forms a place of shelter." (Ironside)

"Some have noted that the mustard seed described as “the least of all seeds” is not actually the smallest seed, and that this is an error in the Scriptures. The answer is twofold. The Greek word translated “smallest” (mikroteron) is actually a comparative and should be translated “smaller,” … The thought is that it is “very small.” Second, Jesus is speaking of the seeds that were ordinarily planted in ancient gardens, hence the remark that botanists know about many seeds that are still smaller is pointless." (Walvoord)

"The expression, 'small as a mustard seed,' had become proverbial, and was used, not only by our Lord, but frequently by the Rabbis, to indicate the smallest amount. Mustard was in Palestine mixed with, or used as food for pigeons, and presumably would be sought by other birds. The Kingdom of Heaven, planted in the field of the world as the smallest seed, in the most humble and uncompromising manner, would grow till it far outstripped all other similar plants, and gave shelter to all nations under heaven. Out of that insignificant seed in one year would grow a plant that became large enough for birds to nest in it. Daniel 4:12 and Ezekiel 31:6 use the figure of a spreading tree in which birds lodge to indicate a great kingdom that can protect many people." (Pentecost)

"My commentaries all saw this as a picture of the world today. Many of them say that a mustard plant the size of a tree would be an abnormal thing and equate it with the professing church of the current age. Birds, they say, always represent evil and, therefore, are the apostasy and evil ones of this age, or those who profess to be Christians but aren’t.

But again, this makes no sense to me. The Lord had been preaching the literal kingdom all through His ministry up to this point. And although the Jews didn’t understand and had rejected Him as the Messiah, they hadn’t yet finally rejected the kingdom because the kingdom wasn’t offered until Pentecost. (Even if, hypothetically, the Jews had accepted Christ as the Messiah, the kingdom still couldn’t have been ushered in until Pentecost because, without Christ’s death and resurrection, there would be no salvation.)

So … I’m forced to decide for myself what this parable means. If it’s referring to the Millennial Kingdom, which I believe all of Christ’s references to the kingdom in Matthew are, then … The Jewish leaders had just rejected Christ. Only a small group of followers (a mustard seed’s worth) were planted on the earth. But someday, in the Millennium, that small group will be a huge nation that covers the earth, large enough for the other nations to take cover under its blessing.

I understand that I’m disagreeing with the widespread consensus here, which makes me wonder why I see this so differently. I think it’s this …

Many (most?) people see this age as the culmination of earthly history — Christ died and rose again and salvation is offered to everyone who believes and so all Scripture must, somehow, be about now.

I don’t agree. I think the culmination of earthly history will be the Millennial Kingdom when Jesus Christ is on the throne in Jerusalem, there will be widespread peace on earth and all the nations of the world are blessed through Israel. That, and not the situation today, fulfills the promised made to Abraham and David. That provides the literal fulfillment of so very many Old Testament prophecies. That explains Acts 2 and Romans 9-11 and Revelation. And any claim that we’re experiencing God’s ultimate plan for earth today makes God look like a failure.

This current age is, as it is often named, an age of grace. God, before He reigns, is going to judge the world. He is postponing that awful judgment because of His grace. But it’s coming.

I think Satan primarily works by twisting the truth just enough to confuse people. Claiming that this age is the culmination of history sounds good. It makes us feel important. It can be backed up by a lot of Scripture (taken out of context or interpreted incorrectly). And it keeps people from properly understanding God’s Word."

Matthew 13:24-30

He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also. And the servants of the master of the house came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds?’ He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ So the servants said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ But he said, ‘No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.’”

The parable is explained in Matthew 13:36-43.

The explanation is given to the disciples alone (v 36), which makes it clear that the parable itself, along with the next two (the mustard seed and the leaven) were given to the crowd.

"The method so far as the foe is concerned marks his wiliness, his cowardliness, his dastardly determination to harm. He was a trespasser, full of subtlety, animated by malice. There was no other motive in his action. He could gain nothing by sowing another’s field with darnel, for it is not a saleable produce, and no profit can be made out of its growth. It is as worthless to the man who sows it as to the owner of the field. This sowing, then, was the result of pure malice." (Morgan)

"According to the common view, these tares represent what is botanically known as the “bearded darnel” (lolium temulentum), a poisonous rye-grass, very common in the East, entirely like wheat until the ear appears, or else (according to some), the “creeping wheat” or “couch-grass” (triticum repens), of which the roots creep underground and become intertwined with those of the wheat. But the parable gains in meaning if we bear in mind that, according to ancient Jewish (and indeed, modern Eastern) ideas, the tares were not of different seed, but only a degenerate kind of wheat. Whether in legend or symbol, Rabbinism has it that even the ground had been guilty of fornication before the judgment of the Flood, so that when wheat was sown tares sprang up. The Jewish hearers of Jesus would, therefore, think of these tares as degenerate kind of wheat, originally sprung at the time of the Flood, through the corruptness of the earth, but now, alas! so common in their fields; wholly undistinguishable from the wheat, till the fruit appeared: noxious, poisonous, and requiring to be separated from the wheat, if the latter was not to become useless." (Pentecost)

Matthew 13:18-23

“Hear then the parable of the sower: When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path. As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away. As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”

does not understand it - Rejects it by choice; it was sown in his heart, but he would not receive it.

rocky ground - Those who put on the form of godliness but with no power.

