The kingdom of heaven is like...

Matthew 13:24-46 from the daily reading in the One Year Bible

Jesus presented another parable to them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. ²⁵ But while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and left. ²⁶ And when the wheat sprouted and produced grain, then the weeds also became evident. ²⁷ And 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 weeds?’ ²⁸ And he said to them, ‘An enemy has done this!’ The slaves said to him, ‘Do you want us, then, to go and gather them up?’ ²⁹ But he said, ‘No; while you are gathering up the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. ³⁰ Allow both to grow together until the harvest; and at the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather up the weeds and bind them in bundles to burn them; but gather the wheat into my barn.”’”

³¹ He presented another parable to them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a person took and sowed in his field; ³² and this is smaller than all the other seeds, but when it is fully grown, it is larger than the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the sky come and nest in its branches.”

³³ He spoke another parable to them: “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three sata of flour until it was all leavened.”

³⁴ All these things Jesus spoke to the crowds in parables, and He did not speak anything to them without a parable. ³⁵ This was so that what was spoken through the prophet would be fulfilled:

“I will open My mouth in parables;
I will proclaim things hidden since the foundation of the world.”

³⁶ Then He left the crowds and went into the house. And His disciples came to Him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.” ³⁷ And He said, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man, ³⁸ and the field is the world; and as for the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom; and the weeds are the sons of the evil one; ³⁹ and the enemy who sowed them is the devil, and the harvest is the end of the age; and the reapers are angels. ⁴⁰ So just as the weeds are gathered up and burned with fire, so shall it be at the end of the age. ⁴¹ The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness, ⁴² and they will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. ⁴³ Then the righteous will shine forth like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. The one who has ears, let him hear.

⁴⁴ “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again; and from joy over it he goes and sells everything that he has, and buys that field.

⁴⁵ “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls, ⁴⁶ and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold everything that he had and bought it.

Jesus did many things that fulfilled Old Testament prophecies regarding the Messiah. He fulfilled over three hundred Messianic prophecies through His birth, His life and His death. The odds of any one person fulfilling that many prophecies are astronomical. At an extremely conservative estimate the probability of 48 prophecies being fulfilled in one person is the incredible number 10^157. How large is 10^157? 10^157 contains 157 zeros! In today’s text it says: All these things Jesus spoke to the crowds in parables, and He did not speak anything to them without a parable. This was so that what was spoken through the prophet would be fulfilled: “I will open My mouth in parables; I will proclaim things hidden since the foundation of the world.” Then He left the crowds and went into the house. And His disciples came to Him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.” And He said, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man, and the field is the world; and as for the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom; and the weeds are the sons of the evil one; and the enemy who sowed them is the devil, and the harvest is the end of the age; and the reapers are angels. So just as the weeds are gathered up and burned with fire, so shall it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness, and they will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine forth like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. The one who has ears, let him hear.” That Jesus spoke in parables did fulfill what was spoken through the prophet, but that was not His only or even His main purpose. Jesus spoke in parables not so that people would not understand what He was saying, but so that He could compare the incomparable realities of the kingdom of heaven to things that are known on earth. We need though to be careful not to limit the infinite and eternal kingdom to the finite realities of our understanding. Jesus taught us to pray saying: ‘Our Father, who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven…’  Our prayer and our reality should be that earth would come into alignment with heaven, not that heaven is limited by the situations and circumstances of earth.

In the parable of the weeds, Jesus declares the truth that there is both a heaven and a Hell. That there is both an eternal reward for those who are in Christ and a place where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. In John 10:10 Jesus says: “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came so that they would have life, and have it abundantly.”  We need to choose who we will believe, Jesus or the thief, the good seed of the Son of Man, or the bad seed of the devil.

Jesus says: “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again; and from joy over it he goes and sells everything that he has, and buys that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls, and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold everything that he had and bought it.” Fortunately for us, we neither have to, nor could we afford to purchase the kingdom of heaven. Jesus already paid the price for us in full. We need only to choose the treasure, to grasp the pearl of great value. It is not that we need to sell all that we have. It is that we need to understand that He is all that we need. In Matthew 6:31-33 Jesus says: “Do not worry then, saying, ‘What are we to eat?’ or ‘What are we to drink?’ or ‘What are we to wear for clothing?’ For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided to you.”In Psalm 37:3-6 the psalmist says: Trust in the Lord and do good; Live in the land and cultivate faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord; And He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, and He will do it. He will bring out your righteousness as the light, And your judgment as the noonday. That’s the abundant life that Christ gives us when we prioritize the kingdom of heaven. We have all that we need and all that we desire.

Thank You heavenly Father, Lord Jesus Christ and precious Holy Spirit that You have given us all of the blessings of the kingdom of heaven now on earth and eternally in heaven. May I never limit the realities of the kingdom of heaven by my own understanding. I trust in you. I delight in You and I commit my way to You. I will seek Your kingdom and Your righteousness and trust You for the rest. Amen.