We have been looking at a series of parables designed to teach
about the kingdom of heaven in a veiled way.
Last time we looked at four parables that answer the question, “Why is God
still sowing seed while we wait for the kingdom?” Earlier in the parable of the four soils, we
saw that this seed is the Word of God which has varying results at harvest depending
on the receptivity of the soil.
Now, this time, we will finish chapter 13 and move quickly
through chapter 14 to look at several pericopes that demonstrate the varying
receptivity of different people just as Jesus taught in the parable of the four
soils. There are actually five pericopes
we will zip through in this endeavor.
While there are several lesser observations that we will not have time
to develop and apply, hopefully we can mention some of these sub themes as we
ride by at full speed. What we are
attempting to do is to get a good handle on what Matthew’s purpose is in
telling his future audiences these accounts.
They are all tied together and are deliberately placed in the text right
after his day long teaching of parables.
The first pericope is in Matthew 13:53-58. The ESV
titles it: “Jesus Rejected at Nazareth.”
Right after Jesus delivered his last parable at the seaside, He left and
went to Nazareth some 25 miles from Capernaum so he may have made the journey
the day after leaving the seaside after spending the night in Capernaum. Nazareth is where he grew up after his family
returned from Egypt. This passage
informs us that he had four brothers as well as some unnamed sisters. We learn that His step father was skilled in
the building trade. (That is the actual meaning of the word usually translated “carpenter.”
The word encompasses working with both wood and stone for constructing
buildings—not furniture. So, a better
translation would be: “Is this not the builder’s son?”) The townsfolk were familiar with the whole
family including Jesus, the one they would have called the builder’s eldest
son. Remember that Joseph was protecting
Mary from any hint of scandal so as far as anyone in town knew, Joseph was the
real father. (Jesus had been born out of town and lived awhile in Egypt before
moving to Nazareth). Nazareth was not a
large town at all but very Jewish even though it was just 3½ miles from the much
larger pagan Roman metropolis of Sepphoris.
No wonder the townsfolk were so bewildered by Jesus’ wisdom and facility
in the Scriptures. There were no
universities in Nazareth. The saying
that “familiarity breeds contempt” was thus demonstrated in full right
there. “I used to babysit for you—you
can’t be the Messiah.” Thus, this is the
real-life illustration of the seed sown on the path. Matthew comments that He did not do many
mighty works there because of their unbelief. In many places, people have become so
familiar with the gospel that they reject the Savior. They have become inoculated against it and
few people are even paying attention anymore.
The second pericope is in Matthew 14:1-12. This
catches us up with the death of John the Baptist which had already
occurred. Wicked King Herod had already
had him beheaded but upon hearing about the miracles that Jesus was doing, He
wondered if Jesus might be John resurrected from the dead! He had no problem believing in miracles from
God! But he wasn’t coming to Jesus for
entrance into the kingdom of heaven. Herod
is like the seed sown on rocky ground. Mark
6 even says he listened to John “gladly” like the rocky ground seed that
received the Word “with joy.” But there were
too many relationship obstacles and pleasurable pursuits for him to give up if
he were to follow Jesus. In the end he
murdered the man who had the words of life.
The third pericope is in Matthew 14:13-21. The ESV
entitles this “Jesus feeds the 5000.”
Matthew positions this pericope immediately after being told about John
the Baptist’s death. And Jesus went away
to a desolate place all by Himself –perhaps to mourn for John and pray. But it wasn’t long before the crowds found
Him out in the middle of nowhere. They
had made great effort to track Him down.
And so, Jesus saw them on the shore there and He landed His boat and had
compassion on them and healed them all day.
When the disciples realized that there was no food they tried to send
the people on a long trek to find dinner but Jesus insisted that they feed
them! So, the disciples showed that they
had at least prepared enough for themselves and had but five loaves and two
fish but Jesus took them and blessed them and had them pass out the pieces as He
broke them and they fed over 5000 and had leftovers enough for each of the
twelve to carry a whole basket home.
This crowd’s response is like the seed sown among the weeds and the
thorns. It grows but doesn’t bear much
fruit. This crowd is believing in Him
but mostly for the food and miracles.
The fourth pericope is in Matthew 14:22-32. This is
the familiar account of Jesus walking on the water. Matthew places this immediately after feeding
the 5000. The disciples hit the boat and
leave very quickly while Jesus stays behind to dismiss the crowd. Meanwhile the disciples in the boat encounter
contrary winds and row all night long.
But Jesus catches up to them in the fourth watch of the night (this is
3-6 am) by walking on the water. They
were so frightened they even thought He was a spirit. But Jesus spoke to them
(apparently, they could hear Him despite the wind) and identified Himself. He told them to take courage and don’t be
afraid. That’s when Peter realized that
this really was Jesus. And His faith
welled up and emboldened Him to ask if he could also walk out to Him on the
water. Jesus told him to come and away
Peter went for a few minutes—and then he was distracted by the impossibilities
surrounding him and he began to sink.
But he cried, “Lord, save me” and Jesus grabbed hold of him and then
asked, “Why did you doubt?” They both
got into the boat. The wind
stopped. And everyone worshiped Jesus
saying, “You are the Son of God.” They
were totally convinced. This is like
soil #4, the fertile ground. There are
varying levels of belief but they all trust Him as the Son of God.
Now the final pericope is in Matthew 14:34-36. Matthew
again places this account immediately after they land their boat the next
morning. There hasn’t been any rest but
the people of Gennesaret immediately brought their sick to see Him. They even begged to touch his hem or possibly
the tassel of His tallit—His prayer shawl—and those who did were also
healed. Again, there is at least faith
enough to receive healing. This is
likely soil #3 or #4 again.
Do you see the varying faith responses to Jesus? Jesus longs to see the response of
faith. He encourages it every step of
the way. He is looking for faith that
grows and is fruitful.
Here’s a question to think about. How has your faith been growing?
© 2018 Eric Thimell
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