nation, what will be the end of their apostacy f The three parables spoken to the multitude: the Tares, the Mus- tard Seed, and the Leaven, answer these questions, and will be considered in fu- ture lessons. The Sower: Jesus, the Son of God, Isreal's Mes- siah; the Seed, the Word of God, the soil, the different classes of hearers, which were four: (a) The one who heard the Word and understood it not; the Wicked One catcheth it away. This is he which receiveth it by the wayside. There were those who had heard the Word but understanding it not, had deliber- ately turned away from the truth and passed under the control of Satan (Matt. 11:20-27; John 8:42-44). (b) " T he one who heareth the Word and with joy receiveth it, but had not root in himself." There were they who had heard and welcomed the truth but fearing the persecution of the rulers, had turned back (John 6:66). (c) The one who heareth the Word, but the cares of this world and the de- ceitfulness of riches choke the Word, he it is who "receiveth seed among thorns." Many in that day, as in our own times, were friendlv to Christ, but knowing that fidelity to Him meant the sacrifice of worldly pleasure and ease, smothered their convictions and drifted with the tide (Luke 21:34, 35). (d) There were still others who heard and received and brought forth fruit, thirty, sixty and a hundred fold. They had forsaken all to follow Him. PRACTICAL LESSONS. While these parables find their first application in Israel and the faithful remnant; from a spiritual standpoint, they are just as applicable to us today. " Th at whieh is born of the flesh is flesh," whether Jewish or Gentile, it is all the same, and the same evil forces are operating today. The Spirit-taught teacher will have no difficulty in find- ing lessons that will apply to any class. 1. If we close our eyes to the truth, we shall lose our power to discern the truth. 2. If we will not have the truth, we must take strong delusions( 2 Thess. 2:10-12). These delusions are now among us. The last days are upon us. The only hope for any one is to take refuge in the Truth. 3. We are all sowers, and we must reap what we sow (Ps. 126:6; Gal. 6:7).
own lips (Matt. 5, 6 and 7). Note especially Matt. 7:24-29. But in the face of all this they closed their eyes and stopped their ears, and took coun- cil to destroy Him, and in them was fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah in verses 14 and 15. But there was a faithful • remnant who had turned^ from their sins and forsaken all to follow Him. To them He said, "Blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they h e a r "( Vs. 16). Let us keep in mind that the parables which are to follow have to do first, so far as interpretation is concerned, with these two classes —the rebellious mul- titude and the faithful remnant. The truth here revealed is dealt with more ^ in detail by Paul, in Romans, Chaps. 9-11, and is still more fully expanded later on by John in the Revelation, where we see the final culmination of the apostacy on one hand, and the rich reward of the faithful overcomer on the other. INTERPRETATION. Jesus declares that the Parable of the Sower is the key parable—"Know ye not this parable, how then will ye know all parables" (Mark 4:13). That is, a proper understanding of this parable will enable you to understand all the parables. Keep in mind that between these two classes—the rebellious multi- tude who have proven their incapacity for understanding further revelation, and the faithful remnant who had ac- cepted their Messiah—the contrast is drawn. Their eyes—the rebellious mul- titudes—are closed; your ears—the faithful remnant—they see; their ears are closed; your ears, they hear. In this parable, Jesus shows the cause which led to the rejection of the Kingdom, and the consequent future condition of the nation. The causes of the rejection were three: (1) The opposition of Satan ( " The Wicked one," Vs. 19). (2) The weakness of the flesh ( " no root in himself," Vs. 21). (3) The cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches (Vs. 23). The Enemy: This trinity of evils the world, the flesh, and the devil," had blinded Isreal's eyes (Verses 14 and 15), so that she failed to recognize her King, and as a consequence spurned His of- fers of mercy, and put Him to open shame. Now the question naturally arises, what is to become of the elect
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