Do You Get It? A Discourse in Parables.
length: 62:31 - taught on Apr, 23 2025
Class Outline:
Wednesday April 23, 2025
Main idea: The Lord wills that the disciples of His kingdom will be scribes who understand and share old and new truths.
What is understanding? A gift from God to His seeker who can discern in his heart God’s mind and will by connecting all Scripture so as to act in wisdom and teach others.
A. Mat 13, a discourse made up of parables, begins and ends with understanding (MAT 13:13, 14, 15, 19, 23, 51).
B. It is common in the OT, especially in Wisdom literature.
C. In the OT, understanding is a gift from God. Solomon asks for it (1KI 3:9). The psalmist prays for it (PSA 119:34). It belongs to God and He gives it by grace, but that is only part of the story.
1. Understanding is a gift, but we have to also seek for her. Pro 2.
2. The instrument of understanding is the heart - it requires all of you (ISA 6:10).
3. You have to understand God (ISA 40:21).
Main Text: MAT 13:51-52.
1. Scribe?:
"Therefore, behold, I am sending you prophets and wise men and scribes; some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues, and persecute from city to city,
a. Disciples are envisioned as students of the word and teachers of the word. And not only those whom God has put in the office of teacher.
Concerning him we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. 12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food.
b. Disciples apprentice to Jesus Christ.
"But do not be called Rabbi; for One is your Teacher, and you are all brothers [strongest family tie in their culture].”
c. But, we are not just disciples for ourselves. We disciple under the Lord for others - bringing to them out of our storehouse.
2. The scribe in the kingdom of heaven is like the Master who gives out of His treasure, or storehouse.
a. Master of the house: The gracious Lord, though maligned.
If they have called the head of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign the members of his household!
"The slaves of the landowner came and said to him, 'Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?'
"For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard.
"Listen to another parable. There was a landowner who PLANTED A VINEYARD AND PUT A WALL AROUND IT AND DUG A WINE PRESS IN IT, AND BUILT A TOWER, and rented it out to vine-growers and went on a journey.
b. The Master loves to give, but He gives to those who seek Him.
"The Lord will open for you His good storehouse, the heavens, to give rain to your land in its season and to bless all the work of your hand.”
"Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this," says the Lord of hosts, "if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows.”
"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 "But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; 21 for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
There is a lot about this in the Scripture. A little knowledge of human nature will tell us why.
Better is a little with the fear of the Lord
Than great treasure and turmoil with it.
There is precious treasure and oil in the dwelling of the wise,
But a foolish man swallows it up.
The acquisition of treasures by a lying tongue
Is a fleeting vapor, the pursuit of death.
choosing rather to endure ill-treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, 26 considering the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt; for he was looking to the reward.
c. The Master’s treasure: understanding, wisdom, knowledge of all His revelation (Christ).
For I want you to know how great a struggle I have on your behalf and for those who are at Laodicea, and for all those who have not personally seen my face, 2 that their hearts may be encouraged, having been knit together in love, and attaining to all the wealth that comes from the full assurance of understanding, resulting in a true knowledge of God's mystery, that is, Christ Himself, 3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. 4 I say this so that no one will delude you with persuasive argument. 5 For even though I am absent in body, nevertheless I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good discipline and the stability of your faith in Christ.
The old and new things come out of His treasure.
He told us about treasure in the SOM. Seek the treasure of heaven. Mat 6
3. What are the new things and what are the old things?
a. The old is did not get taken away, but was fulfilled by Christ.
"Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. 18 "For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished. 19 "Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
b. The old is the OT Scriptures and also Israel and the promises and covenants, which have not been voided.
But when the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered themselves together. 35 One of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, 36 "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?" 37 And He said to him, " 'YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.' 38 "This is the great and foremost commandment. 39 "The second is like it, 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.' 40 "On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets."
c. The new things would certainly include the doctrines within the mystery of the church. These are introduced by Christ (especially in the upper room discourse) and expounded upon in the NT epistles.
4. Summary: This unique discourse (3 of 5 in Matthew - the center) can be seen as a chiasm.
Wheat and Tares
Mustard seed.
Treasure
Sower
Pearl
Leaven
Dragnet
“Do you not understand this parable? How will you understand all the parables?”
The outer: the stage is set with scores of people and the gospel is issued (promise and warning).
The next layer speaks of choice - the church would expand all over the world and contain both good and bad (leaven). The wheat would have to sift through. The tares have the choice of settling for religion or believing the gospel.
The next layer is for believers only - do they value Christianity for what it really is? This will determine what kind of soil they are.
Sower: focus on the value in life and developing understanding. (first three soils, in my opinion, could be believers or unbelievers).
New and old are given by the Master to the world.
5. Application:
a. Fear and seek so that you will continue to increase understanding.
b. Remember your on a stage (wedding feast) and the goal is souls.
c. Always be alert to false doctrine (back to a.).
d. Remind yourself every day (morning especially) of what has value (Father you are holy, Your kingdom come…).
e. The measure is fruit. Do not self-deceive. Do not be academic only.
Connect
Subscribe to our mailing list |
Grace and Truth Ministries 1900 Hines S.E. Salem, Oregon 97302 |
 |
letters@cgtruth.org |
|
© Grace and Truth Ministries All Rights Reserved. |