1The same day went Jesus out of the house, and sat by the sea side. 2And great multitudes were gathered together unto him, so that he went into a ship, and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore.
In verse 1 of this chapter Jesus goes out of the house. Verse 36 says that He sent the multitude away and went into the house. That means that the context of the first 35 verses of this chapter is external – it’s about the kingdom of heaven in its external form in the world. The context of verses 36 and following will be internal: Jesus will tell His disciples about God’s sovereign program for the kingdom, a program which will be fulfilled despite the negative influences of the world.
Two contrasts of position are emphasized in the first two verses: (1) Jesus is seated, but the crowd stands, and (2) Jesus is in a ship, but the crowd is on the shore. He sits as one who is in authority but they stand to hear His word. He’s going to speak about the kingdom which will be His. In the ship He has distanced Himself from the people as they remain on the land. A separation has taken place because Israel has failed to understand who He is.
3And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow;4and when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up: 5some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth: 6and when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away. 7And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them: 8but other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold. 9Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.
Verse 3 represents another step in Jesus’ distancing Himself from the crowds of people: He began to speak to them in parables. Later, in verse 11, Jesus will talk to His disciples about “the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven” that are hidden in the parables. The crowds understood the stories, but they did not understand what the stories really meant.
Jesus began by saying, “Behold, a sower went forth to sow.” The Greek noun has the definite article: “the sower went forth to sow.” Jesus is speaking of Himself. He is the Sower. In this parable Jesus is describing what He has done since He began His public ministry. He’s describing the results of His proclaiming the message of the nearness of the kingdom of heaven. The crowds who were listening to Him that day were part of the field where He’d been sowing seed. Beginning in verse 18, Jesus will explain this parable to His disciples.
10And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables? 11He 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. 12For 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. 13Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.
The disciples were surprised that Jesus was now speaking to the crowds of people using parables rather than teaching them plainly as He had been doing before. The disciples knew that the people had not understood the real meaning of His parable about the Sower.
Jesus’ answer to the disciples expresses a change in His ministry at this point. He said that understanding the secrets of the kingdom of heaven had been given to the disciples but not to the crowds. This means that it was not the will of God to tell the crowds the spiritual meaning of the parables. Jesus then said, “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.” Surely this truth is a timeless one that is still applicable today. If a person responds rightly in their heart to God’s word, God will give that person even more understanding. But if a person does not respond rightly in their heart to God’s word, He will take away from that person the opportunity which they had. Jesus said that the people of Israel saw without seeing and heard without hearing or understanding. The people had seen Jesus and heard His word but had failed to respond rightly to His word in their hearts. His speaking to them now in parables was a part of the taking away of opportunity from them.
14And 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: 15for 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. 16But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear. 17For 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.
Jesus said that the failure of the people of Israel to receive His word about the kingdom of heaven was a fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah in Isaiah 6:9-10 (Matthew gives the quote of these verses from the Septuagint Greek translation of the Old Testament). If the people had responded rightly to Jesus’ word about the kingdom, God would have healed them from the effects of sin.
18Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower. 19When 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.
Jesus now begins to explain the parable of the sower to His disciples. We understand from verse 19 that the seed that was sown is the word of the kingdom and that the place where the seed was sown represents the heart of the person who hears. The first type of soil is that which is beside the road. The road is a place of traffic, and the ground at the side of the road is probably hard. Verse 19 tells us that this person does not understand the message about the kingdom of heaven. With all the traffic of passersby, this person may not even give the message much thought. Their heart is too hard and their mind is too busy to stop and think about what Jesus said. Their opportunity is lost because Satan, who is represented by the birds in the parable, comes and snatches the seed out of their hearts.
20But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it; 21yet 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.
The second type of ground is full of stone, but it has a thin layer of soil over the rock – enough for the seed to sprout but not enough for it to put down roots. This person quickly responds to the message about the kingdom of heaven; they probably think that in a very short time Rome will be overthrown and Israel will be free and rich. They responded so quickly, partly because they had no depth of understanding. But when difficult times or persecution comes, the second group of people bail out.
