The Kingdom Parables #2
- I began with a history of the ideas of king and kingdom throughout the Old Testament all the way into the New Testament.
- For those not here and those who may have forgotten there were a few points mentioned that help us understand the idea of the "kingdom":
Why important to study? 1) Jesus Theme 2) Where we live
1. God introduced the idea of the kingdom of heaven and the Messiah as king very slowly over the centuries.
2. Before Jesus arrived the people understood that the Messiah was to be a ruler/king of sorts with supernatural power who would re-establish the kingdom of Judah on earth.
3. When John the Baptist came along and preached about the kingdom being near, the people enthusiastically received his message.
4. Jesus corrected the false ideas and interpretations about the kingdom and revealed the ideas about the kingdom that had not yet been understood. For example Jesus taught:
· The king and the kingdom are united by faith, not politics or culture.
- The kingdom is spiritual, not geopolitical.
· The kingdom is evolving. In other words what it is now is not what it will be in the future.
- Once people heard these teachings many turned away from Jesus because He was not describing the "kingdom" that they had hoped for, one they believed would eventually come.
IE. - Many Jews today still await and work towards this idea of a geopolitical kingdom or a human Messiah / Ruler who will deliver this kingdom to them.
- For those who believe in Jesus and His teaching about the kingdom however, the Lord continued to instruct them concerning this "kingdom" using parables. The reason was threefold:
1. They needed more teaching concerning the dimension they were entering and were to dwell in forever.
2. He used parables because He wanted only the disciples to understand "kingdom" matters and not unbelievers and opponents.
3. Since the kingdom was evolving, He wanted to instruct His disciples in the differences between how the kingdom exists now and what will be its final condition.
v And so we are among those who have believed and entered and exist within the kingdom of God. For this reason we are studying the parable to understand better the dimension in which we live and what it will be like when Jesus returns.
I. Types Of Parables On The Kingdom.
- We will be studying "parables" and it would help to know what a parable is.
- A parable is a literary or story telling or teaching device. The word parable comes from a Greek word, which means - to lay beside or to place alongside.
- The point is that in a parable you place a story or idea (which is simple to understand) parallel to a story or idea that is complex or hidden.
· The simple story mirrors the complex one in order to make it understandable.
- In Jesus' case He would lay stories that were easily visualized alongside principles and concepts in the spiritual world, which could not be seen.
· His parables using earthly objects and human situations mirrored spiritual ideas in a heavenly dimension.
- In the New Testament Jesus spoke 43 parables, of these 13 were about the kingdom of heaven.
- Of these 13 parables Jesus used:
- 5 agricultural examples
- 4 examples concerning money
- 2 situations involving feasts.
- 1 Fishing story.
- 1 example using cooking as its basis.
- These examples for parables were not only easy for the people of that time to understand, they are also generic to every culture and every age since - so every disciple regardless of time or place can relate to and learn form His parables on the kingdom.
v We begin our study tonight with a review of two parables that use different images to make fundamental points about the kingdom.
II. The Kingdom Is Like…Leaven - Mt.13: 33; Lk.13: 20
- Read Mt.13: 33; Luke13: 20 - 21
- History of Leaven
· Leaven was an important element in Jewish life because bread was a main food item and also because leaven was used as a religious symbol.
· Leaven was produced by mixing various plants or kernels of grain together and allowing them to ferment.
· In bread making, leaven was usually a piece of dough left over from a previous batch of bread, left to ferment before adding flour.
- The expression "hidden in the flour" means to add flour.
- Three "pecks" of meal was about a bushel (56 lbs), which was a normal batch of bread, baked products made.
· In the Old Testament leaven was prohibited during the feast of the Passover (Ex.23: 18; 34: 25)
- Leaven represented decay and impurity and so a special effort was made to avoid it during the special feasts and offerings.
· In the New Testament Jesus used leaven as a symbol of corrupting influences as seen in the hypocrisy of the Jewish leaders.
(Mt. 16: 6)
· The New Testament writers also used leaven as a symbol for corruption for and evil influence. (1Cor. 5:6).
- Parable of the leaven in the bread.
· When Jesus gives this parable however He does not use leaven as a symbol for corruption as was done in the past.
· He compares the kingdom to the simple and common task of making bread.
· The leaven in the flour mixed together makes it rise, influences its growth, makes it change its look and taste, eventually prepares it for its final purpose - to be eaten, to provide life.
- This simple and recognizable image is placed alongside the kingdom and the reader is left to conclude that the kingdom is like leaven.
· The kingdom in the world is like leaven in the bread.
- It begins as something that is sour and dead (the cross of Christ; the humble death in baptism of every believer)
- When added to the world it influences its direction and growth, makes it change its look and taste, prepares it for its final purpose - the coming of the Son of God to judge.
- No one parable teaches us everything about the kingdom; each one gives us one or two pieces of the puzzle. For example, the parable of the leaven gives us specific pieces of information about the kingdom:
1. It's something that changes, evolves.
· We dwell in a kingdom that is in the process of change so we must be prepared to change and grow as well.
2. It affects everything else.
· The kingdom is not isolated, its not a monastery, a bubble in which we live excluding everyone who is not within.
