PART 5

Jesus used a lot of parables in his teachings. He always taught the people using parables (Matthew 13:34).
To whom was Jesus telling these parables?

Jesus told these parables to multitudes, to the crowds following Him. We could read at the start of Matthew
13 that “large crowds gathered around Him he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on
the shore.” During that time, microphones and speakers were not yet invented that’s why Jesus needed to
get into the boat farther from the people so that His voice would be clear for all to hear.

These crowds could be people of all ages, from different places, have different social status and jobs, and
they all gathered around Jesus to listen to His teachings. Some of them were really following Jesus because
they were interested to His teachings, maybe some of them were curious about who Jesus was based on
what they heard from other people, or maybe some were fascinated about the miracles they saw he
performed.

But why did Jesus teach using parables?

Let us read from Matthew 13:10-11

All these people heard the same Jesus, the same message at the same place and at the same time but
they had a different take of what Jesus taught. Some of them understood, and some did not understood at
all. What was it that was given to the disciples but not given to other people?

The disciples have faith in Jesus and that’s what made the difference. They have a relationship with Jesus
and that gave them the understanding when Jesus talked. For example, when your parent speak a word,
you as their child could easily tell what they really mean because you know them and have a relationship
with them but some people might misunderstood them because they barely know your parents. Or it could
also be an inside joke that only you and your circle of friend knows, so that when you say it in front of
other people, only your friends will be able to tell what you were saying.

You need to have faith in Jesus and a relationship with Him for you to be able to understand His parables.

Let’s look back again at the Parable of the Sower or the Parable of the Four Soil at Matthew 13:3-9.

If you will recall from our last week’s discussion, the sower in this parable is the Father. The seeds refer to
Jesus Christ, and the different kinds of soils where the seeds fell, refer to the different types of hearts of
the people. For they all were willing to hear, but their hearts were receptive to the word of God in different
ways.

Let’s look at the first type of soil. Pathways, as we know are compacted soil since this is a part where
people and animals walk on and vehicles travel on. Because of pressures applied to it, it hardens that’s
why the seeds were unable to penetrate through it and the birds snatch the seeds away.

Jesus explained to his disciples that the seeds that fell on the pathway represents those who “hears the
message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was
sown in their heart.” We could also read in Luke 8:12 “Those along the path are the ones who hear, and
then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be
saved.”

Then we have the second type of soil, the rocky place where there is not much soil. In the parable, the
seed successfully sprang because of the thin layer of soil that lay on the rocky ground, however, because
the soil lacked the depth, it would be difficult for the roots to absorb water and nutrients. As soon as the
scorching sun hit the plant, it withered.

The seeds that fell on the rocky places are those “who hears the word and at once receives it with joy but
since they have no root, they last only a short time.” These are those who did not continue in their faith
that’s why they were not able to take root and grow. The sun is symbolic of the tribulations and trials that
we face in life. So when trials come, they quickly let go of what they have believed in.

Then let’s look at the third type of soil, the soil that have thorns. Although, in this case, the seed had
enough soil that provided enough nourishment, it was sown among the thorns. The plant did grow but
since there are thorns, it did not allow the plant to bear fruit. Physically speaking, thorny plants have
thorns not only on their stem but they have thorns all the way to their roots. So you could just imagine that
this thorns would be in competition with the plant in extracting water and nutrients on the soil. And most
of the time, thorns would be much faster to take up water and nutrient and they would grow faster. These
thorns would eventually out grow and choke the plant so it would not bear fruit.

This is in reference to those who hear the word of the Lord, accept it, and willingly decide to follow Jesus,
but they were attracted of the world, the riches and wealth, and thereby choke due to their shallow
desires. These people give more importance to earthly wealth than the words that could give them eternal
life, therefore, they were destroyed by the world before they could turn fruitful enough.

The last type of soil in the parable is the good soil. A soil that is free from anything that would hinder the
growth of a plant. Where there is muck water and nutrient. A soil that is prepared by the farmer.
Preparation of the soil would include cultivating or to loosen and break up the soil to promote proper flow
of air, water it so it will not harden and putting fertilizers to it to make it healthier.

The seeds that fell into the good soil are those listeners who not only heard, but accepted, understood it,
and continued in their faith all their lives, so, turning out to be fruitful and yielding. Just like how the good
soil was prepared and cleared from all distractions, this heart is prepared by God to receive the Word,
Jesus Christ. They didn’t doubt, neither did they respond to the attraction of the riches of the world. For
them, the true riches lie in the kingdom of God for they are eternal, while the riches of this world are
mortal, perishable, and can be easily stolen.

Now, note that the parable clearly states the yield of all seeds to be different. “As for what was sown on
good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one
case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.” This just implies that the yield varies, however,
what is important is that the sown seed bears fruit to its best capacity.

The Parable of the Sower provides the basis for understanding all the parables given in the Bible. It
emphasizes on the fact that it is the faith, belief, and acceptance of a person’s heart that draws or drives a
person closer or farther from God. God’s word is accessible to one and all, but the capability to
understand, sustain, and live by it is not same in all people.

Now, we come to a second parable told by Jesus to the crowd, the Parable of the Wheat and Tares or also
known as the Parable of the Weeds in Matthew 13:24-30.

In the explanation of the parable, Christ declares that He Himself is the sower. He spreads good seed that
represents the people of the kingdom, in the field of the world. The enemy in the parable is the evil one
and the weeds are the people of the evil one. In opposition to Jesus Christ, the devil tries to destroy
Christ’s work by placing false believers and teachers in the world. While, the harvest is the end of the age,
and the harvesters are angels.

The owner of the good seeds is the one who sowed. The field also belongs to him. In the same way, the
people of the kingdom or the genuine believers belongs to Christ. The purpose of sowing seeds is for them
to grow and be fruitful.

But then, the devil sowed bad seeds that will grow into weeds. The bad seed is not owned by the sower, it
was intentionally planted there by the evil one to sabotage the field and the crops.

So the question is, are you a good seed or a bad seed? Are you a wheat or are you a weed? How will you
know if you are a good seed?

The Lord knows those who are His (2 Timothy 2:19). The angels also know who the people of the
kingdom are. But the good seed has no capability to know the difference between the good seed and the
bad seed. The only time that we can distinguish the good seed from the bad is when it grows and bears
fruit because weeds do not bear fruit.

God is expecting the people of the kingdom to grow and bear fruit. Galatians 5:22-23 tells us about the
fruit of the Spirit.

Jesus also told his disciples that we will know a person by the fruits they produce. (Matthew 7:16-20)

Jesus also told his disciples their identity as salt and light of the world. (Matthew 5:13-16)

Why did Jesus let the harvesters wait until it is harvest to uproot the weeds?

Weeds and wheat look the same at the early stage. The servants in the parable knew that there were
weeds growing along with the wheat and they asked the owner to uproot the weeds. But Jesus won’t allow
them to uproot the weeds because in doing so they might also uproot the wheat, possibly hurting young
believers in the process.

He calls the people of the kingdom to live, grow, and bear fruit in this world until he comes and brings
about a righteous judgment in which all will be brought to account before him. That day will come, and
when it does, the weeds will be gathered and bound together in bundles and thrown into the fire.