Spiritual Truth in the Flesh

The third sermon of Jesus in Matthew’s gospel is a collection of parables that Jesus told on the nature of the Kingdom of God, Matthew 13:1 – 53. The word “parable” is from the Greek word para-boley, which literally means to set beside.

A parable is one thing is set beside another thing in order to understand the first thing. In the parables of Jesus, spiritual truth is set beside some kind of everyday occurrences so that the truth of spiritual truth can be seen and understood. Another word for parable is incarnation, spiritual truth in the flesh.

The parables in Matthew 13 reveal the spiritual truth of God’s Kingdom, the new creation, along side of God’s created order in which we now live. From the parables of Jesus you come to see that God’s new creation, His Kingdom, is now here just as much as the old is in which we now live. You do not have to wait for the new, receive it, turn and follow Christ and walk right in!

The disciples wondered why Jesus taught in such an indirect way, with parables. To them it seemed as if He was trying to veil the truth rather than speaking it clearly. They asked, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” 13:10. The answer Jesus gave raised even more questions, “…the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance, but from the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken away.” 13:12.

The parable that Jesus told about the seed and the four soils, 13:3 – 9, answered their question. It is the parable of all parables because it points to the way to understand all of the parables. Parables point to something greater. If you miss the point, all you have is a nice story, which does not bear fruit, but rather at some point is taken away from you.

When Jesus told this parable, the disciples went to Him and asked Him to explain it to them. This is the key to understanding the parables; you must go to Jesus and ask Him, or the spiritual truth will never be seen no matter what everyday occasion it is placed beside. Jesus Christ reveals spiritual truth as you follow Him.

Everyone knows that food comes from plants, which comes from seeds, which are planted in soil. But some soil seems to partner with seeds better than others. The fruit is locked up in the seed, every seed, but when planted in good soil, the fruit grows and develops and is given, in abundance, but only when the seed is received in good soil.

This parable points to the spiritual truth that a new heart, good soil, is needed before God’s word will bear the fruit that pleases Him. The new heart is the fruit of the Life of Jesus, which died and was planted in the tomb, which the Father raised from the dead.

When that Fruit and the Seed of that Fruit is received, new soil is created, which becomes ideal for Him to grow and develop in so that more and more of His Fruit can be given to the Father. Every believer has a mixture of the four soils, but as the new soil expands into the other “dead fields,” more Fruit is produced and given! Hallelujah!!!

This is called spiritual growth, which pleases God. This is what it means to worship the Father in spirit and truth. Today, receive more of God’s word in the good soil of the new heart so that you become more and more of a parable, an incarnation, of spiritual truth for the Father and the watching world around you.