Page 4 - The Parables of Jesus

The following parables in Matthew 13 are different from the previous two that we have reviewed. These two parables offer much needed encouragement. The parable of the mustard seed shows how the mustard seed, the tiniest of garden seeds, grows to become such a large bush that birds can perch on it! By analogy, the Kingdom of God, while appearing very small at first, grows to be very great (Matt. 13:31-32). The parable of the leaven teaches how, just like the leaven permeates the entire bread dough that a woman is kneading, so it is with the Kingdom of God. Consequently, not only does God’s Kingdom start very small but it also spreads throughout the entire world!
Jesus foresaw how the news He was preaching in a remote part of the world would grow and spread until it would encompass the entire earth and beyond.
In addition to depicting the scope of God’s Kingdom, Jesus also gave other parables to describe its tremendous value. In one parable, Jesus compares the Kingdom to an enormously valuable treasure in a field that, when a man finds it he buries it again, then he sells all that he has and buys the field (verse 44). Anyone who finds a great treasure and recognizes its true worth will no doubt make every sacrifice to obtain it. Think of a gold mine or an oil field, which some people have discovered and laid claim to and become incredibly wealthy. God’s Kingdom is, of course, of far greater value than anything else we might possess.
Jesus provided another perspective into the priceless value of God’s Kingdom through the parable of the pearl of great price (vv. 45-46). In this parable, a merchant recognizes a particular pearl’s awesome value and sacrifices all that he has to acquire it. So is the Kingdom of God. Those who will eventually possess the Kingdom are those who recognize its true value and are willing to sacrifice everything for it.
The next parable of the Kingdom in Mathew 13 is the parable of the fisherman’s net (vv. 47-50). Since several of Jesus’ first disciples were fishermen, they were very familiar with casting a net and bringing in a catch. They knew that after a catch is brought in, the sorting process begins. The unclean or undesirable fish are thrown back to sea, while the clean are made ready for use. That is how it will be at the end of the age. God will sort through the “catch” of His true servants, His “fishers of men” (Matt. 4:19). These servants do not need to worry about the final sorting out of those who responded to the Gospel message. God will know “who is who.”
Now let’s look at the parables of Judgment and Joy.
Besides the seven parables in Matthew 13, there are other parables which impart valuable lessons concerning the Kingdom of God. Some of these parables impart the lesson of God’s judgment, which is related to the accountability required of all who are invited to partake of the Kingdom. In addition to judgment, however, we are also shown God’s great joy at repentance – because God is not only a God of judgment, but also a God of incredible mercy.
Among the parables of judgment is that of the vine dressers. Jesus gave it just before His final Passover and we find it in Matthew 21, Mark 12 and Luke 20. This is one of the three parables found in all three Gospel accounts. It is pointedly directed at the Jewish religious leaders, whom
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