Matthew 13:10-17

III. JESUS-' METHODOLOGY BEHIND PARABOLIC INSTRUCTION

A. THE PURPOSE FOR PARABLES
TEXT: 13:10-17

(Parallels: Mark 4:10-12; Mark 4:21-25; Luke 8:9-10; Luke 8:16-18)

10 And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables? 11 And he answered and said unto them, Unto you it is given 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 abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that which he hath. 13 Therefore speak I to them in parables; because seeing they see not, and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. 14 And unto them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah, which saith,
By hearing ye shall hear, and shall in no wise understand;
And seeing ye shall see, and shall in no wise perceive:

15 For this people's heart is waxed gross,

And their ears are dull of hearing,
And their eyes they have closed;
Lest haply they should perceive with their eyes,
And hear with their ears,
And understand with their heart,
And should turn again,
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 desired to see the things which ye see, and saw them not; and to hear the things which ye hear, and heard them not.

THOUGHT QUESTIONS

a.

Should we use parables? Why, what good purpose would they serve?

b.

Some Christians balk at the idea of Jesus-' coming to earth to hide truth from some, while, at the same time, revealing it to others. How can Jesus be justified in not only hiding truth from some of His contemporaries, but also in making deliberate use of a method which would continue to hide the truth from people down through the centuries? As a matter of fact, Jesus not only chose to conceal the truth, but justified His course of action as correct and cited Scripture to show how such a course fitted perfectly into the situation perennially faced by all true prophets of God. How do you explain this? Is He being fair? How do you know?

c.

From what kind of people has God, or Jesus, hidden truth? Are these people responsible for not knowing truth that they could not see? If not, why not? If so, then how can they be held responsible for something they did not, even could not, know? Or does this correctly state their case?

d.

How can something be taken away from someone who has nothing? Yet, Jesus affirms that whosoever has not, from him shall be taken away even that which he has. How can he both have something and still have nothing at the same time? Explain, then, how Jesus can give people something, and in the very act of giving it to them, He takes away what they have? How would you solve this riddle?

e.

What vital connection exists between Matthew's report of Jesus-' general explanation for hiding truth (Matthew 13:10-17) and the other Evangelists-' report of Jesus-' illustration about lamps under beds? (Cf. Mark 4:21-25; Luke 8:16-18)

f.

How is it true, as Jesus affirms, that unto them (the multitudes) is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah. ? Did Isaiah have Jesus-' audience in mind when writing for his own generation? If not, then how could Jesus apply this prophetic declaration with any propriety to His own hearers?

g.

What is the psychological truth behind the statement of Jesus: The measure you give will be the measure you get, and still more will be given you, a truth that pinpoints the reason why people would have trouble grasping truth? (Mark 4:24) How, then, is this idea the very motive for Jesus-' switch to the parabolic system?

h.

Why does Jesus continue to hammer on the expression: If any man has ears to hear, let him hear? Further, what is so important about taking heed how you hear and what you hear? (Mark 4:24; Luke 8:18)

i.

What do you think makes people so unreceptive to Jesus-' message that He feels compelled to hide it from them?

PARAPHRASE AND HARMONY

It was when He was alone that the disciples in His company, along with the Twelve, approached Him and began asking Him about the stories, Why did you address the people only in stories?
His answer was to the point: Because it has been granted to YOU to know the revealed secrets of God's Kingdom. But for those who choose to remain outside, everything is presented in the form of stories, for to that kind of follower it has not been granted to understand these things.

After all, is a lamp that has been lit ever brought in to be put under a dish, or under a container of some sort, or even under the bed? No, it is put on a stand, that those who enter the room may see the light. I say this, because there is nothing that is now secret that shall not someday be revealed, nor is there anything secret in what I tell you that shall not later be known or come to light. So, if anyone has ears to hear with, let him pay attention. Take care, then, how you listen and what you listen to. The measure of generous attention you give to the message will be the measure of information you will receive, and you will be able to comprehend even more that will be given you, For to him who has some real understanding about the Kingdom will more information be given, and he will know a great deal about it. But from him who has no real understanding, even what truth he thinks he knows about it will mean little to him and he will lose even that too. This is the motive behind my speaking to the curiosity seekers in illustrative stories, since, though they have the ability to see, they do not actually see what I am driving at. Though they can listen, they still do not understand. The prophecy of Isaiah (Matthew 6:9-10) describes these people all too well:

-You shall hear, truly enough, without ever understanding,
You shall certainly see, but never grasp what is being said to you.
In fact, the mind of these people has become dull-witted,
Their ears are bored from listening, they have closed their mind,
So that they could not actually see with their eyes,
Actually hear with their ears, actually understand with their mind,
And actually repent, turning to me to heal and forgive them.-'
But you are to be congratulated, because you actually see and hear what is going on here. As a matter of fact, many are the ancient prophets and godly men who fervently longed to witness these events that you yourselves are seeing, and to hear the messages you are listening to, but whose death prevented it.

SUMMARY

Jesus must now explain to His Apostles the fundamental psychological truth that the mind can learn only that truth that it is willing to accept. He was able to teach His disciples in clear, easily grasped, literal language, because they had opened their mind to let Him inform them on subjects about which only He could give authoritative information. But with the masses whose minds were already full of the rubbish of the rabbis, people who felt that they already knew too much to admit the Lord's teaching, Jesus repeated the same truth in story form. This system disguised the message under the scenery of the illustrations. Nevertheless, even Jesus admits that teaching is intended to reveal, not hide, truth. In fact, He points out that even this secret message, now so carefully unveiled to only His closest followers, will eventually be widely broadcast. But even so, only those who generously give real attention to what Jesus is teaching will be able to see His meaning. Only those who trust Him and come to Him seeking explanations will learn.

NOTES
A. THE REASON FOR PARABLES (13:10, 11)

Matthew 13:10 The disciples came. to him, as noticed in the Introduction, when He was alone (Mark 4:10), a fact which places this section probably at the same time when He left the crowds and went into the house at the conclusion of His public message. (Matthew 13:34-36) There again it is said that His disciples came to Him. The reaction is natural to suppose that Matthew refers to two separate moments in which His followers sought solutions. However, the following factors are determinative for the conclusion that they did not interrupt His sermon, but held their queries until they could corner Him for this confidential information:

1.

Mark (Mark 4:10) specifies that Jesus was definitely alone.

2.

Luke's version of their question does not puzzle so much over the Lord's strategy as it seeks the interpretation of this parable, i.e., of the Sower (Luke 8:9 ff) This explanation was given only once and only in private (Mark 4:13; Mark 4:10)

3.

Matthew himself, who records this explanation in this place, clearly informs us that he said nothing to them without a parable. (Matthew 13:34; cf. Mark 4:33-34)

4.

