| By Philip L. Powell | ||
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First in a series on the Matthew 13 kingdom parables
A parable is `an earthly story with a heavenly meaning'. So goes the early school day definition and, in the main, it's fairly accurate. Probably, however, it would be better to say that a bible parable is a human story with a spiritual meaning! Lessons and TruthThe thing to remember about any parable is that there is always one basic meaning. There may be a number of lessons, but only one great truth, which is always on the surface. To dig too deeply and seek to symbolise everything is to go beyond the intention of the storyteller and usually it results in coming to a wrong conclusion and even in establishing wrong doctrine.A parable, then, is just one illustration of one great truth, although sometimes two short parables are used together to emphasise or extend the one major truth. In Matthew 13, the passage of scripture, which brings eight of the kingdom parables together, there are six major truths illustrated: • Kingdom commencements: The Sower; • Kingdom confusions: Wheat and tares; • Kingdom corruptions: Mustard and leaven; • Kingdom costs: Treasure and pearl; • Kingdom conclusions: The dragnet; and • Kingdom contemplations: The scribe. The foundational parableMatt 13: 3-9 _ "And he spoke many things to them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow; (4) And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the wayside, and the fowls came and devoured them: (5) Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth: (6) And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away. (7) And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them: (8) But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some a hundredfold, some sixty-fold, some thirty-fold. (9) He who has ears to hear, let him hear."In this first of the series we look at the sower parable, the understanding of which Jesus tells us is fundamental to all parables: Mark 4:13— "And He said to them, `Do you not know this parable? and how then will you know all parables?" If we fail to understand this one we won't understand any. This and the one about the wheat and tares, are the only parables that Jesus directly and separately interpreted in response to His disciples' inquiries — c/f Matthew 13: 10 and 18 with verse 36 & Luke 8:9. Matthew 13:10— "And the disciples came, and said to him, Why do you speak to them in parables? … (18) Hear therefore the parable of the sower. (36) Then Jesus sent the multitude away, and went into the house: and his disciples came to him, saying, Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field." Luke 8:9 _ "And His disciples asked him saying, What might this parable mean?" Three of the four gospel narrators record the Sower Parable _ Matthew 13:3-23; Mark 4:3-20; and Luke 8:5-15, with two notable differences. Based on these differences the Companion Bible suggests that there were at least two occasions when this parable was told. Here is the quote: "This parable is repeated in Luke 8:4 under different circumstances from those in Matt 13:3 which accounts for the variation of wording. The antecedents in Matthew and Mark are the visit of His kinsfolk, 3:31-34 (which is a consequent in Luke 8:4). The consequent in Matthew and Mark is the question of the Twelve concerning others who asked the meaning. In Luke the consequent is the question of the twelve as to its meaning (thus hearing it for the first time), followed by the visit of His kinsfolk. Why should not a parable be repeated several times? Why need they be identical? And why should not two accounts of the same be supplementary?" *1 These synoptic gospels, especially Luke (c/f chapter 8) show us that: (1) The seed is the Word (logos) of God (verse 11); (2) The destroyers are the devil, temptation (tribulation and persecution c/f Mark 4:17), cares, riches and pleasures (Luke 8:12-14); and (3) The degree of harvest varies from 30 fold to 100 fold (See Matthew 13:8). The place of the WordThe major truth that the sower parable illustrates is that the seed, which must be sowed, is the Word of God. This is a very important point, which has been over-looked by many church leaders and which has led to the unfortunate hype and tripe of the extreme Pentecostals and Charismatics in our day. That the Sower sowing the seed, which is invariably the Word of God, always initiates the true Kingdom is shown by a number of scripture passages and of course bible and church history confirm it.For example Peter the apostle wrote, "Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which lives and abides for ever" (1 Peter 1:23). So new life in Christ is initiated by the entrance of God's Word. This is how the Christian life commences. Interestingly the Greek for "word" used by Peter is logos (Strong 3056). My bible gives a direct cross reference to John 1:13 which reads in context _ John 1:11-14— "He came to his own, and His own did not receive Him. (12) But as many as received Him, to them He gave power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name: (13) Who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. (14) And the Word (logos) was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth." The bible does not make a distinction between the living word (logos) and the written word (logos). We read, "The entrance of your (God's) words gives light" (Psalm 119:130), which obviously alludes to the written word (the law and the prophets) and here in John chapter one we find that Christ the living Word enters the human scene as the light of the world — c/f