The Mystery or Secret of the Kingdom of Heaven

THE MYSTERIES OF THE NEW TESTAMENT

What is mystery: Greek def. ‘musterion’ = imposed silence; secret only a New Testament word.

The mysteries of God can only be understood by believers through the power of the Holy Spirit; Colossians 1:24‐29, John 14:15‐18, 35‐31

1. Mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven, Matthew 13:11

2. Mysteries of the Kingdom of God, Luke 8:10; Mark4:15; I Corinthians 4:5; Revelation 10:7; Mark 9:1

3. Mystery when Israel accepts Christ as Messiah, Romans 15:24‐26

4. Mystery of salvation, Romans 16:25‐27; Ephesians 3:3,4,9; Colossians 1:26,27; 4:3

5. Mystery of the wisdom of God, I Corinthians 2:7

6. Mystery of the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, I Corinthians 15:51

7. Mystery of the will of God, Ephesians 1:9

8. Mystery of Christ and the Church, His Bride, in the context of marriage, Ephesians 5:32

9. Mystery of Christian fellowship in the context of knowing God and Christ, Colossians 2:2

10. Mystery of lawlessness in context of great apostasy in end times, II Thessalonians 2:7

11. Mystery of faith, I Timothy 3:9

12. Mystery of godliness, I Timothy 3:16

13. Mystery of seven stars, Revelation 1:20

14. Mystery of Babylon, Revelation 17:5,7

Why is this so important? I Corinthians 4:1,2

THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN

A Kingdom Within the Heart

By Tom Roselius

For the past fifteen years I’ve been seeking to understand the mysteries of the kingdom by lots of prayer and study, and I must admit that it’s been quite an interesting journey; but what I’m going to share is not standard teaching, so it’s going to be difficult to hear; in fact, that’s why Jesus said

that many will “hear” his kingdom parables without understanding what they say; and that many will “see” the mysteries of the kingdom, without

perceiving what they mean (Matthew 13:9‐15). So not only is this a difficult truth to hear, but it is equally hard to teach; so when we try to hear

something new, we need to let the Holy Spirit do the teaching; for when we don’t, we end up rejecting truth just because it disagrees with our

own perceptions; and then we’re no better off than the Pharisees that couldn’t hear what Jesus taught because he healed on the Sabbath; and

we end up with doctrines that are so rigid, that they keep us from hearing anything new.

So with that in mind, I’m going to share some of the things I’ve uncovered in my own personal search for the kingdom. When I talk about the kingdom of heaven, there isn’t one definition I can give you that will fully explain his kingdom; for the kingdom of heaven has many different faces.

For example, the kingdom of heaven is likened unto leaven that a woman hid in three measures of meal; and it’s likened unto seed that is sown

in the soil; but these parables illustrate how the kingdom of heaven mysteriously changes our hearts, rather than tell us what his kingdom will

be like when it actually appears.

Welcome to the Kingdom of Heaven

God’s Government on Earth

Where is the Kingdom of Heaven?

The Kingdom of Heaven has no physical boundaries. Wherever there is someone walking in obedience to Jesus Christ, there you will find the

Kingdom.

Jesus said, “Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” Matthew 18:20

‐Kingdom of Heaven is referred to as a mystery (Matthew 13:11)

‐Kingdom of Heaven appears to link the present and future (Matthew 5:3,10,19.20)

‐Jesus, giving instructions to the disciples, said that the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand (Matthew 4:17)

What the Kingdom of Heaven is not

The Kingdom is not made up of a particular race or family or nationality.

Whosoever shall do the will of our Father in heaven, the same is our brother, and sister, and mother. Matthew 12:50

The Kingdom is neither Jew nor Greek, bond nor free, male nor female, for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. Galatians 3:28

The Kingdom of Heaven is not a building. John 4:21‐24

The Kingdom of Heaven is not a corporation of the state. John 15:4

The ancient scriptures predicted the Kingdom of Heaven. The New Testament proclaims that it has arrived!

Jesus didn’t bring us a religion. He brought us a nationality. As many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to

them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of men, but of God. John 1:12‐13

Reading: How it Happened

Who Are We?

We are Christ’s ambassadors and Citizens of Heaven, called out of the world to preach Heaven’s message (II Corinthians 5:20; 6:17; Philippians

3:20).

We are a holy nation, a peculiar people, living in obedience to the simple teachings of Jesus Christ as recorded in the Holy Bible (I Peter 2:9).

Why We Are Not Citizens of the World

The Kingdom of Heaven is God’s nation established by Jesus Christ. Luke 22:9.

Our citizenship is in the Kingdom of Heaven. Philippians 3:20.

No man can obey two masters. Matthew 6:24.

We expect to be held accountable to the Laws from which we come. Romans 14:12‐13.

The law cannot demand the impossible; it cannot require that we obey two masters. Romans 14:4.

The Supreme Law of the Kingdom of Heaven is the Golden Rule. Matthew 22:37‐40.

The Kingdom of Heaven is available to all who love and trust Jesus Christ. John 14:23.

Parents instruct their children. They are directly responsible for training them up in the Lord (Ephesians 6:4)

Known as a giver, not a taker. We give and it is given back to us in good measure (Luke 6:38).

Love our enemies. We do good to those who hate us. We bless them and pray for them (Matthew 5:44).

No lawsuits. We do not seek courts of law as a remedy for wrongs done (I Corinthians 6:1‐8).

Busy storing treasures in Heaven. Our heart is on the heavenly things, not on earthly treasures (Matthew 6:20).

The bank of Heaven

Slow to anger. We are mild‐mannered, forgiving one another and willing to be defrauded (Ephesians 4:31‐32).

Treat others the way we want to be treated. We are not here to seek money, property, popularity, honors, or advantage. We diligently seek and promote the Kingdom of Heaven, trusting God to supply our every need (Matthew 6:33).

Pay taxes on time, in full, and be honest – Romans 13:1‐7; I Timothy 2:1‐4.

Government is God’s idea and there is no authority except from God.

KEYPOINT: These are two of the most difficult principles to obey. Consider when Paul wrote this, Nero was emperor at the time. Nero was notoriously cruel. He needed a scapegoat for the great fire that destroyed much of Rome in 64 AD. So, he blamed and persecuted the Christian community.

Two key elements:

1. Key accurate records

2. Obtain a good tax accountant.

You don’t have to agree with the political party in power, but we must pray for them. Although God is all‐powerful and all knowing He has chosen to let us help Him change the world through our prayers. How this works is a mystery to us because of our limited understanding. However, it is a reality.

The Kingdom is best expressed in the body of Christ, which is the BEAUTIFUL BRIDE OF JESUS CHRIST (Ephesians 5:22‐23)

This is who we are in Jesus Christ:

1. A peculiar (special) people Titus 2:14

2.

The Bride of Christ Ephesians 5:22,23

3. A Holy Nation I Peter 2:9

4. Temple of the Holy Spirit II Corinthians 6:19,20

5. Saints I Corinthians 1:2

6. Preserved Blameless at His Coming I Thessalonians 5:23

7. Royal Priesthood I Peter 2:9

8. Living Stones I Peter 2:9

9. A Spiritual House I Peter 2:5

10. Holy Priesthood I Peter 2:5

11. People of God I Peter 2:9

Jesus Christ is the Cornerstone I Peter 2:6,7

The Word of God is our authority – our belief system for all of life through the power of the Holy Spirit. (A Biblical worldview)

WHY IS GOD A COVENANT GOD AND NEVER BREAKS HIS COVENANT?

God’s covenants are always unconditional and undeserving.

Again and again there is a prophetic call to recognize the hand of God, who will never cancel His covenant but whose

unshakable purpose is that Israel shall be the witness that manifests His sovereign glory to all the nations.

Shalom
and
berith
(“covenant”)
are
practically
synonymous.
Shalom
refers
to
the state
of
those
who
participate
in
the
harmonious
society.
Berith
refers
to
the community
and
all
the
privileges
and
obligations
that
community
implies.
Covenant and
shalom
go
hand
in
hand;
God’s
community
must
have
one
to
experience
the other. THE
ADAM
COVENANT “It
is
of
vital
importance
for
a
right
understanding
of
much
in
God’s
Word
to
observe the
relation
which
Adam
sustained
to
his
posterity.
Adam
was
not
only
the
common parent
of
mankind,
but
he
was
also
their
federal
head
and
representative.


The
whole human
race
was
placed
on
probation
or
trial
in
Eden.
Adam
acted
not
for
himself alone,
but
he
transacted
for
all
who
were
to
spring
from
him.
Unless
this
basic
fact be
definitely
apprehended,
much
that
ought
to
be
relatively
clear
to
us
will
be shrouded
in
impenetrable
mystery.
Yea,
we
go
further,
and
affirm
that,
until
the federal
headship
of
Adam
and
God’s
covenant
with
him
in
that
office
be
actually perceived,
we
are
without
the
key
to
God’s
dealings
with
the
human
race,
we
are unable
to
discern
man’s
relation
to
the
divine
law,
and
we
appreciate
not
the fundamental
principles
upon
the
atonement
of
Christ
proceeded. When
Adam
stood
in
Eden
as
a
responsible
being
before
God,
he
stood
there
as
a federal
head,
as
the
legal
representative
of
all
his
posterity.
Hence,
when
Adam sinned,
all
for
whom
was
standing
are
accounted
as
having
sinned;
when
he
fell,
all whom
he
represented
fell;
when
he
died,
they
died.


So
too
was
it
will
Christ.
When He
came
to
this
earth,
He,
too,
stood
in
a
federal
relationship
to
His
own
people;
and when
He
became
obedient
unto
death,
all
for
whom
He
was
acting
were
accounted righteous;
when
He
rose
again
from
the
dead,
all
whom
He
represented
rose
with Him;
when
He
ascended
on
high,
they
were
regarded
as
ascending
with
Him.
“For
as in
Adam
all
die,
even
so
in
Christ
shall
all
be
made
alive”
(I
Corinthians
15:22).” MYSTERY
OF
THE
KINGDOM
OF
HEAVEN Matthew
13:913 A.W.
Pink The
words
“king”
and
“kingdom”
are
mentioned
about
3000
times.
In
the
Old Testament,
the
basic
meaning
of
“king”
or
“kingdom”
in
Hebrew
is
royalty, dominion,
or
estate.
The
New
Testament
Greek
meaning
is
rule,
reign,
or
foundation of
power. The
Kingdom
of
Heaven
is
referred
to
as
a
mystery
by
Jesus
and
is
given
as
a
reason for
parables.
Matthew
13:11 13:9 Human
ears
hear
many
sounds,
but
there
is
a
deeper
kind
of
listening
that results
in
spiritual
understanding.
If
you
honestly
seek
God’s
will,
you
have
spiritual hearing,
and
these
parables
will
give
you
new
perspectives. 13:10

When
speaking
in
parables,
Jesus
was
not
hiding
truth
from
sincere
seekers, for those who were receptive to spiritual truth understood the illustrations. To others
they
were
only
stories
without
meaning.
This
allowed
Jesus
to
give
spiritual food to those who hungered for it while preventing his enemies from turning against
him
sooner
than
they
might
have
otherwise. R.T.
France
on
Matthew
13:1013 To know the truth about the kingdom of heaven is to know secrets. The Greek mysterion,
used
only
here
in
the
Gospels,
became
important
for
Paul
to
indicate
that God’s
truth
comes
only
by
revelation,
not
by
natural
insight.
That
is
the
sense
here too
–
only
those
to
whom
it
has
been
given
(by
God)
can
understand
the
nature
of 6 God’s kingdom proclaimed by Jesus, and therefore the facts about its growth, membership,
demands
and
privileges
which
these
parables
convey.
Parables,
which to
the
hostile
and
the
merely
curious
were
simple
stories,
would
yield
their
riches only
within
this
context,
to
those
who
know
the
secrets. The
laws
of
capitalist
economics
(capital
breeds
income;
lack
of
capital
spells
ruin) serve
as
a
‘parable’
of
spiritual
enlightenment.
The
‘secrets’
of
God’s
kingdom
can
be grasped
only
by
those
who
already
have
the
spiritual
capacity
to
receive
them,
i.e. the
disciples
as
opposed
to
‘those
outside’. True
Biblical
economics
cannot
be
understood
by
non‐believers
in
Jesus
Christ. There
are
over
2300
verses
that
refer
to
a
financial
issue. Approximately
50%
of
the
parables
that
Jesus
Christ
taught
refer
to
a
material
issue.

WHAT
IS
THE
KINGDOM
OF
HEAVEN?

John
the
Baptist
comes
forward
with
the
announcement
that
the
Kingdom
of
Heaven is
at
hand.
Matthew
3:2 John
also
mentions
repentance. The
first
message
of
Jesus
Christ
was
repentance.
Matthew
4:17 The
first
sermon
by
Peter
in
the
New
Testament
Church
was
repentance.
Acts
2:38 Jesus
is
King
and
God
the
Father
has
given
Him
all
authority. The
coming
of
the
Kingdom
of
Heaven
is
the
great
perspective
of
the
future prepared
by
the
coming
of
the
“Messiah”
which
paves
the
way
for
the
Kingdom
of God. It
appears
to
me
that
it
was
the
intent
of
Jesus
to
pass
this
authority
to
us,
His
bride, the
church. He
promised
to
give
us
the
keys
to
the
Kingdom
of
Heaven.
Matthew
16:18‐19 He
also
promised
that
we
would
do
greater
works
(John
14:12‐14).
Greater
in
Greek =
megas;
English
=
mega.

I.
In
John
the
Baptist John
the
Baptist
first
comes
forward
with
the
announcement
that
the
kingdom
of heaven
is
at
hand
(Mt.
3:2)
and
Jesus
takes
this
message
over
from
him
(Mt.
4:17).

