Matthew 13:18-23
Is all this talk about the Kingdom really necessary? It seems that Jesus makes it of utmost importance in these Chapter 13 parables. The disciples asked Jesus if these parables were really necessary. His answer was "to you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given" (13:11). Our passage this morning is actually the explanation of the parable told by Jesus in vv. 1-9. The point seems to be found in v. 19; what do you do with the word of the Kingdom once you hear about it? The other parables are about the Kingdom, each beginning with, "The kingdom of heaven is like..."
You know, I really have to fight trying to be the Holy Spirit. You can't make people get keyed into the Kingdom life, but you sure want everyone to. These verses explain the reason I continue to hear "Your hair keeps getting grayer" whenever my family gets together on holidays. These verses include the ongoing consternation in my soul for the congregation I am responsible for and for which I will one day give an account. My greatest challenge (v. 19), my greatest frustration (vv. 20-21), my greatest heartache (v. 22), and my greatest joy (v. 23).
These verses also show the reality of, not just my congregation but every congregation, and more than that an important evaluation key ALL of us must use on a regular basis. The question is, "What are you doing with the knowledge of the Kingdom?"
Vs. 19 Understanding--some just don't get it. 1 Corinthians 2:14 says these things are spiritually discerned; the natural person does not accept the things of God's Kingdom. It's a spiritual problem. What a challenge! I'm going to step way out on a soteriological limb for some of you and point back to Matthew 11:27. I don't want a debate; just want to make the point that proclaiming and praying is about all we can do.
Vv. 20-21 Depth of Soil (see 13:4-5)--some just don't give themselves to discipleship. We call this "easy believism." We give invitations to come and have your sins forgiven but not to make Jesus Lord of everything. We have folks who get really excited about what they can get, but when the call for giving (discipleship) comes they aren't as excited and eventually fall away. When we start trying to go deeper, really digging into the word, really challenging all the forces of sin in our lives, all of a sudden we start just wanting encouragement and not conviction; we want rapture without repentance. "Another sermon on 1 Peter 2:4-5? Haven't we gone deep enough?" Can you tell this is my great frustration? It's also the very thing I battle. It's much easier to skim the surface, believe me!
V. 22 Earthly Perspective--some just prefer the world to the Kingdom. This is my greatest heartache. We tend to sugar-coat it and call it backsliding, but it is really a dangerous place to be. We either belong to the Kingdom or we don't. I'm not saying Christian's can't backslide; I'm saying some labeled as backslidden think they are backslidden, but in reality aren't backslidden at all. They have their names on a church roll, but is it in the Lamb's Book of Life? It breaks my heart.
V. 23 Fruitful--my greatest joy. To see Jesus followers who live abundant lives; fruitful lives through which Jesus continues to move and work on this earth. Folks who really understand the Word of the Kingdom.
It's easy for me to give a personal perspective about others, isn't it? How about when I turn those four points around on myself? I would like to think I'm a fruitful Christian. Does the Devil tempt me with the world? Yes. Are there times when I am tempted to just take the easy road and not dig too deep into the challenging parts of Scripture? Absolutely. In fact all of us must turn this evaluation key around on ourselves and answer the question, "What am I doing with the knowledge of the Kingdom?"