22He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.
The third type of ground has thorns. When the thorns grow, they leave no place for the seed to put down roots and shoot up. Jesus said that the thorns represent the care of this world and the deceitfulness of riches. This person hasn’t consciously rejected the message about the kingdom of heaven; they just never get around to thinking much about it. Their mind is on their worries and the attractiveness of having more money. Jesus’ message just never gets priority time in their mind.
23But 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.
The fourth type of ground is good soil. This is the first case where Jesus says that this person understands the word. Probably none of the people in the first three groups really understood. This person brings forth fruit. Their life changes and they begin to seek God’s will and to rightly influence others around them.
The Sower in this parable is Jesus. He didn’t make any mistakes about where He sowed, and He perfectly presented the message of the kingdom of heaven. The purpose of the parable is not to rebuke the sower. The purpose of the parable is to rebuke the people represented by the first three types of ground where the seed fell. That means that we are responsible for the kind of ground that we are. In Jeremiah 4:3, God spoke to Israel with the same metaphor: For thus saith the LORD to the men of Judah and Jerusalem, Break up your fallow ground, and sow not among thorns. It’s every person’s responsibility to get away from the world’s traffic and to get the rocks and thorns out of their life. Then the seed of God’s word that they hear will produce fruit. Jesus said, “Take heed therefore how ye hear” (Luke 8:18). Hearing God’s word is not enough. How we hear is shown by our response.
What is it that the people symbolized by the good ground understood that the other people did not? In context, it seems that they understood that Jesus is the Messiah, that the kingdom of heaven is about righteousness (not just about being free from Rome), and that what God has to offer is more valuable than the riches offered by the world.
24Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: 25but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. 26But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. 27So 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? 28He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? 29But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. 30Let 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.
The next seven parables in this chapter each begins by saying, “the kingdom of heaven is like…” (verses 24, 31, 33, 44, 45, 47, 52) except that in verse 24, Jesus said, “the kingdom of heaven is likened….” In this verse He used the verbal form and used the past tense (Greek “ωμοιωθη”). The phrase could be translated, “the kingdom of heaven has become like….” Something has happened to affect the form of the kingdom of heaven. That something is Israel’s rejection of Jesus as Messiah. In the next seven parables Jesus tells what form the kingdom of heaven will take after His rejection.
The first three of these seven parables are followed by Jesus’ explanation of the first one. This tells us that the first three parables – the tares, the mustard seed, and the leaven – are all one group. They give three different descriptions concerning one thing. Each one describes the work of Satan to corrupt the kingdom of heaven during the period of time after Israel’s rejection of Jesus as Messiah. The first parable, the parable of the tares, helps us to understand the other two.
In this first of the three parables there are two men – a man who sows good seed in his field and a man who is his enemy, who sows tares alongside the wheat. There is also a group of workers who are responsible for the care of the field. The enemy came and sowed the tares while the workers were asleep. After the deed was done and the two types of grass matured, the workers asked whether or not they should go in and remove the tares from the field. The owner of the field told them that they should leave the tares to be separated and burned in the time of harvest. Otherwise, the workers might uproot the wheat, too.
Jesus will explain to His disciples the meaning of this first parable after He tells the second and third parables in the coming verses.
31Another 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: 32which 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.
In considering the meaning of the second of the group of three parables, we should turn to verses in Ezekiel 17:
Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will also take of the highest branch of the high cedar, and will set it; I will crop off from the top of his young twigs a tender one, and will plant it upon an high mountain and eminent: in the mountain of the height of Israel will I plant it: and it shall bring forth boughs, and bear fruit, and be a goodly cedar: and under it shall dwell all fowl of every wing; in the shadow of the branches thereof shall they dwell. (Ezekiel 17:22-23)
God said that He would plant a cedar tree on Mount Zion and that the birds would dwell under the tree. The cedar tree that God would plant is the kingdom of heaven. The “tender one” is the Messiah, cropped from the line of David to reign as King in God’s kingdom.