John 1:4— "In Him was life and the life was the light of men." This truth is marvellously illustrated in the first act of creation — "And God said, Let there be light: and there was light" (Gen 1:3). Paul tells us that the living Word — Christ — is the creator of all things. "For by Him all things were created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by Him, and for Him: And He is before all things, and by Him all things consist" (Colossians 1:16-17). The wonderful and thrilling truth is that right from creation to the end of the age, everything of benefit in the natural and spiritual realms is initiated by the Word (logos) of God. When you apply this truth to the subject of revival it prevents you from becoming deceived by the false so called revivals. All true spiritual awakenings have commenced with the sowing of the Word of God as witness the appeal and record of scripture: Psalms 119:25, 107, 154— "My soul cleaves to the dust: quicken me according to your word. … (107) I am afflicted very much: quicken me, O LORD, according to your word. (154) Plead my cause, and deliver me: quicken me according to your word." Biblical revival always focuses on the Word of God. This was so in the reign of King Josiah and it was so in the times of Nehemiah and Ezra and it was so in the early church as witness the following passages: *2 2 Kings 22:1 _ 23:25— "Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem. … (2) And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, and walked in all the way of David his father, and did not turn aside to the right hand or to the left. (3) And it came to pass in the eighteenth year of king Josiah, that the king sent Shaphan…, the scribe, to the house of the LORD, saying, (4) Go up to Hilkiah the high priest, … : (8) And Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the scribe, I have found the book of the law in the house of the LORD. And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, and he read it. (10) And Shaphan the scribe showed the king, saying, Hilkiah the priest has delivered me a book. And Shaphan read it before the king. (11) And it came to pass, when the king had heard the words of the book of the law, that he tore his clothes. (12) And the king commanded Hilkiah the priest, … saying, (13) Go enquire of the LORD for me, and for the people, and for all Judah, concerning the words of this book that is found: for great is the wrath of the LORD that is kindled against us, because our fathers have not obeyed the words of this book, to do according to all that which is written concerning us. (23:1) And the king sent, and they gathered to him all the elders of Judah and of Jerusalem. (2) And the king went up into the house of the LORD, and all the men of Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem with him, and the priests, and the prophets, and all the people, both small and great: and he read in their ears all the words of the book of the covenant which was found in the house of the LORD. (3) And the king stood by a pillar, and made a covenant before the LORD, to walk after the LORD, and to keep his commandments and his testimonies and his statutes with all their heart and all their soul, to perform the words of this covenant that were written in this book. And all the people stood for the covenant. (25) And like him was there no king before him, that turned to the LORD with all his heart, and with all his soul, and with all his might, according to all the law of Moses; neither after him arose there any like him." Read and study the whole context. The impact of the Word of God was such that Josiah saw one of the greatest spiritual awakenings in Israel's history. A similar thing occurred in the times of Nehemiah and Ezra: Nehemiah 8:1-10:39— (5) And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people; (for he was above all the people;) and when he opened it, all the people stood up: (6) And Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God. And all the people answered, Amen, Amen, while lifting up their hands: and they bowed their heads, and worshipped the LORD with their faces to the ground. (8) So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading. (13) And on the second day were gathered together the chief of the fathers of all the people, the priests, and the Levites, to Ezra the scribe, even to understand the words of the law. (9:1) Now in the twenty-fourth day of this month the children of Israel were assembled with fasting, and with sackcloth, and earth upon them. (2) And the seed of Israel separated themselves from all strangers, and stood and confessed their sins, and the iniquities of their fathers. (3) And they stood up in their place, and read in the book of the law of the LORD their God one fourth part of the day; and another fourth part they confessed, and worshipped the LORD their God. (38) And because of all this we make a sure covenant, and write it; and our princes, Levites, and priests, seal it. (10:28) And the rest of the people, the priests, the Levites, the porters, the singers, the Nethinim, and all they that had separated themselves from the people of the lands to the law of God, their wives, their sons, and their daughters, every one having knowledge, and having understanding." If you read the book of Acts the thing that stands out is the prominence of the Word of God. It started with Peter on the Day of Pentecost and it continues throughout the book. Acts 2: 37—"Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said to Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? (41) Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added to them about three thousand souls. (8:4) Therefore they that were scattered abroad went everywhere preaching the word. (17:6) And when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and certain brethren to the rulers of the city, crying, "These that have turned the world upside down are come here also." History bears similar witness to this truth. The reading and preaching of the Word of God is the one common factor in all of God's workings and it always initiates any expression of the Kingdom of God. Now here we must face some soul-searching questions that impinge upon modern popular ideas: 1) Firstly, is it correct to say God is bigger than His Word? 2) Secondly, can we discover God outside of scripture? 