The
expression
‘kingdom
of
heaven’
(Heb.
mal
kut
samayim)
originates
with
the late‐Jewish
expectation
of
the
future
in
which
it
denoted
the
decisive
intervention
of God,
ardently
expected
by
Israel,
to
restore
his
people’s
fortunes
and
liberate
them from
the
power
of
their
enemies.
The
coming
of
the
kingdom
is
the
great perspective
of
the
future,
prepared
by
the
coming
of
the
Messiah,
which
paves
the way
for
the
kingdom
of
God. By
the
time
of
Jesus
the
development
of
this
eschatological
hope
in
Judaism had
taken
a
great
variety
of
forms,
in
which
now
the
national
element
and
now
the cosmic
and
apocalyptic
element
is
prominent.
This
hope
goes
back
to
the proclamation
in
OT
prophecy
concerning
both
the
restoration
of
David’s
throne
and the
coming
of
God
to
renew
the
world.
Although
the
OT
has
nothing
to
say
of
the eschatological
kingdom
of
heaven
in
so
many
words,
yet
in
the
Psalms
and
prophets the
future
manifestation
of
God’s
royal
sovereignty
belongs
to
the
most
central concept
of
OT
faith
and
hope.
Here
too
various
elements
achieve
prominence,
as may
be
clearly
seen
from
a
comparison
of
the
earlier
prophets
with
the
prophecies regarding
universal
world‐sovereignty
and
the
emergence
of
the
Son
of
man
in
the book
of
Daniel. When
John
the
Baptist
and,
after
him,
Jesus
himself
proclaimed
that
the kingdom
was
at
hand,
this
proclamation
involved
an
awakening
cry
of
sensational and
universal
significance.
The
long‐expected
divine
turning‐point
in
history,
the great
restoration,
however
it
was
conceived
at
the
time,
is
proclaimed
as
being
at hand.
It
is
therefore
of
all
the
greater
importance
to
survey
the
content
of
the
NT preaching
with
regard
to
the
coming
of
the
kingdom. In
the
preaching
of
John
the
Baptist
prominence
is
given
to
the announcement
of
divine
judgment
as
a
reality
which
is
immediately
at
hand.
The
axe is
already
laid
to
the
root
of
the
trees.
God’s
coming
as
King
is
above
all
else
a coming
to
purify,
to
sift,
to
judge.
No‐one
can
evade
it.
No
privilege
can
buy exemption
from
it,
not
even
the
ability
to
claim
Abraham
as
one’s
father.
At
the
same time
John
the
Baptist
points
to
the
coming
One
who
is
to
follow
him,
whose forerunner
he
himself
is.
The
coming
One
comes
with
the
winnowing‐fan
in
his hand.
In
view
of
his
coming
the
people
must
repent
and
submit
to
baptism
for
the washing
away
of
sins,
so
as
to
escape
the
coming
wrath
and
participate
in
the salvation
of
the
kingdom
and
the
baptism
with
the
Holy
Spirit
which
will
be
poured out
when
it
comes
(Mt.
3:1‐12).

II.
In
the
teaching
of
Jesus a.
Present
aspect Jesus’
proclamation
of
the
kingdom
follows
word
for
word
on
John’s,
yet
it
bears
a much
more
comprehensive
character.
After
John
the
Baptist
had
watched
Jesus’ appearance
for
a
considerable
time,
he
began
to
be
in
doubt
whether
Jesus
was, after
all,
the
coming
One
whom
he
had
announced
(Mt.
11:2f.).
Jesus’
proclamation of
the
kingdom
differs
in
two
respects
from
that
of
the
Baptist.
In
the
first
place, while
it
retains
without
qualification
the
announcement
of
judgment
and
the
call
to 8 repentance,
it
is
the
saving
significance
of
the
kingdom
that
stands
in
the foreground.
In
the
second
place‐and
here
is
the
pith
and
core
of
the
matter‐he announced
the
kingdom
not
just
as
a
reality
which
was
at
hand,
something
which would
appear
in
the
immediate
future,
but
as
a
reality
which
was
already
present, manifested
in
his
own
person
and
ministry.
Although
the
places
where
Jesus
speaks explicitly
of
the
kingdom
as
being
present
are
not
numerous
(see
especially
Mt. 12:28
and
parallels),
his
whole
preaching
and
ministry
are
marked
by
this
dominant reality.
In
him
the
great
future
has
already
become
‘present
time’. This
present
aspect
of
the
kingdom
manifests
itself
in
all
sorts
of
ways
in
the person
and
deeds
of
Christ.
It
appears
palpably
and
visibly
in
the
casting
out
of demons
(cf.
Lk.
11:20)
and
generally
in
Jesus’
miraculous
power.
In
the
healing
of those
who
are
demon‐possessed
it
becomes
evident
that
Jesus
has
invaded
the house
of ‘the
strong
man’,
has
bound
him
fast
and
so
is
in
a
position
to
plunder
his goods
(Mt.
12:29).
The
kingdom
of
heaven
breaks
into
the
domain
of
the
evil
one. The
power
of
Satan
is
broken.
Jesus
sees
him
fall
like
lightning
from
heaven.
He possesses
and
bestows
power
to
trample
on
the
dominion
of
the
enemy.
Nothing can
be
impossible
for
those
who
go
forth
into
the
world,
invested
with
Jesus’
power, as
witnesses
of
the
kingdom
(Lk.
10:18f.).


The
whole
of
Jesus’
miraculous
activity
is the
proof
of
the
coming
of
the
kingdom.
What
many
prophets
and
righteous
men desired
in
vain
to
see‐the
breaking
in
of
the
great
epoch
of
salvation‐the
disciples can
now
see
and
hear
(Mt.
13:16;
Lk.
10:23).
When
John
the
Baptist
sent
his disciples
to
ask,
‘Are
you
he
who
is
to
come,
or
shall
we
look
for
another?’
they
were shown
the
wonderful
works
done
by
Jesus,
in
which,
according
to
the
promise
of prophecy,
the
kingdom
was
already
being
manifested:
the
blind
were
enabled
to
see, the
lame
to
walk,
the
deaf
to
hear;
lepers
were
being
cleansed
and
dead
people raised
to
life,
and
the
gospel
was
being
proclaimed
to
the
poor
(Mt.
11:2ff.;
Lk. 7:18ff.).
Also
in
the
last
of
these‐the
proclamation
of
the
gospel‐the
breaking through
of
the
kingdom
is
seen.
Since
salvation
is
announced
and
offered
as
a
gift already
available
to
the
poor
in
spirit,
the
hungry
and
the
mourners,
the
kingdom
is theirs.
So
too
the
forgiveness
of
sins
is
proclaimed,
not
merely
as
a
future
reality
to be
accomplished
in
heaven,
nor
merely
as
a
present
possibility,
but
as
a dispensation
offered
today,
on
earth,
through
Jesus
himself;
‘Son,
daughter,
your sins
are
forgive;
for
the
Son
of
man
has
power
on
earth
to
forgive
sins’
(see
Mk.
2:12,
et
passim). As
appears
clearly
from
this
last‐quoted
word
of
power,
all
this
is
founded
on the
fact
that
Jesus
is
the
Christ,
the
Son
of
God.
The
kingdom
has
come
in
him
and with
him;
he
is
the
autobasileia.


Jesus’
self‐revelation
of
the
Messiah,
the
Son
of
man and
Servant
of
the
Lord,
constitutes
both
the
mystery
and
the
unfolding
of
the
whole gospel. It
is
impossible
to
explain
these
sayings
of
Jesus
about
himself
in
a
future sense,
as
some
have
wished
to
do,
as
though
he
referred
to
himself
only
as
the
future Messiah,
the
Son
of
man
who
was
to
be
expected
on
a
coming
day
on
the
clouds
of heaven.
For
however
much
this
future
revelation
of
the
kingdom
remains
an essential
element
in
the
content
of
the
gospel,
we
cannot
mistake
the
fact
that
in
the Gospels
Jesus’
Messiahship
is
present
here
and
now.
Not
only
is
he
proclaimed
as such
at
his
baptism
and
on
the
Mount
of
Transfiguration‐as
the
beloved
and
elect 9 One
of
God
(plain
Messianic
designations)‐but
he
is
also
endowed
with
the
Holy Spirit
(Mt.
3:16)
and
invested
with
full
divine
authority
(Mt.
21:27);
the
Gospel
is
full of
his
declarations
of
absolute
authority,
he
is
presented
as
the
One
sent
by
the Father,
the
One
who
has
come
to
fulfill
what
the
prophets
foretold.
In
his
coming and
teaching
the
Scripture
is
fulfilled
in
the
ears
of
those
who
listen
to
him
(Lk. 4:21).
He
came
not
to
destroy
but
to
fulfill
(Mt.
5:17ff.),
to
announce
the
kingdom (Mk.
1:38),
to
seek
and
to
save
the
lost
(Lk.
19:10),
to
serve
others,
and
to
give
his life
a
ransom
for
many
(Mk.
10:45).
The
secret
of
belonging
to
the
kingdom
lies
in belonging
to
him
(Mt.
7:23;
25:41).
In
brief,
the
person
of
Jesus
as
the
Messiah
is
the centre
of
all
that
is
announced
in
the
gospel
concerning
the
kingdom.


The
kingdom is
concentrated
in
him
in
its
present
and
future
aspects
alike. b.
Future
aspect There
is
a
future
aspect
as
well.
For
although
it
is
clearly
stated
that
the
kingdom
is manifested
here
and
now
in
the
gospel,
so
also
is
it
shown
that
as
yet
it
is
manifested in
this
world
only
in
a
provisional
manner.
That
is
why
the
proclamation
of
its present
activity
in
the
words,
‘The
blind
receive
their
sight;
the
dead
are
raised;
the poor
have
good
news
preached
to
them’,
is
followed
by
the
warning;
‘Blessed
is
he who
takes
no
offence
at
me’
(Mt.
11:6;
Lk.
7:23).
The
‘offence’
lies
in
the
hidden character
of
the
kingdom
in
this
epoch.
The
miracles
are
still
tokens
of
another order
of
reality
than
the
present
one;
it
is
not
yet
the
time
when
the
demons
will
be delivered
to
eternal
darkness
(Mt.
8:29).
The
gospel
of
the
kingdom
is
still
revealed only
as
a
seed
which
is
being
sown.
In
the
parables
of
the
sower,
the
seed
growing secretly,
the
tares
among
the
wheat,
the
mustard
seed,
the
leaven,
it
is
about
this hidden
aspect
of
the
kingdom
that
Jesus
instructs
his
disciples.
The
Son
of
man himself,
invested
with
all
power
by
God,
the
One
who
is
to
come
on
the
clouds
of heaven,
is
the
Sower
who
sows
the
Word
of
God.
He
is
depicted
as
a
man
dependent upon
others:
the
birds,
the
thorns,
human
beings,
can
partially
frustrate
his
work. He
has
to
wait
and
see
what
will
come
of
his
seed.
Indeed,
the
hiddenness
of
the kingdom
is
deeper
still:
the
King
himself
comes
in
the
form
of
a
slave.
The
birds
of the
air
have
nests,
but
the
Son
of
man
(Dn.
7:13)
has
no
place
to
lay
his
head.
In order
to
receive
everything,
he
must
first
of
all
give
up
everything.
He
must
give
his life
as
a
ransom;
as
the
suffering
Servant
of
the
Lord
of
Is.
53,
he
must
be
numbered with
the
transgressors.
The
kingdom
has
come;
the
kingdom
will
come.
But
it
comes by
the
way
of
the
cross,
and
before
the
Son
of
man
exercises
his
authority
over
all the
kingdoms
of
the
earth
(Mt.
4:8;
28:18)
he
must
tread
the
path
of
obedience
to
his Father
in
order
to
fulfil
all
righteousness
(Mt.
3:15).
The
manifestation
of
the kingdom
has
therefore
a
history
in
this
world.
It
must
be
proclaimed
to
every creature.
Like
the
wonderful
seed,
it
must
sprout
and
grow,
no
man
knows
how
(Mk. 4:27).
It
has
an
inward
power
by
which
it
makes
its
way
through
all
sorts
of obstacles
and
advances
over
all;
for
the
field
in
which
the
seed
is
sown
is
the
world (Mt.
13:38).
The
gospel
of
the
kingdom
goes
forth
to
all
nations
(Mt.
28:19),
for
the King
of
the
kingdom
is
also
Lord
of
the
Spirit.
His
resurrection
brings
in
a
new
aeon; the
preaching
of
the
kingdom
and
the
King
reaches
out
to
the
ends
of
the
earth.
The decision
has
already
come
to
pass;
but
the
fulfillment
still
recedes
into
the
future. What
at
first
appears
to
be
one
and
the
same
coming
of
the
kingdom,
what
is 10 announced
as
one
indivisible
reality,
at
hand
and
at
close
quarters,
extends
itself
to cover
new
periods
of
time
and
far
distances.
For
the
frontiers
of
this
kingdom
are not
coterminous
with
Israel’s
boundaries
or
history:
the
kingdom
embraces
all nations
and
fills
all
ages
until
the
end
of
the
world
comes.

