Introductory remarks:
Jesus goes from teaching in the synagogues to teaching in the open air by parables in this chapter representing the Kingdom of Heaven. This chapter is broken down as follows:
- The parable of the sower vss. 1-9
- The purpose of the parables vss. 10-17
- The parables of the sower explained vss. 18-23
- The parable of the weeds among the wheat vss. 24-30
- The parables of the mustard seed and the leaven vss. 31-33
- The use of parables vss. 34-35
- The parable of the weeds explained vss. 36-43
- Three parables vss. 44-50
- Treasures new and old vss. 51-52
- The rejection of Jesus at Nazareth vss. 53-57
It is important to understand the definition of a parable. Jesus used stories that were familiar with His audience to get His point across, much like the way we use illustrations to teach our children important spiritual truths. In Bible School Glenda and I learned that 'a parable was an earthly story with an heavenly meaning.' Parables are not allegories, for the definition of an allegory is: "To speak in a way that is other than what is meant" (Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible). The allegorical method of interpretation is when a man tries and gets a spiritual meaning out of a text that is not the intention of the Author.
McGee notes on this chapter:
"These mystery parables show the direction of the kingdom after it had been offered and rejected by Israel. They reveal what is going to take place between the time of Christ's rejection and the time when He returns to the earth as King. With these parables our Lord covers the entire period between His rejection by Israel and His return to the earth to establish His kingdom."
The Parable of the Sower
(Mark 4:1-9; Luke 8:4-8)
Verse 1, "The same day went Jesus out of the house, and sat by the sea side."
LGT "In that day, Jesus, having come from the house, sat down by the sea."
Jesus leaves the stuffy house and settles down in the open air by the side of the sea. "So this group of parables is placed by Matthew on the same day as the blasphemous accusation and the visit of the mother of Jesus. It is called 'the Busy Day,' not because it was the only one, but simply that so much is told of this day that it serves as a specimen of many others filled to the full with stress and strain" (A.T. Robertson).
Verse 2, "And great multitudes were gathered together unto Him, so that he went into a ship, and sat; the whole multitude stood on the shore."
LGT "And were gathered together to Him great crowds, so that He, having entered the ship, sat down, and all the crowd stood on the beach."
"Multitudes gathered about Him, however, pressing closely to the water. He entered into a ship, probably Peter's fishing boat, which Luke tells us was once so used (Luke 5:3), and from this as a pulpit He addressed the multitudes standing on the shore. The hills at this particular locality rise gently from the shore, thus, making a natural open-air arena or theater, where the voice would carry easily to great throngs standing on the shore or sitting on the hillside." (Ironside).
Verse 3, "And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow."
LGT "And He spoke to them with many parables, saying, Behold, the sower went out to sow,"
The Greek word for parable is parabole from paraballo, "to place alongside for measurement or comparison like a yardstick) is an objective illustration for spiritual or moral truth" (Robertson).
Barnes notes:
"Our Savior's parables are distinguished above all others for clearness, purity, chasteness, importance of instruction, and simplicity. They are taken mostly from the affairs of common life, and intelligible, therefore, to all men. They contain much of Himself - His doctrine, life, design, in coming, and claims, and are therefore of importance to all men; and they are told in a style of simplicity intelligible to the child, yet instructive to men of every rank and age. In His parables, as in all His instructions, He excelled all men in the purity, importance, and sublimity of His doctrine" (Barnes).
Pentecost adds:"A parable is a literary device and is used to teach by means of transference. In order to make it possible to discover truth in an unknown realm, something familiar is transferred from the known realm to the unknown realm. A simple figure of speech in the form of a metaphor may be used: 'I am the gate' (John 10:9). The figure may be a simile such as 'Be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves' (Matt. 10:16). The figure may be more complex, consisting of a parable which is a narrative and which conveys one principal point of parallelism even though there may be other incidental parallelisms. Sometimes there is an allegory, which is a narrative in which there are many intended parallelisms. Our Lord used parables frequently, but employed allegories only on rare occasions (such as in John 10 where He used the whole analogy of the relationship between a shepherd and sheep). While an allegory may or may not be true to life, a parable is always true to life. Transference in an allegory is in ideas, whereas in parables transference is always through a historical reality. In order to interpret any figure, the Bible student must first clearly discern what is true in the antecedent. Having done so, he then may transfer the truth of the antecedent to the truth to be learned in the unknown realm. For instance, before one can learn any truth about Christ from His statement, 'I am the gate' (John 10:9), one must understand the nature, function, and purpose of a gate. What a gate provides in the real realm is what Christ will provide in the spiritual realm. Facts from the known realm must be learned before they can be transferred to gain knowledge in the unknown realm" (The Words and Works of Jesus Christ).
Verse 4, "And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up:"
LGT "And as he sowed, some fell by the way, and the birds came and devoured them."
This is the ground the plough had not touched.
Vincent writes:
"Dean Stanley, approaching the plain of Gennesareth says: 'A slight recess in the hillside, close upon the plain, disclosed at once, in detail and with conjunction which I remember nowhere else in Palestine, every feature of the great parable. There was the undulating cornfield descending to the waters edge. There was the trodden pathway running through the midst of it, with no fence or hedge to prevent the seed from falling here and there on either side of it or upon it; itself hard with the constant tramp of horse and mule and human feet. There was the good rich soil which distinguishes the whole of that plain and its neighborhood from the bare hills elsewhere descending into the lake, and which, where there is no interruption, produces one vast mass of corn. There was the rocky ground of the hillside protruding here and there through the cornfields, as elsewhere through the grassy slopes. There were the large bushes of thorn - the nabk, that kind of which tradition says that the crown of thorns was woven - springing up, like the fruit-trees of the more inland parts, in the very midst of the waving wheat."
Verse 5, "Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth:
LGT "And some fell upon the rocky places where they had not much earth, and immediately sprang up, because of not having depth of earth."
