The Millennium, part 6

Shalom, everyone.

The parables of Matthew 13:

The reasons for the parables:

Matt. 13:10-17
10 And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables?
11 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.
12 For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.
13 Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.
14 And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:
15 For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.
16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.
17 For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.
KJV

To whom was He talking? According to verse 2, He was in a boat on the "Sea of Galilee" or Lake Kinneret in the Galiyl and "great multitudes" or huge crowds were gathered around Him on the lake shore to listen to His teaching. I'm sure these crowds probably included the "scribes and Pharisees" of 12:38, as well. So, Yeshua` said He spoke to them in parables or story analogies to keep those who really had no interest in the dark. The "mysteries of the Kingdom of heaven," or the secrets about the Kingdom from the sky, were not for just anyone. They were for those whose eyes had been opened to the true potential of the Kingdom being re-established under the King, the Messiah or the Anointed/Selected of God.

What Kingdom? Well, it was not the "church" but the Kingdom over which King David and King Solomon reigned consisting of the literal children of Israel who made up the nation of Isra'el during the time of Yeshua`s first coming or first advent. It is to this Kingdom that Yeshua` refers many times in these parables. If one keeps that Kingdom in mind, these parables will become clear to anyone who truly wants to understand them.

The first parable - The Sower

First, let's look at the text associated with this parable:

Matt. 13:3-9, 18-23
3 And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow;
4 And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up:
5 Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth:
6 And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away.
7 And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them:
8 But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold.
9 Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.
...
18 Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower.
19 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.
20 But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it;
21 Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended.
22 He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.
23 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.
KJV

In this parable, Yeshua` clearly defines the elements of the parable:
The seed = the "word of the Kingdom" or the message about the Kingdom.

Who was heralding (preaching, announcing) that Kingdom at this point? Yeshua` Himself had to be His own herald for a time since Yochanan the Immerser (John the Baptist) had been imprisoned and beheaded. Therefore,...

The sower = the Messiah Yeshua` (Christ Jesus).
The one who receives seed by the way side or the path in between fields = the one who hears the message and doesn't understand it.
The fowls or birds = the wicked one
The one who receives seed into stony places or among the rocks = the one who has no endurance - no depth of character.
The one who receives seed among the thorns = the one who is already involved in "the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches" and has no time for it.
The one who receives seed on the good ground = the one who hears the message, understands it, and "bears fruit" or produces more seed and spreads that message.

So, Yeshua` said there would be four types of listeners: Those who don't even understand the message about the Kingdom, those who receive it and are excited about it but have no endurance, those who receive it but have no time for it, and those who receive it and give it both the time it deserves and the effort to make it grow, broadcasting the message on to others.

This is the ONLY parable that may have to do with the present in the sense that the focus is the message ABOUT the Kingdom and not the Kingdom itself, which is yet in the future. We can both receive the message about the Kingdom from the sky ourselves and spread that word to others now. But, there are those among us who (1) won't understand a message about the Kingdom, (2) will get all hyped up about it for the moment but will forget about it after a day or two, or (3) will be too busy in other matters to give it much thought or time.

I fear there are far too many among those who call themselves "Christians" who will fall into the first camp. They just don't understand it and WON'T understand it. They've been taught another way of looking at the Scriptures - even about these very verses - and just don't get it. Furthermore, they will RESIST looking at the Scriptures from a Jewish perspective, and will CHOOSE not to get it! They WON'T get it!

There are others who will fall into the second camp. They will get it briefly; they will catch a glimpse of what the Kingdom will be like, but they won't study it, won't meditate on it, won't let it become like a "Christmas spirit" within them! If they will ever truly get it, they will have to hear it a second time. They may have to hear it again and again if it will ever truly take hold in their lives.

There are still others who won't have time for the message. They're always doing and thinking about things, but they are doing and thinking about other things, not about the message of the Kingdom. And, like I'm sure they've heard before, it's not that they don't have the time for it; it's that they don't MAKE the time for it!

In a garden, if you want vegetables to grow in a particular spot where weeds are currently growing, you've got to pull up the weeds first! You have to MAKE ROOM for the vegetables!

That means that if you have something else that is important to you, you may have to sacrifice that priority for the message about the Kingdom that should take a HIGHER priority!

We only have a limited amount of time in our day. Everyone has the same 24 hours in a day. How you USE that time is what you feel are your highest priorities. Restful sleep, for instance, is essential, however long one takes to sleep. I usually get between 4 and 6 hours of sleep a day. That's enough for me. Seven hours is pushing it, and any longer gives me back pain.

What are the things that take up the time in the rest of your day? What do you do for work? What do you do for play? What are your hobbies? THESE are your priorities. To make room for the message about the Kingdom, you may have to give up something of lesser importance. Turn off the TV a little longer and spend more time reading the Messianic prophecies of the Tanakh (the Old Testament). It may take a while and some effort to "get it," but it will be worth the time and effort.

In the Messiah's love,
Retrobyter