III.
Kingdom
and
church

The
kingdom
is
thus
related
to
the
history
of
the
church
and
of
the
world
alike.
A connection
exists
between
kingdom
and
church,
but
they
are
not
identical,
even
in the
present
age.
The
kingdom
is
the
whole
of
God’s
redeeming
activity
in
Christ
in this
world;
the
church
is
the
assembly
of
those
who
belong
to
Jesus
Christ.
Perhaps one
could
speak
in
terms
of
two
concentric
circles,
of
which
the
church
is
the smaller
and
the
kingdom
is
the
larger,
while
Christ
is
the
centre
of
both.
This relation
of
the
church
to
the
kingdom
can
be
formulated
in
all
kinds
of
ways.
The church
is
the
assembly
of
those
who
have
accepted
the
gospel
of
the
kingdom
by faith,
who
participate
in
the
salvation
of
the
kingdom,
which
includes
the forgiveness
of
sins,
adoption
by
God,
the
indwelling
of
the
Holy
Spirit,
the possession
of
eternal
life.
They
are
also
those
in
whose
life
the
kingdom
takes
visible form,
the
light
of
the
world,
the
salt
of
the
earth;
those
who
have
taken
on themselves
the
yoke
of
the
kingdom,
who
live
by
their
King’s
commandments
and learn
from
him
(Mt.
11:28‐30).
The
church,
as
the
organ
of
the
kingdom,
is
called
to confess
Jesus
as
the
Christ,
to
the
missionary
task
of
preaching
the
gospel
in
the world;
she
is
also
the
community
of
those
who
wait
for
the
coming
of
the
kingdom
in glory
the
servants
who
have
received
their
Lord’s
talents
in
prospect
of
his
return. The
church
receives
her
whole
constitution
from
the
kingdom,
on
all
sides
she
is beset
and
directed
by
the
revelation,
the
progress,
the
future
coming
of
the
kingdom of
God,
without
at
any
time
being
the
kingdom
herself
or
even
being
identified
with it. Therefore
the
kingdom
is
not
confined
within
the
frontiers
of
the
church. Christ’s
Kingship
is
supreme
above
all.
Where
it
prevails
and
is
acknowledged,
not only
is
the
individual
human
being
set
free,
but
the
whole
pattern
of
life
is
changed: the
curse
of
the
demons
and
fear
of
hostile
powers
disappears.
The
change
which Christianity
brings
about
among
peoples
dominated
by
nature‐religions
is
a
proof
of the
comprehensive,
all‐embracing
significance
of
the
kingdom.
It
works
not
only outwardly
like
a
mustard
seed
but
inwardly
like
leaven.
It
makes
its
way
into
the world
with
its
redeeming
power.
The
last
book
of
the
Bible,
which
portrays
Christ’s Kingship
in
the
history
of
the
world
and
its
advancing
momentum
right
to
the
end, especially
illuminates
the
antithesis
between
the
triumphant
Christ‐King
(cf.,
e.g., Rev.
5:1
ff.)
and
the
power
of
Satan
and
antichrist,
which
still
survives
on
earth
and contends
against
Christ
and
his
church.
However
much
the
kingdom
invades
worldhistory
with
its
blessing
and
deliverance,
however
much
it
presents
itself
as
a
saving power
against
the
tyranny
of
gods
and
forces
inimical
to
mankind,
it
is
only
through a
final
and
universal
crisis
that
the
kingdom,
as
a
visible
and
all‐conquering
reign
of peace
and
salvation,
will
bring
to
full
fruition
the
new
heaven
and
the
new
earth. 11 IV.
In
the
rest
of
the
New
Testament The
expression
‘kingdom
of
heaven’
or
‘kingdom
of
God’
does
not
appear
so frequently
in
the
NT
outside
the
Synoptic
Gospels.
This
is,
however,
simply
a
matter of
terminology.
As
the
indication
of
the
great
revolution
in
the
history
of
salvation which
has
already
been
inaugurated
by
Christ’s
coming,
and
as
the
expected consummation
of
all
the
acts
of
God,
it
is
the
central
theme
of
the
whole
NT revelation
of
God. Matthew
4:23‐25

APPLICATION
OF
THE
MYSTERY OF
THE
KINGDOM
OF
HEAVEN IN
OUR
DAILY
LIVES

1.
There
appears
to
be
a
relationship
between
teaching
and
doctrine
(same
word
in Greek) POINT:
signs
and
wonders
followed
the
doctrine
of
Jesus The
same
principle
is
in
the
New
Testament
church Acts
2:42‐43
–
Doctrine
teaching
is
listed
first
with
signs
and
wonders
following. The
Kingdom
of
Heaven
appears
to
link
the
present
future
(Matthew
5,
3,
10,
19.
20) Matthew
13:19 The
vital
importance
of
doctrine
and
relationship
to
the
kingdom. Word
–
logas:
written rhema:
revealed Verse
19
–
rhema Matthew
Henry Let
us
therefore
compare
the
parable
and
the
exposition. (1.)
The
seed
sown
is
the
word
of
God,
here
called
the
word
of
the
kingdom (v.19):
the
kingdom
of
heaven,
that
is
the
kingdom;
the
kingdoms
of
the
world, compared
with
that,
are
not
to
be
called
kingdoms.
The
gospel
comes
from
that kingdom,
and
conducts
to
that
kingdom;
the
word
of
the
gospel
is
the
word
of
the kingdom;
it
is
the
word
of
the
King,
and
where
that
is,
there
is
power;
it
is
a
law,
by which
we
must
be
ruled
and
governed.
This
word
is
the
seed
sown,
which
seems
a dead,
dry
thing,
but
all
the
product
is
virtually
in
it.
It
is
incorruptible
seed
(I
Pet.
1: 23);
it
is
the
gospel
that
brings
forth
fruit
in
souls,
Col.
1:5,
6. Matthew
13:18‐23 13:23 The
four
types
of
soil
represent
the
different
responses
we
can
have
to
God’s message.
We
respond
differently
because
we
are
in
different
states
of
readiness. Some
people
are
hardened,
others
are
shallow,
others
are
contaminated
by 12 distracting
cares,
and
some
are
receptive.
How
has
God’s
Word
taken
root
in
your life?
What
kind
of
soil
are
you?

Matthew
10:5‐15 The
12
Sent
Out
to
Preach The
Kingdom
of
Heaven
is
at
Hand 10:5,6 Why
didn’t
Jesus
send
the
disciples
to
the
Gentiles
or
the
Samaritans?
A Gentile
is
anyone
who
is
not
a
Jew.
The
Samaritans
were
a
race
that
resulted
from intermarriage
between
Jews
and
Gentiles
after
the
Old
Testament
captivities
(see
2 Kings
17:24).
Jesus
asked
his
disciples
to
go
only
to
the
Jews
because
he
came
first
to the
Jews.
They
were
chosen
by
God
to
be
the
ones
who
would
tell
the
rest
of
the world
about
God.
And
this
is
what
eventually
happened:
Jewish
disciples
and apostles
preached
the
Good
News
of
the
risen
Christ
all
around
the
Roman
Empire, and
soon
Gentiles
were
pouring
into
the
Church.
The
Bible
clearly
teaches
that
God’s message
of
salvation
is
for
all
people,
regardless
of
race,
sex,
or
national
origin (Genesis
12:3;
Isaiah
25:6;
56:3‐7;
Malachi
1:11;
Acts
10:34,
35;
Romans
3:29,
20; Galatians
3:28). 10:7 The
Jews
were
waiting
for
the
Messiah
to
usher
in
his
kingdom.
They
hoped for
a
political
and
military
kingdom
that
would
free
them
from
Roman
rule
and return
the
days
of
glory
under
David
and
Solomon.
But
Jesus
was
talking
about
a spiritual
kingdom.

The
Good
News
today
is
that
the
kingdom
is
still
near.
Jesus,
the Messiah,
has
already
begun
the
kingdom
on
earth
in
the
hearts
of
his
followers.
One day
the
kingdom
will
be
fully
realized.
Then
evil
will
be
destroyed
and
all
people
will live
in
peace
with
one
another. 10:8 Jesus
gave
the
disciples
a
principle
to
guide
their
actions
as
they
ministered
to others:
“Give
as
freely
as
you
have
received!”
Because
God
has
showered
us
with
his blessings,
we
should
give
generously
to
others
of
our
time,
love,
and
possessions. 10:10 Matthew
said
that
those
who
minister
are
to
be
cared
for
‐
the
disciples
were to
expect
food
and
shelter
because
of
the
spiritual
service
they
provided.
Who ministers
to
you?
Make
sure
you
take
care
of
the
pastors,
missionaries,
and
teachers who
serve
God
by
serving
you
(see
1
Corinthians
9:10
and
I
Timothy
5:17). 10:10 Mark’s
account
(9:8)
says
to
take
a
walking
stick,
and
Matthew
and
Luke (9:3)
say
not
to.
Jesus
may
have
meant
that
they
were
not
to
take
an
extra
set
of sandals,
staff,
and
bag.
In
any
case,
the
principle
was
that
they
were
to
go
out,
ready for
duty
and
travel,
unencumbered
by
excess
material
goods. 10:14

Why
did
Jesus
tell
his
disciples
to
shake
the
dust
off
their
feet
if
a
city
or home
didn’t
welcome
them?
When
leaving
Gentile
cities,
pious
Jews
often
shook
the dust
from
their
feet
to
show
their
separation
from
Gentile
practices.
If
the
disciples shook
the
dust
of
a
Jewish
town
from
their
feet,
it
would
show
their
separation
from Jews
who
had
rejected
their
Messiah.
This
gesture
was
to
show
the
people
that
they were
making
the
wrong
choice
–
that
the
opportunity
to
choose
Christ
might
not present
itself
again.
Are
you
receptive
to
teaching
from
God?
If
you
ignore
the Spirit’s
prompting,
you
may
not
get
another
chance. 13 10:15 The
cities
of
Sodom
and
Gomorrah
were
destroyed
by
fire
from
heaven because
of
their
wickedness
(Genesis
19:24,
25).
Jesus
was
saying
that
those
who reject
the
Good
News
when
they
hear
it
will
be
worse
off
than
the
wicked
people
of these
destroyed
cities
who
never
heart
it
at
all. Matthew
11:1112 11:11

Jesus
contrasted
John’s
spiritual
life
to
his
physical
life.
Of
all
people,
no
man fulfilled
his
God‐given
purpose
better
than
John.
Yet,
in
God’s
coming
kingdom,
all those
present
would
have
a
greater
spiritual
heritage
than
John
because
they
would have
seen
and
known
Christ
and
his
finished
work
on
the
cross. 11:12 There
are
three
common
views
about
the
meaning
of
the
verse.
(1)
Jesus
may have
been
referring
to
a
vast
movement
toward
God,
the
momentum
of
which
began with
John’s
preaching.
(2)
A
more
literal
translation
of
this
verse
reads,
“The Kingdom
of
Heaven
suffers
violence,
and
men
of
violence
take
it
by
force.”
Most
of the
Jews
in
Jesus’
day
expected
God’s
Kingdom
to
come
through
a
violent
overthrow of
Rome.
They
wanted
a
kingdom,
but
not
Jesus’
kind.
(3)
A
third
translation
reads, “The
Kingdom
of
Heaven
has
been
forcefully
advancing,
and
forceful
men
lay
hold
of it.”
The
emphasis
of
this
alternative
is
that
entering
the
Kingdom
takes
courage, unwavering
faith,
determination,
and
endurance
because
of
persecution
leveled
at Jesus’
followers.

THE
PARABLE
OF
THE
SOWER
EXPLAINED Matthew
13:1823 By
R.T.
France General
summary:
Jesus
gives
the
meaning
of
this
illustration
in
verses
36‐43.
All
of the
parables
in
this
chapter
teach
us
about
God
and
his
Kingdom.
They
explain
what the
Kingdom
is
really
like
as
opposed
to
our
expectations
of
it.
The
Kingdom
of Heaven
is
not
necessarily
a
geographic
place,
but
a
spiritual
realm
in
which
God rules
and
in
which
we
have
God’s
eternal
life. The
Kingdom
of
Heaven
is
like
a
man
who
sows
good
seed
in
his
field. Matthew
13:24‐30 Verse
24 1. Planting
good
seed
is
a
choice 2. In
his
field
–
indicates
the
Biblical
concept
of
owning
land 13:24 Jesus
gives
the
meaning
of
this
illustration
in
verses
36‐43.
All
of
the parables
in
this
chapter
teach
us
about
God
and
his
Kingdom.
They
explain
what
the Kingdom
is
really
like
as
opposed
to
our
expectations
of
it.


The
Kingdom
of
Heaven is
not
necessarily
a
geographic
place,
but
a
spiritual
realm
in
which
God
rules
and
in which
we
have
God’s
eternal
life. 14 24 May
be
compared
to
(cf.
‘is
like’
in
vv.
31,
33,
44,
45,
47
and
similar
formulae introducing
other
parables
about
the
kingdom
of
heaven);
the
point
of
comparison
in all
these
cases
is
not
strictly
the
noun
which
follows
but
the
parable
as
a
whole:
it
is not
the
man
who
sowed
who
is
compared
to
the
kingdom
of
heaven,
but
the
situation resulting
from
his
sowing.
We
might
paraphrase,
‘This
is
what
it
is
like
when
God
is at
work.’ 2530 The
weeds
are
probably
darnel,
a
poisonous
plant
related
to
wheat
and virtually
indistinguishable
from
it
until
the
ears
form.
To
sow
darnel
among
wheat as
an
act
of
revenge
was
punishable
in
Roman
law,
which
suggests
that
the
parable depicts
a
real‐life
situation.
A
light
infestation
of
darnel
could
be
tackled
by
careful weeding,
but
mistakes
would
easily
be
made.
In
the
case
of
a
heavy
infestation
the stronger
roots
of
the
darnel
would
be
tangled
with
those
of
the
wheat,
making selective
weeding
impossible. Verse
30
summary:
The
young
thistles
and
the
young
blades
of
wheat
look
the same
and
can’t
be
distinguished
until
they
are
grown
and
ready
for
harvest.
Thistles (unbelievers)
and
wheat
(believers)
must
live
side
by
side
in
this
world.
God
is allowing
unbelievers
to
remain
for
a
while
just
as
a
farmer
allows
thistles
to
remain in
his
field
so
the
surrounding
wheat
isn’t
uprooted
with
them.


At
the
harvest, however,
the
thistles
will
be
uprooted
and
thrown
away.
God’s
harvest
(Judgment) of
all
mankind
is
coming.
We
are
to
make
ourselves
ready
by
making
sure
our
faith is
sincere. Verses
3132:
The
Kingdom
of
Heaven
is
like
a
Mustard
Seed The
mustard
was
the
smallest
seed
a
farmer
planted.
Jesus
used
this
illustration
to show
that
the
Kingdom
has
small
beginnings
but
will
grow
and
produce
great results Barnes: Grain
of
mustard
seed.
The
plant
here
described
was
very
different
from
that
which is
known
among
us.
It
was
several
years
before
it
bore
fruit,
and
became
properly
a tree.
Mustard,
with
us,
is
an
annual
plant;
it
is
always
small,
and
is
properly
an
herb. The
Hebrew
writers
speak
of
the
mustard‐tree
as
one
on
which
they
could
climb,
as on
a
fig‐tree.
Its
size
was
much
owing
to
the
climate.
All
plants
of
that
nature
grow much
larger
in
a
warm
climate,
like
that
of
Palestine,
than
in
colder
regions.
The seeds
of
this
tree
were
remarkably
small;
so
that
they,
with
the
great
size
of
the plant,
were
an
apt
illustration
of
the
progress
of
the
church,
and
of
the
nature
of faith,
Matt.
xvii.20.