· The kingdom affects everything around it, everything that comes into contact with it changes for the good (conversion) or for the bad (rejection of Christ).
3. There will be and end.
· Just as the bread reaches its final stage and purpose, so does the kingdom.
v Other parables are left to give information about what that end will be; this one only states that there will be one.
III. The Kingdom is Like…A Dragnet Mt.13: 47-50.
- Fishing was a main occupation of these times and commercial fishermen would use large nets to harvest fish for selling at the market.
· The dragnet was largest of nets weighted below with corks on top.
· It covered about ½ mile of water and picked up everything in its path.
- In the parable the net is full and taken to shore where the fishermen would begin separating the edible, saleable, fish form the worthless fish.
· The edible would be placed in containers to keep fresh in order to transport.
- The inedible were simply thrown away.
- The people of Jesus' day, especially around Galilee had seen this happen all of their lives.
- In this parable Jesus goes ahead and actually takes the comparison one step further to reveal the similarities reflected in the spiritual realm.
· He reveals that this parable points to the end of the world and the time of judgement.
- Since He said the kingdom is like a net thrown out to catch fish, the judgement here refers to the people who are in the kingdom, the ones who have been taken in the net.
· We know that the "net" is the gospel, which is cast out into the world bringing in all kinds of fish (people) into the kingdom.
· Jesus says that at the end of the world the angels will separate the true disciples (good fish) from the false disciples (bad fish). Angels do this - Mt.25: 32.
· The good go into the containers (the many rooms of the Father's house), the bad will be thrown away (into the darkness with bitter weeping).
- This parable on the kingdom teaches some very different lessons than the one regarding leaven. They don't contradict each other; they simply complement each other by adding more detail.
- From the dragnet parable we learn:
1. All kinds of people are brought into the kingdom.
· We know now that the gospel is the means to draw all people into God's kingdom.
2. There is good and bad in the kingdom.
· People say, "I'm not going to that church because there are hypocrites there." They think that the true church is the perfect church.
· Jesus teaches that all kinds of people find their way into the kingdom - for a while.
- The net brings all in. The requirements to be a member of the church allow even for insincere or evil people to be included if they want to.
- We ought not to be surprised or discouraged when we see or suspect someone of naming the name of Christ but not acting like a Christian - Jesus said this would be.
3. The kingdom will be purified.
· When Jesus returns not only sinners and disbelievers will be judged, God through His angels will remove all those from the church who don't belong there.
- We can fool society, we can fool the brethren, we can even fool ourselves - but we can't fool God.
- God knows who the true disciples the true Christians are and He will keep only these in the end.
- Of course, this is a warning to everyone at various levels:
1. For those who are not in the kingdom.
- Jesus spoke this parable, not to disciples, but to the crowds who came to hear Him speak.
- He made it clear to all that there was to be a dividing line between those who were in and those who were out.
- In today's society the key words are "inclusiveness" and "tolerance".
· We even give two men or women the full privileges of marriage even though 5000 years of world history has reserved this for heterosexuals; even though every religion in the world condemns it; even though homosexuals can't do the one thing civil marriage was designed to protect - the production of children.
· We give them the same blessing and rights in law because we want to include everyone into everything and don't want to seem intolerant of anyone.
- Christianity is also inclusive and tolerant.
· Anyone can become a Christian and all Christians are to be patient and loving even in the face of another's weakness.
- But Christianity has boundaries set by God (the One who is allowed to do so and whose boundaries are always right and just).
- One of the basic boundaries of Christianity is the gospel itself.
· If you believe and respond to it in faith - you're in the kingdom.
· If you disbelieve or refuse to respond - you're out of the kingdom.
Mark 16: 16
- This is not intolerance or bigotry, it is God's boundary and those who follow Him also hold to the boundary He has established.
v Jesus demonstrates the idea of boundary in this parable -- some are in the net others are not, so it's possible to be left out if we so choose,
...Another warning...
2. Those in the kingdom.
· To those in the kingdom but there in name only (I'm a Christian / fish) but not in Spirit (I'm a Christian but bear no fruit / non-edible fish)..
· To those Jesus warns that they will not escape judgement.
· Some people think they can hideout on the church / they can have just enough religion to keep them saved while still enjoying the world.
· This parable warns that there will be a sorting out within the kingdom as well in order to clean out the hypocrites and the dead wood.
v Jesus wants to offer God a "living" church, a kingdom alive in Christ when He comes, so those who are really of this world and just faking their Christianity will be removed.
...Finally, a word of encouragement...
3. To the true citizens of the kingdom.
· For those who knew Christ; obey Christ; trust completely in Him; are faithful to the kingdom; growing in the kingdom -- there is the promise of a better place.
v They will be kept for rooms in the mansion of the Father.
v Each of us has to determine where we are and where we need to be - this is the invitation or message of this parable.
- For some it may be the initial step of repentance and baptism.
- For others it may be a recommitment and renewal to a deeper and more faithful discipleship with God.
- For most this parable should encourage us to continue following the Lord as we have been; knowing that our reward is sure because our Lord's faithful.
→ God bless.