Keys to the Secrets of the Kingdom: Matthew 13ff.

Matthew 13ff.

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Key to the Secrets of the Kingdom – Matthew 13ff.

(An excerpt from my self-study course on Matthew)
John Hepp, Jr.

1. A new method. Matthew 13 took place on “that same day” of rejection (Matthew 13:1) as Matthew 12:22-50. On that day Jesus began to teach by the new method of parables (Matthew 13:3, 10). Although parables can be used as illustrations to make the truth plainer to all, that was not His purpose. Instead, in part His purpose was to hide truth (Matthew 13:9-17). “Why do you speak to the people in parables?” His disciples asked. “He replied, ‘The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them'” (Matthew 13:10-11). This new method of teaching was, therefore, a deliberate judgment, a method that would reveal truth to some but hide it from others. Only those with spiritual ears would really hear (Matthew 13:9, 13, 15, 16); others would go their way uninformed. This was a main teaching of the first parable.

2. New truths about the kingdom. “Secrets” (KJV “mysteries”) were truths not revealed before (Romans 16:25-26). These new truths had to do with the kingdom. But remember that the Lord had not defined the kingdom; He had announced it as something already known. And what definition had the Jews acquired from the prophecies? That the kingdom would be the rule of David restored. The “former dominion” (Micah 4:8) would come back to Jerusalem, far more glorious than before. The stone would drop down from heaven and become an earth-filling mountain (Daniel 2:34-35, 44-45). This kingdom was being announced as having “drawn near”; in fact, in the Person and works of Jesus it had touched upon the earth. And His miracles showed that the kingdom would be all that the prophets had said. Yet the people refused to repent and believe. Therefore Messiah revealed the secrets. There are eight such parables in Matthew 13 and several in later chapters (see below).

3. A new kingdom? Did these newly revealed secrets change the meaning of the kingdom or introduce a new form of it? In other words, did Israel’s rejection of the King cause the kingdom itself to be transformed? Our answer to this will affect our interpretation of a great many passages to the end of the New Testament.

The simplest answer is one that harmonizes with all the facts: The kingdom was not changed at all but simply – from man’s point of view – “postponed.” God was revealing for the first time that there would be an interval between Messiah’s sufferings and Messiah’s glory. The unforeseen interval is the age in which we live, since He began to build the church. Why then, if He was revealing an interim age, did He call such revelations “secrets of the kingdom”? For the simple reason that the new age was part of His kingdom plan. All He would do in the present age would be bound up with the future coming of the kingdom.

This explains why He calls the seed He sows “the message about the kingdom” (Matthew 13:19). Was such seed sown only during His earthly life? Did He not preach the same message through His apostles (Acts 20:25; Acts 28:23, 31; cf. Matthew 24:14)? This is why He calls the wheat “the sons of the kingdom” (Matthew 13:38). Because even believers today will be heirs of the promised kingdom (James 2:5) – as the Jews assumed they were (Matthew 8:12).

In other words, there is no need to believe that the “secrets of the kingdom” reveal a new form of the kingdom. Instead, they refer to the new age that is intimately bound to the same expected kingdom and leads to it. Can this interpretation be substantiated in the parables? Yes, it can.

4. The kingdom clearly future in some parables. Sometimes the Lord’s parables leave no doubt that the kingdom is still future. Look, for example, at the parable of The Talents (Matthew 25:14-30). There it is not until the “master” returns from his journey, that he puts his faithful servants “in charge of many things” (Matthew 25:21, 23). That refers to authority in the future kingdom, as verified in the parallel Parable of the Ten Minas in Luke 19:11-27. There the master “went to a distant country to have himself appointed king and then to return” (Luke 19:12). After “he was made king…and returned home” (Luke 19:15), he put his faithful servants in charge of cities (Luke 19:17, 19).

That return of the master is the setting for the next passage in Matthew (Matthew 25:31-46). In it the nations are compared to sheep and goats, so it is sometimes wrongly called a parable. Instead, it presents sober reality. It tells of the Lord’s future coming “in his glory, and all the angels with him, [to] sit on his throne in heavenly glory” (Matthew 25:31). As King He invites “those on his right” (compared to “sheep”) into their “inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you” (Matthew 25:34), which is the same as “eternal life” (Matthew 25:46). Thus, the kingdom (and eternal life) is clearly future, at the Lord’s Second Coming. Notice that He mentions the same elements in Matthew 19:28-29.