Barnes notes:
"Where there was little earth, but where it was hard and rocky, so that the roots could not strike down into the earth for sufficient moisture to support the plant. When the sun became hot they of course withered away. They sprang up immediately because there was little earth to cover them. Not that they sprouted and grew any quicker or faster than the others, but they were not so long in reaching the surface. Having little root, they soon withered away."
Verse 6, "And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away."
LGT "And the sun having risen, they were scorched, and because not having root were dried up."
The tender shoots that sprung up were immediately scorched by the rising sun, and not having any roots, they withered away.
Verse 7, "And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them:"
LGT "And some fell upon the thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them off."
The good seed fell among the thorn seeds, and the thorn seeds, robbed them of the nutrients in the soil, and they grew up and choked off the good seed.
Verse 8, "But other fell into good ground, and brought forth some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold."
LGT "And some fell on the good ground and yielded fruit, one a hundred, another sixty, another thirty."
The seeds that fell on the good ground yielded much fruit.
Verse 9, "Who hath ears to hear, let him hear."
LGT "The one having ears, let him hear."
Jesus is saying that only those who want to hear will hear; it is not the responsibility of the modern day teacher of God's Word to make the Word of God interesting, he has the divine privilege to proclaim God's Word, and let the Holy Spirit do the convincing. We have too many so-called preachers today, who think it their responsibility to get their people emotionally charged with responsibility to service, that they have missed the boat entirely; they have gone from preaching the Word of God to gimmicks, gadgets, tomfoolery, and as A.T. Robertson says, "all types of humbuggery."
The Purpose of the Parables
(Mark 4:10-12; Luke 8:9-10)
Verse 10, "And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables."
LGT "And having come, the disciples said to Him, Why are You speaking to them in parables."
The disciples are puzzled over the meaning of this parable, and for the reason He uses parables to teach the people. Matthew forms the question as to the reason Christ used parables, and Mark and Luke form the question as to the meaning of the parable.
Verse 11, "He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given."
LGT "And He answering said to them, Because to you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of the heavens, but to them it has not been given."
The word 'mystery' in NT Greek is musterion meaning an initiated person. The word comes form the root word mueo to initiate or instruct. So according to this definition, the word mystery did not mean 'something unknowable', but something reserved only for the believer.
Barnes notes:
"Thus the mysteries of the kingdom do not mean any doctrines incomprehensible in themselves considered, but simply doctrines about the preaching of the gospel and the establishment of the new kingdom of the Messiah which had not been understood, and which were as yet concealed from the great body of the Jews. Of this nature was the truth that the gospel was to be preached to the Gentiles; that the Jewish polity [civil-government] was to cease; that the Messiah was to die, etc. To the disciples it was given to know these truths. This was important for them, as they were to carry the gospel around the globe. To the others it was not then given. They were too gross, too earthly; they had too groveling conceptions of the Messiah's kingdom to understand these truths, even if communicated to them. They were not to preach the gospel, and hence our Savior was at particular pains to instruct his apostles in the system which they were to preach. The Pharisees, and Jews generally, were not prepared to receive the system, and would not have believed it, and therefore he purposely employed a kind of teaching which was intended for his apostles only."
Verses 12-15, "For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing, see not; and hearing, they hear not, neither do they understand. And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive; For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them."
LGT "For whoever has, to him shall be given, an he shall be in abundance: but whoever has not, even what he has shall be taken away from him. Because of this I speak to them in parables, because seeing, they see not, and hearing, they hear not, nor do they understand. And in them is filled up the prophecy of Esaias which says,
In hearing you shall hear, and in no wise understand,
And seeing you shall see, and in no way perceive;
For the heart of this people has grown fat,
And with the ears, heavily have they heard,
And their eyes they have closed,
Lest they should see with the eyes,
And with the ears they should hear,
And with the heart they should understand and be converted,
And I should heal them."
The Jews had many opportunities to learn and understand the mysteries of the gospel of the kingdom, but they refused to learn. Jesus uses this method of teaching so that only the ones who had ears to hear would understand and keep on learning. He even quotes Isaiah the prophet, because the Pharisees often quoted from the OT, in their attempt to thwart God's plans.
Pentecost writes:
"In response to the disciples' questions as to why He spoke in parables, Christ replied that He used parables first to reveal truth to some men and, second, to hide truth from other men. Christ's answer would be unintelligible if one did not recall the historical situation. Christ through the course of His ministry had offered Himself to the nation as Savior and Sovereign. The nation had had that offer authenticated before them by the miracles, which Christ performed. The nation was called on to respond to the evidence presented. The leaders had already indicated their purpose to reject the person of Christ and to discount His miracles because they believed His miracles were done by Satan's power. Christ had no further word for those who had rejected and spurned Him and persisted in their unbelief. On the other hand, some who had believed His word and accepted His person, and these needed instruction. Christ was confronted by a mixed multitude comprised of both believers and unbelievers - those who had received and those who had rejected Him. Christ did not attempt to separate the unbelievers from the believers and then instruct only the believers. Rather, He constructed His teaching in such a way that those who had believed would understand, and those who had rejected, even though they heard, would not understand. Believers have the key to knowledge and can interpret His teaching. Unbelievers do not possess that key and, therefore, cannot understand His word. The one who has the key of knowledge will use that key to gain more knowledge, but the one who does not have that key will lose such knowledge, as he once possessed. This was the explanation Christ gave the disciples as to why He used parables in His teaching.
To properly interpret a parable it is necessary to study the historical context in which the parable was spoken. Jesus used parables to answer questions in the minds of those who heard Him teach, whether the questions were specifically stated or merely understood by Him. Jesus also used parables to solve problems concerning certain truths that He sought to convey but about which His hearers were having difficulty. In interpreting a parable, it is necessary, then, to consider the question or problem with which our Lord was dealing. In some cases the question is specifically stated, but in other instances the question or problem is implied from some previous discussion, for if the truth gleaned from the interpretation does not answer the question or problem it is a false interpretation. Only that interpretation which answers the question or problem can be accepted. This principle gives an objective test concerning one's interpretation of any parable. This principle will also determine at how many points in a parable an analogy is to be drawn. It is legitimate to interpret parts of a parable as long as they continue to the answer of the question or problem being discussed."
