The Kingdom of Heaven
from the Parables of Matthew 13
A Review of Selected Commentary
INTRODUCTION
The framework for this review is based primarily upon the writings of J. Dwight Pentecost in
his book, The Parables of Jesus, published in 1982 by Zondervan Publishing House. At the time
of publication the author was Professor of Bible Exposition at Dallas Theological Seminary. He
defined “kingdom” as used in these parables to be God’s system of sovereign rule on earth,
which has existed in some form or another since God appointed Adam to rule as His
representative in the Garden.
The kingdom of heaven in these parables is understood to be the theocratic rule of Jesus Christ
over the earth and the affairs of men until He comes again. Prior to Jesus, the rule of God since
Abraham had been exercised through the nation of Israel. Such rule was by Covenant Promises,
first to Abraham, that he and his seed would be greatly blessed and all nations would be blessed
through him; then later to King David, that Messiah would come from his seed, defeat their
enemies, restore the Davidic Kingdom, and reign over the nations forever from his throne. With
perfect 20-20 hindsight, we now know it didn’t happen that way.
BACKGROUND
Professor Pentecost’s methodology for parable exposition reveals a unity of design in these
parables such that they combine to form one coherent doctrine of kingdom truth. And his
expositions do not contradict other doctrines of the faith. He teaches that each parable or set
of parables is Jesus’ way of clarifying a specific area of confusion in the minds of His disciples.
Another of his guidelines is that each parable reveals only one central truth, and that, although
details are important, trying to read too much into the details can lead to misinterpretation.
According to Pentecost, the Matthew Chapter 13 parables reveal a new form of the kingdom
of God/heaven (either one is correct), which was unknown in the Old Testament. But before
trying to unravel the mysteries, it might be good to establish what the kingdom of God/heaven
is not. It is not the kingdom that the Jews expected and not a substitute for the kingdom of David
in the promises of God. Also, this kingdom is not another name for the visible church, although the church consists of children of the kingdom. And it is not a kingdom in heaven, such that it cannot
be entered until one dies.
The mystery kingdom had its beginnings during Christ’s First Advent and will continue until His
Second Advent; it was founded before the church and will conclude after the church is snatched
out of the world. It exists in the world, yet it is not of the world. It was a mystery because it was
not described in the Hebrew scriptures.
Prof. Pentecost teaches that we need to first understand the general context in which these parables
are given, as follows. In Matthew Chapters 1-11, Jesus presents Himself to Israel as Messiah by
fulfilling many prophecies and performing many physical miracles of healing, yet telling very few
parables. Matthew 12 is the pivotal chapter in this gospel account, where it becomes evident that
Israel will not accept Him as Messiah. After this, the emphasis shifts from prophecies and miracles to
revealing mysteries of the kingdom in parables.
In Chapter 12 Matthew reported that the Pharisees had dug in their heels, plotted to kill Jesus, and
began to harass the multitudes who followed Him. They threatened to expel anyone who professed
Jesus’ teachings from the synagogues. Those not willing to be expelled from their synagogues
became silent listeners within the multitudes, not willing to bear the cross of rejection which meant
that they were uncommitted and unbelieving hearers. From this crucial divide, Jesus revealed that the
Kingdom offer would be withdrawn from Israel, and a previously unknown form of the Kingdom
would be offered to Jews and Gentiles alike, a shocking concept to any natural born Jew.
Jesus was then speaking to audiences who were under threat of persecution, so He began to teach
through parables to reveal His kingdom. As He explained to the disciples, this would allow Him to
continue to teach believers the truths of the kingdom while blinding the unbelievers to these same
truths. Shortly afterwards, the Pharisees accused Him of using Satan’s power to remove demons, and
Jesus warned them, “...but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him,
neither in this world, neither in the [world] to come.” (Mat 12:32b KJV). Then Jesus harshly rebuked the Pharisees, calling them hypocrites and vipers and told them, “But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.” (Mat 12:36-37 KJV). Some take this to mean that the Pharisees stepped over the line of forgiveness with their brazen accusation, although this is not accepted by all expositors. Noted Chinese evangelist Watchman Nee fully supports this view, stating that the sin of the Pharisees was the main cause of bringing God’s judgment upon Israel in A.D.70. In any case, an irreversible rejection of Jesus as Messiah occurred in Chapter Twelve.
As for teaching through parables, Professor Pentecost said it was to their benefit that unbelievers did
not understand the message of the parables. Unbelief in the face of understanding would only bring
more judgment upon themselves, so hiding the kingdom truths from them was an act of mercy. The
reality was that those not willing to face the rejection of men were committed to the bondage of
Pharisaism. Alas, Israel as a nation had always rejected the Word spoken through the prophets that
were sent to them, for they were a stiff-necked people.