5. The kingdom can be future in all parables. What about the parable of The Wheat and the Weeds, which the Lord Himself interprets? In Matthew 13:37-39 He identifies seven items of this parable. For example, the sown field is “the world”, and the wheat (“the good seed”) are “the sons of the kingdom” (Matthew 13:38). But He identifies none of these seven things as the kingdom itself. He first mentions the kingdom as being present in connection with the harvest at “the end of the age” (Matthew 13:39): at that time the angels “will gather out of His kingdom all stumbling-blocks, and those who commit lawlessness” (Matthew 13:41, NASB). When this separation has been made, “then the righteous [earlier called the “sons of the kingdom”] will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father” (Matthew 13:43).

It is true that the words “gather out of His kingdom” could be understood to imply that the kingdom had existed previously. But more likely they mean that His first step in inaugurating the kingdom is to purge undesirable elements from it. This would agree with everything else in the parable and the fact that the age to come is the age of the kingdom (cf. Matthew 12:32; Ephesians 1:21; Hebrews 2:5).

Put yourself in the disciples’ place. The Lord had not told them that the kingdom would assume a new form. Therefore, in this parable they would look for a kingdom like the one that had been prophesied. They would find it where it was first mentioned as being present, at the time of the harvest. In other words, since Jesus said nothing to make them redefine the kingdom, they would understand it as they had before.

The same rule should be followed in all the parables of the kingdom. Look for the kingdom where the disciples would: in the grand climax. Thus, it is not in the dragnet being pulled through the water, but after it is drawn to shore (Matthew 13:47-50); not in the mustard seed when sown, but after it becomes a tree (Matthew 13:31-32); not in the process of inviting to the wedding of the king’s son, but in the wedding itself (Matthew 22:1-14); not while the virgins wait, but when the groom arrives (Matthew 25:1-12).

6. “The kingdom is like.” Many of the “secrets” parables are introduced by the expression “the kingdom of heaven is like.” This follows a common Jewish method of introducing parables, and means, “Here is a parable about the kingdom.” Normally, the first thing mentioned after this introduction cannot be the kingdom. For example, no one thinks that the “man” in Matthew 13:24, 45; Matthew 18:23; Matthew 20:1; Matthew 22:2; Matthew 25:14; or the “ten virgins” in Matthew 25:1; represent the kingdom. If the kingdom is not usually the first thing mentioned, where, then, do we find it? Each person will use the same method the disciples used in finding it – namely, where his prior definition leads him. If he begins with the right definition, he will end right, seeing the kingdom in the grand climax.

7. Each parable was understandable to the disciples at that time. At least they understood the main points. Suggested under keys 5 and 6, this key was clearly stated in Matthew 13:51-52:

(a) The Lord asked, “Have you understood all these things?”

(b) They replied, “Yes.”

Accordingly, no interpretation is likely unless the disciples could have understood it at that stage. This rule disqualifies some of the interpretations given nowadays, such as, the treasure being the church or the pearl being Israel. The disciples’ preconceptions about the kingdom also make it unlikely that they would understand the mustard tree (Matthew 13:32) or the fully leavened dough (Matthew 13:33) as “bad.” Both figures were quite capable of “good” meanings. For example, Ezekiel 17:22-24 used a similar description of a tree symbolizing a good kingdom. And yeast, though it sometimes symbolized evil (1 Corinthians 5:6-8), could simply picture the permeating quality of teaching.[Note 1] That seemed to be the point of the Lord’s warning about “the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees” (Matthew 16:6, 12) and His description of His own teaching here. The disciples had no reason to think that the kingdom would be contaminated. Instead, they pictured it as still future and glorious, similar to the tree and the fully leavened dough. Test the “good” interpretations for these two parables in Luke 13:18-21. The context for them there makes a negative meaning even less likely.