In considering the interpretation of parables, it is important to observe the following words of Christ: 'The knowledge of secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you' (Matt. 13:11). The parables were designed to teach truth concerning the kingdom program. Again and again our Lord used the formula 'The kingdom of heaven is like' (v. 24 et al.). Truth is always applicable to believers, and truth may be gained from a study of the parables and applied to persons living today. Yet it must be noted from the Lord's own words that His parables were designed to convey truth concerning the kingdom program."
Verse 16, "But blessed are your eyes, for they see; and your ears for they hear."
LGT "But blessed [are] your eyes, because they see, and your ears because they hear."
The Greek word for 'blessed' is makarioi, and it means 'the act of pronouncing happy.' Jesus is saying that His disciples are blessed because they are the initiated, and they can interpret the truth. Robertson says, "This beatitude of our Lord for the disciples is in contrast with the Pharisees" described in verses 12-15.
Verse 17, "For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them."
LGT "For verily I say to you, That many prophets and righteous [men] have desired to see what you see, and saw not, and to hear what you hear, and hear not."
It was always the hope of the prophets of the OT to see the coming of the Messiah and the setting up of His kingdom. Jesus' disciples had ears to hear and did accept the Messiah, and Christ is saying that they were very fortunate to be able to witness Him for whom all the prophets foretold. In the last verse Christ says that they are blessed for their belief.
The Parable of the Sower Explained
(Mark 4:13-20; Luke 8:1-15)
Verse 18, Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower."
LGT "You therefore hear the parable of the sower."
Since Christ had explained to His disciples that only those who are believers understood His parables, because they are spiritually discerned, He now appeals to them to listen as He explains to them the meaning of the parables, and His reason for using them.
Verse 19, "When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side."
LGT "When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand, the wicked one comes and snatches away that which was sown in his heart; this is the one who by the wayside was sown."
Two thirds of all that Christ taught was taught by parables, so it was very important for the disciples to understand this method of teaching. Jesus now explains the first parable of the sower and the seed.
The Sower is the Lord Jesus Christ
The seed is the Word of God
The Word is about the Kingdom of God
The heart is the mind
The wicked one is Satan himself
So what we have in this parable is one who listens to the Word of God, hears the Word of God, but refuses to understand because he rejects it as the Truth. Anyone who is not a born again believer will never understand the Word of God; and by being an unbeliever he will accept all the fallacies of the devil. One of the ways the devil snatches away the seed is by corrupting the truth in the mind of the unbeliever so that he will believe Satan's lies; the same principle is at work among believer's who expose themselves to the modernistic preaching that is prevalent in almost all organized religion; they hear false doctrine by the score, and what doctrine that is true becomes so muddled with little stories that the doctrine becomes so diluted that it has no affect.
Verses 20, 21, "But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it;"
LGT "And he who upon the rocky places was sown, he is the one who hears the Word and immediately with joy receives it,"
This is represented as the one who hears the Word, and is not offended by it, and is caught up in the emotional aspect of it, rather than the spiritual aspect; the reason of course is that they are unbelievers, and cannot understand the spiritual side, or, as it were, the divine viewpoint.
Verse 21, "Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended."
LGT "But has no root in himself, but is temporary, but persecution having arisen, or persecution on account of the Word, immediately he falls away."
"Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while:"
The Greek word for 'dureth' is proskairos, and it means 'temporary.' This is the unbeliever who goes along with the religious crowd for a while, as long as they do not offend him, or outside circumstances are agreeable. It is all put into perspective in the next phrase.
"For when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the Word, by and by he is offended."
The Word of God is the Great separator of the 'sheep and the goats.' As long as the religion doesn't offend the unbeliever he is at home; but let the Word be taught, and the unbeliever with the 'stony heart' will be offended, that is, he will fall away or turn away. This is the main reason the false cults have such a huge following; the Word of God is only a symbol, it is not taught as God's Word. Also the denominational churches today are finding a great following for the same reason, the Word of God is not taught as absolute doctrine; the Word of God is used as a panacea [cure-all] for life. Only the believer in the Lord Jesus Christ is able to understand and fully utilize the Word of God, as Light unto his path, in order to show the way to full fellowship with the Father, that is, walking in the Light of His Word.
The Lord allows His children to experience tribulation for the reason of making them stronger and be able to fellowship more meaningfully; He also allows the unbeliever similar tribulations in order to drive them back to their father, the devil. There is no room in God's House for unbelief.
Verse 22, "He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful."
LGT "And the one who among the thorns was sown, he is the one who hears the Word, and the care of this life, and the love of riches, choke the Word, and he becomes unfruitful."
The effectual working of the Word of God is choked out together in the heart of the unbeliever because of the details of this life; the lust for gold did not cease in the 'Gold Rush of 49', but it is the devils tool too keep the Word from its proper use. The unbeliever would have to accept the Word of God in order for it to become effectual in him; the cares of this world are also keeping many a believer from experiencing true fellowship with the Father; the want of riches is much stronger than the desire for God in most of us. "Lust for money and care go together and between them spoil an earnest religious nature" (Bruce). "The thorns flourish and the character sickens and dies, choked to death for lack of spiritual food, air, sunshine" (Robertson).
Verse 23, "But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it: which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty."
LGT "But the one who on the good ground was sown, he is the one who hears the Word and understands, who indeed brings forth fruit, and produces one a hundred, another sixty, another thirty."
The Holy Spirit has prepared the believer's heart and it is ready to receive the Word of God, and it will take root and grow. The believer still may say no to the Holy Spirit and refuse to grow in grace and the knowledge of truth. The main point being, that only the believer has the choice of understanding or not understanding the Word of God. "The three evangelists give three characteristics of the good hearer: Matthew, he understands the Word; Mark, he receives it; Luke, he keepeth it."
