Matthew 13 marks a shift in Jesus’ ministry as He beings to teach in parables. “Why do you speak to them in parables?” asked his disciples (13:10). There is a growing divide between the crowds and those who follow Jesus closely. These are two different categories of people. The crowds (and the religious leaders who are plotting against Jesus) are marked by dull hearts, and an inability (or unwillingness) to hear or see or understand the things of God (13:13-17).  The disciples have open hearts and are willing to learn, and to them has been given the secrets of the kingdom of heaven (13:11).

Note that the disciples were comfortable asking Jesus “Why?”. Jesus welcomes their honest questions. He is an approachable and accessible King, who patiently teaches those who are eager to learn. We have only to ask for wisdom and God delights in granting it to us (James 1:5-8), and we have the Holy Spirit to teach us all things (John 14:26). Jesus does not reject those who come to Him with genuine curiosity.

There are seven parables in Matthew 13. A parable is a short story that illustrates one main point. The first parable is The Sower (13:1-9,18-23), which reveals how an open heart responds to the gospel seed, what tends to thwart the seed, and the results. The parable of the Sower explains why Jesus began teaching in parables and how different people respond to the gospel.

In the next three parables Jesus talks about Weeds (13:24-30,36-43), the Mustard Seed, and Leaven (13:31-33). These parables reveal what the kingdom of heaven looks like as it grows. In the image of the Weeds, we see that good and evil rise alongside each other, but God will sort things out in the end. In the Mustard Seed image, we see how the kingdom of heaven had very small beginnings but will advance and grow into something far beyond all expectations. In the Leaven image, we see that Jesus and His kingdom are an unstoppable force that impacts everything it touches.

In the next two parables, Jesus turns directly to his disciples to clarify more kingdom realities. The image of the Hidden Treasure and the Precious Pearl (13:44-46) reveal the value of the kingdom and a relationship with Jesus, it’s worth more than anything else!

The final (seventh) parable in Matthew 13 is The Net (13:47-50), which is like the earlier parable of the Weeds. Jesus chose fishing imagery to speak to his disciples, who would have known that a dragnet is pulled into the boat by fisherman, who then sort through everything later. In the same way, at the end of the age, God will sort out all the people.

Blessed are those who understand these images of the kingdom of God!