95
T h e ' K i n g P
B u s i n e s s
February 1930
H eart of the L esson I. The Mustard Seed (31, 32).
March 16, 1930 Parables of the Kingdom
people could see Him and hear His gra cious words. This was the day that He told them the story of the sower. No doubt not far from this very place there were fields, and perhaps, even as He spoke, a sower was planting seed in a near-by field. Now, those who planted seed in the days when Jesus was here upon earth, carried their baskets of seed under one arm, and scat tered the seed with the other hand. (Con sider present-day methods.) Once a sower went forth from his home to plant some seed, Jesus said, but as he scattered the seed some of it fell by the wayside. You can imagine how hard the ground was there; and birds, seeing it, came and ate it all. Some of the seed fell where the ground was stony, with not much earth covering the stones. These seeds took root and came up, but when the sun came out, it scorched the plants and they soon died. Other seed fell among thorns and was soon choked. You have seen the weeds do this to your plants, have you not? But some of the seed that the sower scattered fell where the soil was good. These seeds took root and soon came up. These plants all brought forth fruit—some more abun dantly than others. After Jesus had told this story, His disciples asked the meaning of it, so He explained it to them. Now, the field where the seeds are planted are the “hearers.” When you go to church and Sunday school and glisten to the sermon or lesson, you are a 1hear er.” The seed that is soWn is the Word of God, and the sowers are those who tell forth the Word o f God. Jesus was the Sower at that time; and is still working today through His servants. The seed that fell by the wayside and was soon devoured by the birds, tells about those who hear the Word of God, but instead o f obeying as Jesus would like to have them do, listen to the evil thoughts Satan puts into their minds and hearts, and soon forget all about the words they have heard. Then, there are those who hear God’s Word and are happy at first; but, like the seeds planted in the stony ground, they soon lose their joy and fall with the first wind of diffi culty. (Mention some difficulties.) There are still others who hear the W ord; but the thorns, which tell of the cares of this world, soon choke out the Word of God, just as the weeds do in your garden. The thorns may be your love of play and your own plans, boys and girls, which choke out all that you have heard o f God’s Word at Sunday school. But the seed that fell on still another soil, I am glad to say, was good soil. This tells of the people who hear God’s Word at Sunday school and church and remember it all through the week, at home and school, and so bring forth in their lives the fruit of love, joy and peace. Your hearts, boys and girls, are like gardens wherein your Sunday-school teacher, from Sunday to Sunday, plants the seed o f God’s Word. I do hope your heart-garden is not full of weeds or stones, but rather contains good soil, and that you are not only a “hearer” of the Word, but a “ doer” also. Prayer.
V. 31. Grain o f mustard seed. The mustard plant was well known in Pales tine. A man took and sowed. To be con sistent, we must believe that the sower
Lesson: Matthew 13:24-52. ( Lesson Text: Matt. 13:31-33, 44-52.) Golden Text: “The kingdom of God is. not eating and drinking, but righteous ness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Rom. 14:17). * * * L esson in O utline I. The Mustard Seed (31, 32). 1. Small s e e d —insignificant begin ning. 2. Great t r e e—abnormal develop ment. . (Outward growth of the . ki ng dom.” ) II. The Leaven (33). 1. Leaven—symbol of corruption. 2. Method—“hid in three measures of meal.” 3. Process—“until all was leavened. (Inward development of evil in the kingdom.) 1. The man—the Lord Jesus. 2. The search (cf. Luke 19:10). 3. The pearl—the true church. V. The Drag Net (47-50). 1. The time—end of the age. 2. The agents—angels. 3. The separation—good into ves sels, bad cast away. 4. The judgment—fire. VI. The Householder (51, 52). * * * A pproach to the L esson The evident intent of all the parables in this chapter was to show the method of progress of the kingdom in the present age. The first four describe the kingdom from the human standpoint; the last three give us God’s view. In the first group the effort of the King to establish His king dom issues in apparent failure. The first parable tells of difficulties in the soil which hinder the propagation of the seed; in the second, an enemy sows tares; the third pictures the development of worldly power and authority in the kingdom, mak ing it a shelter for that which is evil; in the fourth, an evil within the kingdom causes decay and disintegration. The last group shows the King suc cessful. In the fifth parable He buys a field containing a hid treasure. In the sixth, he discovers a goodly pearl which He purchases at a great price. The sev enth pictures the final separation between good and evil. These parables do not teach the conver sion of the world by the gradual spread o f the Gospel and its final and universal acceptance. They rather portray a period o f imperfection and conflict in which evil seems to have a decided advantage. Yet there is no pessimistic note, for the king dom will come after a crisis of judgment at the end of the age (vs. 41-43, 47-50). III. The Hid Treasure (44). 1. The man—the Lord Jesus. 2. The field—the world. 3. The purchase—by redemption. IV, The Pearl (45, 46).
here, as in the first two parables, rep resents the Son of man. The field is the world. V. 32. Less than all seeds. It was very small in pro portion to the size
of the plant that sprang from it. Be- cometh a tree. According to a popular interpretation this describes the gradual development o f the Church, beginning with a few humble, unlettered disciples and finally becoming a great and power ful organization, with its overspreading branches offering shelter to the nations of earth. That the Church has grown and that it is a blessing, may be readily con ceded. The fact remains, however, that a mustard seed does not normally become a great tree. The inference, therefore, is that Jesus was describing, an abnormal, perverted growth, pointing to a time when the body calling itself the Church should forget its heavenly origin and character and seek worldly power and authority. The figure of a tree denoting greatness of a world power is familiar through the story o f Nebuchadnezzar (Dan. 4:20-22). Birds o f the air. As in the first parable, birds here represent evil and not good. That which is dishonoring to God finds shelter in the “kingdom.” II. The Leaven (33). V. 33. Like unto leaven. A popular view is that the leaven represents the in fluence o f Christ, which causes the Chris tian spirit to spread rapidly in the, hearts o f men until He finally holds universal sway. But this does violence to the ac knowledged fact that leaven everywhere else in Scripture is a symbol of that which is evil. It was forbidden in all o f ferings that were burned with fire. Jesus used it to symbolize evil doctrine ( c f . . Matthew 16:6, 12; Mhrk 8:15). Paul used it in a similar way (cf. 1 Cor. 5:6, 7; Gal. 5 :8, 9). Furthermore, the popular view contradicts the teaching of the other parables, none of which describe a victory in the present age. A woman . . . hid. This is a picture o f an enemy, insidiously planting a corrupting influence in the pure meal. It is historically true ’ that the Church has been enfeebled by partnership with evil. The enemy’s very first attack upon the Church from within was an at tempt to weaken it by injecting hypocrisy (Acts 5:1-11). Three measures o f meal. This amount of meal is mentioned in con nection with the offering brought by Abraham to the Angel of Jehovah (Gen. 18:6; cf. Judges 6:19; 1 Sam. 1:24). The patriarch was enjoying a feast of fellow ship with God. Since meal is the product of wheat, not of the darnel, it is difficult to conceive that it symbolizes corrupt hu
manity, as some would have it. III. The Hid Treasure (44).
V. .44. Like unto a treasure. In a popu lar view, this describes a sinner who stumbles upon the treasure (Gospel) and, appreciating it, gives up all to obtain Christ. While it is true that sacrifices of
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