Sermon: The Purpose of Parables Matthew 13:10-17
Truth Taught- Parables are designed to reveal truth to those with spiritual insight and hide truth from those without spiritual insight.
Introduction
We learned two weeks ago that Jesus has a purpose in using parabolic teaching. We learned that for some a parable reveals truth that can only be acquired by the spiritual. We also learned that parables are designed to hide truth from those who will forever remain lost.
The crowds, in general, along with the religious leaders also in general have passed over into the realm of God’s just judgment. Jesus taught them, healed them, cast out demons from them, brought their dead back to life, literally doing the things the prophecies foretold that the Messiah would do and their attitude remained…that’s nice Jesus hey can You perform another sign for us? There was no repentance of sin, no brokenness over their iniquity, their time had passed.
Understand, you can only say no to God so many times until your opportunity is passed. A parable says to those who will never repent I am through teaching you. You do not deserve the wealth of God seeing that you have trampled it underfoot. The parable is Jesus saying, I will not cast pearls before swine. I will not take what is ultimately and infinitely precious and cast it out and have it thrown in the trash.
So, a parable hides truth from those on the outside who cannot understand the value of what they have been given. It also reveals truth to those who by God’s grace are eager to receive it. To them it is precious and of infinite value. That’s precisely why at the end of the Parable of the Soils Jesus proclaims,
Matthew 13:9 (ESV)
9 He who has ears, let him hear.”
This means, If, by God’s grace you have spiritual hearing and understanding, listen up!
How do you handle the things of God? Are they precious and important or are they something you could take or leave? These are precious things God has given us to care for and to grow from. These are priceless treasures. His Word, the Holy Spirit, our privilege to pray, the fact that God is working in our lives, He hears our prayers, His Son has died for us and many other truths are more valuable than all the wealth on earth. How we treat those things show whether or not we have passed from death to life. How is your spiritual hearing? Let me say that again…How is your spiritual hearing?
Do you have ears to hear?
Matthew 13:10–17 (ESV)
10 Then the disciples came and said to him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” 11 And he answered them, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. 12 For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. 13 This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. 14 Indeed, in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says:
“ ‘ “You will indeed hear but never understand,
and you will indeed see but never perceive.”
15 For this people’s heart has grown dull,
and with their ears they can barely hear,
and their eyes they have closed,
lest they should see with their eyes
and hear with their ears
and understand with their heart
and turn, and I would heal them.’
16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. 17 For truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.
1. Jesus Spoke in Parables to Hide Truth and to Reveal Truth (13:10-12)
10 Then the disciples came and said to him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” 11 And he answered them, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. 12 For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.
A. Jesus Spoke in Parables to Share the Secrets of the Kingdom with His Disciples
“To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven
The Parables Jesus teaches with reveal the mysteries of the Kingdom of God. When our Lord entered into human history at the incarnation the Kingdom was made visible. The Parables teach about the nature of this Kingdom being now mixed with human frailty and sin. One day, at it’s consummation it will be pure and perfect.
These people are not nor will they ever be part of the Kingdom of God.
John 3:3 (ESV)
3 Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
Those who belong to God, those born again are given spiritual hearing and sight when they receive Holy Spirit. As believers we possess the tools, if you will, to hear and see spiritual things. The mysteries of the Kingdom are opened up and with the help of Jesus we can understand and believe.
To understand these mysteries is always a matter of divine grace because these mysteries are not attained by human wisdom but by spiritual insight.
Matthew 11:25–26 (ESV)
25 At that time Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; 26 yes, Father, for such was your gracious will.
Jesus thanks God that this is how He works. Jesus thanks His Father for His divine grace given at His discretion.
To have your spiritual insight opened is a move of God and a display of free grace. There is no way anyone can understand unless God opens their minds and renews their hearts through salvation. Even then we don’t understand everything and have to work at it.
The point Jesus is making is that no one deserves this mercy and enlightenment. No one earns it or receives it because they are a good person. Jesus chose His disciples and He chose others to reveal Himself to. He chooses people today. If you’re a Christian today its because God chose you too.
You’re reading your Bible, let’s say, and you’re reading through a passage perhaps that you’ve read before but now it’s like something clicks and it’s almost like you’ve never read it before. God has just given you spiritual insight into that particular passage. Praise Him because He has not only shown you something but has also reminded you that you’re His. Praise Him because the reality is not everyone is given this spiritual knowledge and in His divine plan He has given it to you. Praise God for His work in our lives!!
What a blessing to realize God has chosen you and has given you His Spirit and insight into His Word. This is a wonderful gift.
For those who are here today, you are not here by accident. God in His providence has gathered us together for the purpose of worship and to show us truth from His Word. He is giving us what we need to be faithful in this life and is reminding us that we are His people, called to salvation in Christ.
To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven.
B. Jesus Spoke in Parables to Lessen the Lost’s Judgment
but to them it has not been given. 12 For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.