The last objection to the view that the disciples supposedly interrupted Jesus to pose Him this half-question, half-request that the Sower Parable be explained for the sake of the people, and that Jesus did comply, is its psychological improbability from His standpoint. While they were not above interrupting Him publicly to propose courses of action for Him (cf. Matthew 16:21-23; Matthew 15:12; Matthew 15:15; Matthew 14:15), it is to be doubted that the Lord should have deliberately surrendered that very psychological advantage that His parables gave Him over the very public He intended to keep on the outsideunless, of course, they came in humility as disciples to seek this very help He now generously gives the others.

Why speakest thou unto them in parables? That Jesus should resort to riddle-like stories to present His truth, should present no surprise to the disciples, since part of their Hebrew culture was the teacher of wisdom whose parables with hidden meaning and recondite proverbs actually invited those who desired to apply themselves to meditate on the Law of the Most High and attend to the study of the prophets. (Cf. Proverbs 1:2-6; also Sir. 39:1-11; Sir. 51:23-30) This is true, because even the prophets themselves had left no means of admonishing Israel untried, even combining prophecy with parables. (Cf. Hosea 12:10) Why. parables? What is their special value as a teaching device?

1.

A parable presents truth in a neutral setting apparently nowhere near the dangerous area of the hearer's prejudices.

2.

A parable fires the imagination to envision truth from a different perspective. It forces a man to discover its truth for himself, making him do his own thinking. This, in turn, not only makes the truth learned his own possession but unforgettable, because the conclusions are his. But for those too lazy to think or too prejudiced to admit its truth, the parable effectively hides information, It begins with something understood or familiar and proceeds to illustrate ideas or experiences unfamiliar to the listeneran excellent educational principle, Abstractions take on concreteness and are easier to grasp.

3.

A parable appeals to a man's discernment, causing him to make an impartial moral judgment, independent of his self-defense mechanism. Later, when the story's point becomes clear to him, either he will accept the lesson and repent, or else he will be forced to repudiate his own judgment formed when he first heard the story.

4.

A parable obtains from the listener a personal, sympathetic participation in others-' problems before he can feel menaced by the truth thus presented and before he can erect his defences.

5.

A parable completely respects human freedom, not forcing its message on anyone who chooses not to commit himself to Jesus, enter into His fellowship as a student in order to learn the truth to which the parabolic images alluded. The responsibility for such absolute liberty, however, is left strictly and rightly with the individual himself.

6.

While it is right to notice with Barclay (Matthew, II, 63), that a parable was spoken, not read, with an immediate impact, not the result of long study with commentaries and dictionaries, we must not forget that Jesus-' parables incline toward allegorical interpretation, which requires pondering and study. It is this very element in His stories that drives the hearer to decide to go or not to Jesus for the key to understanding them.

But these men were not seeking this kind of information when they ask Why. parables? Rather, the inner circle of disciples senses a radical change in tactics and are disturbed enough about His apparent lack of communicativeness to demand explanation. Implicit in their question is the presumption that Christ did not in the beginning of His ministry make such unrelenting and exclusive use of parables as a teaching method. While there are some germ parables earlier and many others appear after this sermon (Luke 14-16 is a parable-rich section), yet they rightly notice that the wind has changed. Did they feel that the real problem was not: Why is Jesus using unexplained stories?, but rather: Why does this whole business about Jesus, His words and deeds, always seem to force people to a cleavage, rather than unite everyone behind Him? Some understand Him and believe; many more do not. It would seem that, since the Kingdom has arrived and the time is fulfilled, the invitation of God should be equally desirable for everyone. Instead, it seems as if He is pushing men to a decisive judgment about Him!
At the outset of Jesus-' ministry the situation was different. His evident purpose then was to get as wide a hearing as possible with a view to discipling as many as possible. This He managed with clear, initial instruction and not-too-disturbing preaching that convinced the multitudes of His authority superior to that of the scribes. However, knowing well that a milk-only diet would not train the Twelve for the demanding role of apostleship nor deepen the others, He took a second step by deliberately narrowing the field and upping the quality. This change of pace shows up in:

1.

The adoption of the parabolic method to make His message temporarily esoteric, i.e., for insiders only. (Mark 4:11)

2.

Deliberately long trips taken into unpopulated or foreign areas for private teaching of the Twelve. (Matthew 15:16)

3.

Intentionally scandalous sermons to keep crowds small. (John 6) As a method for developing the Twelve and other close disciples into a world-conquering Church, this solution helps, but what of the others?

Jesus, the Teacher come from heaven, faced an extremely delicate problem. On the one hand, the minds of the people were so jammed with materialistic aims and ideas that most of them could not imagine that He was revealing a purely spiritual kingdom. (See notes on Matthew 11:2-6.) Yet, if they were ever to participate intelligently in it, He MUST reveal is true nature to them. On the other hand, if He bared all its harsh realities. He would succeed only in crushing out every spark of hope they had invested in Him, since, psychologically, they would not have borne the blow. Not only would they have left Him en masse, perhaps even dragging away with them His precious nucleus of Apostles, but they might have even crucified Him right there in Galilee! How could He possibly keep teaching them, holding them in His discipleship as long as He could, while lovingly preserving each little flicker of understanding and faith, and still hope to reveal the mysteries of the true nature of God's Kingdom which He was about to establish? The Lord was prepared. The parables are His masterful answer to this dilemma.

This is why Jesus-' immediate reaction to His students-' puzzled query draws attention to the strategy of the Kingdom of God. The rejection by many, and therefore the uncalculated experience of a lack of success, and the consequent need for parables and mysteries, is no sign of defeat nor even something strange. It is all part of the larger strategy of God. (Cf. Colossians 1:24-29; Ephesians 3:7-13)

Best of all, this strategy functions marvelously! With just a simple, well-worded series of parables, Jesus the royal Judge began to divide the sheep from the goats, the true disciples from the indifferent. This is because each listener must decide whether to go to Jesus for explanations or not.

1.

Those who are only idly curious do not worry about it if they cannot figure out the sense of His little stories.

2.

The erudite, if they think they see what He is saying, reject His concepts as out of step with the thinking of the great rabbis in the tradition of, say, a Hillel, a Shammai, or more recently, a Gamaliel.

3.

The nationalists, if they do not understand Him, may scoff at His little stories as too harmless for a great revolutionary. If they do comprehend His meaning, His anti-militaristic, non-nationalistic doctrine is a positive menace to their own program.

4.

Others amble away, because no anguish, no concern for Jesus-' success, no interest in learning the secrets, bothers them.

5.

Only the fully committed followers ask for explanations by coming to Jesus. In fact, because of this understanding thus gained, they can go on to glorious service in the Kingdom of God.

Nevertheless, all unsuspected by its very protagonists, the judgment of God has begun. (Cf. John 12:46-48; John 9:39; John 3:18)

WHY PARABLES? JESUS-' ANSWERS SUMMARIZED:

1.

Because their message is for insiders only. (Matthew 13:11; Mark 4:11; Luke 8:10)

2.

Because their message is only temporarily hidden and to be revealed later. (Mark 4:21-22; Luke 8:16-17)

3.

Because everyone is free, hence responsible, to seek and know their meaning. (Mark 4:23)

4.

