Scripture: Then the disciples came and said to him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” 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. 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. 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. 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.” 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.’
But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. 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.” Matthew 13:10-17 ESV
[Click here to read the entire chapter.]
Observation: As mentioned in Friday’s Daily Focus, the disciples approach Jesus after he tells the crowd The Parable of the Sower and ask him why he speaks in parables (implying that his earlier nonparabolic messages were more accessible). They are not questioning this new development in his preaching but want to know why their Master would change tack. Thus, Jesus explains that he is still following his Father’s will and, in particular, is fulfilling Isaiah’s prophecy (Isaiah 6:9-10), which he quotes in verses 14 and 15 above (by which he closely follows the Masoretic Text, the authoritative Hebrew and Aramaic scrolls of the Hebrew Bible).
While Mark (4:10-12) and Luke (8:9-10; 10:23-24) present parallel pericopes, Matthew includes significantly more detail because he wants his reader to remember how Christ fulfills Messianic prophecy. Indeed, as theologian D. A. Carson observes, Matthew follows a chiastic structure for the entire passage to direct his Jewish audience to the primary point of Jesus’ parables (addressed below) and make it memorable.
Chiasms, primarily found in the Psalms, are called such because each line progresses in thought to a central point and then retraces in reverse order forming a chevron pattern to its content. The chevron is half the Greek symbol for the letter chi (χ). In Matthew’s chiasm, he wants his audience to focus on Isaiah’s quote: “and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes. Thus, Matthew, tagging Isaiah, forewarns his audience of spiritual blindness. And if left unchecked, they, like the Pharisees and most of the crowd, will miss out on kingdom life.
So that’s its structure. Thematically, as theologian Michael Wilkins suggests, this segue passage follows the below outline:
- The secrets of the kingdom of heaven (v.11)
- Sovereignty and responsibility (vv.12-13)
- Hard-hearted crowds (vv.14-15)
- Blessed disciples (vv.16-17)
And, as Wilkins concludes, “He uses the parables to cause the listener to make a decision about the kingdom of God” (NIV Application Commentary: Matthew (p.476). We will follow Wilkins’ thematic outline below.
Takeaway: The Greek word for “secrets” is mysteria (mysteries) which, as Wilkins notes, is of Semitic origin and refers to an end-of-the-age secret passed on in “veiled speech to God’s chosen” (p.476). The author of Daniel uses this same word about his night vision that revealed the meaning of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream (Daniel 2:18-19). And this word appears in Psalm 25, where David declares that those who fear the Lord will know the mysteries (translated as “friendship”) of his covenant (verse 14). Similarly, Jesus announces only those whom the Father elects (who fear the Lord) will develop an understanding of his kingdom’s mysterious nature and expansion.
God’s sovereignty is in view here, and it is good news for those of us whose hearts are for God. But what about the heard-hearted who remain ignorant? Is that fair? Do they not deserve the same opportunity to have their ah-ha moment? The invitation to hear and see with understanding is for all, but only a few respond. And even we who gratefully embrace faith in Christ need help (his grace) to hear, see, and comprehend the mystery of our Gospel.
Still, we may wonder why grace is imparted to some and not to others. Wilkins rightfully notes that free will mysteriously flows under God’s sovereign will. Being created in the image of God, we exercise our free will to reason and believe. But God, unrestricted by time and space, knows every choice we will make even before we take our first breath. Indeed, David poetically declares, “Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them” (Psalm 139:16).
So why would God create those he knows will reject him and his Son? Paul provides a candid and succinct answer (albeit unsatisfactory to some believers): to reveal our Lord’s power, the riches of his glory, and to proclaim his glorious and merciful name in all the earth (Romans 9:17-23). Paul cautions the Romans (and us) not to push the debate any further, for they (and we} are God’s creatures, and he is our creator.
Finally, as applies to our takeaway, we are his blessed disciples. No matter our Christian theology, whether Reformed, Dispensational or Arminian, our beloved Savior chose us to hear and see the mysteries of his kingdom and discern our part in expanding its boundaries into the hearts and minds of the least, the last, and the lost. And his parables force a decision about the kingdom and its king that separates his sheep from masqueraders.
Prayer: Father God, we thank you for your Son, who ushered in his kingdom on earth. And we thank you for his parables that bring understanding to the purpose of his kingdom and force a decision to join the movement or move on. So would you please help us to hear and see with greater understanding each time we reflect on his parables so that we might grow his kingdom and glorify yours and his name? Amen.
Rev. Gordon Green, M.Div., M.A. Counseling
Leave a Reply