Young
converts
often
suppose
they
have
much
religion.
It
is
not
so.
They
are,
indeed, in
a
new
world.
Their
hearts
glow
with
new
affections.
They
have
an
elevation,
an ecstasy
of
emotion,
which
they
may
not
have
afterwards
–
like
a
blind
man
suddenly restored
to
sight.
The
sensation
is
new,
and
peculiarly
vivid.
Yet
little
is
seen distinctly.
His
impressions
are
indeed
more
vivid
and
cheering
than
those
of
him who
has
long
seen,
and
to
whom
objects
are
familiar.
In
a
little
time,
too,
the
young convert
will
see
more
distinctly,
will
judge
more
intelligently,
will
love
more 15 strongly,
though
not
with
so
much
new
emotion,
and
will
be
prepared
to
make
more sacrifices
for
the
cause
of
Christ. R.T.
France: (b)
The
mustard
seed
(13:3132).
For
is
like,
here
and
in
v.
33,
see
on
13:24.
The
point is
comparison
is
not
the
seed
in
itself,
but
what
happens
when
it
is
sown.
Mustard seed
was
proverbially
minute
(cf.
17:20,
and
Mishnah
Niddah
5:2,
etc.),
though
of course
it
is
not
literally
the
smallest
known
seed.
The
point
of
the
parable
lies
in
the contrast
between
this
insignificant
beginning
and
the
greatest
of
shrubs
which results.
The
expression
is
literally
‘greater
than
the
vegetables’
and
contrasts
the full‐grown
shrub
(it
normally
grew
to
about
3
metres)
with
other
edible
garden produce.
It
is
an
exaggeration
to
call
it
a
tree,
but
the
language
suggests
that
Jesus was
thinking
of
the
Old
Testament
use
of
the
tree
as
an
image
for
a
great
empire (see
especially
Ezk.
17:23;
31:3‐9;
Dn.
4:10‐12;
etc.).


From
these
passages
also comes
the
picture
of
the
birds…in
its
branches;
there
the
birds
represent
the
nations gathered
under
the
protection
of
the
empire
(Ezk.
31:6;
Dn.
4:20‐22),
and
it
is possible
that
Jesus’
words
here
envisage
the
coming
of
the
Gentiles
into
the
kingdom of
heaven.
But
the
main
point
lies
simply
in
the
huge
extent
of
this
kingdom
which has
developed
from
such
unimpressive
beginnings. Verse
33:
The
Kingdom
of
Heaven
is
Like
Leaven 13:33 In
other
Bible
passages,
yeast
is
often
a
symbol
of
evil
or
uncleanness.
Here
it is
a
positive
symbol
of
growth.
Although
yeast
looks
like
a
minor
ingredient,
it permeates
the
whole
loaf.
While
the
beginning
of
the
Kingdom
was
small
and
nearly invisible,
it
would
soon
grow
and
have
a
great
impact
on
the
world. R.T.
France: (c)
The
yeast
(13:33).
The
theme
is
again
of
contrast
between
the
tiny
quantity
of yeast
and
the
size
of
its
effect.
Three
measures
of
meal
would
be
about
40
litres, which
would
make
enough
bread
for
a
meal
for
100
people,
a
remarkable
baking
for an
n
ordinary
woman,
but
it
makes
a
point
vividly!
Leaven
(yeast)
is
usually
in
the Bible
a
symbol
for
the
pervasive
power
of
evil,
but
it
is
its
pervasiveness,
not
its metaphorical
connections,
which
is
in
view
here.
Hid
is
not
the
natural
verb
here, and
must
be
designed
to
emphasize
the
secret,
inconspicuous
way
the
kingdom
of heaven
begins
to
take
effect. So
the
three
parables
of
growth
all
focus
on
the
paradox
of
insignificant
or hidden
beginnings
and
a
triumphant
climax.
In
Jesus’
ministry
this
was
a
real
issue: for
those
outside
the
disciple
group
it
affected
the
credibility
of
an
announcement
of God’s
reign
which
had
apparently
little
to
show
for
it;
for
the
disciples
there
was
the natural
impatience
to
see
God’s
kingdom
in
all
its
glory,
and
the
total
eradication
of all
that
opposed
it.
To
them,
and
to
us
today
who
may
expect
God
to
act
dramatically and
without
delay,
Jesus
points
out
that
the
full
growth
(harvest,
mustard
plant, leavened
dough)
is
assured
from
the
moment
the
seed
is
sown,
however unpromising
its
appearance
and
whatever
opposition
it
may
meet
in
its development.
The
way
of
God
is
not
that
of
ostentation
but
of
ultimate
success.
Little is
great
where
God
is
at
work. 16 33.
The
kingdom
of
heaven. This,
here,
means
the
same
as
in
the
last
parable; perhaps,
however,
intending
to
denote
more
properly
the
secret
and
hidden
nature of
piety
in
the
soul.
The
other
parable
declared
the
fact
that
the
gospel
would
greatly spread,
and
that
piety
in
the
heart
would
greatly
increase.
This
declares
the
way
or mode
in
which
it
would
be
done.
It
is
secret,
silent,
steady;
pervading
all
the
faculties of
the
soul,
and
all
the
kingdoms
of
the
world,
as
leaven,
or
yeast,
though
hidden
in the
flour,
and
though
deposited
only
in
one
place,
works
silently
till
all
the
mass
is brought
under
its
influence.
Three
measures.


These
were
small
measures,
(see
the margin;)
but
the
particular
amount
is
of
no
consequence
to
the
story.
Nor
is anything
to
be
drawn
from
the
fact
that
three
are
mentioned.
It
is
mentioned
as
a circumstance
giving
interest
to
the
parable,
but
designed
to
convey
no
spiritual instruction.
The
measure
mentioned
here
probably
contained
about
a
peck
and
a half. PROPHECY
AND
PARABLES Matthew
13:3435 Again
Jesus
repeats
the
reason
for
parables
so
that
his
people
will
know
the
secrets from
the
foundation
of
the
world. The
Parable
of
the
Tares
Explained Verses
3643 Barnes: 3643.
Declare
unto
us. That
is,
explain
the
meaning
of
the
parable.
This
was
done
in so
plan
a
manner
as
to
render
comment
unnecessary.
The
Son
of
man,
the
Lord Jesus,
sows
the
good
seed;
that
is,
preaches
the
gospel.
This
he
did
personally,
and does
now
by
his
ministers,
his
providence,
and
his
Spirit,
by
all
the
means
of conveying
truth
to
the
mind.
This
seed
was,
by
various
means,
to
be
carried
over
all the
world.
It
was
to
be
confined
to
no
particular
nation
or
people.
The
good
seed was
the
children
of
the
kingdom;
that
is,
of
the
kingdom
of
God,
or
Christians.
For those
the
Saviour
toiled
and
died.
They
are
the
fruit
of
his
labours.
Yet
amidst
them were
wicked
men;
and
all
hypocrites
and
unbelievers
in
the
church
are
the
work
of Satan.
Yet
they
must
remain
together
till
the
end;
when
they
shall
be
separated,
and the
righteous
saved,
and
the
wicked
lost.
The
one
shall
shine
clear
as
the
sun;
the other
be
cast
into
a
furnace
of
fire‐
a
most
expressive
image
of
suffering.


We
have
no idea
of
more
acute
suffering,
than
to
be
thrown
into
the
fire,
and
to
have
our
bodies made
capable
of
bearing
the
burning
heat,
and
living
on
in
this
burning
heat
for
ever and
for
ever.
It
is
not
certain
that
our
Saviour
meant
to
teach
here
that
hell
is
made up
of
material
fire;
but
it
is
certain
that
he
meant
to
teach
that
this
would
be
a proper
representation
of
those
sufferings.
We
may
be
further
assured
that
the Redeemer
would
not
deceive,
or
use
words
to
torment
and
tantalize
us.
He
would not
talk
of
hell‐fire
which
had
no
existence;
nor
would
the
God
of
truth
hold
our frightful
images
merely
to
terrify
mankind.
If
he
has
spoken
of
hell,
then
there
is
a hell.
If
he
meant
to
say
that
the
wicked
shall
suffer,
then
they
will
suffer.
If
he
did
not mean
to
deceive
mankind,
then
there
is
a
hell;
and
then
the
wicked
will
suffer.
The 17 impenitent,
therefore,
should
be
alarmed.
And
the
righteous,
however
much wickedness
they
may
see,
and
however
many
hypocrites
there
may
be
in
the
church, should
be
cheered
with
the
prospect
that
soon
the
just
shall
be
separated
from
the unjust,
and
that
they
shall
shine
as
the
sun
in
the
kingdom
of
their
Father. 13:4043 At
the
end
of
the
world,
angels
will
separate
those
who
are
evil
from those
who
are
good.


There
are
true
and
false
believers
in
churches
today,
but
we should
be
cautious
in
our
judgments
because
the
final
separation
will
be
made
by Christ
himself.
If
you
start
judging,
you
may
damage
some
of
the
good
“plants.”
It’s more
important
to
judge
our
own
response
to
God
than
to
analyze
others. 13:42 Matthew
often
uses
these
terms
to
refer
to
the
coming
judgment.
The weeping
indicates
sorrow
or
remorse,
and
gnashing
of
teeth
is
the
response
to extreme
anxiety
or
pain.
Those
who
say
they
don’t
care
what
happens
to
them
after they
die
don’t
realize
what
they
are
saying.
They
will
be
punished
for
living
in selfishness
and
indifference
to
God. 13:43 Those
who
receive
God’s
favor
stand
in
bright
contrast
to
those
who
receive his
judgment.


A
similar
illustration
is
used
in
Daniel
12:3. Economic
Parables:
The
Monetary
Teachings
of
Jesus
Christ By
David
Cowan The
Parable
of
the
Dragnet Matthew
13:4752 R.T.
France: (c)
The
net
(13:47‐50).
This
is
the
third
parable
with
a
formal
explanation
(vv.
4950).
The
fact
that
most
of
the
explanation
is
repeated
verbatim
from
vv.
40‐42
(even though
the
furnace
is
less
appropriate
to
the
disposal
of
fish
than
of
darnel) indicates
how
closely
the
parables
of
the
weeds
and
the
net
are
linked
in
their theme.
More
precisely,
the
net
echoes
the
last
‘act’
of
the
parable
of
the
weeds,
the sorting
out
of
the
good
from
bad.
The
net
is
the
large
‘dragnet’
which
is
drawn between
two
boats
or
by
ropes
from
the
shore,
collecting
all
fish
and
other
creatures within
the
area
covered,
which
must
then
be
sorted
out
to
remove
the
bad,
i.e.
those unsuitable
for
eating.
The
reference,
as
in
the
weeds,
is
not
primarily
to
a
mixed church,
but
to
the
division
among
mankind
in
general
which
the
last
judgment
will bring
to
light.
See
further,
on
vv.
40‐42. (viii)
Concluding
parable:
the
householder
(13:5153) While
v.
52
is
not
normally
listed
as
one
of
the
parables
of
this
chapter,
it
resembles them
in
the
formula
‘is
like’,
the
concern
with
the
kingdom
of
heaven,
and
the homely
illustration;
structurally
it
stands
in
parallel
with
the
introductory
parable
of the
sower. 18 51.
In
v.
36
the
disciples
had
asked
for
explanation.
Jesus
now
checks
that
the teaching
given
specifically
to
them
and
not
to
the
crowds
has
been
effective.
It
has produced
understanding.
For
this
key
word
see
vv.
13,
14,
15,
19,
23,
above:
it
is
the special
prerogative
of
the
disciple
to
whom
the
mysteries
are
revealed. 52.
Therefore
ought
to
refer
back
to
v.
51;
in
that
case
the
parable
of
the householder
relates
to
the
fact
of
the
disciples’
understanding.
This,
and
the
fact
that it
speaks
of
every
scribe,
tells
against
the
view
that
it
is
the
Evangelist’s
description of
his
own
role.
While
grammateus
normally
denotes
a
scribe
in
the
technical
sense of
a
professional
teacher
of
the
Jewish
law
(5:20;
7:29;
8:19;
etc.),
this
literal meaning
seems
hardly
relevant
to
this
context,
and
it
is
more
likely
that
Jesus
is designating
his
disciples
(who
had
no
formal
training)
as
the
‘scribes’
of
the kingdom
of
heaven.
The
teaching
he
has
given
has
trained
them.
(Matheteutheis
is from
the
same
root
as
‘disciple’,
but
in
the
passive
is
more
naturally
translated ‘instructed’
than
‘made
a
disciple’.)

In
comparing
them
to
a
householder
who
brings out
of
his
treasure…,
Jesus
is
not
merely
describing
them,
but
as
usual
in
parables
is challenging
them
to
fulfil
a
role:
they
have
received
‘treasure’
through
his instruction;
now
they
are
to
‘bring
it
out’
in
teaching
others.
What
is
new
and
what
is old
as
a
description
of
Christian
teaching
may
include
a
dig
at
the
Jewish
scribes,
who could
produce
only
what
was
old!
It
also
refers
back
to
v.
35,
where
Jesus’
new teaching
is
identified
as
going
back
to
‘the
foundation
of
the
world’.
It
is
new
and revolutionary,
but
its
validity
lies
in
that
it
is
grounded
in
God’s
eternal
truths,
now at
last
brought
to
light. 53.
Like
the
parallel
formulae
at
the
end
of
the
other
major
collections
of
teaching (see
on
7:28‐29),
this
verse
both
concludes
the
teaching
and
leads
into
the
following narrative;
there
is
no
clear
paragraph
break,
and
the
following
verses
will
describe
a mixed
reaction
to
Jesus’
teaching
which
amply
illustrates
much
of
the
teaching
in
the preceding
parables
about
men’s
response
to
the
kingdom
of
heaven. (iv)
and
(vi)
Three
parables
of
growth;
and
explanation
of
the
weeds (13:24‐33
and
36‐43) As
with
the
sower,
so
now
we
shall
deal
with
the
second
extended
explanation together
with
the
parable
it
explains,
even
though
it
is
again
separated
from
it
in
the text
by
a
statement
on
the
purpose
of
parables. (a)
The
weeds
(13:24‐30,
36‐43).