In the parable of the mustard seed, Jesus said that a man took a mustard seed and sowed it in “his” field. The mustard seed is not a cedar, and the tree is not the kingdom of heaven. The man is probably the enemy (Greek: “εχθρος ανθρωπος” : “enemy man”) spoken of in verse 28. The man in verse 31 “took” the mustard seed, implying that it is a foreign material (see also verse 33).
Verse 32 probably means that the mustard seed was the smallest seed that was commonly planted in that area at that time. But it got big enough for birds to come and live in its branches. In the parable of the Sower, the birds represented Satan, snatching away the word about the kingdom of heaven (verses 4, 19). It is not good that the birds live in the branches of the mustard tree. In contrast, the birds described in Ezekiel lived under the cedar tree – probably in its lower branches – in submission to it.
The mustard plant in this parable is an imitation of the cedar tree, a false kingdom of heaven. There’s nothing wrong about mustard seed. If we’re talking about faith, even faith the size of a mustard seed can do wonders (Matthew 17:20). But if we’re talking about imitation Christianity, then even a tiny bit can produce great harm. In this parable Jesus is warning us that there will be a false, showy imitation of His kingdom in the world.
33Another 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.
The third in this group of three parables compares the kingdom heaven to leaven. Leaven is used in the Bible as a symbol of sin and false doctrine:
Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees….Then understood they how that he bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees. (Matthew 16:6,12)
…he began to say unto his disciples first of all, Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. (Luke 12:1)
Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump? Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. (I Corinthians 5:6-8)
Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth? This persuasion cometh not of him that calleth you. A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump. (Galatians 5:7-9)
Leaven is used in the Bible as a symbol of sin and false doctrine. When the woman puts the leaven in the wheat flour, it does harm, not good. The woman “took” the leaven (relate verse 31), indicating that it is a foreign material, and “hid” the leaven in the wheat flour. Jesus is telling us that sin and false doctrine will be secretly introduced into His kingdom in the world. It will be so bad that “the whole” will become leavened. Leaven makes bread rise; it only makes the bread puffed up.
34All these things spake Jesus unto the multitude in parables; and without a parable spake he not unto them: 35that 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.
Though Jesus spoke to the multitude in parables, He was revealing truth that had not been known before. The reference in verse 35 is to the words of Asaph in Psalm 78:2. In that psalm, Asaph presented the history of Israel from the exodus from Egypt to the time of King David. Asaph did this as a lesson to the coming generation in Israel. Similarly, Jesus gave in parables a lesson concerning the future of His kingdom. The expression “from the foundation of the world” expresses the meaning of the Hebrew words “מני־קדם” in Psalm 78:2 (“from the east” or “from the beginning”). It was not known in the Old Testament that the external kingdom of heaven would go through a time of being corrupted by the work of Satan.
36Then 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. 37He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man; 38the field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one; 39the enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels. 40As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world. 41The 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; 42and shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. 43Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.
After telling the multitude first the parable of the Sower and then the three parables concerning the tares, the mustard seed, and the leaven, Jesus returned to the house. Beginning with verse 36, He is speaking to the disciples. He will explain to His disciples the parable of the tares and will then give them other parables. Those parables describe God’s sovereign plan for the kingdom.
In explaining the parable of the tares, Jesus said that He Himself sows sons of the kingdom in the world. The devil is the enemy who sows his own sons among the sons of the kingdom. The two groups of people will continue together until the end of the age. At that time, Jesus will send His angels, who will gather all the evildoers out of His kingdom. The angels will cast the sons of the devil into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. The righteous, who were sown by Jesus, will shine forth in the kingdom of their Father.