Here we see a strange twist in the mercy of God. Jesus understands there are some who will never repent and come to Him by faith. So, He shows them mercy by not giving them truth straight up because they will be held accountable for that truth.
Verse 12 tells us that the truths we are given by God we are held responsible to learn them and live them. So when a group will never turn to Christ, our Lord hides truth to lessen their judgment. We see even in this a level of mercy.
Jesus has already said of His followers,
John 17:6 (ESV)
6 “I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world. Yours they were, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word.
John 17:16–17 (ESV)
16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 17 Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.
There is the world and there is the elect. To the chosen God’s Word is revealed and to the non-elect God’s Word is hidden.
2. Jesus Speaks in Parables as a Fulfillment of Prophecy
13 This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. 14 Indeed, in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says:
“ ‘ “You will indeed hear but never understand,
and you will indeed see but never perceive.”
15 For this people’s heart has grown dull,
and with their ears they can barely hear,
and their eyes they have closed,
lest they should see with their eyes
and hear with their ears
and understand with their heart
and turn, and I would heal them.’
The prophecy Jesus quotes comes to us from Isaiah 6 which is Isaiah’s commission to be a prophet.
Isaiah 6:8–11 (ESV)
8 And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me.” 9 And he said, “Go, and say to this people:
“ ‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand;
keep on seeing, but do not perceive.’
10 Make the heart of this people dull,
and their ears heavy,
and blind their eyes;
lest they see with their eyes,
and hear with their ears,
and understand with their hearts,
and turn and be healed.”
11 Then I said, “How long, O Lord?”
And he said:
“Until cities lie waste
without inhabitant,
and houses without people,
and the land is a desolate waste,
Isaiah was commissioned to be a prophet that would announce judgment. The people in Isaiah’s day refused to repent and turn to God. The context on Isaiah is that they would rather make for themselves idols to worship rather than to worship God. So, as a form of judgment God made them like the idols they worshipped. Like their idols, they had ears but could not hear and eyes but could not see.
Psalm 115:4–11 (ESV)
4 Their idols are silver and gold,
the work of human hands.
5 They have mouths, but do not speak;
eyes, but do not see.
6 They have ears, but do not hear;
noses, but do not smell.
7 They have hands, but do not feel;
feet, but do not walk;
and they do not make a sound in their throat.
8 Those who make them become like them;
so do all who trust in them.
9 O Israel, trust in the Lord!
He is their help and their shield.
10 O house of Aaron, trust in the Lord!
He is their help and their shield.
11 You who fear the Lord, trust in the Lord!
He is their help and their shield.
Those in Jesus’ day who were constantly exposed to His ministry cast Him aside to their own destruction. God hardens their hearts and gives them over to themselves. No more will Jesus call them to repent, no more will He teach them clearly and freely. They have entered a time where the pearls of truth and the rubies of repentance are no longer offered. Parables hide truth and God has given them up to their own destruction.
3. Jesus Spoke in Parables to Greatly Bless His Disciples
16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. 17 For truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.
Did you catch the language? Do you see the difference here between the sensory organs of the disciples verses the people? Those whom God has called have eyes that see and ears that hear. So in tune with Jesus’ message are the disciples that Jesus even tells them that the godly prophets never saw or heard what they are seeing and hearing.
The prophets in the Old Testament saw Christ from afar but didn’t get to truly see Him like the disciples are. The prophets searched diligently and longed to see what the disciples are currently seeing but they never did get to see.
Isaiah 64:1 (ESV)
Oh that you would rend the heavens and come down,
that the mountains might quake at your presence—
Hebrews 11:13 (ESV)
13 These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.
Conclusion
What should our response be to this passage?
You see God has sent His Son to preach the Kingdom of God by way of faith and repentance. The crowd said some impressive things…could this be the Son of David? They never trusted Jesus as the Son of David. Oh His teaching is so amazing but they never obeyed what Jesus taught.
My fear is that there are some here today perhaps who acknowledge some truths about Jesus and perhaps even affirm those truths. They have never trusted Christ by faith and repented of their sin and turned to Him to be saved.
Or the other possible application is that there may be some here today who do not fully grasp the treasure we have been given in Jesus. Perhaps your hearing is dull and your eyesight dim because you are worshipping other things. Has God dimmed your understanding because there are other things you’re focused on and your affections fixed to?
Oh Sovereign Grace Church…
9 O Israel, trust in the Lord!
He is their help and their shield.
10 O house of Aaron, trust in the Lord!
He is their help and their shield.
11 You who fear the Lord, trust in the Lord!
He is their help and their shield.
*Resources Used:
Matthew by D A Carson in the Expositor’s Bible Commentary
A Theology of Matthew by Charles Quarles
A Gospel of Matthew by France
Matthew by Craig Bloomberg
Matthew by Doriani
Matthew by Charles Price
Matthew by Leon Morris
Blue Letter Bible
Matthew by William Hendrikson