On
the
question
of
the
authenticity
of
the explanations
given
in
this
chapter,
see
above,
on
vv.
18‐23.
The
explanation
of
the weeds,
like
that
of
the
sower,
takes
up
the
details
of
the
story
in
a
way
which
has been
dubbed
‘allegorizing’.
Here
again,
however,
it
is
hard
to
explain
why
the parable
was
told
in
this
form
if
it
was
not
intended
that
these
details
(as
with
the sower,
not
all
details
of
the
story
receive
an
application)
should
be
noted.
The identification
of
the
details
in
vv.
37‐39
does
not
involve
any
departure
from
what
is apparently
the
intended
theme
of
the
parable,
and
should
not
therefore
be dismissed
as
illegitimate.
If
Jesus
did
not
intend
the
story
to
be
so
understood,
what did
he
intend
by
it?
There
is
no
other
obvious
answer.
It
is
true
that
the
latter
part
of the
explanation
(vv.
40‐43)
focuses
on
the
final
division
rather
than
on
the
call
for 19 patience
which
is
prominent
in
the
story,
but
it
is
precisely
in
the
expectation
of
this ultimate
division
that
the
call
for
patience
is
grounded. The
parable
is
usually
understood
as
depicting
the
mixed
character
of
the
church, in
which
true
and
false
believers
coexist
until
the
final
judgment.
But
in
Jesus’
own ministry
this
was
not
yet
an
issue,
and
in
v.
38
the
field
is
identified
as
‘the
world’ rather
than
the
church.
So
the
canvas
is
broader
than
the
specific
issue
of
church discipline.
Jesus
announced
God’s
kingdom,
and
this
would
lead
many
of
his
hearers to
expect
a
cataclysmic
disruption
of
society,
an
immediate
and
absolute
division between
the
‘sons
of
light’
and
the
‘sons
of
darkness’,
as
the
men
of
Qumran
put
it. Yet
things
went
on
apparently
as
before.
It
was
to
this
impatience
that
the
parable was
primarily
directed.
God’s
kingdom
does
bring
division,
and
that
division
is
final, but
while
it
is
already
present
in
principle,
its
full
outworking
is
for
God
to
bring about
in
the
final
judgment,
not
for
man
to
anticipate
by
human
segregation.
Of course
this
has
its
practical
application
to
the
search
for
a
‘pure
church’
here
on earth,
but
the
perspective
is
wider.
It
is,
as
in
the
two
following
parables,
that
of
the contrast
between
the
present
hiddenness
of
God’s
kingdom
and
its
future consummation,
when
the
‘righteous’,
who
are
now
barely
distinguishable
from
the ‘sons
of
the
evil
one’,
will
‘shine
like
the
sun’
(v.
43).

This
consummation
will
come
at
the
final
judgment,
which
comes
into
focus
in
vv. 40‐43.
Here
the
explanation
moves
from
the
simple
identification
of
details
to develop
more
fully
the
brief
climax
of
the
parable.
It
thus
brings
into
focus
the fundamental
division
of
men
into
two
classes
which
we
have
seen
to
be
basic
to
the whole
chapter,
and
which
was
implicit
in
the
parable. 36.
For
the
significance
of
the
house,
see
introductory
remarks
on
ch.
13. 3739.
This
detailed
‘lexicon’
to
the
parable
provides
a
handy
guide
to
its interpretation
without
focusing
on
any
one
point
or
drawing
out
the
overall application.
The
following
verses
will
expand
the
role
of
the
Son
of
man
to
be
not only
the
sower,
but
the
chief
harvester,
and
owner
of
the
kingdom
(cf.
25:31ff., where
similarly
divine
functions
are
accorded
to
the
Son
of
man).
For
the
world,
see introduction
to
this
section.
For
sons
of
the
kingdom,
see
on
8:12;
here
it
is
not ironical. 40.
The
remaining
verses
develop
the
final
scene
of
the
story
into
a
portrayal
of the
final
judgment
similar
to
that
of
25:31‐46
(and
cf.
13:49‐50).
It
focuses
on
the close
of
the
age,
the
ultimate
turning‐point
when
the
period
of
the
secret
growth
of God’s
kingdom
alongside
the
continued
activity
of
the
evil
one
will
be
brought
to
an end,
and
the
new
age
which
was
inaugurated
in
principle
in
Jesus’
earthly
ministry will
be
gloriously
consummated. 41.


Compare
24:31,
where
the
Son
of
man
sends
out
his
angels
(cf.
also
16:27; 25:31)
to
gather
the
chosen.
The
two
missions
are
necessarily
complementary where
there
is
an
absolute
division
into
two
classes.
Out
of
his
kingdom
does
not necessarily
imply
that
the
‘sons
of
the
evil
one’
were
once
in
it,
but
that
they
will have
no
place
in
it
when
it
is
fully
consummated
(cf.
8:12).
The
kingdom
which
is here
ascribed
to
the
Son
of
man
(as
in
16:28;
cf.
20:21)
is
in
v.
43
‘the
kingdom
of their
Father’.
These
are
not
two
separate
kingdoms
(one
on
earth,
the
other
in 20 heaven,
according
to
some
commentators);
the
sharing
of
attributes
between
God the
Father
and
the
Son
of
man
is
typical
of
the
judgment
scenes
of
this
Gospel
(cf. 16:27‐28;
25:31ff.).
All
causes
of
sin
(literally
‘stumbling‐blocks’)
and
all
evildoers echoes
the
Hebrew
text
of
Zephaniah
1:3
(see
RSV
mg.
there),
where
it
describes
the objects
of
God’s
eschatological
judgment;
here
it
corresponds
to
the
‘sons
of
the
evil one’
(v.
38).
The
causes
of
sin
are
not
things,
but
people,
as
in
16:23,
where
Peter
is described
by
the
same
word
(cf.
the
use
of
the
cognate
verb
in
18:6). 42.
The
image
of
the
furnace
of
fire
derives
from
the
parable
itself
(v.
30‐the darnel
was
useful
fuel
where
wood
was
in
short
supply);
it
is
not
in
its
own
right
a New
Testament
image
for
hell
(though
fire
alone
is,
of
course,
often
so
used).
For weep
and
gnash
their
teeth,
cf.
8:12. 43.


The
ultimate
glory
of
the
‘sons
of
the
kingdom’
is
described
in
imagery
which reflects
Daniel
12:3,
and
which
contrasts
strikingly
with
their
previous
‘hiddenness’ during
the
period
of
‘growing
together’.
For
he
who
has
ears,
let
him
hear,
see
on 11:15. The
Parable
of
the
Wise
and
Foolish
Virgins Matthew
25:113 Vines
Greek
Dictionary: 25:1ff Jesus
gave
the
following
parables
to
further
clarify
what
it
means
to
be
ready for
his
return
and
how
to
live
until
he
comes.
In
the
story
of
the
bridesmaids
(25:113),
we
are
taught
that
every
person
is
responsible
for
his
or
her
own
spiritual condition.
The
story
of
the
talents
(24:14‐30)
shows
the
necessity
of
using
well
what God
has
entrusted
to
us.
The
parable
of
the
sheep
and
goats
(25:31‐46)
stresses
the importance
of
serving
others
in
need.
No
parable
by
itself
completely
describes
our preparation.
Instead,
each
paints
one
part
of
the
whole
picture. 25:1ff This
parable
is
about
a
wedding.
In
Jewish
culture,
a
couple
was
engaged
for a
long
time
before
the
actual
marriage,
and
the
engagement
promise
was
just
as binding
as
the
marriage
vows.
On
the
wedding
day
the
bridegroom
went
to
the brides’
house
for
the
ceremony;
then
the
bride
and
groom,
along
with
a
great parade,
returned
to
the
groom’s
house
where
a
great
feast
took
place,
often
lasting
a full
week. These
bridesmaids
were
waiting
for
the
parade,
and
they
hoped
to
take
part
in the
wedding
banquet.
But
when
the
groom
didn’t
come
when
they
expected,
five
of them
let
their
lamps
run
out
of
oil.
By
the
time
they
had
purchased
extra
oil,
it
was too
late
to
join
the
feast. When
Jesus
returns
to
take
his
people
to
heaven,
we
must
be
ready. Spiritual preparation
cannot
be
bought
or
borrowed
at
the
last
minute.
Our
relationship
with God
must
be
our
own. R.T.
France: 14.


Then
clearly
links
the
parable
with
the
preceding
warning;
it
is
not
a
description of
the
kingdom
of
heaven
in
general,
but
of
what
will
happen
when
God’s
sovereign purpose
reaches
its
climax
in
the
parousia
of
the
Son
of
man.
The
details
of
the
story 21 are
not
all
clear,
as
contemporary
wedding
customs
are
not
fully
known.
The maidens
may
be
attendants
of
the
bride,
or
servants
in
the
bridegroom’s
home,
or perhaps
friends
and
neighbors.
(The
term
‘bridesmaids’
in
our
heading
is
not necessarily
to
be
read
in
a
modern
cultural
context!)
They
are
waiting
to
escort
the bridegroom
in
festal
procession,
probably
in
the
last
stage
of
the
ceremonies
as
he brings
his
bride
home
for
the
wedding
feast.
It
is
apparently
a
torchlight
procession, the
lamps
probably
being
‘torches’
(of
oil‐soaked
rags
wrapped
on
a
stick)
rather than
standing
lamps,
which
are
described
by
a
different
word
in
5:15
and
6:22;
the word
used
here
regularly
means
‘torch’.1
The
addition
‘and
the
bride’
at
the
end
of
v. 1
(see
RSV
mg.)
has
early
MSS
support,
but
is
more
likely
to
have
been
added
to complete
the
picture
(a
wedding
without
a
bride
is
odd‐
but
Jesus
is
not
telling
a complete
story!),
than
to
have
been
omitted
by
a
church
which
had
learnt
to
think
of itself
as
the
‘bride
of
Christ’
(Eph.
5:23‐32). 5.
Jeremias
(PJ,
pp.
172‐174)
argues
plausibly
that
the
bridegroom
was
delayed
by protracted
negotiations
over
the
financial
settlement.
The
theme
of
the
delayed coming
has
appeared
already
in
24:48,
and
will
return
in
25:19;
it
was
no
doubt already
an
issue
when
Matthew
wrote
–
how
could
an
‘imminent’
coming
be
so
long delayed?
This
parable,
like
the
last
(see
24:50),
insists
that
delay
is
no
excuse
for
not being
ready
at
any
time.
That
the
girls
slumbered
and
slept
(‘nodded
off
and
were sound
asleep’
would
get
the
sense
of
the
Greek
tenses)
is
no
fault
in
itself,
for
both ‘wise’
and
‘foolish’
did
so;
during
the
‘delay’
life
must
go
on,
and
we
cannot
live
on constant
alert.


The
difference
was
whether
they
had
already
prepared
for
the summons,
or
had
left
preparation
to
the
last
minute,
when
it
would
be
too
late. 610.
Trimmed
their
lamps
is
literally
‘put
their
torches
in
order’.
They
are
lighting them
for
the
procession.
Well‐soaked
torch
would
burn
for
a
quarter
of
an
hour
or so,
but
those
with
no
oil
were
no
sooner
lit
than
they
went
out.
The
rebuff
given
by the
wise
to
the
foolish
(which
should
probably
read
more
strongly
than
RSV: ‘Certainly
not;
there
will
never
be
enough…’)
is
not
a
charter
for
selfish
unconcern for
others,
but
its
presence
in
the
parable
may
be
intended
to
remind
us
that
no‐one can
ultimately
rely
on
another’s
preparedness.
The
formal
finality
of
the
door
was shut
again
hardly
fits
the
atmosphere
of
a
village
wedding,
but
effectively
makes
the point
that
there
is
a
‘too
late’
in
God’s
time‐table
(cf.
Heb.
3:7‐4:13). 1112.
The
application
increasingly
colors
the
story.
The
girls’
appeal
and
the bridegroom’s
response
recall
the
chilling
words
of
7:22‐23;
here,
as
there,
I
do
not know
you
is
a
decisive
formula
of
rejection,
rather
than
a
mere
statement
of
fact (which
could
hardly
to
true
of
half
of
the
bridal
procession!).
The
formula
of
22:14, ‘Many
are
called,
but
few
are
chosen’,
would
aptly
sum
up
the
point,
which
is
similar to
that
of
22:11‐13:
it
is
not
enough
to
be
‘in
the
act’,
to
be
a
professing
disciple;
the disciple
must
also
be
prepared
for
the
ultimate
encounter.
How
we
are
to
prepare, this
parable
does
not
specify,
but
the
next
one
will
take
up
this
point. 13.
This
verse
summarizes
the
message
of
the
whole
section
which
began
in
24:36. It
does
not
literally
fit
the
story
of
the
parable
just
told
(neither
wise
nor
foolish ‘stayed
awake’
‐
which
is
what
watch
literally
means),
but
uses
a
different
metaphor to
drive
home
the
call
for
constant
readiness. 22 The
Parable
of
the
Talents Matthew
25:1430 R.T.
France: (vi)
The
parable
of
the
talents
(25:1430) The
theme
of
‘being
ready’,
which
dominated
the
last
section,
is
still
at
the
centre
of this
parable,
which
again
portrays
a
‘coming’
and
its
consequences
of
those
who should
have
been
preparing
for
it.
But
this
parable
takes
up
the
question
which
that of
the
bridesmaids
left
unanswered:
what
is
‘readiness’?
It
is
not
a
matter
of passively
‘waiting’,
but
of
responsible
activity,
producing
results
which
the
coming ‘master’
can
see
and
approve.
For
the
period
of
waiting
was
not
intended
to
be
an empty,
meaningless
‘delay’,
but
a
period
of
opportunity
to
put
to
good
use
the ‘talents’
entrusted
to
his
‘slaves’. The
English
use
of
‘talent’
for
a
natural
(or
supernatural)
aptitude
derives
from
this parable,
and
represents
a
common
application
of
it
to
the
need
to
‘live
up
to
our
full potential’.


But
of
course
the
Greek
talanton
is
simply
a
sum
of
money,
part
of
the story‐content
of
the
parable,
and
our
interpretation
should
not
be
influenced
by
the subsequent
use
of
the
word
in
English.
In
the
context
of
Jesus’
ministry
the
sums
of money
entrusted
to
the
slaves
are
more
likely
to
represent
not
naturally endowments
given
to
men
in
general,
but
the
specific
privileges
and
opportunities of
the
kingdom
of
heaven.
The
opportunities
open
to
a
disciple
may
differ
in character
and
magnitude,
but
they
are
all
to
be
faithfully
exploited
before
the
master returns.
‘Readiness’,
therefore,
consists
in
having
already
faithfully
discharged
our responsibilities
as
disciples,
whether
they
have
been
small
or
great.
It
is
the
master who
allocates
the
scale
of
responsibility;
the
slaves’
duty
is
merely
to
carry
out faithfully
the
role
entrusted
to
him. A
similar
parable
in
Luke
19:12‐27
makes
essentially
the
same
point,
though
it differs
substantially
in
detail.
The
two
are
usually
regarded
as
variant
versions
of the
same
original
parable
of
Jesus,
though
opinions
differ
as
to
which
might
in
that case
be
closer
to
the
original.
It
is,
however,
at
least
possible
that
Jesus
should
have told
similar
stories
on
more
than
one
occasion,
changing
the
details
in
order
to emphasize
different
areas
of
application
for
different
audiences.
At
any
rate,
each should
be
interpreted
on
its
own
terms,
not
by
means
of
the
other. 1418.
For
indicates
a
close
link
with
the
theme
of
24:36
–
25:13
and
particularly with
the
exhortation
of
v.
13.
Slaves
(servants
is
the
usual
English
euphemism
for this
word)
often
rose
to
positions
of
great
influence
and
responsibility
(cf.
18:23
ff.; 21:34‐36;
24:45ff.).