In this parable, Jesus revealed that Satan will come and plant unbelievers among the believers that Christ will plant. Satan will do this while Jesus’ servants are sleeping. What kind of sleep was Jesus talking about? This sleep is a spiritual sleep. It probably refers to times when spiritual leaders stop laboring in the Word of God. Satan loves it when God’s Word is not taught in the church. Satan loves it when everyone’s “truth” is accepted. All mature believers should especially keep watch over and take care of new believers.
It seems clear that what Jesus said would happen has happened. There are many unbelievers today in the outward, nominal forms of Christianity. When the workers in the parable saw the fruit of the wheat and the fruit of the tares, then they understood that there was a problem.
What should we do? Jesus said not to uproot the tares. For one reason, we might make a mistake about who is a believer and who is not. Also, after people are together for a while, their roots become entwined. Putting out one could uproot the other also.
But, Scripture teaches plainly that churches should deal with people who hurt others by speaking false doctrine or by enticing others to sin. In speaking to the elders of the church in Ephesus, Paul said,
Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. (Acts 20:28-29)
The author of Hebrews wrote,
Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled…. (Hebrews 12:15)
In the book of Revelation, in the letter to the church at Thyatira, Jesus said,
Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols. (Revelation 2:20).
In such cases, church discipline is necessary.
Also, if church leaders wake up from sleep and begin to teach God’s Word, some of the unbelievers may be saved. Others may leave of their own accord.
John wrote,
Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time. They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us. (I John 2:18-19)
The tares Jesus spoke of are not unsaved inquirers. Every church should welcome any sincere inquirer. The tares Jesus spoke of are unsaved people who do not desire God’s Word but pose as part of the church.
The parable of the tares is not explained until after the parables of the mustard seed and the leaven. This ordering tells us that these three parables are one group. In these three parables Jesus is revealing what the external form of the kingdom of heaven will be like after His rejection by Israel. These three parables tell us that Satan will use three tactics to bring harm to God’s kingdom: (1) infiltration by unbelievers, (2) a showy and corrupt imitation of Christ’s true kingdom, and (3) the subtle introduction of false and sinful teaching. It is clear that all three of these things are happening in the nominal church today.
44Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field. 45Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: 46who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.
In each of these parables Jesus speaks of a man who has found something of great value. In the first parable the man has found treasure hidden in a field; in the second he has found one very valuable pearl. In the first parable the verbs “has,” “sells,” and “buys” are in the present tense; in the second parable “sold,” “had,” and “bought” are in the past tense. Probably the change in tense indicates that the second purchase was accomplished by the first.
Who is the man in the first parable who has found the treasure and the merchant in the second parable who has found the very valuable pearl? Since these parables concern the kingdom of heaven, we must immediately conclude that the man in these two parables is not us. No child of Adam has ever had anything to sell with which to buy any part in the kingdom of heaven.
And what are the treasure and the pearl? After God brought Israel out of Egypt, He said,
Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine…. (Exodus 19:5)
Psalm 135:4 says,
For the LORD hath chosen Jacob unto himself, and Israel for his peculiar treasure.
The treasure in the field represents Israel.
What about the pearl? Pearls come from the sea. Each pearl is a unity. Jesus said, As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep. And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd. (John 10:15-16)
At Pentecost a new body was formed, the church. In the church there are both Jews and Gentiles, but all true believers from Israel and from the other nations form just one flock, and Jesus is our Shepherd.
The pearl represents the church.
The true believers of Israel in the Old Testament and those of the church in the New Testament are the treasure and the pearl. Jesus spoke of a shepherd who searched for and found a sheep that was lost. Jesus said, And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing (Luke 15:5). Jesus is the man who found the treasure and found the very valuable pearl.
The New Testament says that Jesus bought us with His own blood:
For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's. (I Corinthians 6:20)
And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation…. (Revelation 5:9) (the word translated “redeemed” is the word “bought”)
Why does verse 44 say that the man who found the treasure in the field hid it again? This probably refers to the present period of time in which the prophesied repentance and salvation of Israel is yet future (see Zechariah 12:10; Romans 11:25-27).
