MATTHEW THIRTEEN

There are seven parables in Matthew Chapter Thirteen which describe "the Kingdom of Heaven," a phrase which appears thirty-two times in the Bible, all of which are in the Gospel of Matthew. To understand what Matthew meant by the phrase, let's look at what we can glean from how he used it elsewhere in his Gospel.

* It was at hand, or near, because the King was near (3:2; 4:17; 10:7).
* Admission will be restricted (16:19).
* It's inhabitants will be the poor in spirit (5:3); the persecuted for righteousness sake (5:10); all who do the Commandments (5:19); all who do God's will (7:21); some Gentiles and some Jews (8:11); John the Baptist (11:11); the child-like (18:1-4; 19:14); those who show mercy (18:23-35); faithful workers, Gentiles and Jews (20:1-16); wedding guests dressed properly (22:1-16); reception guests who have the light (25:1-13): the faithful (25:14-30).

In Chapter Thirteen, all seven parables describe the Church Age.

The Parable of the Sower or Soils describes Jesus (v. 3, 37) sowing the Gospel (v. 19) over the whole world (13:1-9; 18-23). Whoever receives it, Jews or Gentiles, will share "the seed" with others (v. 23).

The Parable of the Tares reveals that Satan's wolves (7:15; 13:38-39) will infiltrate the Church, and they will remain within it until the end of the Church Age (v. 30).

The Parable of the Mustard Seed describes the Church's small beginnings, and its growth into a massive tree in which Satan's "birds live" (v. 32).

The Parable of the Leaven pictures how sin will eventually permeate the whole Church, to the point that Jesus is left standing outside its door (v. 33; Rev. 3:14-20).

The Parable of the Buried Treasure speaks of the Church as being purposely hidden. The fact that the Gentiles would be a part of God's Kingdom was kept a mystery (v. 44; Eph. 5:32). The field is the world, and the man is Jesus, who gave all that He had to purchase the field (v. 44; Acts 20:28; Eph. 1:14). Notice He didn't take the treasure out of the field once He had purchased it (Jn. 17:11).

The Parable of the Pearl of Great Price tells us that the Church, is like a pearl worth so much that the man (Jesus) gave His all to purchase it (v. 45-46). A pearl is created by an oyster continually trying to cover an irritating grain of sand. The Remnant of Israel, those who accept Jesus, will have survived being enslaved by Gentile empires, and in so doing, will be all the more precious as members of the Body of Christ. In the Book of Revelation, the Jews who accept Jesus are described as pearls (Rev. 21:12, 21).

The Parable of the Net shows that although the Church has been infiltrated by Satan's agents, as do the Parable of the Tares, the Parable of the Mustard Seed, and the Parable of the Leaven, in the end, there will be a separation of the good from the bad (v. 30, 48-50).