Shalom, everyone.
I've heard these parables of our Master being used time and time again as support for this point of view or that point of view, that I feel it's high time we understand the true meaning of these parables.
First and foremost, these are parables about the King and His Kingdom, and that does NOT mean about the "church!" Yeshua` is talking about Himself as the future King of Isra'el and the Kingdom of God or God's Kingdom or the Kingdom from the sky (from "heaven") that He brings back with Him when He WILL return!
Of the various parables recorded in Matthew 13, only the first one may be thought about as referring to this time period in which we currently live and call the "present." ALL of the others are about His FUTURE Kingdom.
To understand this, let's springboard into them from another of Yeshua`s parables found in Luke 19:
Luke 19:11-28
11 And as they heard these things, he added and spake a parable, because he was nigh to Jerusalem, and because they thought that the kingdom of God should immediately appear.
12 He said therefore, A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return.
13 And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come.
14 But his citizens hated him, and sent a message after him, saying, We will not have this man to reign over us.
15 And it came to pass, that when he was returned, having received the kingdom, then he commanded these servants to be called unto him, to whom he had given the money, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading.
16 Then came the first, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained ten pounds.
17 And he said unto him, Well, thou good servant: because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities.
18 And the second came, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained five pounds.
19 And he said likewise to him, Be thou also over five cities.
20 And another came, saying, Lord, behold, here is thy pound, which I have kept laid up in a napkin:
21 For I feared thee, because thou art an austere man: thou takest up that thou layedst not down, and reapest that thou didst not sow.
22 And he saith unto him, Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee, thou wicked servant. Thou knewest that I was an austere man, taking up that I laid not down, and reaping that I did not sow:
23 Wherefore then gavest not thou my money into the bank, that at my coming I might have required mine own with usury?
24 And he said unto them that stood by, Take from him the pound, and give it to him that hath ten pounds.
25 (And they said unto him, Lord, he hath ten pounds.)
26 For I say unto you, That unto every one which hath shall be given; and from him that hath not, even that he hath shall be taken away from him.
27 But those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me.
28 And when he had thus spoken, he went before, ascending up to Jerusalem.
KJV
Notice the highlighted portions above, the parable surrounding the parable, so to speak. I believe (and I also think many of you do, too) that Yeshua` (Jesus) IS that "certain nobleman," as the KJV put it. That it was...
1. YESHUA` who "went into a far country (to His Father) to receive for Himself a kingdom," and that it was...
2. YESHUA` who will "return," and that it was...
3. YESHUA` who will be the one who "when He was returned," will be He "having received the kingdom." Finally, it was...
4. YESHUA` who "called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, 'Occupy till I come.'"
Then, He introduced the parable within the parable, namely the Parable about the Ten Pounds, or in other locations, the Parable of the Talents.
Therefore, WE are the servants to whom He entrusted those "pounds" or "talents" and He expects us to trade with them and increase His wealth during the NOW - the PRESENT - before He will return and take account of how well we did. Of course, not worrying at this point about what the "pounds" or "talents" are, my main concern is the TIMING of the events! From this parable, we can glean the information that the Kingdom is something Yeshua` LEFT the earth to acquire and that He will bring it WITH HIM when He LITERALLY and BODILY returns!
If He returned "spiritually" at Pentecost or some other such time, like the stoning of Stephen, then the Parable about the Ten Pounds or the Parable of the Talents IS OVER, and Yeshua` is already reigning!
I don't think so. If Yeshua` is already reigning, then - as I've said before - He is a very impotent King! If He is just to reign "in the hearts of men," then His "reign" is getting weaker, not stronger! No, this is NOT the correct way to expect His Kingdom. Look at the Messianic Psalm, Psalm 2. I've included quotation marks for you in descending order as such, namely ", ', <<, >>, ', ". I also added red letters for Yeshua`s words and purple letters for the LORD'S words (two different shades):
Psalm 2:1-12
1 Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?
2 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his Anointed, saying,
3 "Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us."
4 He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the LORD shall have them in derision.
5 Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure.
6 "Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.
7 I will declare the decree: 'the LORD hath said unto me, <<Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.
8 Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.
9 Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.>>'
10 Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth.
11 Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling.
12 Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him."
KJV
This is not just some "spiritual" message that is to be "interpreted" in some allegorical way; I believe this is a REAL, LITERAL occurrence that WILL happen at some point (or perhaps, at many points) within the reign of the Messiah when He returns!
