The Gospel of Matthew, chapter 13 records a series of parables pertaining to the Kingdom of God. They talk about different aspects of the Kingdom of God. Kingdom of God refers to God's rule among men.
The greek word for kingdom is 'basileia'. It indicate the exertion of God's rule, authority and sovereignty and not geography.
[1]http://www.colsoncenter.org/the-center/columns/indepth/15062-jesus-christ-and-the-kingdom-of-god
"So, then, from this brief study, we see that the expression “Kingdom of God” does not refer to heaven or the church or the heart or to moral reform or to a future realm. Rather it refers to the active, dynamic exercise of God’s rule, authority, dominion, and power in the world!" [1]
So these parables in Matthew 13 are regarding the rule, power, authority and dominion of God in this world.
The first two parables uses seed and how they behave. One of the important aspect of the seed is it's potential. Even though it is small it can over time give rise to a large tree like banyan tree. It has in it the code for growth transcribed in it's DNA. But for the seed to grow favourable conditions are necessary. The soil, climate, water and a sower are necessary.
Here the sower is Jesus and then everyone who preaches and publishes by any means the message of Jesus, the Gospel. The sowing may happen through literature including books, e-books, internet websites, tracks, magazines; audio including preaching, sharing, debates, lectures; Videos including you tube videos, movies, DVDs.
The focus of Jesus' first parable is the land in which the seed is sown. Here the land refers to people.
The pathway refers to people without understanding. From these Satan easily takes away the seed. Without understanding neither the importance of the message and content of it, people are prone to neglect it. Imagine a treasure trove containing ancient manuscripts. If the man possessing it does not understand it's worth or it's importance he will neglect it and treat it like any other piece of old crap. If a man who understands the importance of the manuscript gets hold of it, then reaches a museum and enters the halls of scholars for further research. If we do not understand something we cannot determine it's importance. We are more prone to neglect it because of our lack of understanding. The same applies here. When the word is communicated certain people don't understand or perceive it's importance because of prejudice and other sins, Satan takes away the message from their mind. He keeps them focused on what they were already pursuing. Thus the seed or word, the potential bearer of the kingdom of God does not have any effect on their life.
The rocky soil refers to people with hardened heart, who have willfully allowed sin to take hold of them, who justify sin or trivialize sin and evil. These people receive the word with joy, but the Gospel message does not take root deeply. It grows a little and when difficulties, pressures and persecution comes, they perish spiritually. They give up the Gospel under pressure, in stead of their sin, in stead of their life. Their acceptance of the gospel was real but not sustained.
The thorny soil are those allow the cares of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth to choke their Spiritual life. The worry about future, worry about security, worry about being accepted by society and family, valuing wealth and material possession above God's Gospel values and principles. They could not accept the radical claim of the message to abandon one self to God alone for everything. They find it difficult submit to God and allow him to run their life. They try to settle the issues of life their own way, thus they contradict the word of God. The word of God and the message of the Gospel dispels all worry and sets a person up to pursue God and his kingdom. They pursue wealth as against God's kingdom and his righteousness. The deceitfulness of wealth makes them think falsely that the more the money, the better the life and security. Their trust in money keeps them from trusting God. Thus they fail to live according to the teaching of Christ and bear fruit. Their failure to accept and live out the word of God, which they do understand makes them barren and unproductive spiritually. These people need to repent and trust God and entrust their lives to God, if anything spiritually good has to come out of them.
The good soil refers to people who understand, accept and live out the Gospel. They submit to the word of God and it's demands. They allow God to work on them and take away anything that is stopping them from living out the word and bearing fruit. These people bear fruit and a harvest and allow the potential seed of the word of God to bring out it's potential, power and effect into this world. This is how the kingdom of God grows. The rule of God extends through every obedient Child and it is hindered in people with lack of understanding, lack of strength and courage and lack of full trust and submission to God.
The next parable immediately following this, talks about two different types of seed. One is the good seed and the other is weed seed or darnel. The darnel looks similar to wheat in it's early stages of development. The agents of God sow wheat and when they are asleep, the enemy sows darnel among them. Gospel is preached and false gospel is also preached. People accept whatever they want and in the early stages of a true Christian man's spiritual life, he does not look much different from any other man. But as the days go by, the one who received the seed grows and bears good harvest and the one who accepted the darnel produces more weeds, useless for consumption. So in order not to hurt the good ones, the master of the field, God, commands his agents to allow both the seeds and the weeds to grow side by side so that what cannot be differentiated in the beginning can be separated at the time of harvest. The wheat will be stored in barns and the weeds will be destroyed by fire. The true Christian and follower of God will enter the presence of God and the unbeliever and follower of falsity, religious or irreligious will be consumed by fire of God's judgement. Thus the kingdom of God grows among the weeds of the enemy. We as believers have to wait till the end as some of the weeds may be saved and tranformed into wheat. Hold your judgement for God is at work. He will separate the weeds only at the end. He has allowed the weed to grow among the wheat so that the weed can know and seek the truth and become wheat, useful and effective in fulfilling the purposes of God.