Because openness to the teaching determines how much anyone can understand. (Mark 4:24; Luke 8:18)

5.

Because parables effectually enrich the believer's understanding of the Kingdom while actually empoverishing the man who thought he understood the Kingdom when he really knew nothing about it. (Matthew 13:12; Mark 4:25; Luke 8:18 b)

6.

Because men close their minds to truth. (Matthew 13:13-15; Mark 4:12; Luke 8:10 b)

Matthew 13:11 Unto you it is given to know. but to them it is not. Mark's version (Matthew 4:11) is most revealing:

To you has been given the mystery of the kingdom of God, but for those outside everything is in parables, so that they may. not understand.

The insider is one who trusts Jesus, becomes His disciple and learns Christianity's secrets from the inside. Many moral lessons are understood by obedience to their dictates, rather than by pondering their meaning without ever personally experiencing their truth.

To know the mysteries of the kingdom is the attractive goal Jesus sets before everyone by His deliberate use of this allegorical style that intentionally hides and reveals truth simultaneously. He has an unquestionable respect for man's freedom to choose. He desires that each man receive God's truth because that man freely desires it. So, as indicated above, a man must, because he can, freely decide whether or not he trusts the Master enough to go to Him for this inside information. If God's Messianic Kingdom is to be understood at all, it is only visible in the person and work of Jesus of Nazareth. Whoever stumbles on Jesus just will not be able to fathom the mystery.

Far from being actually mysterious, i.e., incomprehensible to the average intelligence, the mysteries of the kingdom are simply the secret plans of God which He reveals to His people. (Cf. 1 Corinthians 2:6-16; Colossians 1:26; Matthew 11:25-26 notes; Ephesians 3:3-6; Ephesians 3:9-11; 1 Corinthians 15:51 ff; Revelation 17:5-7) These mysteries, as judged by later revelations, were nothing but descriptions of a Kingdom whose principles, motives and rewards were so opposed to men's ideas of empire that Jesus later characterized it clearly as a Kingdom not of this world. (John 18:36) The very idea that faith in God, obedience to anything but Moses, and a Kingdom admitting Gentiles on equal footing with the Jews, was not merely unfamiliar to Jesus-' hearers. Such talk was positively unwanted! Anything would remain a positive mystery to people who depended upon their own technical knowledge, upon official status and upon accidental birth in the right nation for standing in the Kingdom of God. Jesus-' previous, clear, literal teaching, when considered in contrast to standard Jewish views about the Kingdom of the Messiah, only became mysterious in direct proportion to their unwillingness to be taught. Conversely, they become clearer in direct proportion to one's openness to anything Jesus says. Edersheim (Life, I, 592) has it:

Such parables must have been utterly unintelligible to all who did not see in the humble, despised Nazarene and in His teaching, the Kingdom. But to those whose eyes, ears and hearts had been opened, they would carry the most needed instruction and most precious comfort and assurance.

Barclay (Matthew, II, 66) rightly reminds us that the success of a joke lies not only in the joke-telling ability of the speaker, but also in the mind of the hearer. Has the hearer a sense of humor and is he prepared to smile, or is he a humorless creature, grimly determined not to be amused? He might have noted, too, how the mood of the listener affects radically his reaction. (Proverbs 25:20) This striking parallel suggested by Barclay illustrates nicely the difference in hearers faced by Jesus.

Matthew 13:11 Unto you is given to know the mysteries. but to them it is not given. To the question: Why parables? this is Jesus-' first answer. But how does this explanation answer the question and show how parables, by nature, serve the purposes of God to create these distinctions?

1.

BECAUSE PARABLES REVEAL TRUTH to those willing to seek it and submit to it. Primarily in this context it was to the Apostles that it was permitted to understand Jesus-' secrets which they would later announce in the most public way possible. (Cf. Notes on Matthew 10:27) This truth is open to all who share this frame of mind found only in the committed student of Jesus. The secret of the difference between real followers and mere well-wishers is the very gesture expressed here: the disciples came and asked him, whereas the indifferent or only idly curious did not really care to know what these little stories might mean. Further, because of the multifaceted character of God's Kingdom, Jesus could continue to multiply illustrations and reveal worlds of truth by this medium, because the parables themselves would continue to teach long years after the full revelation had been given. Nevertheless, the allegorical nature of the stories themselves hid their meaning from any but close disciples who restlessly insisted upon explanations. (Cf. Matthew 7:7-11)

2.

BECAUSE PARABLES HIDE TRUTH from those who intend to use it for their own purposes, whether their intentions proceeded from malicious motives in the sense that some, prematurely spying His meaning, would have used it to destroy everything He had been working to erect, or whether they would simply have been frustrated, because His ideas did not reflect their prejudices. In either case, the force of their opposition would be dissipated before they would have had time to recognize His intentions and, in one way or another, hinder His ministry. So He sets the unwelcome truth in a neutral setting, thus avoiding the negative emotional reactions rising out of their instinct of self-defense. Even while hiding truth from people, the Lord is mercifully helping them. He stimulated their imagination, appealed to their discernment, enlisted their sympathy and tried to encourage them to arrive on their own at an independent, impartial moral judgment without arousing their fear of being found wrong. Later, when the comparison is understood, either they can accept the teaching or be forced to act in contempt of their own judgment given when they first committed themselves on the parable. Naturally, they may see that the Lord's ideas go against their own exalted opinions, and become antagonistic. But the Lord thinks it certainly worthwhile to approach people on their blind side, get into their brain with memorable stories which can later reveal the truth under conditions less threatening.

Now, if one of the purposes for Jesus-' use of parables was to hide truth, when, by their nature, parables, in the strict sense, are intended to clarify, amplify or explain truth by providing lucid illustrations with which it is compared, how could parables ever function to mask or obscure it? Easy! Each hearer brought to Jesus his own personal set of prejudices, categories, frames of reference, philosophy of religious truth, etc., through which he filtered Jesus-' words. Since Jesus explained none of His parables in public, each listener was thrown upon his own resources to try to organize in his own mind the truth thus presented to him.

a.

If at this point he discovers that he understands what Jesus is saying, but these ideas will not fit his preconceived categories or philosophical framework, the man has then to decide whether he will scrap his limited views and permit his mind to expand to let Jesus-' categories and viewpoint find comfortable lodging in his thinking. This obviously depends on what he thinks of Jesus! If, however, he decides that his structures of prejudice are to be defended even at the expense of discarding, as menacing to his emotional security, whatever of Jesus-' truth cannot be crammed into his biased mental orientation, then he will thrust into his intellectual limbo and forget any and every piece of information he deemed unacceptable. In this way, even this truth lying on the threshold of his understanding remains hidden to him, because he closed his mind to it.

b.

On the other hand, if he discovers that he is not understanding anything Jesus is saying, at which point the truth is effectually hidden from him, he has to decide whether he will go to Jesus for explanations or not.

3.