Barnes notes:
"Those whose hearts are prepared by grace to receive it honestly, and to give it full opportunity to grow. In a rich and mellow soil - in a heart that submits itself to the full influence of truth, unchecked by cares and anxieties; under the showers and summer suns of divine grace; with the heart spread open, like a broad luxuriant field, to the rays of the morning and the evening dews, the gospel takes deep root and grows; it has full room, and then and there only shows what it is."
The Parable of the Weeds among the Wheat
Verse 24, "Another parable put he forth unto them saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in the field."
LGT "Another parable He set before [or offered] them saying, the kingdom of the heavens has become like a man sowing good seed in his field."
This phrase 'another parable He set before them' is a typical phrase our Lord used in introducing a parable that expanded His illustration of the kingdom of heaven. He says that the kingdom of heaven is likened to man sowing good seed in his field; with the parable of the sower we saw that only one fourth of the seed sown took root. That means that only one forth of the recipients of the seed were saved; I am not sure how this relates to the number of saved on earth today, but it seems much lower than one fourth.
Verse 25, "But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way."
LGT "But while the men slept, his enemy came and sowed also zizania [bastard wheat darnel, mock wheat] in [the] midst of the wheat, and went away."
The Greek word for 'tares' is zizania, and means 'bastard wheat' or 'mock wheat.' The word 'tare' simply means a weed, and this does not give the meaning of the parable. "The enemy deliberately sowed 'the darnel' (zizania is not tares but darnel, a bastard wheat) over (epi) the wheat, in the midst of the wheat. This bearded darnel, is common in Palestine and resembles wheat except that the grains are black. In its earlier stages it is indistinguishable from the wheat stalks so that it has to remain till the harvest. Modern farmers are gaining more skill in weeding it out" (A. T. Robertson).
The 'bastard wheat' represents the 'false doctrine' sown by the devil. Christ is warning His disciples that Satan would come and sow false doctrine at the same time they were sowing the doctrines of Christ.
Barnes notes:
"Thus tares aptly represented hypocrites in the church. Strongly resembling Christians in their experience, and, in some respects, their lives, it is impossible to distinguish them from genuine Christians, nor can they be separated until it is done by the Great Searcher of the hearts at the day of judgment. An enemy - the devil - hath done it. And nowhere has he shown profounder cunning, or done more to adulterate the purity of the gospel. And went his way. There is something very expressive in this. He knew the soil; he knew how the seed would take root and grow. He had only to sow the seed and let it alone. So Satan knows the soil in which he sows his doctrine. He knows that in the human heart it will take deep and rapid root. It needs but little culture. Grace needs constant attendance and care (I am not quite sure what Barnes means by this statement). Error, and sin, and hypocrisy are the native products of the human heart, and, when left alone, start up with deadly luxuriance."
Verse 26, "But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also."
LGT "And when the blade sprouted and produced fruit, then appeared also the zizania."
It is not until the harvest that the 'darnel' is distinguishable. This is how all the false-cults operate; they parallel the truth with their false doctrines.
McGee notes:
"As wheat and tares first begin to grow, it is difficult to distinguish between them. Frankly, a lot of cults and isms also sound good at first. You cannot tell them from the real thing until the twelfth or thirteenth lesson. Those are the lessons in which they introduce their false doctrine. Someone once said to me 'Dr. McGee, you should not criticize so-and-so. I listened to him, and he preached the gospel.' Well, he does preach the gospel every now and then. But it is the other things he says that are in error. You see, he sows tares among the wheat."
Verse 27, "So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? From whence then hath it tares?"
LGT "And the servants of the master of the house, having come, said to him, Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where then does it have zizania?"
The workers of the field are perplexed at the sight of the darnel and they ask their master, didn't you sow only good seed in the field, and why is there now this 'bastard wheat?
Verse 28, "He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up?"
LGT "And he said to them, An enemy, a man, did this. And the servants saying to him, Will you then have us go out and gather them together?"
Immediately the servants want to go out and weed the wheat, and get rid of the darnel. Of course we know the enemy is the devil.
Verse 29, "But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them."
LGT "But he said, No; lest in gathering together the zizania you should root out with them the wheat."
The roots of the wheat and the darnel had grown intermingled together, so in gathering together the two they would have a mess, by rooting out the wheat with the tares. In the time of harvest it would be possible for them to gather them together without injury.
Verse 30, "Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn."
LGT "Suffer to grow together both until the harvest, and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, gather together first the zizania and bind them into bundles to burn them; but the wheat, gather them together into my granary."
"Let them grow together until the harvest:"
Letting them grow together would not cause damage to the wheat, and then at the time of harvest it would be the occupation of the reapers to gather the two up, one to burn and one to put into the granary. I do not attempt to give the interpretations of this parable, because the Lord will do that very thing later on in the chapter.
The Parable of the Mustard Seed and the Leaven
(Mark 4:30-32; Luke 13:18-21)
Verses 31, 32, "Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, the kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field: which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof."
LGT "Another parable He put before them, saying, The kingdom of the heavens is like to a grain of mustard, which having taken, a man sowed in his field: which indeed is less than all the seeds, but when it be grown is greater than the herbs, and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the heaven come and roost in the branches of it."
"The plant here described was very different from that which is known among us. It was several years before it bore fruit and became properly a tree. Mustard, with us, is an annual plant: it is always small, and is properly an herb. The Hebrew writers speak of the mustard tree as one on which they could climb, as on a fig tree. Its size was much owing to the climate. All plants of that nature grow much larger in a warm climate, like that of Palestine, than in colder regions. The seed of this tree were remarkably small, so that they, with the great size of the plant, were apt illustration of the progress of the church and of the nature of faith, Matt. 17:20. 'I have seen,' says Dr. Thompson, 'this plant on the rich plain of Akkar as tall as the horse and his rider. It has occurred to me on former visits that the mustard tree of the parable probably grow at this spot, or possibly at Tabiga, near Capernaum, for the water in both is somewhat similar, and so are the vegetable productions. To furnish an adequate basis for the proverb, it is necessary to suppose that a variety of it was cultivated in the time of our Savior, which grew to an enormous size, and shot forth branches, so that the fowls of the air could lodge in the branches of it. It may have been perennial, and have grown to a considerable tree; and there are traditions in the country of such so large that a man could climb into them; and After having seen red pepper bushes grow on year after year, into tall shrubs, and the castor-bean line the brooks about Damascus like the willows and the poplars, I can readily credit the existence of mustard trees large enough to meet all the demands of our Lord's parable The Land and the book, vol. 2. p. 101" (Barnes).