In conclusion, what was Jesus revealing in the “secrets” of the kingdom? Neither a transformed kingdom nor a different form of it. Instead, a previously unannounced period of waiting for the same future and glorious kingdom already predicted. Starting with these secrets, it became ever more obvious that Messiah would come not once but twice! Like the writers of the New Testament, we are still waiting for Him and His kingdom.

Note 1: Yeast was normally used in daily bread. Though generally excluded from sacrifices, it was actually required in some cases (Leviticus 7:13-14; Leviticus 23:17-18). Its exclusion from the original Passover was due to haste and hardship, rather than evil meaning (Exodus 12:39).

[[Leviticus 7:13-14]]

¹³Along with his fellowship offering of thanksgiving he is to present an offering with cakes of bread made with yeast. ¹⁴He is to bring one of each kind as an offering, a contribution to the Lord; it belongs to the priest who sprinkles the blood of the fellowship offerings.

[[Leviticus 7:13-14]]

[[Leviticus 23:17-18]]

¹⁷From wherever you live, bring two loaves made of two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour, baked with yeast, as a wave offering of firstfruits to the Lord. ¹⁸Present with this bread seven male lambs, each a year old and without defect, one young bull and two rams. They will be a burnt offering to the Lord, together with their grain offerings and drink offerings – an offering made by fire, an aroma pleasing to the Lord.

[[Leviticus 23:17-18]]

[[Exodus 12:39]]

With the dough they had brought from Egypt, they baked cakes of unleavened bread. The dough was without yeast because they had been driven out of Egypt and did not have time to prepare food for themselves.

[[Exodus 12:39]]

Footnotes and Additional Texts (↵ returns to text)

That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake.

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²²Then they brought him a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute, and Jesus healed him, so that he could both talk and see. ²³All the people were astonished and said, “Could this be the Son of David?”
²⁴But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, “It is only by Beelzebub, the prince of demons, that this fellow drives out demons.”
²⁵Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand. ²⁶If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then can his kingdom stand? ²⁷And if I drive out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your people drive them out? So then, they will be your judges. ²⁸But if I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.
²⁹“Or again, how can anyone enter a strong man’s house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can rob his house.
³⁰“He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters. ³¹And so I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. ³²Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.
³³“Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit. ³⁴You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. ³⁵The good man brings good things out of the
good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. ³⁶But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. ³⁷For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”
³⁸Then some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law said to him, “Teacher, we want to see a miraculous sign from you.”
³⁹He answered, “A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a miraculous sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. ⁴⁰For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. ⁴¹The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now one greater than Jonah is here. ⁴²The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon’s wisdom, and now one greater than Solomon is here.
⁴³“When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. ⁴⁴Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order. ⁴⁵Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that man is worse than the first. That is how it will be with this wicked generation.”
⁴⁶While Jesus was still talking to the crowd, his mother and brothers stood outside, wanting to speak to him. ⁴⁷Someone told him, “Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you.”
⁴⁸He replied to him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” ⁴⁹Pointing to his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers. ⁵⁰For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”

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³Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed.
¹⁰The disciples came to him and asked, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?”

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⁹He who has ears, let him hear.”
¹⁰The disciples came to him and asked, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?”
¹¹He replied, “The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. ¹²Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. ¹³This is why I speak to them in parables:
“Though seeing, they do not see;
though hearing, they do not hear or understand.
¹⁴In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah:
“‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding;
you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.
¹⁵For this people’s heart has become calloused;
they hardly hear with their ears,
and they have closed their eyes.
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
hear with their ears,
understand with their hearts
and turn, and I would heal them.’
¹⁶But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. ¹⁷For I tell you the truth, many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.

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¹⁰The disciples came to him and asked, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?”
¹¹He replied, “The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them.

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⁹He who has ears, let him hear.”
¹³This is why I speak to them in parables:
“Though seeing, they do not see;
though hearing, they do not hear or understand.
¹⁵For this people’s heart has become calloused;
they hardly hear with their ears,
and they have closed their eyes.
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
hear with their ears,
understand with their hearts
and turn, and I would heal them.’
¹⁶But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear.

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²⁵Now to him who is able to establish you by my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery hidden for long ages past, ²⁶but now revealed and made known through the prophetic writings by the command of the eternal God, so that all nations might believe and obey him.