I have long been a believer in the ultimate restoration of the Davidic kingdom, and my reasoning is
along this line. God’s grace was at work in the Old Testament as well as in the New. Jesus was a
Jew, not only because He was born and raised a Jew, but also because He was completely obedient
to the Father and fulfilled the Law in every respect. No one could accuse Him of violating any aspect
of the Law. Jesus was the perfect man, the perfect Jew whose names include the Last Adam, Lamb
of God, Great High Priest, the Good Shepherd, Messiah, among others, all of which have some
connection to the people of Israel. In fact, much of what Jesus spoke in the Gospels was revealed
first in the Old Testament. Indeed, the disciples had heard from childhood the prophecies about
Messiah, the Anointed One who would lead God’s Chosen People into the promised kingdom.
Today there seems to be an ignorance concerning the Church’s historic bonds with Israel. It appears
that the Christian community has lost a sense of brotherhood with Jews, despite our Jewish roots.
This is regretful in view of Paul’s clear teaching that there is no distinction between Jew and Gentile
in the kingdom of heaven. In fact, without some understanding of Jewish culture and religion there is
little foundation for understanding these parables. Nor is there much awareness that, except for
proselytes, the Church was exclusively Hebrew for the first 12-15 years. Even when Paul took the
gospel to the Gentiles, he was instructed to preach it first to the Jews wherever he went.
The phrase “gospel of the kingdom” was in common usage in those early years. In the Matthew
account Jesus introduced His Gospel that way, using the phrase throughout His ministry, “And Jesus
went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom.....” (Mat 4:23 KJV); and it shall be preached again in the end times, “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.” (Mat 24:14). In the process of doing this research, it dawned on me how absurd it would have sounded to Jewish ears if Christ had preached the gospel message that He gave to Paul (i.e., the crucified and risen
Christ) as He walked among His brethren.
Much of the Jewish hope for Messiah and a restored kingdom came out of the Book of Daniel, one
of Israel’s greatest prophets; God revealed through Daniel all the great kingdoms to come, including
the consummation of the ages in the covenant kingdom, “. . . and the kingdom shall not be left to other
people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.” (Dan
2:44b KJV). We need to appreciate this perspective. Yet the tendency in many commentaries has been
to ignore Jewish influence altogether and to impose a contemporary view of the church on these
kingdom parables. It is clear that the book of Matthew was written from a Jewish perspective. Some
may feel this makes it biased, but the entire Bible was written from that perspective. What separates
the book of Matthew from the others is its heavy emphasis on the kingdom aspects, that Jesus was the Son of David, Israel's promised Messiah and King.
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THE SOWER AND SOILS PARABLE
Matthew 13: 3-9
Behold, a sower went forth to sow; And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and
the fowls came and devoured them up: Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much
earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth: And when the sun
was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away. And some fell
among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them: But others fell into good ground,
and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold. Who hath ears
to hear, let him hear.
Jesus opens His first parable to the multitudes with a simple phrase, “Behold, a sower went forth to sow.” Note that Jesus did not identify or say much about the sower, but focused attention on how the
production of fruit was dependent upon the depth and composition of the soil.
What unbelievers heard was a familiar story about a farmer’s plight in raising a good crop. The
desired result, of course, was to harvest manifold quantities of fruit. But He concluded with, “Who
hath ears to hear, let him hear,” which certainly signals that there might be more to this story than the
problems faced by a local farmer.
Therefore, to those who did not have ears to hear, the parable was about a sower, or a farmer, a
very familiar activity to the audience, who likely would have interpreted it as follows:
SOWER = A sower sows
SEED = good seed
SOILS = in his field of various soils
CROP = and expects to harvest a crop
GOOD SOIL = only from the good and well tended soil.
In Proverbs 24:30-32, we see that the person who fails to tend the ground properly will fail to get a
crop, “I went by the field of the slothful, and by the vineyard of the man void of understanding; And, lo, it was all grown over with thorns, and nettles had covered the face thereof, and the stone wall thereof was broken down. Then I saw, and considered it well: I looked upon it, and received instruction.” This is the superficial story, but the deep spiritual truth was meant for sons of the kingdom. And the parallel to spiritual truth is remarkable. Indeed, those who knew Jesus as Messiah heard another story, one which required a knowledge of God to understand it. They understood that the parable contained a central truth about the kingdom.