Even
so,
the
sums
entrusted
to
them
are
huge:
a
talent
varied from
place
to
place,
and
depending
on
the
metal
used
for
monetary
purposes,
but
it was
generally
regarding
as
equal
to
6,000
denarii
(for
which
see
on
20:1‐7),
so
that in
terms
of
modern
purchasing
power
it
represents
thousands
of
pounds
(cf.
on 18:23‐34).
The
allocation
of
these
huge
sums
according
to
ability
is
not
only commercial
sense,
but
recognizes
that
God
reckons
with
his
people
as
individuals whose
circumstances
and
personalities
differ.
The
third
servant
failed
to
recognize his
master’s
intention,
and
substituted
security
for
service.
To
that
(mistaken)
end his
action
was
entirely
appropriate:
‘Money
can
only
be
guarded
by
placing
it
in
the 23 earth’,
observed
a
later
Rabbi
(Baba
Metzia
42a).
But
cf.
13:44
for
the
possible result! 1923.
For
the
long
time,
see
on
25:5.
Settled
accounts
makes
it
clear
that
they
had been
given
the
money
specifically
for
trading
–
the
profit
accruing
was
no unexpected
bonus,
but
was
what
was
intended
from
the
start
(cf.
the
idea
of
Lk. 17:10).
The
‘reward’
of
faithful
discharge
of
this
responsibility
is
‘not
a
wellendowed
pension,
but
even
greater
responsibility’
(Schweizer,
p.
471).
It
may
be significant
that
both
slaves
receive
identical
commendations,
despite
the
different scale
of
responsibility
originally
given
to
them;
their
achievement
has
been proportionately
the
same,
however
different
their
original
endowment.
Enter
into the
joy
of
your
master
is
hardly
commercial
language
(not
even
in
GNB’s
more mundane
version,
‘Come
on
in
and
share
my
happiness’!);
here,
as
in
v.
30,
the application
is
again
creeping
into
the
telling
of
the
story. 2428.
The
third
servant
has
simply
failed
to
grasp
the
nature
of
his
responsibility. His
failure
is
due
not
so
much
to
laziness
as
to
‘a
sort
of
religious
and
oriental fatalism’
(Bonnard).
Underlying
this
was
his
view
of
his
master
(which
the
latter accepts
with
a
grim
irony
in
v.
26)
as
a
‘rapacious
capitalist’
(Beare).
Of
course
this characterization
is
not
an
allegorical
description
of
God,
anymore
than
the
less‐thanideal
characters
who
represent
God
in
other
parables
(Lk.
11:5‐8;
16:8;
18:2‐5;
etc.).

Even
on
this
unflattering
view
of
his
master,
however,
his
action
was
irresponsible; it
represents
a
discipleship
which
consists
of
playing
safe,
and
so
achieving
nothing (contrast
10:39),
‘a
religion
concerned
only
with
not
doing
anything
wrong’ (Schweizer,
p.
473).
‘Being
ready’
consists
not
only
in
keeping
your
slate
clean,
but in
active,
responsible,
faithful
service
which
produces
results. 2930.
Verse
29
is
a
repetition
of
13:12
(see
comments
there).
In
v.
30,
as
in
24:51, the
story
has
been
‘invaded’
by
its
application,
and
the
traditional
description
of
the fate
of
the
wicked
(cf.
8:12;
13:42,
50)
makes
explicit
that
the
parable
is
to
be understood
(as
vv.
21,
23
had
already
hinted)
in
terms
of
the
ultimate
basis
of salvation
or
condemnation. 25:15 The
master
divided
the
money
up
among
his
servants
according
to
their abilities‐no
one
received
more
or
less
money
than
he
could
handle.
If
he
failed
in
his master’s
assignment,
his
excuse
could
not
be
that
he
was
overwhelmed.
Failure could
come
only
from
laziness
or
hatred
for
the
master.
Money,
as
used
here, represents
any
kind
of
resource
we
are
given.


God
gives
us
time,
abilities,
gifts,
and other
resources
according
to
our
abilities,
and
he
expects
us
to
invest
them
wisely until
he
returns.
We
are
responsible
to
use
well
what
God
has
given
us.
The
issue
is not
how
much
we
have,
but
what
we
do
with
what
we
have. 25:21 Jesus
is
coming
back‐we
know
this
is
true.
Does
this
mean
we
must
drop
our jobs
in
order
to
serve
God?
No,
it
means
we
are
diligently
to
use
our
time,
talents, and
treasures
in
order
to
serve
God
completely
in
whatever
we
do.
For
a
few
people, this
means
changing
professions.
For
most
of
us,
it
means
doing
our
daily
work
out of
love
for
God. 25:2430 This
last
man
was
thinking
only
of
himself‐playing
it
safe
and
protecting himself
from
his
hard
taskmaster.
He
was
judged
for
his
self‐centeredness.
We
must not
make
excuses
to
avoid
what
God
calls
us
to
do.


If
God
truly
is
our
Master,
we must
obey
willingly.
Our
time,
abilities,
and
money
aren’t
our
in
the
first
place‐we are
caretakers,
not
owners.
When
we
ignore,
squander,
or
abuse
what
we
are
given, we
are
rebellious
and
deserve
to
be
punished. 25:29,
30 This
parable
describes
the
consequences
of
two
attitudes
to
Christ’s return.
The
worker
who
diligently
and
usefully
prepares
for
it
by
investing
his
time and
talent
to
serve
God
will
be
rewarded.
The
worker
who
has
no
heart
for
the
work of
the
Kingdom
will
be
punished.
God
rewards
faithfulness.
Those
who
bear
no
fruit for
God’s
Kingdom
cannot
expect
to
be
treated
the
same
as
the
faithful. The
Son
of
Man
Will
Judge
the
Nations Matthew
25:3145 25:29,
30 This
parable
describes
the
consequences
of
two
attitudes
to
Christ’s return.
The
worker
who
diligently
and
usefully
prepares
for
it
by
investing
his
time and
talent
to
serve
God
will
be
rewarded.
The
worker
who
has
no
heart
for
the
work of
the
Kingdom
will
be
punished.
God
rewards
faithfulness.
Those
who
bear
no
fruit for
God’s
Kingdom
cannot
expect
to
be
treated
the
same
as
the
faithful. 25:3146

God
will
separate
his
obedient
followers
from
pretenders
and unbelievers.
The
real
evidence
of
our
belief
is
the
way
we
act.
To
treat
all
persons we
encounter
as
if
they
are
Jesus
is
no
easy
task.
What
we
do
for
others demonstrates
what
we
really
think
about
Jesus’
words
to
us‐feed
the
hungry,
give the
homeless
a
place
to
stay,
visit
the
sick.
How
well
do
your
actions
separate
you from
pretenders
and
unbelievers? 25:32 Jesus
used
sheep
and
goats
to
show
the
division
between
believers
and unbelievers.
Sheep
and
goats
often
grazed
together
but
were
separated
when
it came
time
to
shear
the
sheep.
Ezekiel
34:17‐24
also
refers
to
the
separation
of sheep
and
goats. 25:3440 This
parable
describes
acts
of
mercy
we
all
can
do
every
day.
These
acts are
not
dependant
on
wealth,
ability,
or
intelligence;
they
are
simple
acts
freely given
and
freely
given.
We
have
no
excuse
to
neglect
those
who
have
deep
needs, and
we
cannot
hand
over
this
responsibility
to
the
church
or
government.
Jesus demands
personal
involvement
in
caring
for
others’
needs
(Isaiah
58:7). 25:40

There
has
been
much
discussion
about
the
identity
of
the
“brothers.”
Some have
said
it
refers
to
the
Jews;
others
say
it
refers
to
all
Christians;
still
others
say
it refers
to
suffering
people
everywhere.
Such
a
debate
is
much
like
the
lawyer’s earlier
question
to
Jesus,
“Who
is
my
neighbor?”
(Luke
10:29).
The
point
of
this parable
is
not
the
who,
but
the
what‐the
act
of
serving
where
service
is
needed.
The focus
of
this
parable
is
that
we
should
love
every
person
and
serve
anyone
we
can. Such
love
for
others
is
glorifying
God,
because
it
reflects
our
love
for
him. 25:46 Eternal
punishment
takes
place
in
hell,
the
place
of
punishment
after
death for
all
those
who
refuse
to
repent
(5:29).
In
the
Bible,
three
words
have
been translated
“hell.” 25 (1) Sheol
is
used
in
the
Old
Testament
to
mean
the
grave,
the
place
of
the dead,
generally
thought
to
be
under
the
earth.
(See
Job
24:19;
Psalm 16:10;
Isaiah
38:10.) (2) Hades
is
the
Greek
word
for
the
underworld,
the
realm
of
the
dead.
It
is the
word
used
in
the
New
Testament
for
Sheol. (3) Gehenna
was
named
after
the
valley
of
Hinnom
near
Jerusalem
where children
sacrificed
by
fire
to
the
pagan
gods
(see
2
Kings
23:10;
2 Chronicles
28:3).
This
is
the
place
of
eternal
fire
(Mark
9:43)
prepared
for the
devil,
his
angels,
and
all
those
who
do
not
believe
in
God
(25:46; Revelation
20:9,
10).
This
is
the
final
and
eternal
state
of
the
wicked
after the
resurrection
and
the
Last
Judgment. When
Jesus
warns
against
unbelief,
he
is
trying
to
save
us
from
agonizing punishment. The
Parables
of
the
Workers
Paid
Equally An
Illustration
of
the
Kingdom
of
Heaven Matthew
20:116 (vi)
The
parable
of
equal
wages
for
unequal
work
(20:116)

F.
W.
Beare
appropriately
entitles
this
story
‘The
Eccentric
Employer’.
It
is
not meant
to
reflect
normal
economic
practice,
nor
to
be
a
pattern
for
labour
relations. In
an
age
of
unemployment
(cf.
Josephus,
Ant.
xx.
219‐220),
when
there
was
no
state security
to
fall
back
on
and
no
trades
union
power
to
protect
the
worker,
when
an employer
could
literally
‘do
what
he
chose
with
what
belonged
to
him’
(v.
15),
the employer’s
action
in
taking
on
additional
workers
whose
productivity
could
not possibly
match
the
wage
they
were
paid
may
be
understood
as
‘the
behaviour
of
a large‐hearted
man
who
is
compassionate
and
full
of
sympathy
for
the
poor’ (Jeremias,
PJ,
pp.
37,
139).
The
essential
point
of
the
parable
is
that
God
is
like
that; his
generosity
transcends
human
ideas
of
fairness.
No‐one
receives
less
than
they deserve,
but
some
receive
far
more.
But
this
generosity
is
offset
by
the
very
natural resentment
of
those
who
received
only
a
fair
wage.
To
whom
then
is
this
parable addressed?
Can
we
identify
those
represented
both
by
the
lucky
late‐comers
and
by the
jealous
regular
workers? Parables
are
characteristically
open‐ended,
and
a
general
rule
for
their interpretation
is,
“If
the
cap
fits,
wear
it!’


But
sometimes
it
is
possible
and
helpful
to envisage
the
situation
which
originally
gave
rise
to
them.
In
this
case
an
important clue
may
be
the
similarity
of
this
parable
to
that
of
the
Prodigal
Son,
which
is
also structured
around
the
contrast
between
the
one
who
receives
(and
deserves)
fair treatment
and
the
one
who
deserves
nothing
but
is
given
everything,
and
the jealousy
which
results.
As
that
parable
was
aimed
at
the
religious
leaders
who objected
to
Jesus’
acceptance
of
tax
collectors
and
sinners
(Lk.
15:1‐3),
the
same could
well
be
the
original
aim
of
this
parable;
God’s
grace
to
the
undeserving
should be
a
cause
for
joy,
not
for
jealousy.
At
a
later
date
the
same
message
would
properly apply
to
the
acceptance
of
Gentiles
into
the
people
of
God. 26
HOW
TO
HANDLE
MONEY
WHEN
GOD
CHOOSES TO
BLESS
YOU (OR
WHAT
COMES
WITH
OBEDIENCE) Instructions
to
the
rich
(I
Timothy
6:17‐19) Verse
17‐ Command‐
continuous
repeated
action. To
charge‐
to
hand
on
a
message Those
who
are
rich‐
wealthy,
abounding In
this
present
age‐
world
in
which
we
live Not
to
be
haughty‐
high
mind‐arrogant‐to
be
lofty
in
mind Nor
to
trust‐
confide
in
or
to
expect
(Jeremiah
9:23,
24) In
uncertain
riches‐
wealth,
money,
passions,
abundance But
in
the
living
God,
who
gives
us
all
things
richly‐
abundantly To
enjoy‐
to
take
advantage
or
pleasure
to
be
obtained
(Ecclesiastes
5:18‐20) Verse
18‐ Let
them
do
good‐
God’s
benefit
towards
man
(Acts
17:14) That
they
may
be
rich‐
wealth,
rich In
good
works‐
unacceptable,
virtuous,
honest,
worthy,
works‐toil
–
occupation, effort,
labor Ready‐
liberate
–
good
at
imparting To
distribute‐
good
at
imparting;
willing
to
koinonia
–
to
share Communicate‐
to
share Verse
19‐ Storing‐
laying
–
ongoing
–
to
treasure
away
(Matthew
6:19‐21) Up
for
themselves A
good
foundation‐
something
put
down
–
substructure
of
a
building Against
the
time
or
for
the
time
to
come‐
in
the
sense
of
purpose,
the
idea
of expectation That
they
may
lay
hold‐
subjunctive
mood
–
action
has
not
yet
occurred
–
of
eternal life. Following
God’s
financial
principles
draws
us
closer
to
Christ.