Verse 33, "Another parable spake he unto them: The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened."
LGT "Another parable He spoke to them: The kingdom of the heavens is like to leaven, which, having taken, a woman hid three seahs of meal, until all was leavened."
"The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven,"
Some commentators deny that Jesus uses leaven as a symbol for the expanding kingdom of God because the use of leaven in the Scriptures usually signifies corruption; however, here the Lord is using leaven to symbolize the pervasive [all encompassing] power of the kingdom in its expansion. Commentators many times feel it their responsibility to change the meaning of Scripture to fit their own use. A.T. Robertson comments: "The language of Jesus is not to be explained away by such exegetical jugglery."
"Which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened."
The woman hid the leaven in the dough in the process of kneading it; Robertson says that Jesus must have been aware of this process in watching his mother make bread. McGee says that the leaven represents false doctrine introduced into the church by the false cults; I believe this is much too forced, and must come under the category of 'spiritualizing' this parable.
Pentecost writes:
The fifth parable was designed to show how the kingdom program would develop and operate in the present age. Some have referred to this as the parable of the leaven, but such a title puts the emphasis on what leaven is or what leaven signifies. Actually, this is the parable of leaven hidden in the meal. Thus the parable emphasizes what the leaven does or how leaven works. Three measures of meal is the amount of flour that a housewife baked into bread for an average family. When the yeast was introduced into the flour, a process began that was steady, continuous, and irreversible. The process continued until the whole mixture was leavened. Christ was thus teaching that the kingdom would not be established by outward means, for no external force could cause the dough to rise. Rather, the new kingdom would operate by an internal force that would be continuous and progressive until the whole mixture had been leavened. The emphasis here is on the Holy Spirit and concerns His ministry to the world. Christ would later speak of this in John 15:26 and 16:-11. Edersheim states 'that the Kingdom of God, when received within, would seem like leaven hid, but would gradually pervade, assimilate, and transform the whole of our common life.'"
The Use of Parables
(Mark 4:3-34)
Verse 34, "All these things spake Jesus unto the multitude in parables; and without a parable spake he not unto them:"
LGT "All these things Jesus spoke in parables to the crowds, and without a parable He did not speak to them."
This verse is stating the fact that Jesus is drawing on His parabolic wisdom to teach the crowd things not yet revealed in the OT.
Verse 35, "That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world."
LGT "So that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying,
I will open My mouth in parables,
I will utter things hidden from the foundation [of the world]."
"I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things"
"I will utter (ereuxomena), to cast forth like a river, to gurgle, to disgorge, the passion of the prophet. From Psalm 19:2; 78:2. The psalmist claims to be able to utter things hidden from the foundation of the world and Matthew applies this language to the words of Jesus. Certain it is that the life and teaching of Jesus throw a flood of light on the purposes of God long kept hidden (kekrummena)" (A. T. Robertson).
"Which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world."
"It is assumed by the Psalmist that there was a hidden meaning in God's ancient dealings with His people. A typical archetypical, and pre-figurative element ran through the whole. The history of the dealings is one long Old Testament parable. Things long kept secret, and that were hidden indeed in the depths of the divine mind from before the foundation of the world, were involved in these dealings. And hence the evangelist wisely sees, in the parabolic teaching of our Lord, a real culmination of the older parabolic teaching of the Psalmist. The culmination was divinely intended, and hence the expression that it might be fulfilled" (Morison- quoted by Vincent).
The Parable of the Tares Explained
Verse 36, "Then Jesus sent the multitude away, and went into the house: and his disciples came unto him, saying, Declare unto us the parable of the tares of the field."
LGT "Then having dismissed the crowds, He went into the house: and His disciples came to Him, saying, Explain to us plainly the parable of the zizania of the field."
"Declare unto us the parable of the tares of the field."
The disciples wait until the crowds had gone away, and Jesus had gone into the house, before they ask Him to explain clearly the parable of the tares. The Greek word for 'declare' is diasaphason, and it means "make thoroughly clear right now" (aorist tense of urgency). "Jesus had opened up the Parable of the Sower and now they pick out this one, passing by the mustard seed and the leaven" (Robertson).
Most commentators I have read have already interpreted this parable in the verses before, but I have waited in order to let the Master interpret:
Verse 37, "He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of Man:"
LGT "And He answering said to them, He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man:"
Here is a good lesson for you kids: the best exegetes, or expositors, will let the Word of God speak for itself, that is, they will look inside of the Word, and draw out the meaning from within. Let me give you an example from J. Vernon McGee's commentary on the 'Sower of seed.' You all know I love McGee, otherwise I would not have quoted him so often; however, he also jumps ahead of the Word in his comment on verse three of this chapter, I quote: "I'll just run ahead and give you our Lord's interpretation of the sower. He will tell us later that the sower is the Son of Man and that the seed represents the Word of God." Now I am not being overly critical of McGee's methods or motives, I am just making a point that the Word of God does not leave us 'high and dry', but will give us all the explanation we need; whenever we think we have to make supposition about the Word, we will probably be in error, unless of course it fits 'grace logic.'
If you go back and read my exposition on verse three you will see that what I spent my time on is explaining the meaning of a parable, and not the interpretation of the parable. You see, from the parable itself, I was in the dark as much as the disciples; but when the Lord explains it here in verse 37, I am able to fit the puzzle together, and seem like a very wise man. It is the 'Word of God' that makes one wise.