Why DO the goyim, the Gentiles, the heathen rage (Hebrew: raagshuw = they-are-in-an-uproar; they-are-being-disorderly) and the communities imagine (Hebrew: yehguw = they-murmur; they-grumble; they-complain-under-their-breath) a vain thing (Hebrew: riyq = emptiness; a-worthless-thing)?
These kings of the earth "set themselves" (yityaatsvuw = they-station-themselves) and the leaders take counsel together - they have a United Nations meeting - against the LORD (YHWH), the INFINITE GOD, and against His Anointed One, the Messiah, His Representative! They will say,
"Let's tear off their restraints, and throw their ropes away from us!" They are talking about BOTH the LORD (God Himself) AND His Messiah (Yeshua` the King) in the word "their!"
Then, in the middle of their meeting, they hear, "Heh. Heh, heh. Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! HA! HA! HAW! HAW! HAW! 'Let's tear off their restraints.' That's RICH! 'Let's throw their ropes away from us.' Boo-hoo! HAW! HAW! HAW!" When He's through laughing, He speaks to them in a clear, unmistakeable voice, heavy in his wrath (Hebrew: b'apow = in-his-nostrils/passion) and in his burning anger (Hebrew: uwbacharownow = in-his-blaze) He shall vex them (Hebrew: yvahaleemow = he-shall-make-them-tremble; he-shall-alarm-them)!
"Yet have I set MY King upon MY holy mountain Tsiown! Here, let me remind you about the decree:
"'The LORD (YHWH, God the Father) has said to me (Yeshua`, the Son of God), "You are My SON! I have fathered you this very day! If you ask me for it, I will give you all the goyim - the nations - for your inheritance and the farthest extremities of the earth for your possession! You will break them to pieces with a switch of iron! You will shatter them like so many shards of pottery!"'
"So therefore,... be wise now, O kings! Learn your lesson, O judges of the earth! Work for YHWH in fear! Spin around cringing in shuddering! Kiss the Heir (in welcome) or else He may become enraged and you will be destroyed on the road when His anger flares up even a little! Happy are all those who flee to HIM for their protection!"
Now, all that being said, let's get into the parables of Matthew 13 as how they really apply to the FUTURE Kingdom:
I've heard these parables of our Master being used time and time again as support for this point of view or that point of view, that I feel it's high time we understand the true meaning of these parables.
First and foremost, these are parables about the King and His Kingdom, and that does NOT mean about the "church!" Yeshua` is talking about Himself as the future King of Isra'el and the Kingdom of God or God's Kingdom or the Kingdom from the sky (from "heaven") that He brings back with Him when He WILL return!
Of the various parables recorded in Matthew 13, only the first one may be thought about as referring to this time period in which we currently live and call the "present." ALL of the others are about His FUTURE Kingdom.
To understand this, let's springboard into them from another of Yeshua`s parables found in Luke 19:
Luke 19:11-28
11 And as they heard these things, he added and spake a parable, because he was nigh to Jerusalem, and because they thought that the kingdom of God should immediately appear.
12 He said therefore, A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return.
13 And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come.
14 But his citizens hated him, and sent a message after him, saying, We will not have this man to reign over us.
15 And it came to pass, that when he was returned, having received the kingdom, then he commanded these servants to be called unto him, to whom he had given the money, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading.
16 Then came the first, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained ten pounds.
17 And he said unto him, Well, thou good servant: because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities.
18 And the second came, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained five pounds.
19 And he said likewise to him, Be thou also over five cities.
20 And another came, saying, Lord, behold, here is thy pound, which I have kept laid up in a napkin:
21 For I feared thee, because thou art an austere man: thou takest up that thou layedst not down, and reapest that thou didst not sow.
22 And he saith unto him, Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee, thou wicked servant. Thou knewest that I was an austere man, taking up that I laid not down, and reaping that I did not sow:
23 Wherefore then gavest not thou my money into the bank, that at my coming I might have required mine own with usury?
24 And he said unto them that stood by, Take from him the pound, and give it to him that hath ten pounds.
25 (And they said unto him, Lord, he hath ten pounds.)
26 For I say unto you, That unto every one which hath shall be given; and from him that hath not, even that he hath shall be taken away from him.
27 But those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me.
28 And when he had thus spoken, he went before, ascending up to Jerusalem.
KJV
Notice the highlighted portions above, the parable surrounding the parable, so to speak. I believe (and I also think many of you do, too) that Yeshua` (Jesus) IS that "certain nobleman," as the KJV put it. That it was...
