Lawrence DeMetrius

Lyrics

Letter of Apostle Matthew – The Gospel
An Intimate Review
Pt 16
By Lawrence DeMetrius

Matthew 13:1-3a
The Parables of Jesus Christ: PARABLE defined

*parables Gk # 3850 parabole (par-ab-ol-ay) it is…

1. a symbolic narrative of common life that convey a truth, religious principle or moral lesson and is a similitude, which is a…
a. likeness, image or resemblance
b. person or thing that is like and a match or counterpart of another
c. likening or comparison in the form of a simile, metaphor or allegory

 simile is a figure of speech in which two unlike things are explicitly compared

 metaphor is a figure of speech in which a term or phrase is applied to something it literally is not to suggest a resemblance

 allegory is a representation of an abstract or spiritual meaning, through concrete or material forms and is figuratively treated as a subject under the guise of another

2. apothegm, which is a short, pithy, instructive saying or terse remark that embodies a general truth

3. adage, which is a traditional saying that expresses a common experience or observation like a proverb, which is a short popular saying, usually of unknown and ancient origin, that effectively expresses commonplace truths or useful thoughts




Matthew 13:10-17, 34, 35
The Purpose of Divine Parables

In [Mt 13:10, 11] Apostle Matthew notes that Christ used PARABLES when ministering to the general public. This was necessary as it is only GIVEN for genuine disciples of Christ to KNOW the MYSTERIES of the KINGDOM OF HEAVEN, beginning with the revelation of Who He is. [Ps 25:14; Dan 12:3, 4, 10; Jn 6:44, 45, 65; I Cor 2; II Tim 2:24-26; Rev 2:17]

*given Gk # 1325 didomi (did-o-mee) it means to give

*know Gk #1097 ginosko (ghin-oce-ko) it means to know absolutely

*mysteries Gk #3466 musterion (moos-tay-ree-on) it is a secret or mystery through the idea of silence imposed by initiation into religious rites

*kingdom Gk #932 basileia (bas-il-i-ah) it is royalty, rule and realm [Pro 8:14-21; Mt 16:18; Lk 10:19, 20; St Jn 1:12, 13; I Pet 2:9; Rev 1:5, 6]

• royalty is…
o royal persons collectively
o royal status, dignity, power and sovereignty
o a person of royal lineage or member of a royal family
o prerogatives, rights and symbolic emblems of a king, queen or other sovereign

• rule is…
o a principle or regulation governing conduct, action, procedure and arrangement
o the code of regulations observed by a religious order or congregation
o customary or normal circumstance, occurrence, manner, practice and quality of sovereign persons
o control, government and dominion
o tenure and conduct of reign or office



• realm is…
a. a royal domain or kingdom
b. the region, sphere or domain in which anything occurs, prevails or dominates
c. the special province or field of something or someone

*heaven Gk #3772 ouranos (oo-ran-os) it is the sky, heaven as Yahweh’s abode, happiness, power, eternity and the Gospel of Jesus Christ

In [Mt 13:14, 16] Jesus Christ expounds upon the privilege to receive divine insight. Those who are endowed with this gratuity have BLESSED EYES and EARS because Yahweh has given them the ability to SEE and HEAR divine things. Christian disciples of latter generations have access to insight that Yahweh worshipers of the past desired. [Mt 13:17]

*blessed Gk #3107 makarios (mak-ar-ee-os) it means supremely blest, fortunate and well-off

*eyes Gk #3788 ophthalmos (of-thal-mos) it is literally the eye but figurative of vision and insight

*ears Gk #3775 ous (ooce) it is the physical and mental ear and figurative of attention and heed

*hear Gk #191 akouo (ak-oo-o) it means to hear and understand

Another reason for Christ using PARABLES was to fulfill prophecy of Him doing so. [Mt 13:34, 35]

Matthew 13:3b-9, 18-23
Parable 1: The Parable of the Sower
<See Parable 5: The Parable of the Hidden Treasure [vs 44]>