Verse 38, "The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one;"
LGT "And the field is the world; and the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom; but the zizania are the sons of the evil [one]."
"The field is the world;"
Both the field and the world have the article 'the' before them, and this means that they are both interchangeable.
"The good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one;"
Robertson notes: "It is extremely important to understand that both the good seed and the darnel [tares] are sown in the world, and not in the Kingdom, not in the church. The separation comes at the consummation of the age, the harvest time. They all grow together in the field (the world)." This exposition is a far cry from what we have been taught from our youth up; it is the Word of God, that is the good seed, and it does accomplish what God intended.
Verse 39, "The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels."
LGT "And the enemy who sowed them is the devil, and the harvest is the completion of the age, and the harvest men are angels."
They all grow together in the field (the world), and the harvest time is the end of the age.
"The field is not the church, but rather that world out of which the church was eventually to be gathered. The good seed, Jesus said, are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one. Here we have the result of the sowing: those who believe the Gospel message are the wheat; those who accept the teachings of Satan are the tares, for the enemy that sowed the evil seed is the Devil himself. He has ever been busy sowing the tares wherever servants of God have sown the good seed. But it is not for Christ's servants to attempt to destroy the tares during this age. Our understanding is too limited. We might make the fatal mistake that Rome made of rooting up the good in order to destroy the bad. At the end of the age" (Ironside).
Verse 40, "As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world"
LGT "As therefore the zizania [darnel] are gathered together and consumed in the fire, thus it shall be in the completion of this age."
The separation comes at the end of the age, the harvest time.
Verse 41, "The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity."
LGT "The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all the stumbling blocks and the ones who practice lawlessness."
"The Son of man shall send forth his angels to gather out of his kingdom all things that offend,"
During the Millennium, the thousand-year reign of Christ, there will be those who are unsaved; it would seem as though with Christ reigning, and Satan bound and cast into the abyss, there would be no sin. I had a conversation with a Christian brother yesterday at lunch about this very thing; he said that it seems strange to him too, that there would be sin in the Kingdom of God; we discussed the issue at length, and it was obvious that even though Satan is bound in the abyss, men still must contend with the 'old sin nature, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.' Satan does not cause men to sin, as Flip Wilson use to say in his comedy routines, 'The Devil made me do it.' The angels will gather out all the unbelievers at the last day.
"And them which do iniquity."
The Greek word for 'iniquity' is anomian, and it has the article, which particularizes this as lawlessness - a = against, and nomian = law. We studied in first John that a believer sins, but he does not commit lawlessness, that is, he does not practice sin as a way of life. The unbeliever has no choice but to sin, once he has decided against accepting the Lord Jesus Christ; the believer will sin, miss the mark, but he never practice lawlessness, that is, he never sins as a way of life.
Verse 42, "And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth."
LGT "And they will cast them into the furnace of fire: there will be weeping and the gnashing [or grating] of the teeth."
These 'stumbling blocks gr. Skandalon, and lawless ones, gr. Anomian, will be cast into the furnace of fire. What a horrible picture the Lord presents us with; the unbelievers fate will be one of complete loneliness and separation from all that is righteous and good; to be cast into everlasting fire, where the flame is not quenched, and the body is not consumed. This verse should scare every lost soul into repentance, but it doesn't; it just fuels the fire of rejection and cause men to say, 'I will not have this Man reign over me;' which in turn will cause Christ to say these final words of rejection of them, 'Depart from Me you who practice lawlessness, I never knew you.'
Verse 43, "Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear."
LGT "Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the Kingdom of their Father. The one having ears, let him hear."
When the 'tares' [darnel] are removed, the believers will shine like the brightness of the brightness of the firmament (Dan. 12:3). "The compound verb ekklampsousin, with ek, forth, is designedly used to express a dissipating of darkness which has hidden: a bursting light. The righteous shall shine forth as the sun from behind a cloud. The mixture of evil with good in the world obscures the good, and veils the true glory of righteous character" (Vincent).
Three Parables
Verse 44, "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field."
LGT "The kingdom of the heavens is like a treasure hid in the field, which having found, a man hid, and for the joy of it goes away, and sells all things as many as he has, and buys that field."
The 'treasure hid in the field' is Israel's dispersion after the destruction of the temple and Jerusalem by Titus. The Jews have been dispersed ever since, and their return to the land in 1948 is not the true occupation spoken of by the Prophets. Israel will not truly possess their land until they accept Christ as their Savior. Christ came the first time, and the Jews did not accept Him as their King, but instead they crucified Him; when He comes the second time they will accept Him as their Lord and Savior, and then, and only then, will they possess their Land. Even though Israel is scattered throughout the world, God is not through with His treasured possession.
Pentecost notes:
"The sixth and seventh parables, taken together, reveal what accrues [accumulates] to God through the kingdom in the present age. In the parable of the treasure hidden in the field (Matt. 13:44), Christ revealed that a multitude from among the nation Israel will become God's purchased possession through this present age. In the Old Testament, Israel was called God's 'treasured possession' (Exo. 19:5; Deut. 14:2; Ps. 135:4). In the parables of Matthew 13 Christ had already interpreted the field to mean the world (vs. 38); thus this parable pictures Israel, God's peculiar treasure, out of their land because of discipline and scattered throughout the world. This condition became a reality when Titus invaded Jerusalem and expelled the people from the land. In order for the man in the parable to regain the treasure of which he was deprived, it was necessary for him to purchase the field where the treasure was hidden. This Christ did by His death: 'He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world' (1 John 2:2). It will not be until the Second Advent that this treasure will become the possession of its rightful Owner (Matt. 24:31)."
McGee adds:
"The prophet Jeremiah in many passages speaks of the re-gathering of the people of Israel and of God bringing them to their own land. That time is still future. When God re-gathers them, it will be by miracles so great that they will even forget their miraculous deliverance from Egypt, which has been celebrated longer than any other religious holiday. God is not through with the nation Israel, and this parable makes that fact very clear. Israel is the treasure hid in a field, and Christ is the One who 'for joy therefore goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.' In fact, He gave Himself to redeem the nation. Our Lord purchased them with His blood, just as He bought your salvation and my salvation. Zechariah writes of the cleansing which will take place at the time of Christ's return to this earth: 'In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness' (Zech. 13:1)."
