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: 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.
(Matthew 13:31-32)
The
Collect
Ember
Days
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O
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ALMIGHTY God,
who hast committed to the hands of men the ministry of reconciliation; We
humbly beseech thee, by the inspiration of thy Holy Spirit, to put it into the
hearts of many to offer themselves for this ministry; that thereby mankind may
be drawn to thy blessed kingdom; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Pentecost
(Whitsunday)
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O
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GOD, who as at this time didst
teach the hearts of thy faithful people, by sending to them the light of thy
Holy Spirit; Grant us by the same Spirit to have a right judgment in all
things, and evermore to rejoice in his holy comfort; through the merits of
Christ Jesus our Saviour, who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of
the same Spirit, one God, world without end. Amen.
What is the Kingdom of Heaven like? Is it pure and perfect in this worldly
environment? Has it steadily grown in purity and size from its inception, of
has it been plagued with amazing controversies and unfaithful men from the
beginning? It is my opinion that the modern church has grown amazingly – in its
unfaithfulness to God's Word and in its lack of pure doctrine. I believe it
approaches that scandalous apostasy as existed in the pre-Reformation Church.
Perhaps it warrants another reformation of truth and fidelity to God? Never
before has the Church, or even the secular powers, promoted abortion as a means
of population control. Never before has the Church, or the secular power, given
legitimacy to the abominable sin of homosexuality and even marriages between
practicing adherents of the same. Never before has the Church opened its doors
to the depraved cultures of the world with such unmitigated alacrity. Not since
the Medieval Period has the clergy of the Church harbored such disdain for
biblical principles while lining their pockets with filthy lucre. Is the Church
still the Church? I am afraid that, with all of its imperfections and present
defects that, yes, it is still the Church. But make no mistake; the Church is
not defined by its walls of stone, or by its incorporation papers filed in some
state office. It is a called out assembly of believers in the Lord Jesus
Christ. For where two or three are gathered
together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. (Matt 18:20)
Even if
gathered in the midst of devils, Christ remains among those who worship Him.
There may be a large number of churches that do not meet, even in the most
meager extent, the definition of a called out assembly. It may be because they
have completely rejected Scripture, or because there is not a single true
believer in their midst. Then we have the Laodicean style of church that
predominates in the modern culture that is luke warm in its testimony and
witness. He cannot seem to rally courage to ever take a principled stand
against any great sin. It is of particular interest in the manner in which
Christ concludes His warnings to the churches: Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear
my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and
he with me. (Rev 3:20) Where is Christ standing with respect to
these seven physically existing churches? Be not deceived, they exist today in
form and nature throughout Christendom. He stands without their walls and
doors. How many worshippers pay their light courtesies to God on Sundays, leave
Christ behind at the place of worship and return to a world of hedonism and
self-gratification? I believe today's parable reveals much about the modern
church. I realize that my commentary will not meet with the approval of all
readers since there exists a larger audience who believes this parable promises
a continued growth in both numbers and pure doctrinal teachings in the church.
But I will write my devotion with both eyes open. If I have seen a specter of
falsity, please be so kind as to reveal the falsehood to this erring expositor.
Let us begin our study of it.
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. The mustard plant
supplies an important herb to people in all continents. The seed, though tiny,
is not the tiniest of seed; yet, Christ uses the contrasting size of the seed
with its phenomenal growth after planting. It gives out its best fragrance when
bruised. The Sower, once more, is Christ. The Seed is the Word. The Field is
the Kingdom, and the plant is the Church as represented from inception to the
present and future time. In this case, the seed is singular – only ONE seed.
Christ has ONE Church, and ONE people, or Church.
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. There are two allusions to the state of man and church in
this parable and they are of a mixed nature – good and evil. The Gospel Seed,
planted in a man's heart, may be the slightest of exposure thereto; yet it
grows and becomes so great as to shadow all that the man does. At the same
time, the growth nurtured by the word will often cause the man to become larger
in his self-concept than he ought to consider himself. This is an affliction
that clergymen must constantly strive to combat. When we begin to think we know
more, and are more competent in every way than our fellows, we are lifted up
with pride and the birds come home to roost in our branches.