Jesus
Christ
promised
to
give
us
the
keys
to
the KINGDOM
OF
HEAVEN Matthew
16:1819 27 Verse
18‐
build
to
edify;
to
be
a
builder;
growth church:
the
word
is
mentioned
only
in
the
New
Testament,
and
only
3
times in
the
Gospels;
twice
in
18:17 Greek
ekklesia:
a
calling
out
community
of
saints;
the
Greeks
used
the
word to
gather
to
discuss
affairs
of
the
state. The
church
of
the
Body
of
Christ:
Ephesians
1:22;
5:23 I
Will
Build
My
Church The
church
is
a
theocracy,
not
a
democracy Prevail;
be
victorious 16:18 The
rock
upon
which
Jesus
would
build
his
church
refers
either
to
Jesus himself
(his
work
of
salvation
by
dying
for
us
on
the
cross),
to
Peter
(the
first
great leader
in
the
church
at
Jerusalem),
or
to
the
confession
of
faith
that
Peter
gave
and that
all
subsequent
true
believers
would
give.
Peter
later
reminds
Christians
that they
are
the
church
built
on
the
foundation
of
the
apostles
and
prophets
with
Jesus Christ
as
the
chief
Cornerstone
(1
Peter
2:4‐6).


All
believers
are
joined
into
this church
by
faith
in
Jesus
Christ
as
Savior,
just
as
Peter
expressed
here
(see
also Ephesians
2:20,
21).
Jesus
was
praising
Peter
for
his
confession
of
faith.
It
is
faith like
Peter’s
that
is
the
foundation
of
Christ’s
Kingdom. The
Gates
of
Hades
shall
not
prevail Vines
Greek
Dictionary: HADES,
the
region
of
departed
spirits
of
the
lost
but
including
the
blessed
dead
in periods
preceding
the
Ascension
of
Christ).
It
has
been
thought
by
some
that
the word
etymologically
meant
the
unseen
(from
a,
negative,
and
eido,
to
see),
but
this derivation
is
questionable;
a
more
probable
derivation
is
from
hado,
signifying
allreceiving.
It
corresponds
to
“Sheol”
in
the
O.T.
In
the
A.V.
of
the
O.T.
and
N.T.,
it
has been
unhappily
renderd
“Hell,”
e.g.,
Psa.
16:10;
or
“the
grave,”
e.g.,
Gen.
37:35;
or “the
pit,”
Num.
16:30,
33;
in
the
N.T.
the
Revisers
have
always
used
the
rendering “Hades;”
in
the
O.T.
they
have
not
been
uniform
in
the
translation,
e.g.,
in
Isa.
14:15, “hell”
(marg.,
“Sheol”);
usually
they
have
“Sheol”
in
the
text
and
“the
grave”
in
the margin.
It
never
denotes
the
grave,
nor
is
it
the
permanent
region
of
the
lost;
in point
of
time
it
is,
for
such,
intermediate
between
decease
and
the
doom
of
Gehenna. For
the
condition,
see
Luke
16:23‐31. The
word
is
used
four
times
in
the
Gospels,
and
always
by
the
Lord,
Matt. 11:23;
16:18;
Luke
10:15;
16:23;
it
is
used
with
reference
to
the
soul
of
Christ,
Acts 2:27,
31;
Christ
declares
that
He
has
the
keys
of
it,
Rev.
1:18;
in
Rev.
6:8
it
is personified,
with
the
signification
of
the
temporary
destiny
of
the
doomed;
it
is
to give
up
those
who
are
therein,
20:13,
and
is
to
be
cast
into
the
lake
of
fire,
ver.
14. 28 Note:
In
1
Cor.
15:55
the
most
authentic
mss.
have
thanatos,
death,
in
the
2nd part
of
the
verse,
instead
of
Hades,
which
the
A.V.
wrongly
renders
“grave”
(“hell,”
in the
marg.). R.T.
France 18.


And
I
tell
you,
with
the
pronouns
standing
out
emphatically
in
the
Greek,
marks out
the
following
words
as
Jesus’
reciprocal
response
to
what
Peter
has
just
said. Peter
has
declared
Jesus’
true
significance;
now
Jesus
in
turn
reveals
where
Peter stands
in
the
working
out
of
God’s
purpose.
And
as
Peter’s
confession
was encapsulated
in
a
title,
‘Messiah’,
so
Jesus
now
sums
up
Peters’
significance
in
a name,
Peter.
It
is
not
now
given
for
the
first
time,
for
Matthew
has
used
it throughout
in
preference
to
‘Simon’
(which
never
occurs
without
‘Peter’
until
v.
17), and
Mark
3:16
and
John
1:42
indicate
that
it
was
given
at
an
earlier
stage.
What Jesus
here
reveals
is
its
significance.
It
was
apparently
an
original
choice
by
Jesus, for
no
other
use
of
Petros
(or
the
underlying
Aramaic
kepa,
‘Cephas’)
as
a
personal name
is
known
before
this;
now
he
reveals
why
he
chose
it.
It
describes
not
so
much Peter’s
character
(he
did
not
prove
to
be
‘rock‐like’
in
terms
of
stability
or reliability),
but
his
function,
as
the
foundation‐stone
of
Jesus’
church.
The
feminine word
for
rock,
petra,
is
necessarily
changed
to
the
masculine
petros
(stone)
to
give
a man’s
name,
but
the
word‐play
is
unmistakable
(and
in
Aramaic
would
be
even more
so,
as
the
same
form
kepa
would
occur
in
both
places).
It
is
only
Protestant overreaction
to
the
Roman
Catholic
claim
(which
of
course
has
no
foundation
in
the text),
that
what
is
here
said
of
Peter
applies
also
the
later
bishops
of
Rome,
that
has led
some
to
claim
that
the
‘rock’
here
is
not
Peter
at
all
but
the
faith
which
he
has just
confessed.
The
word‐play,
and
the
whole
structure
of
the
passage,
demands
that this
verse
is
every
bit
as
much
Jesus’
declaration
about
Peter
as
v.
16
was
Peter’s declaration
about
Jesus.


Of
course
it
is
on
the
basis
of
Peter’s
confession
that
Jesus declares
his
role
as
the
church’s
foundation,
but
it
is
to
Peter,
not
to
his
confession, that
the
rock
metaphor
is
applied.
And
it
is,
of
course,
a
matter
of
historic
fact
that Peter
was
the
acknowledged
leader
of
the
group
of
disciples,
and
of
the
developing church
in
its
early
years.
The
foundation‐stone
image
is
applied
in
the
New Testament
primarily
to
Christ
himself
(1
Cor.
3:10ff;
1
Pet.
2:6‐8;
etc.),
but
cf. Ephesians
2:20;
Revelation
21:14
for
the
apostles
as
foundation. One
of
the
chief
objections
to
the
authenticity
of
this
passage
is
that
talk
of ’building
a
church’
betrays
an
ecclesiastical
interest
which
would
be
impossible during
Jesus’
ministry.
But
this
is
to
read
all
the
later
connotations
of
ekklesia (‘church’)
into
a
word
which
in
terms
of
its
Old
Testament
background
(where
LXX used
it
to
translate
Heb.
qahal,
one
of
the
regular
terms
for
the
‘congregation’
or ‘community’
of
God’s
people)
would
be
completely
appropriate
to
describe
the ‘Messianic
community’
of
the
disciples
of
Jesus.
Indeed,
‘a
Messiah
without
a Messianic
Community
would
have
been
unthinkable
to
any
Jew’
(AB,
p.
195).
The building
metaphor
is
the
natural
one
to
use
in
connection
with
the
name
Petros,
and does
not
demand
the
idea
of
a
full‐blown
hierarchical
structure.
(It
may
also
reflect the
expectation
that
the
Messiah
would
rebuild
the
temple,
for
which
see
on
26:61.)

The
new
community
of
the
purified
people
of
God
was
at
the
heart
of
John
the 29
Baptist’s
mission,
and
was
the
necessary
outcome
of
Jesus’
ministry,
with
its
effect
of dividing
men
according
to
their
faith
or
unbelief
(see
esp.
introduction
to
ch.
13, above,
pp.
215‐216).
What
is
striking
is
not
so
much
the
idea
of
‘building
a community’,
but
the
boldness
of
Jesus’
description
of
it
as
my
community,
rather than
God’s. The
gates
of
Hades
(RSV
mg.)
occurs
in
Isaiah
38:10
(representing
Heb.
‘gates of
Sheol’);
Wisdom
16:13
and
other
Jewish
sources,
where
it
means
the
same
as
‘the gates
of
death’
(Ps.
9:13;
107:18;
etc.),
the
place
of
the
dead.
To
say
that
the
powers of
death
(so
RSV,
correctly)
shall
not
prevail
against
the
community
is
thus
to
say that
it
will
not
die,
and
be
shut
in
by
the
‘gates
of
death’.
The
words
do
not
indicate an
attack
by
the
‘powers
of
evil’,
but
simply
the
process
of
death.
Still
less
does
the text
support
the
picturesque
idea
of
an
attack
on
death’s
gates
by
the
church.
(What could
this
mean?
A
sort
of
descensus
ad
inferos
by
the
church?!)
So
Peter
is
to
be
the foundation‐stone
of
Jesus’
new
community
of
the
restored
people
of
God,
a community
which
will
last
forever. Verse
19:
Keys KLEIS,
a
key,
is
used
metaphorically
(a)
of
“the
keys
of
the
kingdom
of
heaven,” which
the
Lord
committed
to
Peter,
Matt.
16:19,
by
which
he
would
open
the
door
of faith,
as
he
did
to
Jews
at
Pentecost,
and
to
Gentiles
in
the
person
of
Cornelius,
acting as
one
commissioned
by
Christ,
through
the
power
of
the
Holy
Spirit;
he
had precedence
over
his
fellow‐disciples,
not
in
authority,
but
in
the
matter
of
time,
on the
ground
of
his
confession
of
Christ
(ver.
16);
equal
authority
was
committed
to them
(18:18);
(b)
of
the
“key
of
knowledge,”
Luke
11:52,
ie.,
knowledge
of
the revealed
will
of
God,
by
which
men
entered
into
the
life
that
pleases
God;
this
the religious
leaders
of
the
Jews
had
presumptuously
‘taken
away,’
so
that
they
neither entered
in
themselves,
nor
permitted
their
hearers
to
do
so;
(c)
of
“the
keys
of
death and
of
Hades,”
Rev.
1:18,
R.V.
(see
HADES),
indicative
of
the
authority
of
the
Lord over
the
bodies
and
souls
of
men;
(d)
of
“the
key
of
David,”
Rev.
3:7,
a
reference
to
Is. 22:22,
speaking
of
the
deposition
of
Shebna
and
the
investiture
of
Eliakim,
in
terms evidently
Messianic,
the
metaphor
being
that
of
the
right
of
entrance
upon administrative
authority;
the
mention
of
David
is
symbolic
of
complete
sovereignty; (e)
of
“the
key
of
the
pit
of
the
abyss,”
Rev.
9:1;
here
the
symbolism
is
that
of competent
authority;
the
pit
represents
a
shaft
or
deep
entrance
into
the
region
(see ABYSS),
from
whence
issued
smoke,
symbolic
of
blinding
delusion;
(f)
of
“the
key
of the
abyss,”
Rev.
20:1;
this
is
to
be
distinguished
from
(e):
the
symbolism
is
that
of the
complete
supremacy
of
God
over
the
region
of
the
lost,
in
which,
by
angelic agency,
Satan
is
destined
to
be
confined
for
a
thousand
years. 16:19 This
verse
has
been
a
subject
of
debate
for
centuries.


Some
say
the
“keys” mean
the
authority
to
carry
out
church
discipline
(18:15‐18),
while
others
say
the keys
give
the
authority
to
announce
sins
as
forgiven
(John
20:23).
Still
others
say
the keys
may
be
the
opportunity
to
bring
people
to
the
Kingdom
of
Heaven
by presenting
them
with
the
message
of
salvation
found
in
God’s
Word
(Acts
15:7‐9). 30 The
religious
leaders
thought
they
held
the
keys
to
the
kingdom,
and
they
tried
to shut
some
out. All
three
interpretations
are
acceptable.
We
cannot
decide
to
open
or
close the
Kingdom
of
Heaven
for
others,
but
God
uses
us
to
help
others
find
the
way inside.
To
all
who
believe
in
Christ
and
obey
his
words,
the
Kingdom
doors
are swung
wide
open. Christ
has
the
keys
of
Hades
and
death Revelation
1:18 Bind‐
to
forbid Loose‐
allow
to
be
done AUTHORITY 19.
Not
only
is
Peter
to
have
a
leading
role,
but
this
role
involves
a
daunting
degree of
authority
(though
not
an
authority
which
he
alone
carries,
as
may
be
seen
from the
repetition
of
the
latter
part
of
the
verse
in
18:18
with
reference
to
the
disciple group
as
a
whole).
The
image
of
keys
(plural)
perhaps
suggests
not
so
much
the porter,
who
controls
admission
to
the
house,
as
the
steward,
who
regulates
its administration
(cf.
Is.
22:22,
in
conjunction
with
22:15).
The
issue
then
is
not
that
of admission
to
the
church
(which
is
not
what
the
kingdom
of
heaven
means;
see
pp. 45‐47),
but
an
authority
derived
from
a
‘delegation’
of
God’s
sovereignty.
That authority
is
exercised
in
binding
and
loosing,
which
were
technical
terms
for
the pronouncements
of
Rabbis
on
what
was
or
was
not
permitted
(to
bind
was
to
forbid, to
loose
to
permit).
This
verse
therefore
probably
refers
primarily
to
a
‘legislative’ authority
in
the
church,
though
clearly
such
decisions
must
have
direct
implications as
to
what
may
or
may
not
be
forgiven,
and
this
application
will
be
taken
up
in 18:18. (It
is
this
latter
aspect
which
is
expressed
in
the
apparently
similar
saying
of Jn.
20:23)


An
early
instance
of
Peter’s
exercise
of
this
authority
was
when
he
was chosen
to
pioneer
and
authorize
the
church’s
acceptance
of
Gentile
converts
(Acts 10
–
11;
cf.
Acts
15:7‐11).
Shall
be
bound
and
shall
be
loosed
are
literally
future perfects
(‘shall
have
been
bound’
and
‘shall
have
been
loosed’),
and
as
the
future perfect
sounds
as
stilted
in
Greek
as
in
English,
the
tense
is
apparently
deliberate.
In that
case
it
is
not
that
heaven
will
ratify
Peter’s
independent
decisions,
but
that Peter
will
pass
on
decisions
that
have
already
been
made
in
heaven. Verse
20 16:19 This
verse
has
been
a
subject
of
debate
for
centuries.
Some
say
the
“keys” mean
the
authority
to
carry
out
church
discipline
(18:15‐18),
while
others
say
the keys
give
the
authority
to
announce
sins
as
forgiven
(John
20:23).
Still
others
say
the keys
may
be
the
opportunity
to
bring
people
to
the
Kingdom
of
Heaven
by presenting
them
with
the
message
of
salvation
found
in
God’s
Word
(Acts
15:7‐9). 31 The
religious
leaders
thought
they
held
the
keys
to
the
kingdom,
and
they
tried
to shut
some
out. All
three
interpretations
are
acceptable.
We
cannot
decide
to
open
or
close the
Kingdom
of
Heaven
for
others,
but
God
uses
us
to
help
others
find
the
way inside.