3) Thirdly, is the seed that is sown ever anything other than the Word of God? _ Can it be money for example? 4) Fourthly, is our word and God's word basically the same thing (as the faith prosperity teaching of Copeland, Hagin and Hinn implies)? There are no doubt other questions that the answers to the above will raise but these are important ones in today's "church", where some strange things are being taught and practised. Beyond the Sacred PageOne of the great hymns that I was brought up on was number 260 in Redemption Hymnal. The second verse reads:"Break Thou the bread of life, O Lord to me, That hid within my heart Thy word may be: Mould Thou each inward thought, From self set free, And let my steps be all Controlled by Thee." All very good practical theology. The third verse is just as good and equally correct theologically. "Open Thy Word of Truth That I may see Thy message written clear and plain for me; Then in sweet fellowship Walking with Thee, Thine image on my life Engraved will be." In fact, apart from one word in the first stanza, the entire hymn is great, even the fourth verse, which was written later *3 and makes reference to the Holy Spirit, albeit in totally biblical terms. That one ill chosen word conveys an idea, which has been developed into a popular heresy in our time by men such as Tommy Tenney. Here it is in context: "Break Thou the bread of life, Dear Lord, to me, As Thou didst break the loaves Beside the sea; BEYOND the sacred page I seek Thee, Lord; My spirit pants for Thee, O Living Word." Change the word "beyond" to "within" and there's absolutely no problem. Leave it as it is and you've left room for Tommy Tenney's God Chaser and God Catcher false doctrine. Am I being pedantic? I think not! You cannot discover or know the only true God outside of His Word. During my earlier ministry in UK I organised Prayer and Bible Weeks with the late Denis Clark, whom I look on as a mentor. On one occasion Denis could not be with us so we invited the late Arthur Wallis as the keynote speaker, the others being Stanley Jebb and me. Arthur brought a message on meditation and presented a notion, which seemed to suggest a nebulous sort of meditating outside of God's Word. I publicly challenged the idea. Stanley Jebb supported me. Our concern was that such a practice would lead to transcendental meditation, which is part of eastern mysticism. We discover God within His Word _ not outside of it. This is an important aspect of the doctrine of Sola Scriptura, which we are in danger of overlooking. All experience, including spiritual experience, sentiment and feelings must be subjected to the scrutiny of scripture. This was one of the issues that I faced during my time as General Secretary of Assemblies of God when I was also the editor of the official magazine of the fellowship, until I was moved side-ways because I took a stand against the apostasy, which was developing. In the Australian Evangel January 1990 issue I wrote: "Here let me sound a prophetic note of caution. In the midst of charismatic and Pentecostal fervour and enthusiasm we may be in danger of being swallowed up by the fallacy that `praise and song' is the full package. It's not! The seed that must be constantly sown is the Word of God and, unfortunately, to some that sounds heavy and boring; particularly to those who have been reared on Pentecostal pirouettes and charismatic choruses with all the accompanying hype, and sermons that are little more than the parading of personal experiences, tenuously attached to some bible text. You don't get born again on testimonies or choruses, helpful though they may be. It is the entrance of the Word of God that produces salvation — 1 Peter 1:23 c/f John 15:3. Oh for a revival of the pure expository preaching of the unadulterated Word of God." *4 It was in 1994, two years after I and my family left Australia for New Zealand and four years after I wrote the above, that my former colleagues "broke the hedge" *5 allowing the false revival of Rodney Howard-Browne to spread its venom. The catch cry of that so called "new wave" was "Boring _ the old way and the old preaching are boring." In fact one notable Australian AoG leader went on record as saying that he never wanted to return to the old system of preaching. They actually despised the one thing, which is essential for the defence of truth and the extension of the Kingdom — the Word of God. This is culpable and carries the inevitable consequences, which we are witnessing today. When you go down that track there is no end to the deception and error. Now we have reached the point where the very thing that Jesus said would stifle and destroy the growth of the seed is being promoted as being the seed. For example Assembly of God minister Marilyn Hickey promises: "Have a need _ Sow a seed" and by "seed" she means money with the very strong overtone that it is to be sown into her "ministry". Jesus said, " .. the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful" (Matthew 13:22). It is a monstrous affront to the gospel that people like Marilyn Hickey, Benny Hinn and Oral Roberts have the gall to appear on television, as I have seen them in Australia, to promote lying tricks to get money from God's people, all on the pretext that money is seed which you sow into God's Kingdom. For example Oral Roberts appeared with Marilyn Hickey on her show, selling trinkets containing oil in which they had washed their "anointed" hands to give it some magical power to bring benefit to those who fall for such nonsense. (This is witchcraft pure and simple.) To think that AoG in the USA and their counterpart leaders David and Marie Cartledge in Australia would openly support and promote such people is an indictment on them and on the denomination that they represent. In any case Paul's teaching about sowing "money" had to do with giving to the poor and not sowing into some so called ministry in order to derive a return, as the following verses in context make absolutely clear. 2 Cor 9:1-15— (6) "But this I say, He who sows sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he who sows bountifully shall reap also bountifully … (9) (As it is written, He has dispersed abroad; he has given to the poor: his righteousness remains for ever…) … (12) For the administration of this service not only supplies the want of the saints, but is abundant also by many thanksgivings to God." Biblically money is only ever associated with sowing seed when it is given to the poor— "He that has pity upon the poor lends to the LORD; and that which he has given will He pay him again" (Proverbs 19:17). Benny Hinn, Marilyn Hickey and Oral Roberts are not poor. They have made themselves rich from the donations of other people and one day they will give account, as will all those who support and promote them and the lies that they tell in the name of the Lord. God's Word not OursSeeds contain the explosive power of creative might. They can split a rock, lift a wall, drain a lake and change a landscape. That is the power of God's Word, which is likened to a hammer, sword, lamp, fire and many other things in the bible. Man's word, though powerful in its impact for good or ill, is not like God's Word, which is uniquely creative. Man is not a creator and, despite the modern frequent application of that word to mankind, we are not, strictly speaking, creative. Only God is able to make something out of nothing and that task He has assigned to His Word, which in the Sower Parable is likened to seed. In this context the idea that God is bigger than His Word is misleading. On the contrary the bible says, "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My words shall not pass away" Matthew 24:35 *6 God's word is as eternal as Himself and it is higher than His name, which relates to His nature and character. In Psalms 138:2 David declared, "I will worship toward your holy temple, and praise your name for your loving-kindness and for your truth: for you have magnified your word above all your name." The ideas that God is bigger than His word and that human words in any way equate to God's words are false and misleading and yet both ideas have been adopted by so many to their disillusionment through the false teachings of Hagin, Hinn and Copeland.Different soilsIn addition to all of the above the sower parable shows that the soil must be prepared to receive the seed. Wayside, thorny and shallow soils are finally non-productive.Our Lord teaches that wayside soil response has to do with "understanding" (Matthew 13:19). The word signifies a failure to consider and thus to comprehend and so to act positively Godward. The human responsibility is reflected in the idea of paying attention. The shallow soil illustrates the quick decision, easy salvation sort of person; no depth; no stability. We've seen many of them: usually the person who `gets saved' simply for what he/she can get out of it —joy, peace, happiness, prosperity—whatever! The best way to prepare that sort of soil is to spell out the cost, as did Jesus on a number of occasions. Luke 9:23-26— "And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. (24) For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it. (25) For what is a man advantaged, if he gains the whole world, and loses himself, or be cast away? (26) For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father's, and of the holy angels." Luke 9:57-62 "And it came to pass, that, as they went in the way, a certain man said to him, Lord, I will follow you wherever you go. (58) And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man has nowhere to lay his head". (59) And he said to another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, let me first to go and bury my father. (60) Jesus said to him, Let the dead bury their dead: but you go and preach the kingdom of God. (61) And another also said, Lord, I will follow you; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house. (62) And Jesus said to him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God. Thorny ground people are those who clutter their lives with things of temporary worth to the detriment of spiritual things. Like Esau of old, they sell their birthright for a mess of pottage and what a mess! How true the words of the Lord Jesus, `You cannot serve God and money' (Luke 16:13). This is the `fallow ground', which has to be broken up with the plough of prayer and the discs of determination. Unfortunately another `gospel' has sold them glimmers of diamonds and dollars to their eternal