Verse 45, "Again the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls:"
LGT "Again the kingdom of the heavens is like to a man, a merchant, seeking intrinsically beautiful pearls:"
The Greek word for 'goodly' is kalous, which means 'intrinsically beautiful.' Jesus Christ imputes the beauty of the pearl on it. The 'merchantman' is the Lord Jesus Christ, the 'pearl' is the church: a merchantman is one who goes in and out looking for a valuable commodity to buy.
For those who interpret the pearl as the 'kingdom of heaven' or 'the Word of God', or 'Jesus Himself':
McGee writes:
"The popular interpretation of this parable says the sinner is the merchantman and the pearl of great price is Christ. The sinner sells all that he has that he might buy Christ. One hymn says:
I have found the pearl of greatest price.
My heart doth sing for joy.
And sing I must for Christ is mine;
Christ shall my song employ.
I cannot accept this interpretation, and I have dismissed it as unworthy of thoughtful consideration. To begin with, who is looking for goodly pearls? Are sinners looking for salvation? My Bible does not read that way, nor has that been my experience as a minister. Sinners are not looking for salvation. The merchantman cannot be the sinner because he has nothing with which to pay. To begin with, he is not seeking Christ, and if he were, how could he buy Him? The merchantman sells all that he has - how can a sinner sell all that he has when he is dead in trespasses and sins (see Eph. 2:1)? Further, the Scriptures are very clear that Christ and salvation are not for sale. Salvation is a gift - 'For god so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life' (John 3:16). God so loved that He gave. And in Romans 6:23 we are told that 'the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.'
The correct interpretation of this parable reveals Christ as the merchantman. He left His heavenly home and came to this earth to find a pearl of great price. He found lost sinners and died for them by shedding His precious blood. He sold all that He had to buy us and redeem us to God. Paul told this to the Corinthians: 'For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for our sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich' (2 Cor. 8:9). He redeems us to God - He bought us."
Verse 46, "Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it."
LGT "Who having found one very precious pearl, having gone away sold all as many as He had and purchased it."
"Who, when he had found one pearl of great price,"
The 'Church' is found and bought with a great price, for God emptied heaven in order to redeem man. The 'Son of God came to seek and save that which was lost.'
"Went and sold all that he had, and bought it."
As was noted in the last verse, the sinner has nothing to offer, but it cost Christ everything to purchase our redemption. Our Salvation is free, but it cost heaven a very great price, that of God's only begotten Son, sacrificed on the Cross of Calvary: 'He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities. . . and with His stripes we are healed' (Isa. 53:5,6).
Verses 47-49, "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind: which, when it was full, they draw to shore, and sat down, and gathered the goods into the vessels, but cast the bad away. So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just."
LGT "Again the kingdom of the heavens is like to a drag net cast into the sea, and every kind gathering together; which when it was filled, having drawn up on the shore, and having sat down, they collected the good into the vessel, but the corrupt they cast out. Thus it will be in the completion of the age: the angels will go out and shall separate the evil ones out from the midst of the righteous. "
The end of this age is after the completion of the Tribulation when Christ returns to set up His Millennial Kingdom. All will be gathered together, and the separation will be that the saved on earth will enter the Kingdom, but the unsaved will go into hell.
Pentecost writes:
"The eighth parable reveals that this form of the kingdom will end in a judgment separating the righteous from the unrighteous. The net drawn up from the sea brings with it all kinds of fish, some useful and some useless. It is necessary to separate useful from the useless. The useful are gathered into baskets, but the useless are thrown away. Christ taught that the age will end in a judgment to determine who enters the future millennial kingdom and who is excluded from it. Righteousness is a prerequisite for entrance into the kingdom. The righteous are taken into it, but the unrighteous are excluded. The destiny of the wicked is not the blessing of the kingdom but the judgment of eternal fire. This same truth concerning judgment prior to the institution of the millennial kingdom is taught in Matthew 25:1-30, where Christ predicted judgment on the nation Israel, and in verses 31-46 where He described judgment on living Gentiles. The judgment here predicted is not a judgment on the dead but on the living. It will take place at the time of Christ's Second Advent to the earth."
Verse 50, "And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth."
LGT "And will cast them into the furnace of fire: there will be the wailing and the gnashing of the teeth."
The most damning descriptions of the excruciating painful hell awaiting the unsaved are from the lips of Christ (Barnes), and it completely does away with the teaching of those that say everyone will eventually be saved. 'What does it profit a man if he gain the whole world, and still lose his soul?' It must be important for us to be reminded of the eternal torture that awaits all unbelief, for they live along side of all of us, yet they refuse to hear, else the Lord would not teach it so often.
"There shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth."
It is very interesting to note that there will not be repentance from the unbelievers, only wailing because of their eternal plight, and gnashing of teeth in a demonstration of their intense hatred of God. If one of these unbelievers were to be taken out of the 'Furnace of Fire' and placed in heaven, they would curse God and leap back to their fiery abode. When a person decides against God, they do not change; they do not repent; they are lost for eternity; just as, a believer who has decided for Christ, will never change and become an unbeliever; they are saved for eternity, and can never be lost. Yesterday I was talking with one of my workers about being saved by faith alone in Christ alone, when my son Donnie called; I told Donnie I was talking to my employee about Salvation by simply believing in Christ, and that it did not require works; Donnie said right away, 'Be sure and tell him that no one can take his salvation away from him, once he believes!' It is very important that we all have the assurance that we are saved once and for all, and that no one is able to separate us from the love of God, 'Once saved, always saved.'
Treasures New and Old
Verse 51, "Jesus saith unto them, Have ye understood all these things? They say to him, Yea Lord."
LGT "Have you understood all [these things]? They say to Him, Yes."