We should note, first of all, that a mustard plant does not naturally grow into
a tree. It has the nature of an herbal bush. Even if it did grow larger than
usual, its fibrous content is not strong in holding up large branches. So THIS
mustard plant is not the naturally expected plant. It grows larger than it is
supposed to grow. The church today has exceeded in size its testimony in Christ.
It has grown so large that the "birds of the air come and lodge
in the branches thereof." Context is important, and I do not
believe we would be stretching the context in making reference back to the
first parable of this chapter in Matthew. Remember the Sower sowed seed by the
wayside? ….and the fowls came and devoured them up. (Matt 13:4)
Who were these "fowls of the air?" Let us examine the description
given by Christ in Matthew 13:19 - When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and
understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that
which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side.
Those fowls, or birds, represent Satan and his demons. The
larger-than-life church of today has come to be infested with demons in its
wings (branches). They are attracted by the loose theology and doctrine that
will allow them to maneuver their political wills inside the Church itself.
Until Christ returns, we shall never be able to rid the church of such
parasitical usurpers and enemies of God's people. They speak our language, and
dress in our fashion, and exhibit a presumed piety that is deceptive and fatal.
To see some examples in person, tune in the TBN TV network and witness these in
action – Benny Hinn, Joel Osteen, Rick Warren, and an unlimited host of others.
They also stand in a great number of pulpits in the cities and towns of
America.
Remember, this one seed of the Gospel has grown in both purity and false
doctrine. This is why the Christian must study to show himself approved of God
and Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. Abstain from
all appearance of evil. (1 Thess 5:21-22) There are seeds of evil as
well as good. If you are very familiar with the genuine Word, you will not be
deceived by the counterfeit. I once read a story that mixes humor engagingly
with truth. There once was an abbot who desired a piece of ground that was
located ideally for his purposes. The owner refused to sell the land, yet with
persistent appeal, he was persuaded to lease the land to the Abbot. The Abbot
leased the land with the stated contract that he would raise only ONE crop on
the land. Once the deal was finalized, the Abbot went and sowed a crop of acorns
on the land – a crop whose harvest would require 300 years to appreciate! So
Satan asks to get possession of our souls by asking us to permit some small sin
to enter, some one wrong that seems of no great consequence. But when once he
has entered and planted the seeds and beginnings of evil, he holds his ground
and sins and evils multiply.
The parable is well summarized by Bishop J.C. Ryle in his Expository Thoughts
on the Gospel:
In the first place, this parable
teaches us, that good and evil will always be found together in the professing
Church, until the end of the world. The visible Church is set before us as a
mixed body. It is a vast "field" in which "wheat and weeds"
grow side by side. We must expect to find believers and unbelievers, converted
and unconverted, "the children of the kingdom, and the children of the
wicked one," all mingled together in every congregation of baptized
people.
The purest preaching of the Gospel will not prevent this. In every age of the
Church, the same state of things has existed. It was the experience of the
early Fathers. It was the experience of the Reformers. It is the experience of
the best ministers at the present hour. There has never been a visible Church
or a religious assembly, of which the members have been all "wheat."
The devil, that great enemy of souls, has always taken care to sow
"weeds."
The most strict and prudent discipline will not prevent this. Episcopalians,
Presbyterians, and Independents, all alike find it to be so. Do what we will to
purify a church, we shall never succeed in obtaining a perfectly pure
communion. Weeds will be found among the wheat. Hypocrites and deceivers will
creep in. And, worst of all, if we are extreme in our efforts to obtain purity,
we do more harm than good. We run the risk of encouraging many a Judas
Iscariot, and breaking many a bruised reed. In our zeal to "gather up the
weeds," we are in danger of "rooting up the wheat with them."
Such zeal is not according to knowledge, and has often done much harm. Those
who care not what happens to the wheat, provided they can root up the tares,
show little of the mind of Christ. And after all there is deep truth in the
charitable saying of Augustine, "Those who are weeds today, may be wheat
tomorrow."
