The Parable of the Sower (13:3-9; 18-23) - The "Sower" is Jesus (v. 37) are faithful messengers who proclaim the Word, the "seed," which is the Gospel, the power of God to produce life (v. 19; Rom. 1:16; 1 Cor. 15:1-4). Satan prevents some from hearing (v. 4, 19), so that "seed" produces no life. The rest of the "seed" actually springs to life: the "rocky soil" pictures persecution, and the Lord's messengers are silenced out of fear (v. 5-6, 20-21); the "thorny ground" pictures worldly pleasures which serve to distract, and so doing, they also silence His messengers (v. 7, 22); but the "good ground" represents those who, like their Savior, continue to sow the "seed" (v. 8, 23).
The Parable of the Tares (v. 24-30; 36-43) - Again, the "Sower" is Jesus (v. 24, 37); His "field" is the world (v. 24, 38); the "wheat" are born again believers (v. 27, 38); the "enemy" is Satan (v. 25, 39); and the "tares" are false believers, children of Satan, who infiltrate Christian assemblies (v. 26, 38).
The Parable of the Mustard Seed (v. 31-32) - Here, the visible church is described as growing so large that "birds" (Satan's children, see v. 4, 19) make their home within the "branches" (most likely the visible church's many denominations).
The Parable of the Leavened Bread (v. 33) - Unless this is the one exception, leaven always represents sin in the Bible (Mt. 16:6; 1 Cor. 5:6-8; Gal. 5:9; etc.). Leavening is the result of gases given off by dead organisms; it "pollutes" both breads and wines. Ironically, these are the two elements used in the Lord's Supper. The Church Age is represented as a mysterious feast, the middle of Israel's seven Feasts of the Lord (Lev. 23:15-21). It was the only feast that permitted the use of leaven. Because the birth of the Church occurred on the Feast of Pentecost, most Bible students see the two loaves as being the Church, a mystery to Israel (Eph. 5:32), made up of saved but imperfect Jews and Gentiles!
The Parable of the Hidden Treasure (v. 44) and The Parable of the Great Pearl (v. 45-46) - Jesus gives His all for both. Here, there is treasure found in both the land and the sea. The land is Israel, hidden during the Church Age, and the pearl represents the Church which comes out of the sea (the Gentile nations - see Jer. 51:13; Rev. 17:15; etc.).
The Parable of the Net (v. 47-50) - Again, Jesus, the "Fisher of men" gathers out of the sea (Gentile nations), and His angels separate the "good" from the "bad." Since there is none good, in and of themselves (Mt. 19:17; Rom. 3:10), the "good" have to be those who accepted Christ's righteousness by faith in Him (2 Cor. 5:21)!
The Church Age is about to get "all sorted out!" Come Lord Jesus!
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