The Parables of Matthew 13
Part 5, Those Who Have Ears, Let Them Hear
Having discussed the parables of Matthew 13 I want to end this series with the question about their ongoing and contemporary relevance.
In the second part of this series I applied the parables of the Sower and the Wheat and the Tares to make a comment about the ambiguous moral profile of the church--wheat and tares growing side by side--along with the relative smallness, numerically speaking, of the kingdom. I also made comments throughout this series about how the parables of Matthew 13, given their pessimistic outlook, wouldn't fit in with church growth books and programs. The parables of Matthew 13 describe the kingdom of God as a "secret" which only a few respond to. Given this "secretness," it is hard to see how anything described as "mega" would fit Jesus' description of the kingdom. That is, unless, in light of the Parable of the Net, the kingdom of God drags in a lot of worthless fish.
And yet, I've also highlighted in this series how Jesus' audience functioned as the interpretation of his parables. The parables were describing what was in front of Jesus and what he faced by way of reception. His teachings pulled in big crowds and those crowds were a mixed lot, like the Parable of the Wheat and Tares and the Net. Jesus was the Sower sowing the seed, and much of that seed fell on unfruitful soil.
Which raises a question. Is it appropriate to apply Matthew 13 to the modern church? The parables aptly describe Jesus' reception, but what about ours? As I've repeatedly pointed out in this series, the parables of Matthew 13 sound a pessimistic note. Does that pessimism apply to today's church?
Opinions, I expect, will vary here. By my take is, yes, the parables of Matthew 13 describe the kingdom of God in our modern contexts. More and more, I've come to think that following Jesus is "the narrow way," something very precise and very specific. The kingdom of God, therefore, is both easily and generally missed. Much of modern Christianity just doesn't walk the narrow, precise, and very specific path of the kingdom. You either hit the bullseye with Jesus, and it's a small target, or you miss it completely. Given this, the label "Christian," like the Parable of the Net, pulls in a lot of worthless fish. Like the Parable of the Wheat and Tares, the field of Christianity is filled with weeds. And while such an assessment throws some cold water on church planting--"Hey, your new church is going to pull in all sorts of folks, some good, some not so good, and some bad."--and looks upon "mega" expressions of Christianity with a lot of skepticism, I find the vision of Matthew 13 refreshingly accurate and realistic.
The kingdom of God is a secret, Jesus says. It's like a hidden treasure. It's easily overlooked, like a mustard seed. And it fails to thrive in many hearts, among people who listen but do not hear, who see but do not perceive. But among those with good hearts, those who hear and understand the word, the kingdom grows abundantly. These hearts discover the hidden treasure, find the priceless pearl, and sell all they have to obtain it.
Those who have ears, let them hear.
As pessimistic as it sounds, it can also be encouraging if one flips the equation backwards. If one sees a bunch of folks calling themselves Christian, but appearing to put out bad fruit, it can be tempting to wonder if the gospel has any power or truth at all, or maybe if there's some _other_ gospel that would be "better", more consistently pulling in larger, more devoted crowds.
But if Jesus is saying that right from the beginning, people were hearing the good word directly from the lips of the Good Word, and it didn't seem to have a surefire effect, then who am I to expect that my witness or church would have a higher batting average?
Thank you, Friend Beck, for this series.
In my comments on the first four posts I took a different tack, not in contradiction to you, but because I am so concerned about the prevailing passion for weeding God’s field. It is important that we really listen to the Wheat and the Tares. It is our job to cultivate and nurture every seed that sprouts in that field. We are not the judges of which seeds will be fruitful.
I agree that “the parables of Matthew 13 describe the kingdom of God in our modern contexts. More and more, I've come to think that following Jesus is ‘the narrow way,’ something very precise and very specific.” We are overwhelmed at present by many who put on the label “Christian” and yet aggressively claim the harvester’s role and seek to cast others into the fire.
A particular challenge for me and others is to resist the urge to accuse all of those others of being weeds to be cast out. The hard task, the painful and seemingly impossible task, is to cultivate and nurture these folks too. They still have God’s seed in them.
May Spirit lead us to join with them in God’s family.
Peace, Mike Shell