Jesus revealed that His disciples had been given hearts for understanding, that they would receive the
Word and be fruitful. He also said that the multitude had been blinded and deafened to the Word, and
boldly proceeded to explain the parable to the disciples in the hearing of the multitude:
But blessed [are] your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear. 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. Hear ye
therefore the parable of the sower. 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. But he that received the seed into
stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it; 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. He 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. 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. (Matt 13:16-23)
An outline of this symbolism follows [my comments are in brackets].
SOWER = [not identified, but could only be Jesus Himself]
SEED = the Word of the kingdom, [also Jesus, His Gospel]
SOILS = hearers of the Word, [having hearts of varying understanding]
HEART of the waysider: this one has no understanding; and the wicked one comes and snatches away that which had been sown, [ his heart is too hardened to receive the Word ]
HEART of the stony soil: this one hears and receives the Word with immediate joy; yet his heart
has no depth, and the heat of tribulation or persecution soon offends him, [ because his
understanding has shallow roots, the life of the Word soon withers away ]
HEART of the thorny soil: this one’s heart receives the word also, but the cares of the world and
the deceitfulness of riches chokes out the Word and he becomes unfruitful,
HEART of the good soil: receives the word with understanding and bears much fruit, some an
hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.
Four types of hearers were described with different depths of understanding. Only one produced the
desired result – a manifold harvest of fruit. Those who receive and understand the Word are the true
children of the kingdom; by coming to Christ they will bear much fruit to enlarge and sustain the
kingdom. On the other hand, those who receive with little understanding will not come to know
Christ and will bear no fruit; they will be worthless or even a hindrance to the kingdom. The disciples
likely knew that Jesus was speaking to them as future children of His kingdom.
The key word here is understanding. Although everyone has some idea of what that means, it’s
crucial to know what the author means. The method I employ is to see how the Lord used the word
understanding in the scriptures which spoke of Him. Through the prophet Isaiah the Lord spoke this
admonition to Israel, “Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may
know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be
after me.” (Isa 43:10). Through Jeremiah God revealed, “But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he
understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD...” (Jer 9:24). Through King David, He said, “God
looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, that did seek
God.” (Ps 53:2). And through Solomon came the Word of wisdom, “The fear of the LORD is the
beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.”(Pr 9:10).
By these scriptures we conclude that spiritual understanding carries with it a willingness to seek and
to know God, having an attitude of trust in the greater knowledge and higher ways of God. In the
vernacular of this parable, it is a desire to receive and embrace the Word with a hunger to know
God, nurturing it so that it forms deep roots in one’s heart. Knowledge of the Holy One is
understanding that enlightens the soul and issues forth in multiple harvests of the Word of life. Again,
this was not hidden knowledge; it was first recorded in Proverbs, “My son, if thou wilt receive my words,
and hide my commandments with thee; So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to
understanding. . . .Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God.”(Pr
2:1-2,5).
In His explanation, Jesus revealed the truth of the parable from the perspective of one who receives
the Word of the kingdom. Thus the focus has shifted from sowing seed in His original telling over to
receiving seed in His explanation. It seems this would point to His being both the Sower and the
Seed, the Giver and the Gift, the Alpha and Omega of life. It also points to the reality of Jesus being
the very essence of the scriptures.
So now we can see why Jesus called it the parable of the sower, because it is all about Him as the
source of life itself; He is at once the Creator and Sustainer of life in the kingdom of heaven. As
Paul said in Colossians 1:15-16, “Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: For
by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be
thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him.” Therefore,
the Sower is preeminent in all things–without Him nothing can exist. Obviously, then, life in the
kingdom of heaven is by and for Jesus, the Christ.
Therefore, this first parable is the Gospel of the kingdom, the very Rock upon which Jesus builds
His kingdom and His church. “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him
that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation, but is passed from death unto life.”
(John 5:24). In other words, this parable reveals how the Word is freely offered to man, to be
received with understanding or not, depending upon his willingness to seek after God and receive
the Gift of life.
And what would be the reward? Jesus had already laid it out, “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. Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower.” Unless hearers had ears to hear, they
would not understand this reward; yet it's not a mystery – it's what all prophets and righteous men
of Israel would have desired to see and hear – it’s the blessings of life in the promises of God. And
those blessings are laid out in the beatitudes, which begin and end with kingdom of heaven
blessings. But only a true son of Abraham would understand the Word.
Once the disciples were instructed in receiving the Word, they needed to learn the mysteries of the
kingdom hidden from men until Jesus. The next mystery had to do with the difficulties they could
expect while sowing the Word under the nose of Satan, which Jesus revealed through the Tares
parable.
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