Learning DAILY

Matthew 13:51-52, Jesus said to them, “Have you understood these things?  They said to Him, “Yes, Lord.”  Then He said to them, “Therefore, every scribe instructed concerning the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure things new and old.”

The parables about the kingdom of heaven have been to encourage all who read them to grow in their knowledge of where all Believers are headed.  There is a key word in these parables – like.  The kingdom of heaven is like….  The parable takes something that is understood in the form of a simple story to help explain something that is not understood such as a truth about heaven.  Jesus was trying to make clear to His listeners what His kingdom was like. 

When He was done speaking these parables, Jesus asked the listeners if they understood.  I wonder if they had really understood all He had said?  They no doubt understood more than the crowds.  But I wonder if they still had many questions.  Jesus used parables to disguise the truth to the spiritually proud; they were not interested in spiritual truth anyway.  The parables were never meant for entertainment but for conveying important spiritual truth. 

So, Jesus asked if His disciples understood what He was teaching because they needed to understand the new things He was teaching in light of the Old Testament Scriptures (“kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure things new and old.”).

Do you have a better understanding of the Kingdom of heaven from reading these parables? “The parables of the kingdom of heaven describe both the results of preaching the gospel and the spiritual conditions that will prevail on earth within the visible manifestation of the kingdom of heaven (the Church) until the end of the age. Jesus teaches that there will be good and evil in His visible Kingdom throughout the entire age.  Among those who profess His name, there will be compromise and worldliness that lead to apostacy (a falling away), as well as faithfulness and godliness that lead to eternal life.  At the end of the age the wicked (the tares) will be destroyed.” (from the commentary in the Life in the Spirit Study Bible). 

Jesus speaks these parables to alert His true disciples that they are to expect evil to infiltrate his Church; He stresses that among His people there will be many who are not truly following Him or His Word.  He teaches His true disciples how to overcome the evil influence of Satan by wholehearted devotion to Himself and live committed lives to righteousness.  He teaches that the kingdom of heaven is a valuable treasure that one who finds it will be willing to give all he has in order to possess it.  He teaches that a day is coming when the kingdom of heaven will be recognized for its greatness and where His people will find true rest and security. 

I look around at what is going on in the world and in this country and I say “Even so, come, lord Jesus!” (Revelation 22:20).

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