As one reads the gospel according to Matthew, a pattern can be identified in how the author, inspired by the Holy Spirit, presents his account of the life and ministry of Jesus Christ, alternating between stories about Jesus and teachings of Jesus. The book opens with the story about Jesus’s birth and ministry preparation (chs. 1–4) followed by a robust teaching on kingdom principles (chs. 5–7). Matthew then records stories about Jesus performing claim-authenticating miracles (chs. 8–9) before recounting a teaching that prepared his disciples to extend his ministry to Israel (ch. 10). Story again comes next with the climactic confrontation between the Lord and the Pharisees (chs. 11–12) leading into an exclusively parabolic teaching session before both the crowds and the twelve (ch. 13).

It’s this third discourse we conclude today, being reminding of Jesus’s new teaching method, identifying the mysteries he’s presenting, and taking seriously the mission he puts before us.

SERMON MANUSCRIPT

If you’ve been following our series through Matthew you may remember that as the author records the life and ministry of Christ, he alternates between stories about Jesus and teachings of Jesus.

The first four chapters record the story of his birth and ministry preparation. Chapters 5, 6, and 7 then record teaching—the Sermon on the Mount. Matthew then shifts back to story, presenting many miracles Jesus performed to authenticate his claims of messiahship. In chapter 10, once again, we find Jesus teaching, this time preparing his disciples to be an extension of his Israel-focused ministry. Story once again follows in chapters 11 and 12 with the climactic confrontation between our Lord and the Pharisees.

The Method

As we’ve come to chapter 13, we’re predictably back into the teaching of Jesus and, this time, as we and his disciples noticed, he’s changed his method. In response to being formally rejected by Israel in chapter 12, Christ starts speaking exclusively in parables, or extended similes. 

While many assume that parables are used to illustrate and aid understanding, we’ve learned that’s only partially true (see 13:10–13). The parables did two things simultaneously: They concealed new truth from some and revealed new truth to others.

We find a reminder of this new teaching method in our text today.

All these things Jesus spoke to the crowds in parables, and He did not speak to them without a parable. This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: “I will open My mouth in parables; I will utter things hidden since the foundation of the world.”

[34–35] That’s a great definition of a biblical mystery: Things hidden since the foundation of the world. And, through parables, Jesus was uncovering these novel truths for those who believed while, all at once, cutting off the information supply to those who were disbelieving.

I can’t speak for you, but there are times when I’m full of gratitude that we serve a God who not only communicates with his creation, revealing himself and longing to be known by us, but a God who empowers us to understand that communication as we respond in faith. [Marriage Counselling]

So, Jesus, in Matthew 13, has employed a new method of teaching. Let’s now look at what he taught and identify the mysteries being revealed. In other words, I want us to shift from how he was teaching about the kingdom to what he was teaching about the kingdom.

In weeks past, we’ve unpacked the introductory parable of the Sower and the first kingdom parable of the Wheat and Tares, both of which Jesus himself interpreted for his disciples. This morning we’re going to look at the remaining five kingdom parables and, identifying the mysteries in each, make sure these then-novel truths are part of our view of the kingdom of heaven as well. Five parables, five mysteries.

Mystery #1: God’s kingdom program includes times of apparent insignificance. [31–32] Israel expected messiah to arrive, conquer, liberate, and set up a powerful kingdom. But Jesus is here teaching that, while that power will come, there will also be times of seeming vulnerability and weakness. 

A mustard tree—mighty, expansive, home-providing for birds—comes from a tiny speck. In a similar way, the kingdom of heaven will be impressive, far-reaching, immovable, and shelter-providing. But, it’s not right now. At that moment, in fact, God’s kingdom program seemed to reside in a pitiful and vulnerable kernel of a handful of unimpressive people—fishermen, tax collectors, zealots. But Jesus is offering an encouraging mystery: The mighty, eternal kingdom you expect is coming, but the sovereign program that will see its consummation includes times of apparent insignificance.

Isn’t it just like the Lord to use that which is weak to build and accomplish that which is eternally valuable and immovable?

Mystery #2: God’s kingdom program will include expanding evil. [33] Some argue that this is simply reiterating the previous parable, picturing surprising growth and unstoppable expansion. But I’m not convinced. In fact, I think this parable reveals something tragic, something seen from God’s point of view: that evil is going to spread through the world progressively until the kingdom comes. 

I come to that understanding by trying to ask and answer the question, What would the disciples have understood when they heard this parable? Would they have heard “leaven” as a good or bad thing?

Well, the same word is used three more times in Matthew’s gospel. [16:5–6, 11–12] Here, leaven is clearly bad, something to be avoided. [Mark 8:15; Luke 12:1; 1 Cor 5:6–8; Ex 12:14–22].

Add to this consistently negative use of leaven in Scripture the verb in this parable, to hide. Why, if the leaven was good, would it be hidden in the world? Is it not more consistent with what’s being taught that evil is hidden, say, like weeds among the wheat for this age?

All that to say, I think these first two parables do work together. The first provides a mystery about God’s kingdom program from a human point of view: There will be apparent insignificance. But, from God’s point of view, as illustrated in the second parable, evil will progressively spread through this world during this age until it was all leavened, and then the harvest. This worsening of the world before the coming of Christ to establish his earthly kingdom is consistent with teaching elsewhere. [2 Tim 3:13] God’s kingdom program will include expanding evil.

Mystery #3: God’s kingdom is Christ’s hidden purchase. [44] When David sat on his throne in Jerusalem, reigning as God’s anointed vice-regent, it was a time of peace and prosperity. It was a treasure. And Israel was told that, as great as it was and as wonderful as David was, it was anticipatory of something even greater: A perfect, eternal kingdom, with a greater David on the throne.

