The Kingdom of Heaven Is Like . . .

Before you start todays devotional, ask the Lord to use it to grow you up in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

If the Gospel of Matthew is an open door to both the Old and New Testaments—then Matthew 13 is the key. Jesus presents seven “mystery parables” to tell us about the kingdom yet to come.

The parable of the sower (13:3-9) sets up the parables that follow. The sower is the Son of Man. The seed is the Word of God (13:19). And the field is the world (13:38).

Some seed is cast by the wayside when people don’t take the Word to heart. Some seed falls on rocky ground and at the first hint of trouble, they burn out. Some seed falls among thorns that crowd out the Word of God.

Thank God, some seed falls in good ground. These hearers receive and grow spiritual fruit to varying degrees. What is the kingdom of heaven like? Here are seven pictures:

The kingdom of heaven is like . . . a field of wheat and tares (13:24-30). Satan sows tares, false teaching, with the wheat. The Lord says, “Don't try to pull up the tares. Let them both grow together, and at harvest His sickle will separate the tares and wheat.”

The kingdom of heaven is like . . . a grain of mustard seed (13:31-32). This least-of-all seed doesn’t grow into a mighty oak, but it gets big enough for birds to rest in its branches. Such is the outward growth of God’s kingdom where the gospel is received.

The kingdom of heaven is like leaven (13:33)—but don't stop there—“which a woman took, and hid in three measures of grain.” Into the grain (the Word of God), leaven rises. This intrusion of evil by cults and -isms eventually leads to apostasy. (Even the devil uses the Bible.)

The kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field (13:44). The “treasure” is Israel hidden in the “field,” the world. The “man” is Jesus who gave Himself to redeem the nation Israel.

The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant, in search of fine pearls (13:45-46). Some suggest we are the seekers in this parable and the pearl of great price is Jesus. But it’s Jesus who is the merchant. He left heaven for earth to find a pearl of great price. He gave up all He had to buy us and redeem us back to God. (Read 2 Corinthians 8:9.)

The kingdom of heaven is like a net cast into the sea (13:47-51). We’ve heard about how someday time will be no more, when eternity begins, but no one can describe the end of this world. However, we see clearly what a terrible thing it is to be lost.

The kingdom of heaven is like a householder (13:52). Those who teach and preach God’s Word are encouraged here to share the old gospel story, along with a few new thoughts, too.

After teaching these parables, the Lord heads back home. But when He taught there, people didn’t believe Him. “Isn’t He the carpenter's son?” Because of their unbelief, Jesus did very few miracles there. When we lack faith to believe Jesus will save, His work is limited in our world, too. We must believe He will work in our communities, churches, families, and in our own lives.

1. When telling us how God’s Word is received by people, Jesus describes four kinds of soil: the wayside, rocky, thorny, and good soil. In your own words, give real life examples of how this describes what people do with God’s Word.

2. What can the parable of the sower teach us about people and how they respond to God’s truth?

3. How should the knowledge that Satan is actively working to propagate false teaching impact our attitude toward God’s Word and our responsibility to share it?

Additional Resources

Listen to Dr. J. Vernon McGee’s complete teachings on Matthew 13:3-23, Matthew 13:24-43 and Matthew 13:44—14:1.