It is significant that the man in the parable bought the whole field in order to gain the treasure hidden in the field. The price that Jesus paid at the cross was sufficient to pay for the sins of all people. His blood becomes effective for an individual when that person believes.
Why did Jesus see us as treasure and as a pearl? What is it that endowed us with such value in His eyes?
The words of Deuteronomy 7:7-8 concerning Israel are striking:
The LORD did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people: but because the LORD loved you, and because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers, hath the LORD brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondmen, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.
The LORD loved His people because He loved His people. And because He will keep His word to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God promised Abraham, And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed…. (Genesis 22:18).
47Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind: 48which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away. 49So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just, 50and shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
The three parables of the treasure, the pearl, and the net each begin with the word “again,” thus indicating by parallel form that the three are one group. Verse 50 is exactly the same as verse 42 in Jesus’ explanation of the parable of the tares, probably indicating that the judgment described in the parable of the tares and in the parable of the net is the same judgment.
In Matthew 24 we will read that Jesus said, “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come” (24:14). In that passage He is describing events that will take place in the future seven-year Tribulation period. This worldwide preaching of the Gospel that will take place in that seven-year period may be the fulfillment of the parable of the net cast into the sea. In this parable both good and bad are gathered in the net. In Jesus’ explanation of this parable in verses 49-50, He says that the angels will separate the wicked from among the just and cast them into the furnace of fire. This separation and judgment seems to parallel that of the sheep and goats described in Matthew 25:31-46.
Thus, the group of three parables of the treasure, the pearl, and the net may outline in chronological order the establishment by Christ’s death of the New Covenant promised to Israel, the unity of believing Jews and Gentiles in the church, and the worldwide proclamation of the Gospel and subsequent judgment in the future seven-year Tribulation period. According to the parable of the net, there will be wicked among the just who are brought to shore in the net. Everyone will hear the Gospel, but only those who believe will be saved.
51Jesus saith unto them, Have ye understood all these things? They say unto him, Yea, Lord. 52Then 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. 53And it came to pass, that when Jesus had finished these parables, he departed thence.
In verse 52, Jesus likens a scribe who is instructed concerning the kingdom of heaven to a householder who has both new things and old things as resources to draw on. The old things are the things of the Old Covenant, and the new things are the things of the New Covenant. Jesus is telling His disciples that when a person rightly understands both covenants and how they relate to each other, that person can draw on both in teaching God’s Word.
54And 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? 55Is not this the carpenter's son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas? 56And his sisters, are they not all with us? Whence then hath this man all these things? 57And they were offended in him. But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house. 58And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief.
Jesus had grown up in the city of Nazareth (Matthew 2:23). The people of Nazareth did not attempt to deny His wisdom or that He had done works that required supernatural power. But they refused to think that someone who had grown up among them could be the Messiah. They recited the names of the members of Jesus’ earthly family to convince themselves that He was not important, but they failed to remember that Jesus’ supposed father Joseph was a descendent of King David (Matthew 1:16; Luke 2:4,51). Nazareth is a microcosm of the nation of Israel. John wrote concerning the Lord Jesus, “He came unto his own, and his own received him not” (John 1:11).
In chapter 13 Jesus gave a number of parables which described the kingdom of heaven as it would be after His rejection by the nation of Israel. Just before these parables and just after these parables are encounters with His earthly relatives (12:46-50) and with people of His hometown (13:54-58). In 12:50 He said, “For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.” In 13:57 He said, “A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house.” The parables are spoken between these two encounters, thus emphasizing a movement from physical bonds with Israel as a whole to spiritual bonds with those who believe. Chapter 13 expresses the transition in Jesus’ earthly ministry from His offering Himself to Israel as Messiah to His moving toward the cross. In the remaining chapters of the book of Matthew, Jesus will give primary focus to preparing His disciples for ministry after His death, resurrection, and ascension to the Father.
Note: All Scriptures are quoted from the King James Version of the Bible.