BECAUSE PARABLES JUDGE HEARTS. The hearer himself must decide about himself: Do I trust Jesus to be God's true Prophet and approach Him for help, while admitting my ignorance and lack of understanding, or do I trust my traditional teachers-' views to be sufficient? Here in this very description of the Kingdom, Jesus put His own method to the acid test: He narrated the Parable of the Sower and Soils, and almost immediately, because of the genius of the parabolic method itself, the listeners began to fit themselves into the very categories mentioned in that parable! Some understood His meaning; most did not. Some desire further clarification, others are puzzled but not interested enough to hear Him out. Still others go home because they are bored with long sermons anyway and are anxious to get on with life and good times. Thus, the parables become a test of their intellectual honesty: will they unceremoniously dismiss anything, however true, that implies unwanted duties? It tests their earnestness: will they go to any pains to solve these riddles and submit to their truth?

4.

BECAUSE PARABLES SET TRUTH IN MEMORABLE FORM which will function later when the prejudices may be persuaded to surrender. To put it another way: the parables are really sticks of dynamite disguised as candy bars. They function as time-bombs planted in the mind of the listener, who at the moment does not see their purpose, but given time to be persuaded that Jesus-' way was best after all, may accept their truth. Ironically, even the man who never accepts Jesus may see his own ideas destroyed by these parables even long after he forgets who told him the story. (See on Matthew 13:12.) Even the highest moral lessons preached in plain, abstract language can be soon forgotten, whereas the very same truth worked into an unforgettable illustration fastens itself in the memory and continues to do its work.

B. REVELATIONS ARE FOR PUBLICATION. (Mark 4:21-22; Luke 8:16-17)

His parable of the Lamp may be paraphrased like this: Is anyone so foolish as to light a lamp to give light and then hide that very illumination under some container or even stick it under the bed, rather than on a lampstand? No, they put it up where everyone who enters the room may see the light, right? So there is nothing hidden except to be shown later. Secrets are for telling. The unspoken scruple involved in the disciples-' question is: But, Jesus, are you hiding the truth from these people forever, so that they can never be influenced by an appeal of the Gospel and be saved by it? His response is twofold:

1.

The Lord's Lamp Parable echoes His doctrine that His disciples are to be a world-wide influence for God. (Cf. Matthew 5:13-16) Thus, Jesus argues, in light of their common mission to bring God's light to the world, any secrecy could only be temporary, or for a special, limited purpose.

2.

His explanation of the parable is a direct echo of His challenge to the Apostles on the eve of their first evangelistic mission in Galilee. (See notes on Matthew 10:26-27.) He had at that time pointed to a time when what He had privately disclosed to them should be given the widest possible publicity. But this talk of privacy and mysteries only means that He had already foreseen an interval in which practical secrecy would mark His approach, an interval during which fuller publication of the good news would not have been possible, So, since He had already intimated it before, it was necessary only to remind them now that the moment had arrived for secrecy.

But to what phase of His own mission does the lamp in His humorous illustration refer?

1.

To Jesus-' illustrations as such? If so, He says that a parable is intended to give light, not hide truth permanently, as a lamp under a vessel or bed. In this case, the parables, when explained, throw a great deal of light on various aspects of the Kingdom. What is meant to convey information must not be left deliberately obscure.

2.

To Jesus-' preaching method in general? If so, then He is justifying this temporary use of obscure stories, the meaning of which is available only to the most serious students who because of this commitment to Him will come to be taught and fit into His program. In this case, He is saying, What is a revelation for? To make it the exclusive property of the elite? The hope of glory for this dark world is -Christ in you-' (Colossians 1:27), but how can that come about if men's only hope is jealously guarded from the ignorant, despised masses by an arrogant religious minority? How could any real revelation occur, if truth is always hidden inside undecipherable stories?

If this latter interpretation reflects Jesus-' intention more closely, then the exhortations which follow (Mark 4:24-25) might be intended to cause the disciples to consider seriously what they themselves are to do about the great secrets of the Kingdom which they had the distinct privilege to hear explained. In the words of Gonzalez-Ruiz (Marco, 121):

... if a proclaimer of the Gospel makes the mystery a secret reserved for an ecclesiastical elite, if he converts the dancing, splashing water of Life into a magic drug kept in an elegant flask to sell only to the wealthy, then that mummified mystery which he so jealously conserved in his theological museum will be stripped from him!

It is obvious that these texts (Mark 4:21-25; Luke 8:16-18) are meant primarily to explain Jesus-' strategy. By extension, however, they sit in judgment on anyone who would proclaim the Kingdom message. If the Son of God used a deliberately concealing technique only for the purpose of achieving a limited objective, real disciples of the Lord today should evaluate His tactics in light of His ultimate goals, share those goals and, now freed from those local limitations, give His message the widest possible publication. Shortly, He will point to their precious personal privilege to see Him as light for which they would be held accountable, because what their eyes had seen and what they had heard Him say was to become the unshakeable testimony at the center of all their future preaching: (Mark 4:24; Matthew 13:16-17; cf. Acts 4:20; 1 John 1:1-4)

Hid. manifest. secret. known. Plummer (Luke, 223) reminds that apokryphon (hidden away from the public eye, see Lightfoot on Colossians 2:3) was a favorite word with the Gnostics to indicate their esoteric books which might not be published. Lightfoot also notes that this was an honorable term to describe their doctrines and books for members only. Is Jesus making use of such terminology to make His point? If so, Matthew 13:11 is where He indicated that the limits of His fellowship was to be the circle within which He would reveal His secrets. (Cf. tà mystéria) If this present text indicates that none of the Twelve or any other private group was permanently to cover up the Gospel story, and if any disciple of Jesus may know what the Kingdom is all about, still, in order adequately to appreciate it, one must be a disciple.

C. RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE PROCLAMATION (Mark 4:23)

Mark 4:23 If any man has ears to hear, let him hear. Jesus had already said this to the crowds. (Matthew 13:9) But this is the second time during this private discussion with His closest disciples! (Matthew 13:43) Here this oft-repeated invitation is further development of Jesus-' answer to the disciples-' question: Why parables? and proof that the Lord had not finally nor absolutely closed the doors to the Kingdom in the face of anyone sincerely desiring to submit himself to anything God requires. No man need fear that fate should have excluded him from any possibility of enjoying the mercies of God, This seemingly pleonastic expression with which Jesus concludes numerous paragraphs is not a harmless little literary device used to signal the conclusion of a thought. It is, rather, the heart-cry of God who pleads with people not to turn a deaf ear on the emphatically important message just communicated. Let him hear with understanding, because the mysteries of the Kingdom are available to disciples. If he cannot understand, let him give up his self-justifications, his biases, his pride and complacency and come for answers to the Lord who invites all to share in His great public secrets.