To
all
who
believe
in
Christ
and
obey
his
words,
the
Kingdom
doors
are swung
wide
open. 16:20 Jesus
warned
the
disciples
not
to
publicize
Peter’s
confession,
because
they did
not
fully
understand
what
kind
of
Messiah
he
had
come
to
be
–
not
a
military commander
but
a
suffering
servant.
They
needed
to
come
to
a
full
understanding
of Jesus
and
their
mission
as
disciples
before
they
could
proclaim
it
to
others
in
a
way that
would
not
precipitate
rebellion.
They
would
have
a
difficult
time
understanding what
he
came
to
do
until
his
earthly
mission
was
complete. 20.
For
Jesus’
commands
to
silence,
see
above
on
8:4.
Here
the
subject
is
specifically his
Messiahship.
Verses
21‐23
will
show
how
even
Peter
had
not
yet
grasped
the true
nature
of
Jesus’
mission,
as
one
of
rejection
ad
suffering
rather
than
popularity and
triumph.
The
danger
of
misunderstanding
in
a
wider
circle
was
much
greater (see
on
14:22),
and
the
explicit
use
of
the
nationalistically
loaded
term
Christ (‘Messiah’)
could
only
foster
such
misguided
enthusiasm
and
so
hinder
Jesus’
true mission.
Peter’s
confession,
properly
understood,
was
true
and
God‐given,
but
the title
‘Christ’
alone,
without
the
interpretation
which
v.
21
gives
to
it,
was
worse
than inadequate.

WHO
IS
THE
GREATEST
IN
THE KINGDOM
OF
HEAVEN?

Matthew
18:15 18:1 From
Mark’s
Gospel
we
learn
that
Jesus
precipitates
this
conversation
by asking
the
disciples
what
they
had
been
discussing
among
themselves
earlier
(Mark 9:33,
34). 18:14 Jesus
used
a
child
to
help
his
self‐centered
disciples
get
the
point.
We
are not
to
be
childish
(like
the
disciples,
arguing
over
petty
issues),
but
rather
childlike, with
humble
and
sincere
hearts.
Are
you
being
childish
or
childlike? 18:2 The
disciples
had
become
so
preoccupied
with
the
organization
of
Jesus’ earthly
kingdom,
they
had
lost
sight
of
its
divine
purpose.
Instead
of
seeking
a
place of
service,
they
sought
positions
of
advantage.
How
easy
it
is
to
lose
our
eternal perspective
and
compete
for
promotions
in
the
church.
How
hard
it
is
to
identify with
the
“little
children”
–
weak
and
dependent
people
with
no
status
or
influence. (i)
True
greatness
(18:15) Mark
9:33‐34
records
a
dispute
among
the
disciples
over
their
relative
importance, which
gives
rise
to
Jesus’
teaching
on
true
greatness.
In
Matthew
the
issue
is presented
as
a
more
‘academic’
question,
but
the
principle
is
drawn
out
more explicitly. 32 1.
The
disciples’
question
begins
in
the
Greek
with
a
particle
meaning
’so’.
Jesus’ words
in
17:25‐26
have
opened
up
a
new
vista:
if
Jesus
claims
a
special
relation
with the
‘king’
of
heaven,
how
do
the
authority
structures
of
this
new
kingdom
of
heaven relate
to
those
of
‘the
kings
of
the
earth’?
It
is
not,
then,
a
question
merely
about church
hierarchies,
still
less
about
grades
of
importance
in
heaven
after
this
life,
but about
the
whole
principle
of
the
evaluation
of
importance
in
God’s
sight.
(See
above, pp.
45‐47,
on
‘the
kingdom
of
heaven’.)


Human
societies
treat
questions
of
rank
very seriously;
how
then
are
they
to
be
treated
in
God’s
society? 23.
Jesus’
answer
is
typically
graphic
and
radical.
It
amounts
to
a
total
reversal
of human
value
scales.
A
child
was
a
person
of
no
importance
in
Jewish
society,
subject to
the
authority
of
his
elders,
not
taken
seriously
except
as
a
responsibility,
one
to
be looked
after,
not
one
to
be
looked
up
to.
To
turn
and
become
like
children
is
therefore a
radical
reorientation
from
the
mentality
of
the
rat‐race
to
an
acceptance
of insignificance.
The
AV
translation
‘be
converted’
is
not
correct
if
it
suggests
a technical
theological
meaning
for
the
verb
strephomai
(‘turn’),
but
it
point appropriately
to
the
radical
nature
of
the
change
involved
(cf.
Jn.
3:3
for
a
similar image).
It
is,
then,
the
status
of
the
child
that
is
the
point,
rather
than
any
supposedly characteristic
quality
of
children,
such
as
humility,
innocence,
receptiveness
or trustfulness
(and
how
many
parents
would
regard
the
first
two
as
characteristic
of children?). 4.
The
emphasis
we
have
seen
in
vv.
2‐3
is
here
made
explicit.
True
greatness
is
to be
found
in
being
little,
true
importance
in
being
unimpressive.
That
is
what
the kingdom
of
heaven
does
to
the
world’s
scale
of
values.
Humbles
himself
does
not refer
to
an
arbitrary
asceticism
or
a
phoney
false
modesty;
it
does
not
describe
a character‐trait
(ICC
says
children
are
‘untempted
to
self‐advancement’
–
really?),
but the
acceptance
of
an
inferior
position
(as
Jesus
did,
Phil.
2:8,
where
the
same
phrase is
used). 5.
The
‘child’
of
vv.
2‐4
represents
the
‘little
ones’
(insignificant
believers)
of
vv.
6, 10,
14,
and
in
this
verse
the
transition
has
already
begun.
One
such
child
therefore
is not
a
reference
to
children
as
such,
but
to
those
who
as
Jesus’
followers
(in
my name),
whether
young
or
adult,
have
accepted
the
child’s
status.
The
‘greatness’
of such
‘children’
(v.
4)
lies
in
their
relationship
to
Jesus.
(Cf.
25:31‐46
for
the
principle of
receiving
Jesus
in
receiving
his
‘little
ones’.)


One
application
of
this
principle might
be,
as
Gundry
(p.
361)
suggests,
to
‘acceptance
of
little
people,
“average” Christians
and
especially
youth,
by
ecclesiastical
leaders’. 33 POWER
OF
CHOICE Begin
With
Yourself. “Your
relationships
can
only
be
as
healthy
as
you
are.”
‐ REMEMBER
–
REMEMBER… We
have
the
right
to
choose… Neil
Clark
Warren We
have
the
right
not
to
choose… But
none
of
us
have
the
right
to
choose
the
consequences
of
our
choices. However…not
to
choose
IS
to
choose. CONCLUSION Where
is
the
Kingdom
of
Heaven? The
Kingdom
of
Heaven
has
no
physical
boundaries.
Wherever
there
is
someone walking
in
obedience
to
Jesus
Christ,
there
you
will
find
the
Kingdom. Jesus
said,
“Where
two
or
three
are
gathered
together
in
my
name,
there
am
I
in
the midst
of
them.”
Matthew
18:20 What
the
Kingdom
of
Heaven
is
not The
Kingdom
is
not
made
up
of
a
particular
race
or
family
or
nationality.
Whosoever shall
do
the
will
of
our
Father
in
heaven,
the
same
is
our
brother,
and
sister,
and mother.
Matthew
12:50 The
Kingdom
is
neither
Jew
nor
Greek,
bond
nor
free,
male
nor
female,
for
ye
are
all one
in
Christ
Jesus.
Galatians
3:28 The
Kingdom
of
Heaven
is
not
a
building.
John
4:21‐24 The
Kingdom
of
Heaven
is
not
a
corporation
of
the
state.
John
15:4

The
ancient
scriptures
predicted
the
Kingdom
of
Heaven. The
New
Testament
proclaims
that
it
has
arrived! 34 Jesus
didn’t
bring
us
religion.
He
brought
us
a
nationality. As
many
as
received
him,
to
them
gave
he
power
to
become
the
sons
of
God,
even
to them
that
believe
on
his
name;
Which
were
born,
not
of
blood,
nor
of
the
will
of
the flesh,
nor
of
the
will
of
man,
but
of
God.
John
1:12‐13 I.
In
John
the
Baptist John
the
Baptist
first
comes
forward
with
the
announcement
that
the
kingdom
of heaven
is
at
hand
(Mt.
3:2)
and
Jesus
takes
this
message
over
from
him
(Mt.
4:17). When
John
the
Baptist
and,
after
him,
Jesus
himself
proclaimed
that
the kingdom
was
at
hand,
this
proclamation
involved
an
awakening
cry
of
sensational and
universal
significance.


The
long‐expected
divine
turning‐point
in
history,
the great
restoration,
however
it
was
conceived
at
the
time,
is
proclaimed
as
being
at hand.
It
is
therefore
of
all
the
greater
importance
to
survey
the
content
of
the
NT preaching
with
regard
to
the
coming
of
the
kingdom. II.
In
the
teaching
of
Jesus a.
Present
aspect Jesus’
proclamation
of
the
kingdom
follows
word
for
word
on
John’s,
yet
it
bears
a much
more
comprehensive
character.
After
John
the
Baptist
had
watched
Jesus’ appearance
for
a
considerable
time,
he
began
to
be
in
doubt
whether
Jesus
was, after
all,
the
coming
One
whom
he
had
announced
(Mt.
11:2f.;
4;12;
14:3).
Jesus’ proclamation
of
the
kingdom
differs
in
two
respects
from
that
of
the
Baptist.
In
the first
place,
while
it
retains
without
qualification
the
announcement
of
judgment
and the
call
to
repentance,
it
is
the
saving
significance
of
the
kingdom
that
stands
in
the foreground.
In
the
second
place‐and
here
is
the
pith
and
core
of
the
matter‐he announced
the
kingdom
not
just
as
a
reality
which
was
at
hand,
something
which would
appear
in
the
immediate
future,
but
as
a
reality
which
was
already
present, manifested
in
his
own
person
and
ministry.
Although
the
places
where
Jesus
speaks explicitly
of
the
kingdom
as
being
present
are
not
numerous
(see
especially
Mt. 12:28
and
parallels),
his
whole
preaching
and
ministry
are
marked
by
this
dominant reality.


In
him
the
great
future
has
already
become
‘present
time’. As
appears
clearly
from
this
last‐quoted
word
of
power,
all
this
is
founded
on the
fact
that
Jesus
is
the
Christ,
the
Son
of
God.
The
kingdom
has
come
in
him
and with
him;
he
is
the
autobasileia.
Jesus’
self‐revelation
of
the
Messiah,
the
Son
of
man and
Servant
of
the
Lord,
constitutes
both
the
mystery
and
the
unfolding
of
the
whole gospel. The
gospel
of
the
kingdom
is
still
revealed
only
as
a
seed
which
is
being sown.
In
the
parables
of
the
sower,
the
seed
growing
secretly,
the
tares
among
the wheat,
the
mustard
seed,
the
leaven,
it
is
about
this
hidden
aspect
of
the
kingdom that
Jesus
instructs
his
disciples.
The
Son
of
man
himself,
invested
with
all
power
by God,
the
One
who
is
to
come
on
the
clouds
of
heaven,
is
the
Sower
who
sows
the Word
of
God. 35
III.
Kingdom
and
church The
kingdom
is
thus
related
to
the
history
of
the
church
and
of
the
world
alike.
A connection
exists
between
kingdom
and
church,
but
they
are
not
identical,
even
in the
present
age.
The
kingdom
is
the
whole
of
God’s
redeeming
activity
in
Christ
in this
world;
the
church
is
the
assembly
of
those
who
belong
to
Jesus
Christ.
Perhaps one
could
speak
in
terms
of
two
concentric
circles,
of
which
the
church
is
the smaller
and
the
kingdom
is
the
larger,
while
Christ
is
the
centre
of
both.
This relation
of
the
church
to
the
kingdom
can
be
formulated
in
all
kinds
of
ways.
The church
is
the
assembly
of
those
who
have
accepted
the
gospel
of
the
kingdom
by faith,
who
participate
in
the
salvation
of
the
kingdom,
which
includes
the forgiveness
of
sins,
adoption
by
God,
the
indwelling
of
the
Holy
Spirit,
the possession
of
eternal
life.


They
are
also
those
in
whose
life
the
kingdom
takes
visible form,
the
light
of
the
world,
the
salt
of
the
earth;
those
who
have
taken
on themselves
the
yoke
of
the
kingdom,
who
live
by
their
King’s
commandments
and learn
from
him
(Mt.
11:28‐30).
The
church,
as
the
organ
of
the
kingdom,
is
called
to confess
Jesus
as
the
Christ,
to
the
missionary
task
of
preaching
the
gospel
in
the world;
she
is
also
the
community
of
those
who
wait
for
the
coming
of
the
kingdom
in glory
the
servants
who
have
received
their
Lord’s
talents
in
prospect
of
his
return. The
church
receives
her
whole
constitution
from
the
kingdom,
on
all
sides
she
is beset
and
directed
by
the
revelation,
the
progress,
the
future
coming
of
the
kingdom of
God,
without
at
any
time
being
the
kingdom
herself
or
even
being
identified
with it. Therefore
the
kingdom
is
not
confined
within
the
frontiers
of
the
church. Christ’s
Kingship
is
supreme
above
all.
Where
it
prevails
and
is
acknowledged,
not only
is
the
individual
human
being
set
free,
but
the
whole
pattern
of
life
is
changed: the
curse
of
the
demons
and
fear
of
hostile
powers
disappears.
The
change
which Christianity
brings
about
among
peoples
dominated
by
nature‐religions
is
a
proof
of the
comprehensive,
all‐embracing
significance
of
the
kingdom.
It
works
not
only outwardly
like
a
mustard
seed
but
inwardly
like
leaven.
It
makes
its
way
into
the world
with
its
redeeming
power.
The
last
book
of
the
Bible,
which
portrays
Christ’s Kingship
in
the
history
of
the
world
and
its
advancing
momentum
right
to
the
end, especially
illuminates
the
antithesis
between
the
triumphant
Christ‐King.