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As for you, O watchtower of the flock,
O stronghold of the Daughter of Zion,
the former dominion will be restored to you;
kingship will come to the Daughter of Jerusalem.”

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³⁴While you were watching, a rock was cut out, but not by human hands. It struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay and smashed them. ³⁵Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver and the gold were broken to pieces at the same time and became like chaff on a threshing floor in the summer. The wind swept them away without leaving a trace. But the rock that struck the statue became a huge mountain and filled the whole earth.
⁴⁴“In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever. ⁴⁵This is the meaning of the vision of the rock cut out of a mountain, but not by human hands – a rock that broke the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver and the gold to pieces.
“The great God has shown the king what will take place in the future. The dream is true and the interpretation is trustworthy.”

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When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown along the path.

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“Now I know that none of you among whom I have gone about preaching the kingdom will ever see me again.

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²³They arranged to meet Paul on a certain day, and came in even larger numbers to the place where he was staying. From morning till evening he explained and declared to them the kingdom of God and tried to convince them about Jesus from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets.
³¹Boldly and without hindrance he preached the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ.

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And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

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The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one

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Listen, my dear brothers: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him?

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But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

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¹⁴“Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them. ¹⁵To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. ¹⁶The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more. ¹⁷So also, the one with the two talents gained two more. ¹⁸But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.
¹⁹“After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. ²⁰The man who had received the five talents brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.’
²¹“His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
²²“The man with the two talents also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two talents; see, I have gained two more.’
²³“His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
²⁴“Then the man who had received the one talent came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. ²⁵So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’
²⁶“His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? ²⁷Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.
²⁸“‘Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents. ²⁹For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. ³⁰And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

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²¹“His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
²³“His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’

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¹¹While they were listening to this, he went on to tell them a parable, because he was near Jerusalem and the people thought that the kingdom of God was going to appear at once. ¹²He said: “A man of noble birth went to a distant country to have himself appointed king and then to return. ¹³So he called ten of his servants and gave them ten minas. ‘Put this money to work,’ he said, ‘until I come back.’
¹⁴“But his subjects hated him and sent a delegation after him to say, ‘We don’t want this man to be our king.’
¹⁵“He was made king, however, and returned home. Then he sent for the servants to whom he had given the money, in order to find out what they had gained with it.
¹⁶“The first one came and said, ‘Sir, your mina has earned ten more.’
¹⁷“‘Well done, my good servant!’ his master replied. ‘Because you have been trustworthy in a very small matter, take charge of ten cities.’
¹⁸“The second came and said, ‘Sir, your mina has earned five more.’
¹⁹“His master answered, ‘You take charge of five cities.’
²⁰“Then another servant came and said, ‘Sir, here is your mina; I have kept it laid away in a piece of cloth. ²¹I was afraid of you, because you are a hard man. You take out what you did not put in and reap what you did not sow.’
²²“His master replied, ‘I will judge you by your own words, you wicked servant! You knew, did you, that I am a hard man, taking out what I did not put in, and reaping what I did not sow? ²³Why then didn’t you put my money on deposit, so that when I came back, I could have collected it with interest?’
²⁴“Then he said to those standing by, ‘Take his mina away from him and give it to the one who has ten minas.’
²⁵“‘Sir,’ they said, ‘he already has ten!’
²⁶“He replied, ‘I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but as for the one who has nothing, even what he has will be taken away. ²⁷But those enemies of mine who did not want me to be king over them – bring them here and kill them in front of me.'”

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He said: “A man of noble birth went to a distant country to have himself appointed king and then to return.

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“He was made king, however, and returned home. Then he sent for the servants to whom he had given the money, in order to find out what they had gained with it.

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¹⁷“‘Well done, my good servant!’ his master replied. ‘Because you have been trustworthy in a very small matter, take charge of ten cities.’
¹⁹“His master answered, ‘You take charge of five cities.’

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³¹“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. ³²All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. ³³He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
³⁴“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. ³⁵For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, ³⁶I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
³⁷“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? ³⁸When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? ³⁹When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
⁴⁰“The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’
⁴¹“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. ⁴²For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, ⁴³I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’
⁴⁴“They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’
⁴⁵“He will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’
⁴⁶“Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

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“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory.

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“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.