D. THE RULE OF PROGRESS AND THE REWARD FOR RESPONSIVENESS (Mark 4:24; Luke 8:18)

Mark 4:24. Take heed what you hear. Content is so very crucial, since Jesus longs for people to get past the external form of His little word-pictures to see the reality, the real Kingdom He so urgently wanted them to understand. This is not so much a warning against the treacherous views of false teachers, as if He were saying, Be cautious about accepting what you hear from others, as it is an urgent exhortation to pay careful attention to what they heard from Him. The content of these messages of Jesus would become for the Christians the source of their faith and the foundation of their preaching. (Matthew 28:20) So it was critical that this teaching be heard in its correct form. Because of the supernatural inspiration by the Holy Spirit which would have recalled everything to their minds and even reveal new truth where necessary, they would not be limited to a stereotyped oral tradition. Nevertheless, Jesus considers it essential that His message be correctly assimilated in order that it have a chance to function properly in transforming its hearers. He knows how dangerous would be the situation when a powerful, revolutionary message like His is only half-understood, and, so, wrongly applied by sincere people.

Luke's version, rather than emphasize content: Take heed WHAT you hear, lays stress on men's personal psychological approach: Take heed then HOW you hear. (Luke 8:18) This warns against a merely intellectual interest or an idle curiosity, since men are morally responsible for what they DO with what they learn. Pay attention to the attitude with which you listen, with what attention you listen, and to what profit! Do you listen intelligently and with a good, honest heart? Since the similarity of these two reports in such close proximity cannot be overlooked, someone will undoubtedly be tempted to accuse either Mark or Luke of not quoting Jesus correctly. The matter may be resolved in one of two ways:

1.

Jesus actually made both statements, one being recorded by Mark and the other by Luke, because they are both needed to deal with the objective content of what is heard and with the subjective mood of this listener. (Later, Jesus put the how and the what in the same sentence. Luke 12:11; cf. Matthew 10:19)

2.

One of two Greek idioms may not yet have been fully understood or correctly translated, in the sense that Mark's what (tì) and Luke's how (pôs) might be discovered to be roughly equivalent, rather than the two separate emphases they are presently seen to be.

It is known, for instance, that ti in certain situations means why?, functioning as a direct interrogative. (Arndt-Gingrich, 827) Is it possible that in our sentence that it be thought of as an indirect interrogative to be rendered: Take heed WHY you hear!? This scrutiny of motives is surprisingly close to Luke's version that examines one's attitude toward what is said.

The measure you give will be the measure you get, and still more will be given you. This proverbial principle, capable of rather varied applications, has no direct connection with Matthew 7:1 where the main point was: Personal generosity or niggardliness in judging others will be reciprocated to you by them. Here, however, Jesus-' psychological principle is relevant to that degree of generosity and openness with which anyone approaches His revelations: The amount of open-mindedness or prejudice which you bring to me will determine how much truth I will be able to give you. Small trust will be rewarded with little effective communication, since you did not let me teach you. Even great ignorance, united with great faith that comes to me for instruction, will go home full and overflowing. You will receive from my instruction precisely that amount of information which the receptiveness you show will allow! When will men learn that paradox: the generous man always receives far more than he ever gave away, whereas the miser who never shares has nothing! If men desire a larger measure of the Lord's truth, let them bring him a larger measure of faith to put it in! How can He load a trainload of truth into a thimble of faith?

Here in these simple words the Lord of heaven lets us choose in absolute freedom just how much we want to be blessed. How blind and miserly is the man who stubbornly limits the degree of his devotion to Jesus, saying, I will go so far and no farther! (Contrast 2 Corinthians 8:9, esp. 2 Corinthians 9:6-11 in this connection.) No man can out give God, because, after all he has sacrificed for the Kingdom, even to the point of surrendering his dearest personal prejudices so that the Lord can teach him, he joyfully discovers that he has been receiving far more all the time!

Matthew 13:12 For to him who has, will more be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who has not, even what he has will be taken away. (Cf. Mark 4:25; Luke 8:18 b) Although Jesus made varied use of this puzzling dictum, nevertheless, in each case there is an underlying call for generosity and energetic activity to take advantage of an unexcelled opportunity to make progress. (Cf. Matthew 25:29; Luke 19:26) The thing that sharpens a rather ordinary sentence into this clever aphorism is the omission of its key word. What is it that a man has, that makes it possible for him to be given more to the point of having abundance? And what is it that can be taken away from a person who thinks he possesses it, when, in reality, he has nothing? (Notice Luke's version: ... even what he thinks that he has will be taken away.)

1.

Until the beginning of this great sermon in parables, everyone in Jesus-' audience certainly had the OPPORTUNITY to hear and know the truth about God's Kingdom. The parables will now change all this. Whereas some disciples would seize and appreciate this unexcelled privilege offered by God, and permit themselves to be taught by Jesus and thus go on to greater heights of understanding until they enjoyed an abundance of revelations, others would not recognize what they had before them. (Cf. Proverbs 17:24) Supposing themselves to have the opportunity to know the truth, but not recognizing in Jesus God's Teacher, even this opportunity to learn the most elemental facts about God's Kingdom would be taken away from them. And the parables accomplished this.

2.

This is a sound psychological verity that can be demonstrated over and over again: the tight UNDERSTANDING of one lesson puts the active, thinking listener in a position to grasp the next one. In fact, each lesson helps to explain and illustrate the other, and furnish a groundwork for all that follow. To this kind of person, education in the Kingdom's message becomes commonly easier and more enjoyable as he proceeds. But another student in the same class who did not learn the first and fundamental lesson will not only gain nothing from the more advanced lessons. He will be positively confused, rather than helped, by them and what he thought he possessed of the first lesson will make less and less sense to him. Jesus-' axiom smacks of that shrewd businessman's observation: Nothing succeeds like success or fails like failure, or perhaps, It takes money to make money, or The rich get richer, while the poor get poorer! But it is true: even the simplest disciple who has accepted the fundamental lesson and has confessed to Jesus: I know that you are a Teacher come from God, because no man can do these things except God be with him, is in an excellent position to move to the head of the class.

3.

To those who have FAITH in Jesus and some understanding of His mission, the parables will provide more real information. Those who do not have so many wrong notions about what the Kingdom of God has to be can receive much from Jesus. Ideal preparation to receive the Kingdom, according to Jesus, is to take the attitude: Whatever Jesus says, is rightwhether I can understand it perfectly or not, whether it appeals to my prejudices or not, whether it has ever been preached in our church or not, whether Papa ever thought it or notif Jesus said it, I believe it and that settles the matter! But to those who have little faith, less knowledge and much prejudice against His ideas, even what shallow faith and limited grasp of the truth they thought they possessed will fade out. In fact, they really have no use for something that does not fit their preconceived schemes and categories into which all truth must fit or be discarded. They have little willingness to be taught by Him, no matter how good His credentials. They have little zeal for righteousness nor honesty enough to decide objectively about Jesus and His message on the basis of the evidence, So; he who has not is no merely unfortunate have-not in the modern economic sense, hence, somehow to be excused for the accidental misfortune of being born in that class. Rather, the Lord bares their strictly personal, responsible choice: THEY have shut THEIR eyes! (Matthew 13:15) From that point on, their search for the wisdom of God is a pretense, because compromised:

A scoffer seeks wisdom in vain,

But knowledge is easy for a man of understanding. (Proverbs 14:6)

The mind of him who has understanding seeks knowledge,

But the mouths of fools feed on folly. (Proverbs 15:14)

The entire picture of human reactions to Jesus of Nazareth may be summarized as follows:

He that corrects a scoffer gets himself abuse,
And he that reproves a wicked man gets himself bruises,
Reprove not a scoffer, lest he hate you:
Reprove a wise man, and he will love you.
Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser:
Teach a righteous man, and he will increase in learning.
The fear of Jehovah is the beginning of wisdom;
And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding,

(Proverbs 9:7-10)

TEACHABILITY is the key. What a man brings to the situation is so very critical. If he comes to Jesus with an open, honest mind ready to examine critically whatever Jesus has to say, but yet ready to think with the Lord, letting Him lead, because of what His miraculous credentials prove about His right to speak as He does, that man, says Jesus, is going to go home full and be ready for more of the same.

