Year Two, May 1

He Marveled Because of Their Unbelief1

Our loving Lord has left us many priceless parables in which he made great truths clear. He deserves our love for lowering himself to our level of understanding.

  

Matthew 13:31-33; 44-58

31[Jesus] put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. 32It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.”

Mustard of this kind is common in Palestine. Nothing at its beginning could be smaller, or less noticed, than the church of Christ. But nothing in the end will be so great and honorable. Already many happy souls, like birds, are resting in its branches.

33He told them another parable. “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all leavened.”

It works silently, mysteriously, and powerfully. And so do good or evil influences work in society.

44“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

45“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, 46who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it. (The first man represents the sinner who is converted suddenly. He finds Jesus even though he was not looking for him. The second man is the diligent seeker who has been seeking Jesus and finally discovers him. They both agree that their treasure is of the highest value. Do we value Jesus like this? Is he very precious to our hearts?)

47“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind. 48When it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into containers but threw away the bad. 49So it will be at the close of the age. Then angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous 50and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (No church will be perfect here. The pure church is above.)

51“Have you understood all these things?” They said to him, “Yes.” 52And he said to them, “Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house, who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.”

53And when Jesus had finished these parables, he went away from there, 54and coming to his hometown he taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished, and said, “Where did this man get this wisdom and these mighty works? 55Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? 56And are not all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?” 57And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and in his own household.” (Foolish people live in all ages. They like things that are hard to understand and that come from great distances. They would despise gold itself if they could dig it up in their own garden. Such folly led the people of Nazareth to do the Lord a great injustice and to rob themselves of many priceless blessings. We may fall into the same kinds of error is we allow prejudice or fancy teachings to rule our judgment.)

58And he did not do many mighty works there, because of their unbelief. (Unbelief ties the hands of the incarnate2 God. It is to be feared that the reason for the slow progress of true religion at this time is found in the unbelief of the people of God.)

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¹ Mark 6:6

² incarnate - In human form, in the flesh, in physical form, in bodily form. “God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself.” (2 Corinthians 5:19 NASB.)