delusion. Brian Houston author of You Need More Money in the recent official AoG publication entitled NOW commends the book Rich Dad Poor Dad. *7 In that magazine, author Robert T Kiyosaki is quoted as saying that whenever he is short of money he writes cheques "like crazy". He claims, `It comes back at least ten times, so I give to my church'. Probably what he means by "short of money" and what you and I mean are poles apart. He might simply be down to his last several million. But the most disturbing and dangerous thing about the promotion of this idea is that it can mislead the gullible into irresponsible action. As one man pointed out to me, in our countries, like Britain and Australia it's illegal to write cheques if you don't have the funds to cover the amounts. That's one issue, which men like Brian Houston should take on board, but another is the whole rationale of the Kingdom of God vis a vis that of human kind. I have a copy of Robert T. Kiyosaki's book Rich Dad Poor Dad and undoubtedly it makes a lot of sense from a purely human perspective. How could it be otherwise with a 1999 number one best selling non-fiction book that was voted so by the Sydney Morning Herald, Dymocks, Booksellers of New Zealand and Angus and Robertson of Australia? But are we in danger of missing something? I think we are and for tworeasons both of which relate to these Matthew 13 parables. The first has to do with MOTIVATION and the second with MORALITY. The Kingdom of God is vastly different from that of mankind in both of these areas. Clearly in Kiyosaki's mind as in Brian Houston's book *8 ".. money is inevitably the bottom line of everything." This is what drives the entire rationale of their writings so much so that Kiyosaki looks on education not as something that could be intrinsically beneficial to society _ e.g. the calling of a doctor or a nurse or even of a minister of the gospel to their particular vocations in life, the benefits of which cannot be measured in monetory terms -- but simply a process to make money. This is not kingdom of God motivation and it inevitably will stifle the seed, which is the Word of God. Our Lord was precise in His statement, "You CANNOT serve God and mammon (riches)" (Matthew 6:24 c/f Luke 16:13). The issue of morality is just as vital and, as we shall see as we progress with this series, relates to the question Jesus asked just before the final application _ "Have you UNDERSTOOD all these things" (Matt 13:51). The understanding that our Lord speaks of relates to moral integrity, which is part of the character of the scribe who is "instructed concerning the kingdom of heaven". This is in glaring contrast to the whole premise of Rich Dad Poor Dad, in which Kiyosaki describes how he took advantage of the downturn in the housing market to make $40,000 in five hours. The problem is that he ignores the plight of the original owner of the property whose loss would be greater financially, and represent possibly many years of toil. *9 Is this justifiable morally? Well in purely human and legal terms, YES. After all, all's fair in love, war and business. But the kingdom of heaven is another matter. The teachings of Jesus make this abundantly clear -- so clear that a wayfaring man though a fool need not err therein. *10 We cannot serve both God and money, and once making money becomes the priority, then God is no longer in the picture. Paul the apostle warned, "But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition" 1 Tim 6:9. Jesus said, "… the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word and he becomes unfruitful" Matt 13:22. Progressive applicationThe good ground illustrates those who "receive", "hear", and "understand" the Word (Matthew 13:23), which suggests a progression.Receiving is the one thing common to all types of soil. It happened equally to the wayside, stony, thorny and good grounds. This is simply the consequence of the scattered seed, which falls where it will. Hearing is the first step to regeneration and signifies, `to give audience'. It is not automatic but requires attention and application. In this sense Jesus frequently said, `Who has ears to hear let him hear' (Matt. 13:9). Further, Romans 10: 17 declares, `So then faith comes by hearing ... the Word of God'. This is the one thing that distinguishes good ground from all others. Understanding is the natural consequence of the hearing by faith. This is more than mental satisfaction although it includes such. It is the one thing that proves regeneration has taken place. To Nicodemus Jesus said, `. . . unless one is born again he cannot see (i.e. perceive or understand) the kingdom of God'. Faith is not based on reason, but it is never unreasonable. Intelligence is both natural and spiritual—both areas are fully satisfied. Thus the kingdom commences in the individual, family, community or country. But it always starts the same way—`Behold a sower went out to sow...' ConclusionThe last ten years of the second millennium AD was designated The Decade of Harvest by several large denominations including AoG and the Baptists. Apart from a huge amount of confusion as to when the decade started and therefore when it ended, I have since concluded that there was also great confusion about the harvest itself. Our next study will help us grasp this. Sadly it has led to a lot of grandstanding by proud men about achievements and comparisons with previous generations. In January 1990 I wrote, A [ TOP ] ... [ Part 2 ] ... [ Part 3 ] ... [ Part 4 ] ... [ Part 5 ] ... [ BACK ] Appeared in Issue 14 September 2001 |
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