But then David died and his son, Solomon, was pulled away from Yahweh. By the end of his life, this great kingdom was divided, would later be destroyed, captured, exiled. The treasure was hidden in the field, beautiful but unseen, invaluable but unpossessed.

That is, until, David’s predicted and promised Successor arrived and announced “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” He found the treasure and knew its worth. But, being rejected, the Man hid it again, delaying its unveiling. Now he goes to buy that field (38). He will pay a great price for the world, won’t he? [John 3:16; Heb 12:1–2; 1 John 2:2]

It’s Jesus’s kingdom, his treasure. Right now, it’s hidden. But the good news is he bought the field and when he’s ready, he will, with great joy, reveal his ownership. The kingdom is Christ’s hidden purchase.

Mystery #4: God’s kingdom program includes a unified purchase. [45–46] While it sounds similar to the previous parable, there’s one emphasized distinction: the singularity, the uniqueness of this particular pearl. There is one valuable pearl found and bought by this merchant.

I think this is pointing forward to Christ’s one church. [1 Cor 10:17; 12:12; Eph 4:4–6] This unified people of God, this never-before-revealed entity, growing during this parenthetical age, is of incredible value, so much so Christ gave his life to purchase her. The mystery of the body of Christ will continue to be clarified throughout the NT but I think we find it predicted here. It’s a unified purchase of a people of God that is included in God’s kingdom program.

And, the fifth and final kingdom parable adds to this particular mystery:: God’s kingdom is one of a diverse population. [47] A dragnet is a net strung between two boats and dragged through the water to collect fish. [48–50] Similar to the parable of the wheat and tares, judgement here is seen to be delayed because of Israel’s rejection of its king and, instead, there would be an unforeseen age between the two comings of Christ. However, at the end of that age (which is still future for us), there will be a sorting of good from evil. 

What’s new in this final kingdom parable, and what would have been shocking to Jesus’s disciples, is found at the end of the opening verse: and gathering fish of every kind. During this surprise age, not only would good and evil be allowed to grow together, but people of every kind—Jew and Gentile—will be swimming side by side when the net sweeps through. When the kingdom does come, there will be good Jewish fish and good non-Jewish fish put into containers. God’s kingdom is one of a diverse population.

So, there are the mysteries, that is, new truths Jesus parabolically taught about the kingdom of heaven. While you and I may be quite familiar with these truths, they were shockingly novel to Jesus’s disciples. God’s kingdom program is marked by times of apparent insignificance and expanding evil. It’s a hidden purchase but, also a unified purchase, one of a diverse population.

In 2017, Facebook creator and CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, delivered the commencement address at Harvard University. In that speech he implored the graduates to commit their lives to a grand purpose, something he went on to define as “that sense that we are part of something bigger than ourselves … that we are needed, that we have something better ahead to work for.”

As Christ-followers, we need to understand that we are indeed part of something bigger than ourselves and have something better ahead to work for, something unstoppable even though surrounded by evil and draped in seeming insignificance. We’re destined for something of incalculable worth, supernaturally unified, and purchased and owned by the God of the universe. How’s that for transcendent purpose?

We’ve been reminded of the method and unpacked the mysteries, now let’s turn to the mission; from the how and the what to the why—why did Jesus teach these things? What affect was he intending it to have on his disciples and, by extension, you and I as well?

And this we find in the final parable of the chapter—the eighth of eight, the concluding and applicational parable. [51–52]

Jesus is replacing Israel’s scribes, those responsible for teaching the people the word of God, with scribes of his own. These twelve are his teachers. And he likens them to heads of households who are to go and showcase the treasures they have—the old, unexciting ones as well as the new ones they’ve just been given. That’s their mission.

And how are they to accomplish their scribal mission? Two verbs in these final two verses outline their duties. Verse 51: to understand; verse 52: to bring out. They’re to understand or take in the teachings of Jesus. And then, they’re to bring them out, show them off to the world, new and old. Bring them in and then curate them for others. That’s their mission, a mission that will be fleshed out through the rest of Matthew’s gospel account.

And that’s our mission as well. We are “scribes” for Jesus; teachers of his truth to the world. Each one of us, as a follower of Christ Jesus, a disciple of the kingdom of heaven, is to be a show off. We are to take in the truth he’s given us, understand it, and then bring it out to put it all on display for other people to appreciate (and sometimes reject as trash). You and I are to be show-offs for Christ. Stewards of the treasures he’s entrusted to us.

And how to we be faithful show-offs for Christ? Let me close with three simple suggestions. First, know what you know. It’s hard to bring out treasures when we’re not sure what’s in the basement. Know what you know and, honestly, what you don’t know. Take an honest inventory of your understanding of God’s word, his revelation, his person, his work, his promises, his Son, his Spirit. None of us have exhausted it all, so if you feel overwhelmed by your own ignorance, welcome to the club. But start by prayerfully assessing where you’re at. Know what you know.

Second, grow what you know. We all have to start somewhere and so, instead of allowing your lack of knowledge be fodder for indifference or inactivity, consider this week how you can grow in your knowledge of God; how you can put more treasures in the basement so as to bring them out to show-off. Pride can puff up, it’s true. But God is a God who wants to be known and so, I encourage you to prayerfully consider how you can take him up on that offer this week.

Finally, show what you know. Are there ways in which you can curate the treasures of God for the people around you? We all have very unique circles of influence in which God himself has providentially placed us. How are we intentionally leveraging those for his glory?

We’re being invited to participate in a mission, to be Christ-honouring show-offs. To do that, let’s know what we know, grow what we know, and show what we know. Our news is better than anyone else’s. Let’s bring it all out, old and new, with the knowledge of what is to come.

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