Audio Download

Matthew 13:31–58 Other Parables About the Kingdom of Heaven

[Study Aired June 23, 2025]

As we mentioned in the previous study, our understanding of one parable paves the way for us to understand other parables of our Lord Jesus Christ. Actually, the whole of the word of the Lord is a parable to be understood only by His elect.  

Mar 4:13  And he said unto them, Know ye not this parable? and how then will ye know all parables? 

The study today focuses on the parable of the mustard seed, the leaven and the explanation of the parable of the weeds. The study also highlights the parable of the hidden treasure, the pearl of great value, and that of the net cast into the sea. The study also shows us how as spiritual scribes we are to deliver the word of the Lord and finally, Jesus’ rejection at Nazareth. 

The Mustard Seed and the Leaven

Mat 13:31  Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field: 
Mat 13:32  Which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof.

The Kingdom of Heaven signifies God’s authority and dominion over all creation, a realm where His will is supreme. Since everything is under our Lord’s rule, and therefore according to the purpose of His will, both the negative and the positive experience in our walk with Christ all contributes to the establishment of the kingdom of Heaven within us. In an age to come, the kingdom of Heaven will become outward for all to see.

Psa 139:11  If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me. 
Psa 139:12 Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee. 

Luk 17:20  And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:
Luk 17:21 Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you. 

In the parable of the mustard seed, the Lord likened the kingdom of Heaven to a mustard seed sown in a field. In verse 32, the seed grew to become a tree, such that birds of the air come and lodge in the branches. We know from the parable of the Sower that the fowls of the air that came to devour the seed that fell by the wayside represent the devil and His cohorts. The mustard seed is the truth of the word of the Lord which was sown into the world by the Lord and is now being sown by His disciples. The fact that birds of the air came and lodged on the tree resulting from the growth of the mustard seed is to let us know that it is the spirits of false doctrines signified by the birds of the air which enter into the church and devour the truth by twisting and perverting it into a lie as the adversary has done from the beginning.

Gen 3:1 Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? 

Mat 13:33  Another parable spake he unto them; The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened. 

This parable about the leaven which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal confirms the assertion that the mustard seed represents false doctrines. The woman represents the churches of this world or Babylon, and the leaven she took symbolizes false doctrines. The three measures of meal signify the word of the Lord which is tried and tested. The number three denotes being purified through trials or judgment.  

Psa 12:6  The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. 

In essence, what this parable is telling us is that the truth of the word which we know was compromised with the false doctrines of man’s wisdom and traditions when we were in the churches of this world. As a result, we become worse off during our stay in Babylon. 

2Pe 2:18  For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error. 
2Pe 2:19  While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage.
2Pe 2:20  For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning.
2Pe 2:21  For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. 
2Pe 2:22  But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire. 

 Jesus Spoke to the Multitude in Parables

Mat 13:34  All these things spake Jesus unto the multitude in parables; and without a parable spake he not unto them: 
Mat 13:35  That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world.  

As indicated in the previous study, the Lord speaks to the multitude, who represent our brothers and sisters in the churches of this world or Babylon, in parables so they cannot know Him in this age. As stated in verse 35, the Lord is uttering things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world, and it is only the Lord’s elect who are privileged in this age to understand these secrets, which signify the mysteries of the kingdom of Heaven.

Mat 13:11  He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. 
Mat 13:12 For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. 

The reason our brothers and sisters in the churches of this world are not given to appreciate the secret kept from the foundation of the world is because  they are blinded by the false doctrines in their hearts and minds. The blindness of our brothers and sisters in the churches of this world is due to the smoke that comes out of the bottomless pit of our hearts and minds. The smoke is the false doctrines in their hearts and minds that eclipse the truth of the word of the Lord (the secret kept from the foundation of the world) such that hearing they will hear and not understand, and seeing they will see and not perceive. 

Rev 9:1  And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit. 
Rev 9:2  And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit. 
Rev 9:3 And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power. 

The propagators of these false doctrines are the false prophets who are described as locusts in the verses above. They come as angels of light but inwardly, they are grievous wolves. 

2Co 11:13  For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. 
2Co 11:14  And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. 
2Co 11:15 Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works. 

The Parable of the Weeds Explained

Mat 13:36  Then Jesus sent the multitude away, and went into the house: and his disciples came unto him, saying, Declare unto us the parable of the tares of the field. 
Mat 13:37  He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man; 
Mat 13:38  The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one;
Mat 13:39  The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels. 
Mat 13:40  As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world. 
Mat 13:41  The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; 
Mat 13:42  And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. 
Mat 13:43  Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.

This is the parable of the weeds which Jesus explained in the verses above:

Mat 13:24  Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: 
Mat 13:25  But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way.
Mat 13:26  But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. 
Mat 13:27  So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares? 
Mat 13:28  He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? 
Mat 13:29  But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them.
Mat 13:30 Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn. 