E. THE RECOLLECTION OF A PROPHECY BECAUSE OF A REPLAY OF PERVERSENESS (Matthew 13:13-15)

Matthew 13:13 Therefore speak I to them in parables. Therefore (dià toûto) summarizes Jesus-' total answer to the question: Why parables? (See outline before Matthew 13:11.) I do it, because they do not see, (Cf. John 12:37-43; contrast Matthew 13:16) For people who could not see the supernatural authority implicit in Jesus-' miracles, for those who felt no divine judgment in His pronouncements, for those who recognized no fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy in His ministry, in short, for those who saw no substantial reason to permit Jesus to tell anything God wanted them to know about the Kingdom, despite the sufficiency and persuasiveness of His credentials, for such, the door to God's Kingdom is rightly closed. (John 6:36; Jeremiah 5:21-31)

Although Matthew writes: I speak to them in parables, BECAUSE. the other Synoptics introduce the seemingly scandalous expression: For those outside everything is in parables, so, THAT they may. not understand. (Mark 4:11-12; Luke 8:10) How explain this difference?

1.

In terms of form, Matthew's report summarizes the prophecy of Isaiah which he will shortly quote. Stated in the indicative mode, he describes the facts as they are without committing himself at this point on the question of purpose or result. Mark and Luke, on the other hand, since they do not plan to quote Isaiah, telescope their quotation of Jesus-' words, so as to retain much of the form and meaning of the prophecy. By so doing, they only appear to have produced an impact different from that of Matthew when they agree that it was Jesus-' declared purpose to adopt a special mode of teaching to conceal truth from the outsiders. (hina. mè. mè, Mark 4:12; Luke 8:10 b) This same sense, however, is implicit in Matthew's quotation of Isaiah 6:10. So Mark and Luke provide a neat condensation of Jesus-' words without any loss of meaning, while Matthew's version quotes Him more fully.

2.

In terms of sense, Matthew states the facts which called for Jesus-' change of strategy: I speak to them in parables, because, seeing they see not. neither do they understand. The construction by Mark and Luke (hina. mè and the subjunctive) indicates Jesus-' purpose to keep the message private: but for others outside everything is in parables, so that they may indeed see, but. not understand.

The harmonic result of these considerations is a paraphrase somewhat as follows: Jesus says, My adoption of the mystery/parable strategy is occasioned by the fact that people, with every opportunity to understand, do not want to understand. My strategy is intended to keep things that way. They do not want to know? Fine, my method will let them have their way, because the presentation of my message in the form of unexplained mysteries guarantees that they will not understand! So, rather than say with Edersheim (Life, I, 583ff) that the basis for the different effect on the unbelieving multitude and on the believing disciples was not objective, or caused by the substance or form of these Parables, but subjective, being caused by the different standpoint of the two classes of hearers toward the Kingdom of God, we should admit that the difference was both subjectively and objectively caused. How many of these parables, in fact, were easy to understand for even the closer, more attentive disciples? No, the mysteries of the kingdom were objectively genuine mysteries, i.e., unknown and unknowable to everyone, disciples and indifferent alike, until each individual decided to come to Jesus for explanations, or to disregard these dark sayings as completely unintelligible, unimportant and unworthy of further attention, Because of the barrier to understanding that most men had erected against Jesus-' truth, He obliged them by erecting His own barrier between them and the truth itself, When anyone abandons his own barrier to get behind Jesus-' barrier to know His truth, Jesus gladly reveals His secrets to him.

The fact that Jesus intentionally purposed to hide truth from people stuns the conscience of some, but must not be explained away as if He could not, nor should not, have done so. His historical situation demanded that He do it, Edersheim (Life, I, 583ff) has correctly noticed that the Lord is not simply beginning at this point to give primer lessons suited to little children. Nor is He hoping to recruit disciples by this method. Rather, He is driving adults to decide about truth already plainly taught them both in Christ's earlier teaching and in His mighty works. He knew that plain truth openly stated now would have served only to alienate any but those few genuinely committed to Him. Rather than drive them away permanently, He mercifully holds them at arm's length until the scandal of His humanness be eclipsed by the glorious vindication of His proper deity at the resurrection.

The very idea that a merciful God should play the game this way is so jolting to some that they eviscerate this bold purpose clause, They suggest with Bales (quoting McNeile, Jesus The Ideal Teacher, 126, italics his(: ... in accordance with a well-known Hebraic idiom, the result is ironically described as a purpose. It is true that these debated words describe the inevitable result of Christian preaching, because when Jesus purposes a thing He produces results, especially these results! But anyone who argues that men's blindness to truth is a result of His method must admit that the Savior could have foreseen this result. So, by His deliberate choice of the method purposely willed that result. Further, this surprise maneuver of Jesus harmonizes perfectly with God's plan to send upon men, who refuse to love the very truth that could have saved them, the full force of evil's delusion, so that they put their faith in what is false. Their condemnation is just, because they not only enjoy evil, but have no confidence in the truth. (Study 2 Thessalonians 2:10-12.)

Matthew 13:14 Unto them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah 6:9-10, This noticeably unusual expression (autoîs anapleroûtai), unlike the more usual statements for fulfillment of prophecy, seems to suggest a framework of truth the details of which perhaps many a situation could amply satisfy. (Cf. John 12:40; Acts 28:26-27) For further illustrations of Matthew's varied use of fulfilled prophecy,-see the special study at pp. 81-86, Vol. I, How Does Matthew Use the Prophecies? In fact, Isaiah did not prophesy specifically regarding the contemporaries of Jesus, but regarding those of his own generation. Nor is the Lord affirming that that ancient prophet had accurately foreseen across 750 years the very reaction to Messiah's ministry here depicted as real. Although this people (Matthew 13:15) is the same Hebrew nation, Isaiah was simply discussing another generation. Nevertheless, as the Master hastens to show, the prophet's words so well delineate a mentality of indifference, prejudice and moral perverseness that Isaiah's expressions may be used again to picture the identical negative reactions to Jesus. The result, then, of Jesus-' preaching and His contemporaries-' response was the tragic replay of a scene in the drama in which Isaiah and Israel had been the earlier protagonists.

