Matthew 1-13

The first thirteen chapters of Matthew can be simply outlined as follows:

Chapters 1-4: Preparation for the Lord’s coming as King

Chapters 5-7: The moral nature of the kingdom of heaven

Chapters 8-12: The Lord’s allusion to the Gentile as well as Jewish side

Chapter 13: The mysteries or outward appearance of the kingdom of heaven

The primary objective of the Scriptures is not moral but doctrinal in nature. Only one verse in the entire New Testament tells us of the usefulness of the Scriptures, and that is in 2 Timothy: “Every scripture inspired of God is also profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for instruction [or discipline] which is in righteousness” (3.16 mg.). The first item mentioned is teaching, which should be translated “doctrine”; only afterwards is attention paid to the moral side: they are profitable for correction and for discipline which is in righteousness.

Although Matthew 13 is so rich to the point of being inexhaustible, the emphasis is not on morals but on doctrine. Though the moral side is not overlooked, the position doctrine occupies in its narrative is of paramount significance. The subject of Matthew’s Gospel is the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven. The word “mystery” is used a number of times in the New Testament (some suggest there are seven mysteries, though this cannot be determined very exactly). All the mysteries are of the same nature except one, which is viewed from a different stance. They are called mysteries because unless the Spirit of God reveals them no man can understand. Of God’s manifold mysteries those concerning the kingdom of heaven are all one. (The chief mysteries in the New Testament are found in the following passages: Eph. 1.9-10, 3.4-6, 5.32; Col. 1.27; 1 Cor. 15.51;1 Cor 2.7; Rev. 17.5; Rom.16.25; and 1 Tim. 3.16.)

Whatever mysteries there be that remain must be revealed in their appointed times (from the first coming of Christ to His second coming). They cannot happen either before or after that period. Hence the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven must transpire in this age and bear no relationship to the age to come.

From 13.35 we may learn that the mysteries which occur today were hidden during the Old Testament time.

v.1 “On that day”—the day in which the Lord severs His relationship with the children of Israel. “House” signifies belonging, boundary, calmness. Sea denotes openness, no limit, agitation. That the Lord comes out of the house proves that God has come out of a restricted boundary into an unlimited field.

The wicked are like the tumultuous sea, whereas the Pharisees are like a house that is calm and well-regulated. Nevertheless the Lord leaves the moral people and goes to the sinful. Or speaking more frankly, He leaves the Jews and goes to the Gentiles (see Rev. 13.1,2,11 and Dan 7.3—sea in the Scriptures always points directly to the Gentiles, while land points to the Jews.)

v.2 He comes out of the house; yet He does not go into the sea either, since we find that He sits in a boat (see Mark 4.1). The boat is in the sea, but it does not belong to the sea. Hence the boat denotes the church—which is in the world yet not of the world.

The Lord leaves the Jews and goes to the Gentiles. He reveals His thoughts in the church. He does not go to all the Gentiles, only those Gentiles who are in the boat.

Why does He speak in parables (see v.3)? Verse 11 points out plainly that it is given to the disciples to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven but to the multitudes it is not given. The disciples have believed and understood, so more is given in order that they shall have abundance. From the others, however, even what they have shall be taken away from them. They have seen the miracles and wonders which the Lord performed in their midst, but due to their unbelief no more miracles or wonders will be performed. The reason for speaking in parables is because seeing they perceive not and hearing they hear not. Since their hearts are waxed gross, their ears are dull of hearing and their eyes are closed. They reject the grace of God, therefore there is no way for them to be saved (see 2 Thess. 2.10-12). From this we know that all the parables in the New Testament are spoken to the believing disciples, not to the Jews. This is a principle to be remembered.

“The kingdom of heaven is like” [or “likened unto . . .”]—This introductory statement is used six times in this chapter. There are seven parables, and if the parable of things old and new is included, there would be eight. Please note that the first parable does not open with these introductory words. Three parables are spoken in the house, they being exclusively for the disciples; but three are spoken by the seaside where both the Jews and the disciples gather. Whenever the Bible uses the numbers three, seven, ten, twelve, and so forth, they all convey the thought of completeness. Three is the complete number of God; seven, the completeness in time (that which is temporary); ten, the completeness of man; and twelve (that number which signifies the intimate relationship between God and man), the completeness in eternity. Though the parables in Matthew 13 do not appear to be altogether positive, they nevertheless follow a progressive line (moving towards God). By contrast, the conditions of the seven churches spoken of in Revelation 2 and 3 follow a regressive line.

A very important principle to gain in studying the Bible is to recognize that the release of truth occurring in the time frame of the Scriptures has its dispensational restrictions. For this reason we must submit ourselves under the mighty hand of God, waiting for light to be given at the time of specific need.

Let us review the things we have already seen previously concerning the kingdom of heaven. After the birth of Christ, there comes one who prepares the way for Him. His name is John, and he proclaims that the kingdom of heaven is at hand. The Lord, together with the apostles whom He sends forth, announce the same news. What does it mean? Later on, as noted in chapters 8 and 9, we see that the Lord heals the sick and casts out demons, and that all these are closely related to the nearness of the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5-7 speaks of the nature of the kingdom of heaven: which is, that those who belong to this kingdom are absolutely righteous towards themselves, absolutely gracious towards others, and absolutely pure towards God. In Matthew 10 we learn that the Lord sends out His apostles. And in Matthew 11-12 we see that a great transition begins occurring, as though the kingdom of heaven is now being taken away from the Jews.