The Great Teacher gives a wonderful example of what all teachers should consider most important; do you understand? If what we teach is not grasped, it is a useless effort. 'Jesus kindly asks if they understood all that He taught, if not, He would be willing to explain more' (Barnes).
Verse 52, "Then said he unto them, Therefore every scribe which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old."
LGT "And He said to them, Because of this every scribe made a disciple to the kingdom of the heavens is like to a man, a master of a house, which casts out of his treasure chest [things] new and old."
"Therefore every scribe which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven,"
This phrase is literally, because of this, every scribe made a disciple to the kingdom of the heavens. The scribe here is everyone who is familiar with Gospel of the kingdom as Christ presented it to them. Christ's disciples were also made disciples of His kingdom.
"Which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old."
Jesus is speaking to Jews who were being taught this new Gospel of Grace; these are the things that have been taught by types under the Old Covenant, and now He is teaching them under the New Covenant of Grace. A good disciple must be knowledgeable both in the Old and the New. This is also referring to things Christ had previously taught them, and now He is teaching future things; the old things would be things He taught them about how they were living now, and the new things are the things concerning His future Millennial reign.
Pentecost writes:
"The last parable is that of the of the householder. It teaches that some features of the new form of that kingdom are identical to features previously revealed about the millennial kingdom. It teaches also that other features are entirely new and have no correspondence to what had been revealed about the millennial form of the kingdom. In this parable the owner entered his storeroom and brought from there what would meet the needs of the household, as he knew them. The truth that Christ has been proclaiming is likened to the treasure of the owner of the house. Christ has presented some truths previously revealed and that would be called old; He had presented other truths not previously revealed, and therefore new."
The Rejection of Jesus at Nazareth
(Mark 6:1-6; Luke 9:10-17; John 6:1-14)
Verse 53, "And it came to pass, that when Jesus had finished these parables, he departed thence."
LGT "And it came to pass when Jesus had finished these parables, He withdrew from there."
This verse is a transition; Jesus had finished His ministry in one place and He goes on to another. He enters now into His own country of Nazareth.
Verse 54, "And when he was come into his own country, he taught them in their synagogue, insomuch that they were astonished, and said, Whence hath this man this wisdom, and these mighty works?"
LGT "And having come into His [own] country, He taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished and said, Where has this [man] wisdom and these powerful works."
The question from Christ's critics has never been, Is it possible that this man can
perform these mighty works? The question is where does He get the power to perform these things?
Verse 55, "Is not this the carpenter's son? Is not his mother called Mary? And his brethren, James, and Jonas, and Simon, and Judas?"
LGT "Is not this the Son of the carpenter? Is not His mother called Mary? And His brothers James, and Joses and Simon and Judas?"
"Is not this the carpenter's son?"
"The well-known, the leading, or even for a time the only carpenter in Nazareth till Jesus took the place of Joseph as the carpenter. What the people of Nazareth could not comprehend was how one with the origin and environment of Jesus here in Nazareth could possess the wisdom, which he appeared to have in his teaching. That has often puzzled people how a boy whom they knew could become the man he apparently is after leaving them" (A.T. Robertson).
To the unbeliever Christ is only the Son of a carpenter; to the believer He is the Son of God.
"Is not his mother called Mary?"
People had not yet come to venerate Mary; it would take several hundred years after His death, and the organizing of the Roman Catholic Church, for this silly phenomenon to take place.
"And his brethren, James, and Jones, and Simon, and Judas?"
He is no different to them than His brothers.
Verse 56, "And his sisters, are they not all with us? Whence then hath this man all these things?"
LGT "And His sisters are they all not with us: Where therefore has this [man] all these things?"
This man is no different than His brothers and sisters, now where does He get this supernatural power to do all these things. Again, they do not question the reality of the miracles, just the fact that a commoner like Jesus, the Son of a carpenter, could do these things; they will not believe He is the Son of God until after His resurrection and ascension. The unbeliever will not believe even then, for they refuse to admit they need a Savior; the liberal religionists [modernists] in our day even admit that Christ was a great Teacher, and a good man, even that he might have been equal to the Greek gods of mythology, and a great man like Mohamed, and Buddha, but certainly not the Son of The God.
Verse 57, "And they were offended in him. But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honor, save in his own house."
LGT "And they were offended in Him. But Jesus said to them, A prophet is not without honor, except in his [own] house."
"And they were offended in him."
The Greek word for 'offended' is skandalizo, meaning a stumbling block, and here it is a 'graphic imperfect passive' verb, eskandalizonto, meaning, they were stumbling over His works, not amazed by them. They stumbled over the fact that 'Jesus was not commonplace like themselves; they were repelled by Him' (Robertson).
But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honor, save in his own house.
People who know Him best cannot see past what they think he is, a son of a carpenter, a common man; certainly not the son of God. This is true even among us today; of course there are no prophets, but to those who desire to teach, they do best outside their own neighborhoods where people don't know all about them.
Verse 58, "And He did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief."
LGT "And did not there many works of power [miracles] because of their unbelief."
This is a very powerful verse regarding the unbeliever; no amount of miracles will convince an unbeliever that Jesus is the Son of God. It was not that He did not do any miracles at all, for there were some believers in Nazareth. A miracle can only benefit a believer; an unbeliever will never benefit from a work from someone they reject. Jesus even said, 'Blessed are the ones who will believe, even though they haven't seen Me.' No amount of miracles can convince an unbeliever that Jesus is the Son of God; in fact, they will only become a stumbling block to them, because they all have to admit that it is a miraculous thing, but they will refuse to admit that 'that thing' was done by the Son of God. Our modern day so-called preachers are convincing their flocks that we should be as the world, in order to win the world; this is a damnable heresy from the garbage can of hell; we cannot convince the unbeliever that Jesus is the Son of God, if the Word of God cannot convince them; remember, 'the Word of God is sharper than any two-edged sword', and 'Jesus is the One who is seeking to save that which is lost.' Our privilege is to submit to Him through His Word.
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