Matthew Chapter 13 {Note: Parables of the King. This chapter is one of the most difficult in the Word of God to interpret. Jesus is speaking in parables. A parable is a short figurative narrative from which a short lesson is deduced. All parables are derived from the life at the time. The story gives an outward literal sense of a matter, which anyone can understand. However, the interpretation of these parables requires deduction compatible with known Bible doctrine. All these parables will describe what goes on with the Jews while they are under the 5TH Cycle of Discipline.} 13:1~~On that day after Jesus went out of the house {Israel}. He sat by the sea {representing all Gentile nations}. {Note: 'Leaving the house' is the same as 'shaking the dust from His sandals'. Jesus is phasing the out the religion of the Jews because they have rejected Him.} 13:2~~And such a great crowd gathered around Him {Jesus} that He got into a boat and sat while the whole crowd stood on the shore. {The Parable of the Sower - Verses 3-23 - The Sower Parable is the key to the parables that follow -and here refers to both believers and unbelievers} 13:3~~He told them many things in parables, saying: "Pay attention! A sower {The Church, royal family, body of Christ} went out to sow {spread the gospel to the world}." {Note: Jesus changes his style. Until His rejection, He was speaking direct to the Religious Crowd. Now He switches to parables - taking narratives and matching them up with doctrine.} {Four categories of reaction -(1) verses 4 and 19 (explanation) - rejection of gospel -unbeliever} 13:4~~"And as he sowed, some seed {gospel} fell along the unplowed ground {unbelievers - the ground rejects the seed}, and the birds {Satan's doctrines of evil} came and ate it up." {Four categories of reaction - (2) verses 5-6 and 20-21 (explanation) - resistance to intake of doctrine -believer minus doctrine} 13:5-6~~"Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much topsoil {fertile ground with rocks}. It sprang up quickly because it did not have enough depth of earth, 13:6~~ but when the sun came up, it was scorched; and since it did not have a root, it withered {hard headed believers resisting doctrine have no roots in the Word}." {Four categories of reaction - (3) verses 7 and 22 (explanation) - believer with a little doctrine} 13:7~~"Other seed fell among thorns, that grew up and choked it." {Note: A thorn does not choke a seed. So, in view here, this seed did have 'some roots/doctrine' and grew, but the thorns also choked out this category. } {Four categories of reaction - (4) verses 8 and 23 (explanation) - Productive believer with doctrine, techniques, promises and a producer of divine good-consistent intake of doctrine} 13:8~~"Other seed fell on good soil and it kept on producing grain {production of divine good}, some a hundred times as much, some sixty, and some thirty." {Note: 100= mature believer, 60= adolescent believer, and 30= baby advancing toward adolescence.} 13:9~~"The one who has ears, listen!" {Purpose of Parables - Verses 10-17} 13:10~~Then the disciples came to Him and said, "Why do You speak to them in parables?" {Note: Why did you make a radical change in your method of teaching?} 13:11~~He replied, "You have been given the opportunity to know the mysteries {musterion} of the kingdom of heaven {doctrines of the Church Age}, but they {Scribes/Pharisees/Unbelievers} have not." {Note: Musterion is transliterated into English as 'mystery'. It means something that the members of a fraternity understand but those on the outside do not understand. And that is how it is used in the New Testament. Mystery in the NT refers to the dispensation of the church. It was called a mystery because it was not revealed in the OT. With 'the kingdom of heaven', Jesus is describing the time when the Jews will be under the 5th cycle of discipline (70 AD until the 2nd Advent). Jesus never again says, "kingdom of heaven is at hand" because they have now officially rejected Him in each of the cities He visited. Instead He prepares for the new age/dispensation (Church Age) when He will be absent from the Earth.} {SideNote: There are three passages that deal with the principle of the mystery: Eph.3:1-6; Col.1:25-26: Rom.16:25-26. Eight mysteries are specific to the Church Age: the body (Eph.3.1-11), the bride (Eph.5: 28-32), the church (Rev.1: 20), the indwelling of Christ (Col.1: 26-27), spirituality (1Tim.3:16), the translation of the church (1Cor.15:51-57), the blindness of Israel (Rom.11), the kingdom of heaven (Matt.13).