It is worth noting that Jesus’ explanation of the parable of the weeds was done in the absence of the multitude, as shown in verse 36. This shows us that it is the few, called and chosen by the Lord, who are recipients of the kingdom of Heaven in this age.

Mat 22:14  For many are called, but few are chosen.    

In verses 37 and 38 the Lord explained that He is the one who is planting us as the wheat or the good seed in this world in the midst of the tares, which refer to the children of the wicked one, the devil. The fact that it is difficult to distinguish between the wheat and the tares until harvest, is to let us know that although we, His elect, are wheat, we behave like tares during our initial walk with Christ with the devil as our father.

Joh 8:44  Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. 

It is when Christ comes to us with the spirit of His mouth and His brightness that our lives begin to reflect our status as children of the kingdom or wheat. As explained in the previous study, the present application of the harvest is the time that Christ comes to us with His judgment to destroy the tares or the old man or flesh. That is the period that the Lord sends out His reapers or His messengers, to root out the false doctrines in our hearts and minds through what every joint of the body of Christ supplies – the truth of His words or hail.

2Th 2:7  For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. 
2Th 2:8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: 

Eph 4:16 From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love. 

Isa 28:17 Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place.

It is through this experience that we shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of our Father as shown in verse 43. Shining forth as the sun signifies becoming like Christ, since Christ represents the sun. 

The Parable of the Hidden Treasure

Mat 13:44  Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field. 

The hidden treasure in a field refers to the secret kept from the foundation of the world. This secret or the treasure is the mysteries of the kingdom of Heaven, which the Lord is unveiling to His elect in this age.  

Rom 16:25  Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began,

Mat 13:11  He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. 
Mat 13:12 For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. 

It is those whom the Lord has called and chosen before the foundation of this world, who are given to find this treasure of the mysteries of the kingdom in this age or field. It is therefore not of him that wills or runs, but of the Lord showing mercy.

Eph 1:3  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: 
Eph 1:4  According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: 
Eph 1:5  Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, 
Eph 1:6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.

Rom 9:15  For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. 
Rom 9:16 So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.   

As explained earlier, we find this treasure of the mysteries of His kingdom when Christ comes to us with the spirit of His mouth and His brightness. After finding the treasure, the treasure is hidden by the man. Hiding the treasure after finding it simply means that we have this treasure in earthen vessels. In other words, despite our human imperfections and weaknesses (the “earthen vessels”), this invaluable treasure of the mysteries of the kingdom of Heaven is hidden within us and therefore not obvious to our brothers and sisters of the churches of this world or the people of this world.

2Co 4:7  But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. 
2Co 4:8  We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;
2Co 4:9  Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; 
2Co 4:10 Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. 

As He is, so are we. Just as Jesus Christ was the embodiment of the mysteries of the kingdom of Heaven when He was here on earth as a man, so are we in this life. 

1Jn 4:17  Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. 

The fact that the man sells all that he has to buy the field is to let us know that in view of the Lord’s mercies of showing to us the mysteries of the kingdom, we must present our bodies as living sacrifices to the Lord. How do we offer our bodies as living sacrifices? By having our minds renewed through the words of the Lord so that we are able to appreciate the will of the Lord in our lives. In this way, we do not conform to the standards of this world. This is the work of the Lord as He comes to judge us to conform us to His image. 

Rom 12:1  I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 
Rom 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.   

The Parable of the Pearl of Great Value

Mat 13:45  Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: 
Mat 13:46 Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it. 

The use of the word “again” in verse 45 implies that this parable is the same in its interpretation as the parable of the hidden treasure. The fact that this parable is the same as the parable of the hidden treasure in its interpretation means that these two parables establish the principle that if we seek, we shall find, if we knock, the door will be opened, and if we ask, we shall be given. 

2Co 13:1  This is the third time I am coming to you. In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established.

Mat 7:7  Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: 
Mat 7:8  For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. 
Mat 7:9  Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? 
Mat 7:10  Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? 
Mat 7:11 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?  

We, His elect, are the merchant man looking for the goodly pearls which represent the mysteries of the kingdom of Heaven or the truth of His words. Because we are called and chosen before the foundation of this world, at a certain stage of our walk here on earth, there will be that urgency in our spirit to seek after the Lord. That is the period that the Lord comes to us with the spirit of His mouth and His brightness. 

Jer 29:13  And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. 
Jer 29:14  And I will be found of you, saith the LORD: and I will turn away your captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations, and from all the places whither I have driven you, saith the LORD; and I will bring you again into the place whence I caused you to be carried away captive. 

Finding the pearl of great price refers to coming to know the mysteries of the kingdom of Heaven. As the Lord comes to us with the spirit of His mouth or judgment and His brightness, we come to learn righteousness or submission to the Lord. Our judgment in this age is therefore the price we have to pay to possess the goodly pearl, that is, know the mysteries of the kingdom. 

1Pe 4:1  Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin;
1Pe 4:2 That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God. 

The Parable of the Net

Mat 13:47  Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind: 
Mat 13:48  Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away.
Mat 13:49  So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just, 
Mat 13:50 And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. 

The net represents the gospel, the sea is the world and the fishermen are the preachers of the gospel of Christ. The casting of the net into the sea and the drawing to the shore signifies our calling out from the world (sea of flesh) to come and serve the Lord. We all start our walk with Christ in the churches of this world or the shore.  

Hos 11:1  When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt. 
Hos 11:2 As they called them, so they went from them: they sacrificed unto Baalim, and burned incense to graven images. 

In the churches of this world, there are two categories of people – those who are called but not chosen (representing the bad) and those who are called and chosen (signifying the good), whom the Lord is putting into His vessels. The bad which are cast away are our brothers and sisters in the churches of this world who are not given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of Heaven. We were part of them, before the Lord came to us to gather us into His vessels. The Lord gathering the good into vessels in verse 48 therefore signifies coming out of the church system of this world or Babylon and being part of the church of the first born or the Heavenly Jerusalem. 

Rev 18:4  And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. 
Rev 18:5 For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities. 

In this age, we, His elect, are regarded by the people of this world as part of the church system of this world. On the other hand, our brothers and sisters in Babylon look to us as apostate believers. However, in an age to come, represented in verse 49 as the end of the world, we shall be recognized as the just while our brothers and sisters, in the churches of this world, together with the people of this world, as the wicked. These shall be cast into the lake of fire where there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.

Joh 5:28  Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, 
Joh 5:29 And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.

New and Old Treasures

Mat 13:51  Jesus saith unto them, Have ye understood all these things? They say unto him, Yea, Lord. 
Mat 13:52 Then said he unto them, Therefore every scribe which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old. 

The Lord asking the disciples if they understood all the things He was teaching them is to let us know that we must make room for questions in our meetings when the word of the Lord is shared. The disciples’ response that they understood all that Jesus said depicts our lives when we were in the churches of this world where we thought that we understood the word of the Lord. However, it was when Jesus came to us with the spirit of His mouth and His brightness that we realized we did not know anything. This coming of Christ into our lives with His spirit was the beginning of our understanding of the mysteries of the kingdom. 

Joh 16:12  I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. 
Joh 16:13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. 

In the Bible, the scribes were learned individuals primarily known for their expertise in the Law of Moses and their role in copying, interpreting, and teaching the scriptures. The Lord used the scribes as a symbol of His elect who are given to understand the mysteries of the kingdom. We are the scribes entrusted with the word of the Lord in this age. The Lord saying that we must bring out of our treasure, things new and old means that we must compare spiritual with spiritual (scripture with scripture) from both the Old and the New Testament. We must remember that the Lord’s words are spirit and that it is we, His elect, who are given to compare spiritual with spiritual as we have received the spirit which is of God. All others quote the Bible all right, however, what they speak are man’s wisdom and tradition.

Joh 6:63 It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.

1Co 2:12  Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. 
1Co 2:13  Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
1Co 2:14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. 

Jesus Rejected at Nazareth

Mat 13:53  And it came to pass, that when Jesus had finished these parables, he departed thence. 
Mat 13:54  And when he was come into his own country, he taught them in their synagogue, insomuch that they were astonished, and said, Whence hath this man this wisdom, and these mighty works?
Mat 13:55  Is not this the carpenter’s son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas? 
Mat 13:56  And his sisters, are they not all with us? Whence then hath this man all these things? 
Mat 13:57  And they were offended in him. But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house. 
Mat 13:58  And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief. 

The reason why the people in Nazareth rejected Jesus was that they knew Him according to the flesh. They knew His earthly parents, brothers and sisters. When we are dominated by the flesh, it is impossible to understand the spiritual reality of His words. It is for this very reason that Jesus came to us with His judgment to destroy the old man or flesh in our lives so that we can see Christ who is hidden in His elect in this age. 

2Co 5:16  Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more. 
2Co 5:17  Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. 
2Co 5:18 And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; 

It is insightful to note that in verse 58, the Lord did not do many mighty works in Nazareth because of the unbelief of the people. These mighty works are how the Lord takes us from the miry clay and establishes us on the rock. In other words, the mighty works are the Lord’s judgment of our old man or flesh to give us dominion over our flesh as overcomers. When we live in the flesh, we do not appreciate spiritual things, and therefore we remain in unbelief. These mighty works are the greater works the Lord spoke about that we, His elect, will do in this age and in the lake-of-fire age. These works transcend the physical healings and other miracles practiced in the churches of this world.

Joh 14:12  Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. 

May His name be praised forever more. Amen!!