The greek word for kingdom is 'basileia'. It indicate the exertion of God's rule, authority and sovereignty and not geography.
[1]http://www.colsoncenter.org/the-center/columns/indepth/15062-jesus-christ-and-the-kingdom-of-god
"So, then, from this brief study, we see that the expression “Kingdom of God” does not refer to heaven or the church or the heart or to moral reform or to a future realm. Rather it refers to the active, dynamic exercise of God’s rule, authority, dominion, and power in the world!" [1]
So these parables in Matthew 13 are regarding the rule, power, authority and dominion of God in this world.
The first two parables uses seed and how they behave. One of the important aspect of the seed is it's potential. Even though it is small it can over time give rise to a large tree like banyan tree. It has in it the code for growth transcribed in it's DNA. But for the seed to grow favourable conditions are necessary. The soil, climate, water and a sower are necessary.
Here the sower is Jesus and then everyone who preaches and publishes by any means the message of Jesus, the Gospel. The sowing may happen through literature including books, e-books, internet websites, tracks, magazines; audio including preaching, sharing, debates, lectures; Videos including you tube videos, movies, DVDs.
The focus of Jesus' first parable is the land in which the seed is sown. Here the land refers to people.
The pathway refers to people without understanding. From these Satan easily takes away the seed. Without understanding neither the importance of the message and content of it, people are prone to neglect it. Imagine a treasure trove containing ancient manuscripts. If the man possessing it does not understand it's worth or it's importance he will neglect it and treat it like any other piece of old crap. If a man who understands the importance of the manuscript gets hold of it, then reaches a museum and enters the halls of scholars for further research. If we do not understand something we cannot determine it's importance. We are more prone to neglect it because of our lack of understanding. The same applies here. When the word is communicated certain people don't understand or perceive it's importance because of prejudice and other sins, Satan takes away the message from their mind. He keeps them focused on what they were already pursuing. Thus the seed or word, the potential bearer of the kingdom of God does not have any effect on their life.
The thorny soil are those allow the cares of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth to choke their Spiritual life. The worry about future, worry about security, worry about being accepted by society and family, valuing wealth and material possession above God's Gospel values and principles. They could not accept the radical claim of the message to abandon one self to God alone for everything. They find it difficult submit to God and allow him to run their life. They try to settle the issues of life their own way, thus they contradict the word of God. The word of God and the message of the Gospel dispels all worry and sets a person up to pursue God and his kingdom. They pursue wealth as against God's kingdom and his righteousness. The deceitfulness of wealth makes them think falsely that the more the money, the better the life and security. Their trust in money keeps them from trusting God. Thus they fail to live according to the teaching of Christ and bear fruit. Their failure to accept and live out the word of God, which they do understand makes them barren and unproductive spiritually. These people need to repent and trust God and entrust their lives to God, if anything spiritually good has to come out of them.
The good soil refers to people who understand, accept and live out the Gospel. They submit to the word of God and it's demands. They allow God to work on them and take away anything that is stopping them from living out the word and bearing fruit. These people bear fruit and a harvest and allow the potential seed of the word of God to bring out it's potential, power and effect into this world. This is how the kingdom of God grows. The rule of God extends through every obedient Child and it is hindered in people with lack of understanding, lack of strength and courage and lack of full trust and submission to God.
The next parable immediately following this, talks about two different types of seed. One is the good seed and the other is weed seed or darnel. The darnel looks similar to wheat in it's early stages of development. The agents of God sow wheat and when they are asleep, the enemy sows darnel among them. Gospel is preached and false gospel is also preached. People accept whatever they want and in the early stages of a true Christian man's spiritual life, he does not look much different from any other man. But as the days go by, the one who received the seed grows and bears good harvest and the one who accepted the darnel produces more weeds, useless for consumption. So in order not to hurt the good ones, the master of the field, God, commands his agents to allow both the seeds and the weeds to grow side by side so that what cannot be differentiated in the beginning can be separated at the time of harvest. The wheat will be stored in barns and the weeds will be destroyed by fire. The true Christian and follower of God will enter the presence of God and the unbeliever and follower of falsity, religious or irreligious will be consumed by fire of God's judgement. Thus the kingdom of God grows among the weeds of the enemy. We as believers have to wait till the end as some of the weeds may be saved and tranformed into wheat. Hold your judgement for God is at work. He will separate the weeds only at the end. He has allowed the weed to grow among the wheat so that the weed can know and seek the truth and become wheat, useful and effective in fulfilling the purposes of God.
