Jesus was sent to proclaim to the Jews—the lost sheep of the House of Israel “the Kingdom of heaven is at hand”—to declare Himself as Messiah—their long-awaited Savior and King. But the religious leaders of the day were so caught up with rule-keeping and rituals that they lost their connection to the Great I AM. Jesus empowered His disciples to go forth to perform miracles and proclaim the Gospel of the Kingdom but He knew it would be rejected. Jesus’ words in Matthew 10: 16-23 reaches beyond the personal ministry of the Twelve to a message still relevant today. Just as in the days of Jesus, there will always be those who will not have eyes to see and ears to hear. (Mt. 13: 9) In Mathew 11: 28-30 we see the turning point in Jesus’ ministry as He knew the rejection of the masses and spoke a new message: personal discipleship: “Come to Me, all that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” The key to taking Jesus’ yoke is “come to me.” Rest is not in religious requirements but in a relationship with Jesus. This is Jesus’ timeless message to us today.
Following this passage Jesus taught a serious of parables—life lessons—that are still pertinent to us today—nuggets of truth to hold on to in times like these when we need a Savior—an anchor for our souls. They are mysteries of the Kingdom revealed in Matthew 13. These parables taken together describe the result of the presence of the Gospel in the world during the present age, that is, the time of seed-sowing which began with our Lord’s personal ministry and will end with the “harvest.” The result is the mingled tares and wheat, good fish and bad, in the sphere of Christian profession. To labor in God’s vineyard (Israel) is one thing; to go forth sowing the seed of the Word in a field which is the world, quite another. The first parable in Mt. 13: 1-9 is foundational to the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven and is interpreted by our Lord Himself (vv. 18-23). The seed is the Word of God sown into the hearts of people in the world; Satan snatches it away from some so it does not take root; some hear the word but are uprooted by the trials and tribulations of the world; some hear but are distracted by the world and its deceptions and do not produce fruit; alas, some hear, understand it, bear fruit and produce a harvest of righteousness and bring souls into the kingdom.
With this in mind, let’s do an overview of the parables. There are eight parables that can be divided into three sections. The first consists of the first four parables: the Parable of the Sower, the Parable of the Wheat and the Tares, the Parable of the Mustard Seed, and the Parable of the Leaven and relate to the Word. The second section consists of the next three parables: the Parable of the Hidden Treasure, the Parable of the Pearl of Great Price, and the Parable of the Dragnet. The third section is the last parable, the Parable of the Householder, who takes out of his treasury both old and new. The titles of these three sections give an idea of what Jesus emphasizes in Matthew 13. We can title the first section “Satan’s Plan to Destroy the Church.” The second section can be titled “God’s Work on Behalf of the Church,” what God does to make sure that Satan does not destroy the church. The third section can be titled “The Ministry’s Duty to the Church.” The comment Matthew makes following the first section (Matthew 13:34-35) gives an explanation why the first four parables can be titled “Satan’s Plan to Destroy the Church”: “All these things Jesus spoke to the multitude in parables; and without a parable He did not speak to them, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying: ‘I will open My mouth in parables; I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world.” What was kept secret from the foundation of the world? Satan’s plan to destroy God’s plan of salvation through the Lamb of God slain before the foundation of the world and which He is fulfilling through the Church. Jesus is saying, “Look, My disciples, this is the plan that you must fight against. If you understand what is in these parables, you will have a pretty good idea of what is happening spiritually.”
I would like for us to focus on section three of the parables today—“God’s Work on Behalf of the Church.” Jesus referenced the word “labor” in our text from Mt. 11: 28-29 and then invites us to come to Him for rest for our souls. Paul in Ephesians 5: 25 refers to Christ’s labor of love on behalf of the Church—“Christ loved the church, and gave Himself for it.” That love is manifested on behalf of the Church past, present, and future: 1. For love He gave Himself to redeem the Church (v. 25) 2. In love He is sanctifying the Church—cleansing it by the washing of water by the word (v. 26) 3. For the reward of His sacrifice and labor of love He will present the Church to Himself in flawless perfection—a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle—holy and without blemish (v. 27). Paul clarifies the mystery Jesus is speaking about in this section of the parables in Ephesians 5: 32: “This is a great mystery; but I speak concerning Christ and the church.”
Let’s look at these parables since I believe that God is preparing and perfecting the Church as we are members of His Body—the Bride being made ready for His Son. Matthew 13: 44 speaks of the hidden treasure: “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid. And because of his joy, he goes out and sells all that he has and buys that field.” The field is the world, which was purchased by our Lord at the priceless cost of His own blood in order that He might have the treasure—Christ’s inheritance (Eph. 1:18) and His joy (Heb. 12:2)—the Church.
The treasure is the pearl of great price that Christ purchased in the next parable in Mt. 13: 45-46: “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant searching for fine pearls. Upon finding a pearl of great value, he went out and sold all that he had and bought it.” A pearl is an illustration of the Church. Jesus chose the pearl as an object of value to Him which comes to life when we realize that pearls are produced by a living organism, an oyster, as the result of an injury or irritant. The oyster protects itself by layering the irritant with nacre—mother-of-pearl—until, out of pain and suffering, it forms an object of great beauty. The offending particle actually becomes a gem of great worth! So it is with us spiritually. (Romans 8:28) All of us are sinners—an irritant to God. But because He loves us, we are covered by the blood of Jesus Christ and sealed by His Holy Spirit, and gradually we can become a thing of beauty, clothed with the righteousness of Him who bought us. The pearl is first embedded in a mass of live but corruptible flesh, then separated and cleansed from its surroundings so that it can appear in its purity and beauty. As long as the pearl (church) remains in the oyster (world), it is of no value. The production of the pearl is a gradual and tedious process. Slowly, the oyster adds layer after thin layer of nacre until the pearl is transformed. So it is with each of us in the body of Christ. We are all works in progress as God does whatever He chooses in order to perfect us. He is loving, gracious and thorough and knows exactly what we need to transform us into His likeness. We must thank Him when things don’t go our way because blessings come wrapped in trials. Our daily prayer must be “Not as I will, but as You will.” (Mt. 26:39)—whatever it takes—make me like You! The Father is fashioning us into the likeness of His Son, Jesus—changing what we desire because part of being like Christ is being ready to submit fully to His purposes. James gives us the purpose of testing in 1: 2-4 as he instructs us to count it all joy when we fall into various trials knowing that the testing of our faith works to make us perfect—mature and complete in godliness. It is possible to enjoy and glorify Jesus in the midst of adverse circumstances. When things seem all wrong, we must trust Him anyway—the kind of trust that is supernatural—a production of Christ’s indwelling Spirit. His purpose is to produce beauty in each of us—a pearl of great price—a body of true believers that “shine forth like the sun.” (Mt. 13: 27) We are to come to Jesus and be ready!
We are the Bride of Christ that God is preparing for the marriage of the Lamb according to Revelation 19: 7-9: “Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.” “Watch therefore; for we know not what hour your Lord will come.” (Mt. 24: 42)