Now with regard to the kingdom of heaven found spoken of in Matthew 13, some interpreters have asserted that the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven are the kingdom of heaven in mystery. Such an assertion is logically unsound when it is held up against all the things which we have just seen: how that both John and the Lord as well as His disciples proclaim that the kingdom of heaven is at hand, how that the Lord then announces the nature or character of this kingdom, and how after He is rejected by the children of Israel He in the thirteenth chapter is found declaring only the outward boundary of this kingdom (what we see in this age being but the outward appearance). So that chapter 13 does not deal with the character or nature of the kingdom of heaven, for this has already been described in Matthew 5-7.

Some, on the other hand, contend that all who desire to enter the kingdom of heaven mentioned in chapter 13 must possess the character of the kingdom of heaven as laid down in chapters 5-7. This interpretation again is impossible to accept, since in chapter 13 we have presented the tares, the leaven, and so forth as being in the kingdom of heaven. So that this chapter presents to us nothing but the outward appearance of the kingdom of heaven.

The kingdom of heaven is not the millennial kingdom; it is the reigning in the millennial kingdom. Let us see that the kingdom of heaven has three different aspects.

(1) an outward appearance, boundary, or scope as is shown to us in Matthew 13;

(2) a spiritual reality, that is to say, a kind of spiritual conduct which is formed as a result of learning righteousness and grace progressively under the authority of God and which is elucidated for us in Matthew 5-7; and

(3) a reigning with Christ in the future millennial kingdom as revealed in the fact of our future reward as told to us in Matthew 5-7.

Accordingly, we must first of all enter into the sphere or boundary of this kingdom of heaven by being sons of the kingdom; then secondly, we need to have the kind of conduct described for us in Matthew 5-7—which is to have real spiritual conduct; and lastly, as a consequence we may reign with the Lord.

Today there are three different kinds of people:

(1) those who have entered within the sphere of the kingdom of heaven and yet are unsaved; these are represented by the tares.

(2) those who have been saved and are in the domain of the kingdom of heaven, yet they fail to keep the teaching of Matthew 5-7.

(3) those who are saved and also keep the teaching of Matthew 5-7; they truly overcome, and therefore in the future they shall reign with the Lord in the third stage or aspect of the kingdom of heaven.

A Comparison between the Kingdom of Heaven and the Kingdom of God

The kingdom of heaven and the kingdom of God are distinguishable but are not separable. Let us consider in some detail these two descriptive phrases found in the Scriptures.

(1) With certain parables Matthew employs the statement “The kingdom of heaven is likened unto. . .”; but Luke uses the words “The kingdom of God is like. . .” for the same parables—thus indicating that the kingdom of heaven and the kingdom of God are one and the same. Both the kingdom of God and the kingdom of heaven in these parallel instances refer to the outward domain of the kingdom. On this level, it can be said that the outward appearances of both the kingdom of heaven and the kingdom of God are alike. Parables such as that of the leaven belong to this category.

(2) Yet the kingdom of heaven and the kingdom of God are not synonymous with respect to the second aspect of the kingdom of heaven, inasmuch as what is described in Matthew 5-7 speaks of actual overt behavior whereas “the kingdom of God is righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Rom. 14.17). The one stresses spiritual conduct; the other, inner spiritual condition.

(3) Even so, in the third aspect the kingdom of heaven is again similar to the kingdom of God since both refer to the matter of reigning during the millennial period.

Though the kingdom of God and the kingdom of heaven are similar as regards the first aspect, the kingdom of God covers also the time of which the prophets in the Old Testament speak—for whenever the sovereignty of God is present, His domain is there at the same time. But this characteristic is not applicable to the kingdom of heaven.

With regard to the third aspect, it is true that the kingdom of God is the same as the kingdom of heaven in that both refer to ruling with Christ in the millennium; yet the kingdom of God extends further on into eternity since in eternity God also reigns —but by that time the kingdom of heaven will have passed away. With respect to the third aspect, therefore, the kingdom of God exists longer than the kingdom of heaven.

In a certain sense it can be said that the kingdom of God includes the kingdom of heaven, but not vice versa.

So far as the outward official history of the church on earth goes today, there can be said to be the Roman Catholic Church, the national churches, and the private churches. The Roman Catholic Church claims that the entire world is under her domain and that no national church is therefore allowed. The national church such as the Anglican Church asserts that every citizen of the nation belongs to the Church. But due to dissatisfaction with the national churches, there came into being the so-called private churches.

As regards the outward sphere, as long as people say they are Christians, no one can drive them out of the kingdom of heaven; for the Lord has not promised to weed out the tares today. At communion or the Lord’s Table or the breaking of bread, however, the church may indeed weed out or separate the unsaved and the wicked from the saved ones. So that in the outward appearance of the kingdom of heaven, such as in a national church, unbelieving people may be included therein, but in the sphere of the believing assembly an unsaved person may be excluded from fellowship. This clarifies the two totally different spheres: that of the outward appearance of the kingdom of heaven and that of the church. Within the boundary of the outward appearance of the kingdom of heaven there may be tares; but within the church as the body of Christ there is only wheat but no tares.