Parables of the Kingdom

[Checkpoint]

Jesus was a teacher like few others.

His teaching was both practical and spiritual, with one basic message, the good news of the Kingdom of God/Heaven.

He taught in many ways, one of which was by the use of parables.

Matthew 13 brings a number of his Kingdom parables together, about which Jesus asked and observed:

Matthew 13:

51 “Have you understood all these things?� Jesus asked.

“Yes,� they replied.

52 He said to them, “Therefore every scribe who has become a disciple in the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old.�

This thread is for us to present our understanding of these and any other Kingdom parables.

Are our views of the Kingdom confirmed or challenged by what is in Matthew 13?

Does this teaching add to, or modify or take away from, what has been your understanding of the Kingdom?

[Monta]

[Replying to post 1 by Checkpoint]

"Are our views of the Kingdom confirmed or challenged by what is in Matthew 13?

Does this teaching add to, or modify or take away from, what has been your understanding of the Kingdom?"


We could dream up all sorts of things but this teaching of Jesus is the only teaching re the Kingdom of God we have; this for Christians others many have something else.

47 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind:

48 Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away.

49 So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just,

50 And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.

51 Jesus saith unto them, Have ye understood all these things? They say unto him, Yea, Lord.

[Tcg]

Does this teaching add to, or modify or take away from, what has been your understanding of the Kingdom?

Given that the Kingdom of god has been postponed indefinitely, it is impossible to determine what it is or rather was supposed to be. If it ever arrives, we can revisit your question. Until then, it is pure supposition.

[Checkpoint]

Does this teaching add to, or modify or take away from, what has been your understanding of the Kingdom?

Given that the Kingdom of god has been postponed indefinitely, it is impossible to determine what it is or rather was supposed to be. If it ever arrives, we can revisit your question. Until then, it is pure supposition.

Your "Given" is not a given at all, assumes the Kingdom is future only, and fails to come to grips with any of Matthew 13.

Perhaps you could revisit my question.

[JehovahsWitness]

[Replying to post 1 by Checkpoint]

I would agree that Matthew 13 contains a series of illustrations all related in some way with God's kingdom.

The Jehovovah's Witness understanding of the "Kingdom seed" illustrations for example relates to what we believe happened to Christianity after the death of Jesus (and the last of the Apostles).

We believe the "harvest season" begain at the beginning of the 20th century and has continued to the present time.


JW

[ttruscott]

Are our views of the Kingdom confirmed or challenged by what is in Matthew 13?

Does this teaching add to, or modify or take away from, what has been your understanding of the Kingdom?

Matt 13: 52 He said to them, “Therefore every teacher of the law who has become a disciple in the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old.� Comes right after the parable of the fish in the nets which does not seem to add anything new to our understanding though it certainly adds to the importance of separation in Christ's gospel.

But more importantly for me with my fixation on our beginnings and how we ended up here in this sinful world, is its juxtaposition to the explanation of the parable of the good seed which hints at enormous modification and implications for our understanding of the whys and wherefore's of our reality here.

The parable of the good seed ends with the admonitions: Whoever has ears, let them hear. which means in essence: PAY ATTENTION HERE! This is important!! It is not about hearing, it is about being open to the new treasure being added to the old here and orthodoxy does it best to divert our attention from it because it destroys the base of their theology.

Although I find a newness in the parable itself which rests on unorthodox beliefs, I contend that (at least some of) the new treasure is the explanation of the parable of the good seed in Matt 13:36-40, as an explanation of straight forward fact devoid of any hyperbole or metaphor no matter how new the implications are for us and our understanding of theology.

[jgh7]

[Replying to post 5 by JehovahsWitness]

How literal is your diagram to be taken in relation to the texts it cites?

Matthew 13:37-43
37 He answered, “The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. 38 The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the people of the kingdom. The weeds are the people of the evil one, 39 and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.

40 “As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. 41 The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. 42 They will throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears, let them hear.

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Do JW's believe that according to the diagram, all other Christians (except the early Christian Church) are weeds sown by the devil and will be weeded out of the kingdom and sentenced to the place where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth?

[Overcomer]

I always think it's important to define terms. The Bible talks about both the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Heaven. They are the same thing. They refer to a world in which everything is done God's way according to God's will.

Some mistakenly think of it only as a physical place that is yet to come. It is definitely true that God will establish a physical realm that will be like another Garden of Eden -- perfect and good. However, the kingdom isn't just a physical place. It's a way of living as well.

Christ outlined kingdom-living in his Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5 through 7). Such living is not just for that kingdom to come. It's for all believers, then, throughout history, today and in the future.

This is because Jesus initiated the kingdom of God with his first coming. He states this in Luke 17:20-21, when he says that the kingdom is in their midst. But the kingdom will not be fully implemented until his second coming. This is why scholars refer to the kingdom of God as "already-but-not-yet". We can live according to God's will and reap his benefits in the here and now -- but only partially, especially since so many in the world reject God and, therefore, don't make any attempt to live according to his wisdom instead of their own. But for those who are born-again and filled with the Holy Spirit, kingdom-living is for now because the kingdom is already here, even if only in part.

See here:

https://www.gotquestions.org/kingdom-of ... n-you.html

https://www.gotquestions.org/kingdom-heaven-God.html

https://www.desiringgod.org/messages/is ... -or-future

[Checkpoint]

[Replying to post 7 by jgh7]

[Replying to post 5 by JehovahsWitness]

Post 5 has completely disappeared.. does anyone know what happened?

[ttruscott]

[Replying to post 7 by jgh7]

[Replying to post 5 by JehovahsWitness]

Post 5 has completely disappeared.. does anyone know what happened?

I still got it...