Day 13, Matthew 13 
How blessed we are to gain understanding of some
of the "mysteries of the kingdom of heaven" (13:11)
from Jesus' parables. Sadly, the mysteries He revealed
remain mysteries to two kinds of people---those who
do not believe in Him (13:11-15), and more tragically,
those who profess to believe in Him but reject His
simple teaching. Many of the latter are teachers
and theologians.
For example, while Jesus clearly revealed in the
parable of the sower and the soils that it is the
condition of people's hearts that determines if they
will be saved or not, some theologians would have
us believe that God has sovereignly predetermined
the salvation or damnation of every individual. While
Jesus revealed in that same parable that it is possible
to believe, experience new life, begin to grow, but
ultimately disbelieve and die---represented by the
plants that sprouted and died---some theologians
want us to believe that salvation can never be forfeited
once possessed. And while Jesus made it plain in
that same parable that fruit always accompanies true
faith, some claim that it is possible to believe
in Jesus and yet be indistinguishable from those
who don't believe in Jesus!
Those of us who actually believe what Jesus said
in the parable of the sower and soils must guard
our hearts when persecution and affliction arise,
and from the "worry of the world and the deceitfulness
of wealth" (13:22), knowing that those things
can rob us of faith and fruitfulness and cause us
to fall away. Regarding the "deceitfulness of
wealth," Paul wrote to Timothy, "Some by
longing for [money] have wandered away from the
faith, and pierced themselves with many a pang" (1
Tim. 6:10).
The parable of the wheat and tares is another
that has suffered its share of misinterpretation.
I once heard a man teach that, just as wheat and
tare plants are indistinguishable, so also believers
and unbelievers are often indistinguishable,
and we should leave judgment to God who will sort
them out in the end. Notice, however, that as soon
as the wheat bore grain, "the tares became
evident also" (13:26). There was a marked difference
between them--only the wheat produced fruit. For
this reason, the apostle John wrote, "By this
the children of God and the children of the devil
are obvious: anyone who does not practice
righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does
not love his brother" (1 John 3:10; emphasis
added).
The parables of the treasure in a field and the
pearl of great price both teach us that true believers
are willing to pay a high price to gain the kingdom
of heaven, because they know it to be of immeasurable
value. While others may scoff at us for our costly
devotion---just as they would have scoffed at the
man who sold everything to purchase an "overpriced
field"---in the end they'll know we actually
made the wise decision. We possess a wisdom and a
treasure that is hidden from unbelievers.
When we interpret any of Jesus' parables, we need
to keep in mind that they are metaphors, that is,
comparisons of two things that are basically dissimilar
but which share some similarities. If we try to attach
spiritual significance to every detail of every parable,
we're liable to error. For example, when reading
the parable of the dragnet, it is safe to conclude
that there is coming a separation of the righteous
from the wicked, that the angels will be involved
in that process, and that the wicked will be cast
into hell. It would be wrong to conclude, however,
that the final judgment will take place on a beach
or that the righteous will be placed in containers
just like fish! Don't search for secret spiritual
truths in the insignificant details of Jesus' parables!
Finally, take note that the people represented by
the fish in today's final parable were judged by
their behavior. They were either righteous or wicked.
Does this contradict salvation by faith? No, because
true believers repent of their wickedness and live
righteously.
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