Far from being bleak and foreboding to Jesus-' disciple-evangelists, these words comfort bewildered men, stunned by Jesus-' apparent lack of success. By citing Isaiah's generation, He reminds them that God's greatest prophets down through the ages have encountered the same spiritual insensitivity and the same lack of response. But, far from offering them merely more company in their misery, He lifts them into the same mighty work where God's finest prophets had toiled. If this text applies principally to Jesus-' relation to His-' listeners, it finds application over and over again in the experience of His heralds. Any unsuccess they would encounter had already been foreseen and explained by the Lord of the harvest. It was already part of the common problem of God's greatest spokesmen, all part of the program, hence, nothing new or surprising.

Hear. but never understand: why not?

1.

13:15 Because this people's heart is waxed gross (epachùnthe from pachùno whose literal meaning is to make big, fat, solid, dense; then by extension becomes: to render obtuse, insensitive, stupid, Rocci, 1448; Arndt-Gingrich, 644, see the figurative meaning as make impervious [orig. to water], make gross, dull). They are insensitive to unwelcome truth, seek reality in unreality, and so become deaf, blind and stupid. Their ears are dull of hearing: bored with unwanted lessons, they listen unwillingly. What can you do with people whose eyes they have closed and whose mind is closed to evidence no matter how satisfying? This self-chosen blindness is the whole point of this entire section and the reason for Jesus-' tactics, Lest the disciple become smug and complacent in his limited knowledge and understanding to the point he quit learning from the Lord, let him see that he is never beyond temptation. (Cf. Mark 8:17-18; Hebrews 3:13)

2.

Because people do not have God's Word abiding in them. (John 6:38; Matthew 22:29)

3.

They have no real love for God. (John 6:42)

4.

They aim for human praise, rather than God'S. (John 6:44)

5.

They place ignorant hope on their superficial possession of divine revelations. (John 6:45-47)

6.

They are deceived. (1 Timothy 2:14; 2 Corinthians 11:3; 2 Timothy 3:13; Ephesians 4:22; James 1:13 ff)

7.

They are conceited. (Romans 1:21-22; Romans 12:3; Romans 12:16; Romans 11:25; 1 Corinthians 3:18; 1 Corinthians 8; 1 Corinthians 1:2; 1 Corinthians 10:12; Revelation 3:18) They are proud of their human wisdom. (Matthew 16:22-23; Acts 17:16-32)

8.

They have no real love for truth: they just do not care about the difference between truth and falsehood. (2 Thessalonians 2:10) They deliberately ignore facts in order to follow their own passions. (2 Peter 3:3; 2 Peter 3:5; 2 Peter 3:8)

9.

They measure themselves by themselves. (2 Corinthians 10:12)

10.

They are unwilling to act on the ideas of another (Matthew 11:14-15; Luke 7:30 ff)

11.

They fear men. (John 12:42; Matthew 10:24-33)

12.

They trust themselves to be righteous. (Romans 9:30 to Romans 10:3; Luke 7:30)

13.

They seek truth in any other place than where it can be found. (Proverbs 17:24; Proverbs 15:14; Proverbs 14:6; 1 Corinthians 1:18 to 1 Corinthians 2:16; 1 Corinthians 3:18 f)

14.

They lack stability. (2 Peter 3:16; 2 Timothy 3:6-7)

15.

They hate exposure of their evil deeds. (John 3:19-21)

And the list could continue to grow, but is it any wonder that people could hear Jesus, but never understand Him?

Matthew 13:15. Lest haply they should. understand. and should turn again. Lest haply, both in Greek (mépote) and Hebrew (pén), is a conjunction expressing the purpose to remove, prohibit or hinder something one fears or wishes removed, and is used following an action taken to avoid the thing feared. (Gesenius, Hebrew and Chaldee Lexicon, 678; Arndt-Gingrich, 521) But with what previous action in our present case is this apprehension connected? Who is taking steps to avoid the comprehension of God's message and the consequent repentance and salvation of the Israelites? We must understand Isaiah in order to understand Jesus-' use made of his prophecy.

1.

In Matthew's letter-perfect citation of the Septuagint translation, rather than the Hebrew as we have it today, it is the people whose mind has grown impervious, whose ears are bored with listening. It is the people who closed their eyes to what was being said, in order that they might not ever (= mépote, lest haply) see. hear. and understand and repent, and I should heal them. The responsibility for any action taken to avoid or hinder comprehension of God's word rests squarely upon the people.

2.

The Hebrew of the Masoretic text of Isaiah 6:10 quotes God as commanding Isaiah to make this people's heart fat, their ears heavy and shut their eyes, an action which would have effectively hindered their comprehension, their consequent repentance and God's healing. In this case the responsibility for everything is Isaiah'S, hence, God'S. Since Isaiah's mission thus conceived would seem to be an absurdity, because he would blind Israel by using the very preaching intended for their salvation, many see God's words as ironically stating as His purpose what He knew would be the tragically unavoidable result. But who can complain to the just Judge of earth that He should purposely close the doors to repentance against His people as a whole, while not precluding the possible salvation of individuals? Further, there is awesome psychological power to harden anyone who steels himself against the continued repetition of truth.

Whereas the current Hebrew text and the Septuagint represent apparently differing textual traditions and it is temporarily impossible to decide which objectively reproduces Isaiah's original, nevertheless both readings express profound truth confirmed elsewhere on the question. (Habakkuk 1:5; Acts 13:40-41) It should be noticed that Mark's summarization (Mark 4:11 b, Mark 4:12) agrees in concept with the Hebrew text by putting the emphasis on God's purpose to hinder their sight, repentance and healing. The harmonization of these two versions, i.e., the Hebrew as over against the Septuagint and Matthew, may be stated as follows: God foresaw and preannounced this self-hardening in evil that rendered men completely incorrigible, and purposely sent them a prophet to tell them truth again and again that would make them all the more determined to remain what they were. This self-induced guilt and God's judicial punishment are bound up together, because God created men's mind to work that way.

The goal, as Jesus sees it, of understanding God's revelations is not erudition for its own sake or the satisfying of an uncommitted curiosity, but repentance! Note that men must turn again, not be converted as in the King James Version, because the responsibility is fully theirs.

