Matthew 13:43

“Then will the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingly rule of their Father.”

But the end result will be that Paradise is restored. The righteous will shine forth as the sun within the sphere of the Kingly Rule of their Father. They have been changed from glory into glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord (2 Corinthians 3:18). The picture may to some extent be based on Daniel 12:3, but it is in fact more glorious than that, just as, on earth, the sun is more glorious than the stars. It more specifically has in mind the One Who will come as the Sun of Righteousness (Malachi 4:2), Whose face will shine like the sun at His transfiguration (Matthew 17:2). They will be like Him, for they will see Him as He is (1 John 3:2).

For the shining forth of the sun regularly reflects a picture of the divine (Revelation 1:16 with 8, and compare verse 8; Acts 26:13; James 1:17; Revelation 19:17; Revelation 21:23; Revelation 22:5; Isaiah 60:20), and they are the sons of God (Matthew 5:9; Matthew 5:42). The shining forth of the righteous has already been depicted in Matthew in Matthew 5:14; Matthew 5:16. But that was only a faint reflection of this. Then the shining forth was partial, but here the full glow is revealed. More relevant is 5:45 where the shining forth of the sun was evidence of God's compassion to the world, and His ‘sons' were to be like Him in it. Nothing but righteousness could survive in the glow of this light. The shining forth of the sun is always a picture of great blessedness and glory, and behind it lies the thought that all shadows have been removed in the light of God's presence (James 1:17; Revelation 21:23; Revelation 22:5).

‘The righteous.' That is, those who have been made righteous by God through the coming to them of His righteousness and salvation (Matthew 5:6; Matthew 5:20; Matthew 6:33) as promised in Isaiah (see on Matthew 5:6).

‘The Kingly Rule of their Father.' This is speaking of the consummation when all has been brought into submission to the One Whose eternal plan has come to fruition (1 Corinthians 15:24), and God is all and in all. These words finalise the picture that Jesus has been building up of His disciples' relationship with their Father.

Note on ‘Your/My Father.

From now on there is a clear change in the way that the ‘Father' is presented in Matthew. Up to this point the main emphasis has been on ‘your Father' or equivalent (Matthew 5:16; Matthew 5:45; Matthew 5:48; Matthew 6:1; Matthew 6:4; Matthew 6:6; Matthew 6:8; Matthew 6:14; Matthew 6:18; Matthew 6:26; Matthew 6:32; Matthew 7:11; Matthew 10:20; Matthew 10:29) with ‘My Father' only occurring when His position as Judge or Representative (Matthew 7:21; Matthew 10:32), or His special and unique family relationship with the Father (Matthew 11:25; Matthew 11:27; Matthew 12:50), has been in mind. For Jesus has been emphasising the new position of the disciples as sons of their Father in the Kingly Rule of Heaven (Matthew 5:9; Matthew 5:45). And this is now capped here by the promise of their place under their Father's final Kingly Rule. But from this point on the emphasis changes to ‘My Father' or equivalent (Matthew 15:13; Matthew 16:17; Matthew 16:27; Matthew 18:10; Matthew 18:19; Matthew 18:35; Matthew 20:23; Matthew 24:36; Matthew 25:34; Matthew 26:29; Matthew 26:39; Matthew 26:42; Matthew 26:53; Matthew 28:19), and there is surely no coincidence in the fact that that is also paralleled with Jesus being revealed by His disciples as ‘the Son of God' (Matthew 14:33; Matthew 16:16, compare Matthew 11:25; Matthew 11:27. See also Matthew 17:5; Matthew 28:19). Previously He has been ‘Lord' or ‘Teacher'. Thus from now on Jesus is building up His disciples' recognition of His unique and special relationship to His Father, as promised in Matthew 11:25; Matthew 11:27.

There is one outstanding exception to these distinctions, in Matthew 18:14, but B Theta and f 13 read ‘My Father' there as well. Yet even if ‘your Father' is allowed to stand we can understand its use in this verse because those who are spoken to are directly responsible for preventing the perishing of these little ones, and it might be suggested that He wants them to know that the little one are also their Father's children.

End of note.

Note the vivid contrast between the furnace of fire and the shining forth of the sun. Both involve heat, but what a difference in their consequences. One involves eternal destruction, the other eternal glory.

“He who has ears, let him hear.” Compare Matthew 13:9. Once again men are called on to ensure that if they have hearing ears, they should hear. Those who have such hearing ears are those who have been blessed by God (Matthew 13:16).