"Thus we see in these three classes, in which the seed perishes and brings no fruit, the Devil, the Flesh and the World represented. The Devil snatches up and devours, the Flesh attempts and fails, the World surrounds and chokes." (Gaebelein)

"My commentaries were of no further help. What follows is my take on this parable.

The Lord was talking to a Jewish audience. He explained His teaching to His Jewish disciples who will one day sit on the thrones over the 12 tribes in the Millennium. He was talking about that Millennium, just as He had been since He began His ministry by declaring that the Kingdom was at hand because the King was at hand.

The seeds that fell in the wayside and are eaten by birds (the Devil) are like the Pharisees, who would have no part of the Lord’s message and of whom He said, “You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do (John 8:44).

The seeds that fell on rocky ground are like the Jews who were impressed by the Lord’s miracles but fell away when He didn’t behave the way they wanted a King to behave. From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more (John 6:66).

The seeds that fell among the thorns are like the rich young ruler who wouldn’t forsake the things of the world to follow the Lord. Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions (Matthew 19:21-22).

The seeds that fell on good ground are those who accepted Him as Messiah and continued to believe even when He went to the cross (although many of them had doubts).

The Lord knew that many in that generation would not accept His message and trust Him, and He was preparing His disciples for that fact. They still didn’t understand about His coming death and resurrection or that the Kingdom would be postponed."

Matthew 13:10-17

Then the disciples came and said to him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” And he answered them, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. Indeed, in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says: “You will indeed hear but never understand, and you will indeed see but never perceive.” For this people's heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them.’ But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. For truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.

seeing they do not see - They did not wish to see or hear or understand.

The quote in verses 14-15 is from Isaiah 6:9-10 in the Septuagint.

dull = fat

"The people, notwithstanding His ministry, had rejected Him up to this time, and therefore He could not give to them, nor could they have received, the mysteries of the Kingdom. To the men who had crowned Him, He belonged; and all the principles and privileges of the Kingdom they were able to appreciate and possess. The others had so far refused their allegiance and were therefore unable to see, or enter into, the Kingdom. If we go further back for a moment, we may state the case thus. All these men among whom the ministry of Jesus had been exercised had preliminary knowledge of the ways of God as a result of the religion in which they had been born and trained. In fulfillment of the messages of their own Scriptures He had come. Certain of them had received Him, others of them had rejected Him. To those receiving Him were given the mysteries of the Kingdom. to those rejecting Him these messages could not be given, and they were in danger of losing the real value of all that they had gained through their early religious training." (Morgan)

"It was never God’s desire to harden anyone’s heart or to close anyone’s eyes against the truth, but it is a principle that runs throughout the word of God that the truth either softens or hardens. The very same sun that softens the wax hardens the clay; and so the very same gospel message which breaks down honest hearts and leads to repentance, hardens the hearts of the dishonest and confirms them in their path of disobedience." (Ironside)

The unbelievers could not grasp the new revelation about the kingdom because they would not grasp the revelation already given.

"Most of my commentaries claim the kingdom the Lord was teaching about here is the current age, between His resurrection and His second coming. This is demonstrably wrong for several reasons. I’ll mention two.

First, verse 17 says that the prophets desired to see what the apostles were seeing. Since the prophets hadn’t known anything about the current age (as evidenced by the misunderstanding nearly everyone had about the Messiah’s suffering), they couldn’t have desired to know more. Their desire must have been related to some truth that was revealed to them in some degree — namely, the Millennial Kingdom.

Second, while John the Baptist and the Lord preached that the Kingdom was at hand — or close — because the Messiah was at hand, they never said it was here. Again, this is because of the misunderstanding about the necessity of the Messiah to suffer and die. It was only after that occurred that the Kingdom could be — and was — offered, in Acts 2. So, it makes no sense that Christ would have moved on to teaching about what is to take place after the Jews rejected the Kingdom before the Kingdom was even offered and their rejection wasn’t final.

The mystery of the current age, during which the Kingdom would be delayed, was still a mystery until the truth was given to Paul after the Jew’s final rejection of the Messiah when Steven was put to death."

Matthew 13:1-9

That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. And great crowds gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat down. And the whole crowd stood on the beach. And he told them many things in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root,they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. He who has ears, let him hear.”

On this day, Jesus gave several parables — seven in Matthew and four, including one not mentioned in Matthew, in Mark. The total number of parables in Scripture is generally considered to be 34.

beside the sea - Sea of Galilee

Subsequent verses in this chapter explain why the Lord began speaking in parables and what the parable in this chapter means, so I’ll leave those issues until then.

parables - "Literally, [a parable] is a throwing or placing of things side by side, with the suggestion of comparison. Something is placed by the side of something else, with the intention of explaining the one by the other. Invariably in the teaching of Jesus a parable was a picture of tings seen, intended to revel and explain things unseen, and a rapid glance over this chapter will show how the King made use of the things that were most common in the experience of those amongst whom He was teaching for this purpose." (Morgan)

"In considering the interpretation of parables, it is important to observe the following words of Christ: “The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you” (Matthew 13:11). The parables were designed to teach truth concerning the kingdom program. Again and again our Lord used the formula, “The kingdom of heaven is like” (vs. 24 et al.). Truth is always applicable to believers, and truth may be gained from a study of the parables and applied to persons living today. Yet it must be noted from the Lord’s own words that His parables were designed to convey truth concerning the kingdom program." (Pentecost)