And I should heal them (kaì ìasomài autoùs). Juridically, they need forgiveness (cf. afethè autoùs, Mark 4:12); psychologically, they need healing, because true sanity, health and normalcy can be found only in living in harmony with God, with His truth, in His universe, with His world and His people. (Cf. Exodus 15:26?; Deuteronomy 28:60; Isaiah 19:19-22; Isaiah 30:26; Isaiah 53:5; Isaiah 57:14-21; Jeremiah 17:13-14; Jeremiah 30:10-17; Proverbs 3:7-8; Proverbs 3:16; Proverbs 4:22; Proverbs 12:18; Proverbs 14:30; Proverbs 15:13; Psalms 38:3; Psalms 38:7; Psalms 38:10; Psalms 38:17)

F. REJOICING IN POSSESSION AND THE RESPONSIBILITIES OF PRIVILEGE (Matthew 13:16-17)

Matthew 13:16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see; and your ears for they hear. Blessed: the humblest disciple of Jesus who has experienced God's mercy at first-hand is better off, far happier (makàrios, see on Matthew 5:3), than anyone else who is a stranger to God, be he among the greatest scholars or sought-after philosophers. Because your eyes begins the Greek sentence, it is thrown into special relief, a fact that marks the contrasting results of Jesus-' ministry. These men, in contrast to all the unreceptive who refused to be Jesus-' disciples, actually experienced realities quite invisible to the unseeing people all around them, because their openness to Jesus as a Teacher let them see in Him the very revelation of God. Others looking at the same Jesus see nothing but an itinerate rabbi who perhaps should go back to his carpenter-shop.

The situation is similar to a chess-game in progress between two expert players. Beside the table is standing a child who knows the names of the pieces and some of the most elementary moves, and, because of this beginning, is curious to see how the game will proceed. The experts will battle back and forth, thoroughly understanding every move and countermove. Even though the child is watching every play, he does not see what is really happening on the board. By contrast, the contestants see it all, experience it all.

Blessed are your eyes because they see! What a joy to Jesus to find someone who really is beginning to understand Him and His mission! (Note the contrasts in Matthew 11:25-27; Luke 10:21-24.) It should now be no surprise that Peter should have confessed Jesus to be the Christ at Caesarea Philippi, because here is the solution to the problem of how God revealed that truth to Peter. Peter arrived at that conclusion, as did the others, because he had seeing eyes to perceive the obvious: God is doing His works and revealing His will by Jesus of Nazareth who must therefore be God's Anointed and Son. It is no marvel that Jesus should again pronounce Peter blessed on that occasion, because it is the logical outgrowth of this one.

Matthew 13:17 For the combination prophets and righteous men see Matthew 10:41; Matthew 23:29. How many prophets longed to see Jesus at work! Not only Moses and Isaiah, but all the rest of those faithful servants of God were looking and searching hard for this salvation. who tried to find out at what time and in what circumstances all this was to be expected. It had to he revealed to them that the predictions they made about Christ and His Kingdom were for the Christians, not for themselves. Even angels long to catch a glimpse of these very things! (Cf. 1 Peter 1:10-12) It is not at all surprising to feel the yearning expressed by other voices out of the intertestamental Jewish literature, crying:

Blessed be they that shall be in those days,

In that they shall see the good fortune of Israel which God shall bring to pass in the gathering together of the tribes.

Blessed shall they be that shall be in those days,

In that they shall see the goodness of the Lord
which He shall perform for the generation that is to come,

Under the rod of chastening of the Lord's anointed (sic, Anointed?)
... A good generation (living) in the fear of God

in the days of mercy.

(Psalms of Solomon 17:50; 18:7 ff)

In fact, during the period between the last of the great OT prophets and appearance of John the Baptist, the voice of God was silent. This silence was painful to the thoughtful Jew who felt abandoned in a hostile world. Contemplation of Israel's predicament in that tormented time drove him to seek answers to this chafing situation and to study all previous revelations to sieve from them the solution. This contemplation and these studies produced a body of literature practically unknown to most modern Christians, i.e., that apocalyptic literature included in what is known as the Pseudepigraphical Writings. Whatever else may be said about or against these books, the fundamental issue in them is: When and how will God's Messiah and His Kingdom right all these wrongs, establish righteousness, peace and blessing in our land?

Before we leap to criticize these Jewish thinkers, let us recognize that THEIR question states precisely our own yearning! Some of their guesses were quite close; others were wide of the mark. If there be any similarity between certain declarations of Jesus or certain of His viewpoints of the Kingdom, and those of some of the apocalyptists, let it be underlined here that they were guessing; He was not. He was revealing the plans of God, whereas they were doing the best they could with the light they possessed, to ink in the details before the fact. Jesus IS the fact. Now, in much the same way as they pondered the coming Messianic Kingdom, we speculate about the eternal Kingdom of Christ, how the Second Coming will be organized, the nature of the resurrection body, the geography of heaven and hell. And, if we are not careful, we will be unhappy with the very reality which these sincere, often mistaken, men longed to see and saw it not!
Further, how many righteous men down through all the ages of the Church would have rejoiced to be permitted to view even one movie of Jesus-' ministry or hear one tape-recording of His voice! How much more to be there in person?

But they saw them not, however, not because of the stubborn, self-induced blindness of those of Jesus-' age who refused to see, but because they died centuries before His birth. Though well established by their faith, they did not receive what was promised, since God had foreseen something better for us, that apart from us they should not reach the goal. (Hebrews 11:39-40)

But if the Apostles and their contemporaries were privileged to witness the very events of which their predecessors could only dream and long to experience, and if the disciples could consider themselves blessed, because just five minutes with Jesus eclipses 5000 years of anticipation, what will they do about the fearful responsibility inherent in that joyous privilege? By reflection, how will the Church of Christ respond to the exceptional opportunity she has enjoyed to know not only the Law and the Prophets, not only John the Baptist, not only the Son of God on earth, not only the Apostles and their ministry, but she has been privileged to live through the very centuries that witnessed the fulfilments of many of Jesus-' prophecies. She has personally experienced the execution of a major part of God's design for the Church described in the great Sermon in Parables. Can she see it all? Will she rise to the challenge of responsibility that such favor places upon her?

FACT QUESTIONS

1.

Why did Jesus teach in parables? List His reasons.

2.

State and explain the psychological principle behind Jesus-' strategy as this is seen in His choice of the parabolic method by which He taught. Show how the parabolic method in itself proved to be a screening process by which Jesus divided the audience into two basic groups: those who followed Him out of selfish motives and had no intention of becoming His disciples; and those who, though often weak, wanted above all else to grow in His discipline and serve Him.

3.

Define the word mystery as used by Jesus in this chapter. What are, then, the mysteries of the kingdom? List some of them.

4.

Show why the disciples were justified in asking Jesus for an explanation of His practically exclusive use of the parabolic method in this particular sermon.

5.

Explain how people who have eyes, ears and a mind can neither see, hear nor understand. What OT passage speaks of this condition? What was there in this situation faced by Jesus that prompted Him to recognize in the situation itself a clear fulfilling of the ancient prophecy?

6.

The OT passage cited by Jesus in reference to the obtuseness of the unbelieving of His generation is not quoted in the NT as you find it in your OT. How do you account for the different rendering Jesus gives of the passage? In what sense is the original author of that text to be understood? Is this difference significant? Was this difference created by Jesus, or did it exist before His time? If so, who made the change?

7.

What did God expect of His people when He longed for them to turn again? What is involved in this turning?

8.

What is the meaning of the allusion to prophets and righteous men who desired to see things observed by the Apostles?