The Sower and the Seed
The Sower and the SeedMatthew 13:1-23
THE READER'S attention has already
been called to the fact that the Parable of
the Sower and the Seed introduces the
other parables on the Kingdom of Heaven
on earth.
Verses 10 and 11 of Matthew 13 tell
us “the disciples came, and said unto
him, (Jesus) Why speakest thou unto
them in parables? He answered and
said unto them, Because it is given
unto you to know the mysteries of the
kingdom of heaven, but to them it is
not given.”
Here we learn that there are mysteries
or secrets in the Kingdom of Heaven on
earth which would be made known in
parables.
In verse 19 of Matthew 13 Jesus indicated
that Satan would put forth special
effort to keep people in ignorance and confusion
relative to the Kingdom of Heaven
on earth. Verse 19: reads as follows: “When
any one heareth the word of the kingdom,
and understandeth it not, then
cometh the wicked one, and catcheth
away that which was sown in his
heart. This is he which received seed
by the way side.”
As with other truths taught in the
Scriptures, a scriptural interpretation
and a correct understanding is necessary
if the Word of God as the seed is to take
root and produce the desired results.
The importance of understanding is
also emphasized in verse 23 where we
read, “But he that received seed into
the good ground is he that heareth the
word, and understandeth it; which
also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth,
some an hundredfold, some sixty,
some thirty.”
Since God's great ultimate purpose in
His plan for this earth is the establishment
of His kingdom on earth where His
will shall be done as it is in heaven, we
can understand why Satan has put forth
such a desperate and persistent effort to
keep people in ignorance and confusion
relative to what is meant by the Kingdom
of Heaven or the Kingdom of God on
earth.
We must remember, as we read in
Matthew 13:11, that the Lord's purpose in
giving these kingdom parables was to
make known the mysteries or the secrets
of the Kingdom of Heaven. And remember always, we must not
confuse the mysteries of the Kingdom of
Heaven on earth with the mysteries of the
Church of Jesus Christ.
In his letters to the Ephesians and
Colossians, the Apostle Paul states that
he was the first man to whom the mystery
of the Church of Jesus Christ was
revealed.
In verse 2 of Ephesians 3 he wrote that
it was given unto him to open the dispensation
of grace or the Church Age. In both
Ephesians and Colossians he states that
the mystery of the Church is “Christ in
you the hope of glory,” that personal salvation
is for all people who will receive and
believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. See
Ephesians 3:1-6 & Colossians 1:24-29.
After Jesus had set forth His parables
of the Kingdom of leaven, as given in
Matthew 13, He said, “Have ye understood
all these things?“ They replied, “Yea,
Lord.”
If the mysteries of the Kingdom of
Heaven, of which Jesus spoke, are identical
with the mysteries of the Church of
which Paul wrote, then the Lord failed in
His teaching and the disciples were mistaken
in answering that they understood
the kingdom parables, for the disciples
most certainly did not understand the
mysteries of the Church until after the
death and resurrection of the Lord.
Furthermore, if the Kingdom parables
are Church parables making known the
mysteries of the Church then Paul was in
error in teaching that the mysteries of the
Church and the Age of Grace were first
made known to him.
Before going into the study of the
Parable of the Tares Among the Wheat we
shall consider the shorter parables of
Matthew 13, and then return to that parable.