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At Matthew 13, Jesus gave an illustration of a "sower" scattering "seed" on
different "soils".. Then his disciples came and asked him why he spoke in "parables"or
illustrations. Jesus replied, "Because it is given to you to know the
mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not." How are the
mysteries of the kingdom to be explained in depth since this kingdom is a
government, according to Isaiah 9:6,7 whereby Isaiah also says that Jesus
will "shoulder" it, that through this "kingdom" there will come to be
unending peace and that it is to be made known worldwide, according to
Matthew 24:14 ? |
| I am not
sure that I fully understand the question being put. But I will reply on the
basis of my understanding. First, if I may be bold. I am wary of grabbing a text from the Old Testament and then juxtaposing it against something in the New Testament and then drawing a 21st Century conclusion! For to do so may do an injustice to the author and meaning of the texts used. If I guess correctly, your question relates to some concern about how Matthew 13:10-12 might be interpreted and placed against the role of Jesus as messiah, saviour, king. My Jerusalem Bible text runs [Matthew 13: 1-12]: 'That same day, Jesus left the house and sat by the lakeside, but such crowds gathered round him that he got into a boat and sat there. The people all stood on the beach, and he told them many things in parablesŠ ŠThen the disciples went to him and asked, 'Why do you talk to them in parables?' 'Because' he replied 'the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven are revealed to you, but they are not revealed to them.' It is likely that the evangelist Matthew is in part drawing upon a similar text in the gospel according to Mark [Mk 4:10-12] But in Mark, the question posed to Jesus by his disciples takes place when he is alone with them, whereas in Matthew it appears to take place in the boat with all the people standing on the shore listening. This is not a question of who was right or whom wrong about the event. But getting the context, identifying the source and the intention of the author or redactor may be crucial to our own comprehension. My understanding of the words of Jesus quoted above is that in teaching the people in parables Jesus is telling them of the kingdom of God, he is encouraging them, urging them to respond to the seed of God's word, lest it get lost among the briars or on the stony ground of life. Both Mark and Matthew go to a great deal of trouble to relate these parables of the kingdom, and to record these words of Jesus, precisely because of their importance for making the kingdom of God known in future ages. But the people standing on the shore are contrasted with the disciples ‹ who have accompanied Jesus more continuously ‹ who are further along the road of knowledge about the kingdom, and understand better but not perfectly, the relevance and purpose of the Master. For me it is not one lot having all knowledge and the others being kept in ignorance. Rather it almost reflects our individual faith journey, as we first encounter the kingdom of God in our lives ‹ the seed falls upon the ground ‹ then within ourselves ‹ the seed grows and bears fruit. The kingdom of God is made present as our understanding grows, and as we respond to the word of God. Ultimately, that is how Christ in us makes God's kingdom present in the time and place in which we live, in our era. So it is our task to spread the word, by example, with energy and in fidelity to Christ. That, of course is where your reference to Matthew 24:14 is so apt: 'This Good News of the kingdom will be proclaimed to the whole world as a witness to all the nations. And then the end will come.' I hope that addresses satisfactorily, some of the issues raised in your original question. Peter Harrison fisherpeteruk@yahoo.co.uk |