In this PARABLE Christ tells of a SOWER who went forth to SOW. [Mt 13:3, 4a]

*sower/sow/sowed Gk #4687 speiro (spi-ro) it means to scatter seed

In [Mt 13:4b, 19] Christ explains that the SEEDS SOWN were words regarding Him and GOD’S Kingdom. He said that merely HEARING these words is not enough to inherit the benefit thereof. One must also seek to understand them. [Jn 8:31, 32, 36] GROUND in this PARABLE is figurative of the mortal HEART, which is figurative of one’s thoughts, feelings, intellect and middle. Although the divine SEED SOWN benefits all, it can yield no fruit in the lives of those who do not understand its true meaning. [Pro 4:7; II Tim 2:15] While He was physically with His disciples, Christ expounded upon the meaning of the scriptures. [Lk 24:44, 45] Per this PARABLE, He teaches about FOUR TYPES OF GROUND or HEARTS and that only one is fruitful.

TYPE 1: [Mt 13:4b, 19] is that of the WAY SIDE HEARER, who receives divine word but fails to obtain proper understanding of its meaning. Before they can do so, satanic powers devour the SEED that was SOWN in their HEART, rendering them void of divine produce. [Jn 10:10; Eph 2:2; 6:11, 12]

TYPE 2: [Mt 13:5, 6, 20, 21] is that of the HEARER who conceives divine word with JOY but fails to let it take ROOT. Although the sprout of divine produce springs up, it soon dies under the pressure of OFFENCES that come when allegiance thereto is challenged by opposing forces. [Mt 6:34; 10:22, 32-39; Jn 15:18, 24, 25; 17:14]

*root Gk #4491 rhiza (hrid-zah) it is a root or part of the body of a plant that typically develops from the radicle and grows downward into the soil to anchor the plant so it can absorb nutriment and moisture

*offended Gk #4624 skandalizo (skan-dal-id-zo) it means to scandalize, entrap, trip up or entice to sin, apostasy and displeasure

TYPE 3: [Mt 13:7, 22] is that of the HEARER who conceives divine word but is soon CHOKED by CARES OF THIS WORLD and DECEITFULNESS OF TEMPORAL RICHES. Much like the Foolish Rich Man per [Lk 12:15], the Rich Young Ruler in [Mt 19:16-23] and many others who are more concerned with securing temporal gains than knowing, understanding and obeying divine insight. [Mt 6:10, 21, 24; I Tim 6:4-10; I Jn 2:15-17]

*cares Gk #3308 merimna (mer-im-nah) it is solicitude or expression of excessive attentiveness, anxiety, care or concern

*deceitfulness Gk #539 apate (ap-at-ay) it is delusion and false belief or opinion

*riches Gk #4149 ploutos (ploo-tos) it is fullness of temporal wealth, money, possessions, abundance, richness and valuable bestowment

*choke Gk #4846 sumpnigo (soom-pnee-go) it means to completely strangle, drown or crowd

The first three types of GROUND or HEARTS render divine SEED or WORD fruitless. However, the fourth type of GROUND or HEART renders it abundantly fruitful.

TYPE 4: [Mt 13:8, 23] is that of the HEARER who conceives divine word, acquires proper understanding thereof and governs themselves accordingly. The Parable of The Sower teaches the principle of practicing effective scriptural study continually, so one might KNOW, UNDERSTAND and OBEY divine directives.

*understand Eng is to…
1. comprehend, perceive and grasp the meaning or idea of
2. be thoroughly familiar with and clearly apprehend the character, nature or subtleties of a thing or idea
3. interpret and assign a meaning to
4. grasp the significance, implication and importance of
5. regard as firmly communicated, take as agreed and settle on
6. learn, hear, believe and accept as true
7. perceive what is meant and accept it tolerantly and sympathetically

<Time 8m4s>