1. YESHUA` who "went into a far country (to His Father) to receive for Himself a kingdom," and that it was...
2. YESHUA` who will "return," and that it was...
3. YESHUA` who will be the one who "when He was returned," will be He "having received the kingdom." Finally, it was...
4. YESHUA` who "called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, 'Occupy till I come.'"
Then, He introduced the parable within the parable, namely the Parable about the Ten Pounds, or in other locations, the Parable of the Talents.
Therefore, WE are the servants to whom He entrusted those "pounds" or "talents" and He expects us to trade with them and increase His wealth during the NOW - the PRESENT - before He will return and take account of how well we did. Of course, not worrying at this point about what the "pounds" or "talents" are, my main concern is the TIMING of the events! From this parable, we can glean the information that the Kingdom is something Yeshua` LEFT the earth to acquire and that He will bring it WITH HIM when He LITERALLY and BODILY returns!
If He returned "spiritually" at Pentecost or some other such time, like the stoning of Stephen, then the Parable about the Ten Pounds or the Parable of the Talents IS OVER, and Yeshua` is already reigning!
I don't think so. If Yeshua` is already reigning, then - as I've said before - He is a very impotent King! If He is just to reign "in the hearts of men," then His "reign" is getting weaker, not stronger! No, this is NOT the correct way to expect His Kingdom. Look at the Messianic Psalm, Psalm 2. I've included quotation marks for you in descending order as such, namely ", ', <<, >>, ', ". I also added red letters for Yeshua`s words and purple letters for the LORD'S words (two different shades):
Psalm 2:1-12
1 Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?
2 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his Anointed, saying,
3 "Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us."
4 He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the LORD shall have them in derision.
5 Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure.
6 "Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.
7 I will declare the decree: 'the LORD hath said unto me, <<Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.
8 Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.
9 Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.>>'
10 Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth.
11 Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling.
12 Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him."
KJV
This is not just some "spiritual" message that is to be "interpreted" in some allegorical way; I believe this is a REAL, LITERAL occurrence that WILL happen at some point (or perhaps, at many points) within the reign of the Messiah when He returns!
Why DO the goyim, the Gentiles, the heathen rage (Hebrew: raagshuw = they-are-in-an-uproar; they-are-being-disorderly) and the communities imagine (Hebrew: yehguw = they-murmur; they-grumble; they-complain-under-their-breath) a vain thing (Hebrew: riyq = emptiness; a-worthless-thing)?
These kings of the earth "set themselves" (yityaatsvuw = they-station-themselves) and the leaders take counsel together - they have a United Nations meeting - against the LORD (YHWH), the INFINITE GOD, and against His Anointed One, the Messiah, His Representative! They will say,
"Let's tear off their restraints, and throw their ropes away from us!" They are talking about BOTH the LORD (God Himself) AND His Messiah (Yeshua` the King) in the word "their!"
Then, in the middle of their meeting, they hear, "Heh. Heh, heh. Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! HA! HA! HAW! HAW! HAW! 'Let's tear off their restraints.' That's RICH! 'Let's throw their ropes away from us.' Boo-hoo! HAW! HAW! HAW!" When He's through laughing, He speaks to them in a clear, unmistakeable voice, heavy in his wrath (Hebrew: b'apow = in-his-nostrils/passion) and in his burning anger (Hebrew: uwbacharownow = in-his-blaze) He shall vex them (Hebrew: yvahaleemow = he-shall-make-them-tremble; he-shall-alarm-them)!
"Yet have I set MY King upon MY holy mountain Tsiown! Here, let me remind you about the decree:
"'The LORD (YHWH, God the Father) has said to me (Yeshua`, the Son of God), "You are My SON! I have fathered you this very day! If you ask me for it, I will give you all the goyim - the nations - for your inheritance and the farthest extremities of the earth for your possession! You will break them to pieces with a switch of iron! You will shatter them like so many shards of pottery!"'
"So therefore,... be wise now, O kings! Learn your lesson, O judges of the earth! Work for YHWH in fear! Spin around cringing in shuddering! Kiss the Heir (in welcome) or else He may become enraged and you will be destroyed on the road when His anger flares up even a little! Happy are all those who flee to HIM for their protection!"
Now, all that being said, let's get into the parables of Matthew 13 as how they really apply to the FUTURE Kingdom: