THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION
Matthew: Jesus As Israel's Messiah And His Kingdom
Part XV: Christ As Israel's Messiah Seen By The Opposition To His Ministry, Matthew 11:2-16:12
H. Christ As Israel's Messiah By His Edifying Instructions On God's Altered Program, Matthew 13:1-52
3. Christ's Edifying Directive To Expositors Facing Satanic Opposition In God's Altered Program
(Matthew 13:34-52)
I. Introduction
A. When Jesus was rejected as Messiah by Israel's leaders (Matthew 12:14-45), that same day (Matthew 13:1), He taught a collection of parables on God's program for believers in view of His Kingdom's withdrawal.
B. We thus view that altered program, focusing in this lesson on Christ's edifying directive to Bible expositors:
II. Christ's Edifying Directive To Expositors Facing Satanic Opposition In God's Altered Program.
A. Jesus' explanation of the Parable of the Wheat and the Tares and the parables that follow it were spoken to His disciples in private (Matthew 13:36) in contrast to the earlier parables He had given in public, Matt. 13:1-3.
B. Accordingly, these latter parables were for those who were to serve Him, His disciples, and from Jesus' words in Matthew 13:51-52, we know they were given for Bible expositors who often face the brunt of Satan's opposition clarified in the earlier parables (Sower, Wheat and Tares, Mustard Seed and Leaven)!
C. Thus, Bible expositors in OUR era are to heed Christ's Matthew 13:34-52 instruction as follows for blessing:
1. Bible expositors must realize that God lets believers and the lost Satan plants among them stay in the same groups until the end time to avoid disrupting the discipling of weak believers, Matt. 13:36-43; 13:24-30.
2. However, such an arrangement exposes Bible expositors to the brunt of Satanic opposition much as Christ faced the slander of Israel's leaders that He worked by Satan's power, Matt. 12:24. Thus, Bible expositors need a reason to keep ministering in such an arrangement, and the parables of the Hid Treasure and Pearl of Great Price reveal God values the work of expositors, for they feed His treasured flock, Matt. 13:44-46:
a. The Parable of the Hid Treasure in Matthew 13:44 pictures Christ's purchase of the redemption of the whole world, typified in the field, to save the few who will actually believe, the treasure hidden in that field, cf. G. Campbell Morgan, The Gospel According to Matthew, 1929, p. 163. These elect are not valued as believers by the world much like a treasure that is hidden in a field and is thus unknown is not valued, but these believers are priceless to God, cf. Malachi 3:16-17. Their salvation is worth the great price Jesus Christ paid in going to the cross to pay for the sins of the whole world, Psalm 22:30-31 NIV.
b. The Matthew 13:45-46 Parable of the Pearl of Great Price speaks of the great value of the Church, for the Church is a body that is not valued by Israel as a nation just as pearls were not highly valued by Jews in Jesus' time, Ibid., p. 168. However, Bible expositors must realize that the Church, composed of believers called out of the world, is of great value to God like a pearl of great price found in a Gentile market is highly valued by a Gentile merchant, and for which Christ gave of Himself at Calvary to save!
3. Bible expositors must also realize by the Parable of the Dragnet in Matthew 13:47-50 that God will in the end fully judge the lost who are often used of Satan to foster trials for them.
4. According to Matthew 13:51, in view of all of these Matthew 13 truths thus far revealed, Bible expositors are called of Christ to expound their treasure of Old Testament and Christ's Matthew 13 New Testament truths to edify God's valued flock for God's future great reward, Matthew 13:52:
a. The scribe as a householder with a treasure is the Bible expositor with priceless truths for God's people.
b. The things "new" are kainos, "not yet used" (U. B. S. Grk. N. T., 1966, p. 52; Richard C. Trench, Syns. of the N. T., 1973, p. 219-225), and the things "old" are palaios, "worn by age" (Ibid., U. B. S. Grk. N. T.; Ibid., Trench, p. 249-253), referring to both unused new truths of God's program that Jesus had just taught in the Matthew 13 parables (kainos) and the long used Old Testament truths (palaios) on His Kingdom.
c. Thus, in view of the great value God puts on His treasured people today, a value seen in the great price paid by Christ on the cross to save them, and in view of God's great eternal reward to them for doing so, Bible expositors who face Satanic opposition often rising from the lost among God's people are called of God to continue expounding Scripture under trial for the sake of God's treasured people, Matt. 13:52, 43.
Lesson: In view of the future judgment and reward and in view of the great value God places on His people, Bible expositors must keep expounding all of Scripture to believers in the face of the Satanic opposition they face.
Application: May all of us who minister God's Word in any way heed this directive from our Lord Jesus Christ.