} 13:12~~"For whoever has {production on the basis of doctrine learned and applied} 'will be richly furnished'/'will have more abundance'. But whoever does not have {the 3 categories of losers}, even what he has will be taken from him." {Note: In the three categories of losers, the unbelievers have no doctrine or salvation. The believer without doctrine is a spiritual moron and takes in Satanic doctrines of this world to fill the void. The believer with some doctrine but no technique exists in a state of worry, which is a sin and takes them out of fellowship. They hinder their own advance. These last two do not lose their salvation, but they do lose the potential of being great producers of divine good -winner believers.} 13:13~~"For this reason I speak to them in parables-that although they see {understand the point of the gospel} . . . they do not see {they reject the message} and although they hear they do not hear {lack of positive volition to the gospel and/or bible doctrine} . . . nor do they understand." {Note: 'Understand' here has a duel meaning. For unbelievers, they can NOT understand spiritual things at all. For believers in reversionism, they can understand the narrative, but can't make the deduction. God the Holy Spirit makes these things clear to the believer in fellowship.} 13:14-15~~"And concerning them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says {Isaiah Chapter 6: 9-10 - A parallel situation to the Jews in the day of Isaiah}:   'You will listen carefully yet will never understand {reject it},   you will look closely yet will never comprehend. 13:15~~   For the frontal lobes of this people has become dull;   they are dull/hard of hearing {uninterested in doctrine},   and they have shut their eyes {negative volition - the act of   closing the eye to not see},   so that they would not see with their eyes   and hear with their ears   and understand with their frontal lobes {hearts}   and be changed {by Bible doctrine}   and I {Jesus} would heal {bless} them.' " {Note: category 1 changes the unbeliever to believer,     category 2 changed life for the believer as a result of   learning doctrine,   category 3 changed life for the believer as a result of using   doctrine,   category 4 is the group that was changed by learning and   using the Word - a Winner.} 13:16~~"But your eyes are blessed/happinesses because they see, and your ears because they hear." 13:17~~"I tell you the truth, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see {men like Moses, Elijah, Isaiah longed to be on the Earth when Jesus was} but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it." 13:18~~ "So listen to the parable of the sower . . . " {Explanation of verse 4 narrative - 1) Category . . . Unbeliever} 13:19~~"When anyone hears the word about the kingdom and refuses to believe it . . . then the evil one comes and snatches what was sown in his frontal lobe. This is the seed sown on the unplowed ground." {Explanation of verse 5-6 narrative - 2) Category . . . Believer resisting doctrine} 13:20-21~~"What was sown on rocky ground is the one who hears the word of God and immediately receives it with joy {enthusiasm} . . . 13:21~~ but this one has no root and does not endure; when pressure or persecution comes {the sun coming out} because of the Word {testing for spiritual advancement}, immediately he falls away {is shocked - panic palace - no more joy - no roots}." {Explanation of verse 7 narrative - 3) Category . . . Believer with a little doctrine} 13:22~~"What was sown among thorns is the one who hears the Word, but cosmic worries and wealthy pleasures choke the word, so it produces nothing." {Note: Mental attitude sin - type 'worry' here. Little doctrine but short on technique. Here he is missing the Faith Rest Technique. There is no divine viewpoint mental attitude, no reliance on God (faith rest), or Occupation with Christ. This is a non-mature believer who is distracted by Satan's domain and choked out of maximum spiritual growth.} {Explanation of verse 8 narrative - (4) Category . . . Productive Believer - intake of doctrine} 13:23~~"But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and consistently learns/ understands it {and this is a process - consistently learning} . . . which results in bearing fruit {production of divine good} . . . yielding a hundred, sixty, or thirty times what was sown." ************************************************ This page is sponsored by Kenneth Sidley, CPA, an Orange County California CPA (949) 706-3133. Please call Ken for high quality, low cost CPA services in Orange County California. This includes audit, review, compilation, tax returns, Quickbooks, and business consulting services. This page is sponsored by Moxxor For Pain Free Living. Moxxor is a highly concentrated Omega 3 product that has reduced inflammation in this writer. 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