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“Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

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²⁸Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. ²⁹And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.

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³⁷He answered, “The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. ³⁸The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, ³⁹and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.

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The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one

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and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.

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“The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness

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Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.

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Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.

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far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.

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It is not to angels that he has subjected the world to come, about which we are speaking.

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⁴⁷“Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. ⁴⁸When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away. ⁴⁹This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous ⁵⁰and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

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³¹He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. ³²Though it is the smallest of all your seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and perch in its branches.”

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¹Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying: ²“The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. ³He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come.
⁴“Then he sent some more servants and said, ‘Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.’
⁵“But they paid no attention and went off – one to his field, another to his business. ⁶The rest seized his servants, mistreated them and killed them. ⁷The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city.
⁸“Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. ⁹Go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.’ ¹⁰So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, both good and bad, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.
¹¹“But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. ¹²‘Friend,’ he asked, ‘how did you get in here without wedding clothes?’ The man was speechless.
¹³“Then the king told the attendants, ‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
¹⁴“For many are invited, but few are chosen.”

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¹“At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. ²Five of them were foolish and five were wise. ³The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. ⁴The wise, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. ⁵The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.
⁶“At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’
⁷“Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. ⁸The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’
⁹“‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’
¹⁰“But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.
¹¹“Later the others also came. ‘Sir! Sir!’ they said. ‘Open the door for us!’
¹²“But he replied, ‘I tell you the truth, I don’t know you.’

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²⁴Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field.
⁴⁵“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls.

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“Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants.

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“For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire men to work in his vineyard.

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“The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son.

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“Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them.

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“At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.

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⁵¹“Have you understood all these things?” Jesus asked.
“Yes,” they replied.
⁵²He said to them, “Therefore every teacher of the law who has been instructed about the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old.”

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Though it is the smallest of all your seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and perch in its branches.”

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He told them still another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount of flour until it worked all through the dough.”

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²²“‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I myself will take a shoot from the very top of a cedar and plant it; I will break off a tender sprig from its topmost shoots and plant it on a high and lofty mountain. ²³On the mountain heights of Israel I will plant it; it will produce branches and bear fruit and become a splendid cedar. Birds of every kind will nest in it; they will find shelter in the shade of its branches. ²⁴All the trees of the field will know that I the LORD bring down the tall tree and make the low tree grow tall. I dry up the green tree and make the dry tree flourish.
“‘I the LORD have spoken, and I will do it.’”

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⁶Your boasting is not good. Don’t you know that a little yeast works through the whole batch of dough? ⁷Get rid of the old yeast that you may be a new batch without yeast – as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. ⁸Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness, but with bread without yeast, the bread of sincerity and truth.

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Yeast was normally used in daily bread. Though generally excluded from sacrifices, it was actually required in some cases (Leviticus 7:13-14; Leviticus 23:17-18). Its exclusion from the original Passover was due to haste and hardship, rather than evil meaning (Exodus 12:39).

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⁶“Be careful,” Jesus said to them. “Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”
¹²Then they understood that he was not telling them to guard against the yeast used in bread, but against the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

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¹⁸Then Jesus asked, “What is the kingdom of God like? What shall I compare it to? ¹⁹It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his garden. It grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air perched in its branches.”
²⁰Again he asked, “What shall I compare the kingdom of God to? ²¹It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount of flour until it worked all through the dough.”

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¹³Along with his fellowship offering of thanksgiving he is to present an offering with cakes of bread made with yeast. ¹⁴He is to bring one of each kind as an offering, a contribution to the Lord; it belongs to the priest who sprinkles the blood of the fellowship offerings.

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¹⁷From wherever you live, bring two loaves made of two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour, baked with yeast, as a wave offering of firstfruits to the Lord. ¹⁸Present with this bread seven male lambs, each a year old and without defect, one young bull and two rams. They will be a burnt offering to the Lord, together with their grain offerings and drink offerings – an offering made by fire, an aroma pleasing to the Lord.

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With the dough they had brought from Egypt, they baked cakes of unleavened bread. The dough was without yeast because they had been driven out of Egypt and did not have time to prepare food for themselves.

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Matthew 13ff.

Key to the Secrets of the Kingdom – Matthew 13ff.

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