Matthew (Written)

Wednesday, 17 September 2025

He answered and said to them, “Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. Matthew 13:11

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at the “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen)

You can also read this commentary, scrolling with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

“And having answered, He said to them, ‘Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries ‘the kingdom the heavens.’ And to them, not it has been given’” (CG).

In the previous verse, Jesus was questioned by His disciples as to why He spoke to the people in parables. Matthew next records, “And having answered, He said to them, ‘Because it has been given.’”

Scholars vary on what “given” means. For example, some say this is a special act of God. That depends on how you interpret what a special act of God means. Myers NT Commentary, citing Weizsäcker, says, “through the unfolding, that is, of your inward powers of perception, not merely by means of the exposition.”

Stating such a thing defies logic. First, Jesus was speaking in a parable. They asked Him why He speaks in parables, not how to interpret them. Second, in verse 36, they will come to Him and ask Him to explain a parable. In Mark 4, it says that when they were alone, Jesus would explain all things to them.

Understanding a parable does not take a special act of God from within nor an inward power of perception. The answer is found in the next words of Jesus. He continues His words to the disciples, saying, “to you to know the mysteries ‘the kingdom the heavens.’”

The word mustérion, mystery, is introduced. HELPS Word Studies rightly defines the term, saying, it “is not something unknowable. Rather, it is what can only be known through revelation, i.e. because God reveals it.”

This is what the Bible is for. God reveals something, it is recorded in the Bible, and the information is now available. An example of this would be the rapture. It would be impossible to know that a rapture will take place someday unless the Bible said it would occur. God could have just not told us. When it came about, it would then be a mystery revealed, at least to those who were taken.

Because it is recorded in Scripture, it is now a revealed mystery. God has said it will occur, and yet innumerable saved believers deny that the event will take place. This includes well-versed Bible scholars.

The problem with them is not that God has kept it from them and their “inward powers of perception.” Nor is the meaning lacking in the “means of the exposition.” Paul expounds on the event called the rapture, in particular, in 1 Corinthians 15 and 1 Thessalonians 4. A child can pick up those passages, read them, and say, “Because I believe in Jesus, someday I am going to be taken directly to heaven.”

Without the mystery having been revealed by Paul, he never would have known this. But because it is written down, it is now a mystery revealed. So why can’t the scholar accept that the rapture will happen, just as Paul details? The answer may be that he had it taught out of him, something not uncommon in seminaries. It may be that he has presuppositions that he is unwilling to let go of.

It isn’t because he is lacking some spiritual ability. Even a non-believing Jew could pick up the Bible and understand what it says. “Oy! Those stupid goy believe they are going to be taken directly to heaven someday.” The reason Jesus spoke to the people in parables is explained in the coming verses. For now, He finishes with, “And to them, not it has been given.”

Jesus has purposefully taught in parables to obscure His intent. The information is there, but they need to have it explained to them. The question then is, “Are they willing to ask Him the meaning?” Those seeking will find the answer they desire. From there, they need to either accept it or reject it.

Life application: Having all the information necessary to be saved and live properly before God is found right in the pages of Scripture. The mysteries are explained. That is why they are included in the Bible. There is information we could never deduce without it being told to us. But once it is revealed, it is our job to accept what it says, taking the instruction in the proper context.

In Revelation 10:4, John is told, “Seal up the things which the seven thunders uttered, and do not write them.” In 10:7, it says, “but in the days of the sounding of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound, the mystery of God would be finished, as He declared to His servants the prophets.”

The utterances of the seven thunders were sealed up. They are words that speak of things that cannot be deduced apart from God revealing them. As they are not recorded, when they are proclaimed, nobody will know beforehand that they were the seven utterances. What they convey will have to come about according to the unfolding of God’s mystery.

What is the mystery of the church? It is explained by Paul. What is the mystery of Christ? Paul explains it to us. Likewise, he explains the mystery of godliness. These and other mysteries are things that God has explained to us in His word. Once they are explained, they are revealed mysteries.

Their meaning is right there for any person to pick up and read. Whether he accepts the explanation is up to him. Judaizers have the same explanation for the mystery of godliness as anyone else does. They just don’t accept its meaning. The mystery of godliness is based on the Person and work of Christ, nothing else.

They reject this and say that you must adhere to the Law of Moses to be godly. It isn’t something kept from them to know the meaning. Rather, it is their own presuppositions and arrogant, self-directed attitudes. These lead to a failure to accept that Christ has done everything necessary for their salvation, but the Bible says otherwise. To be saved, we must accept Christ’s all-sufficient offer of salvation.

Lord God, help us not to sensationalize Your word beyond its intent. The Bible is sensational enough just as it is, without us making things up that are not in accord with what You have revealed. May we approach Scripture logically, with a passion for its contents, and with minds that are open and willing to accept what it says. Amen.

Tuesday, 16 September 2025

And the disciples came and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?”  Matthew 13:10

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at the “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen)

You can also read this commentary, scrolling with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

“And the disciples, having come, they said to Him, ‘Through what in parables You speak to them?’” (CG).

In the previous verse, Jesus called out for those who heard His parable to hear. Next, Matthew records, “And the disciples, having come.”

Although not a problem, it is unknown exactly when this transpires. It doesn’t say “then,” or “at that time.” Therefore, their question could have come at any time, but Matthew is recording it here for the convenience of understanding.

Mark 4:10 says, “But when He was alone, those around Him with the twelve asked Him about the parable.” Luke 8 brings this question up in the same manner as Matthew, placing it right after the time Jesus tells His audience to hear.

Jesus was in a boat giving this parable. It appears that He continued His discourse and that the question came later. When it came, it was something asked not only by the twelve, but by many of the disciples.

Whatever the exact timeline, “they said to Him, ‘Through what in parables You speak to them?’”

The disciples’ question is natural. Instead of just plainly telling the people what He was talking about, Jesus’ words are interesting but veiled. Their question is probably as much a petition to have the explanation to the parables provided as it is one asking why He spoke this way.

At the time, despite being disciples, they were also a part of the audience. If someone from the crowd came up and asked them to explain the parable, they would have been incapable of doing so. This probably occurred and brought about their question to Jesus. This seems likely based on what it says in Mark 4 –

“And with many such parables He spoke the word to them as they were able to hear it. ³⁴ But without a parable He did not speak to them. And when they were alone, He explained all things to His disciples.” Mark 4:33, 34

Life application: In Matthew 7, Jesus has already been recorded as saying this:

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. ⁸ For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.” Matthew 7:7, 8

Jesus may be speaking in parables, and the disciples may not understand why, but He has already told them that in seeking, the answer will be found. How He responds to their question will, therefore, apply to anyone who comes to Him for an answer.

To this day, the words of Jesus are open to the Jewish people. They are not secreted away by the Lord where they cannot be saved during this dispensation. But there has to be a motivation to seek the truth. In the recent past, a soldier in Israel shared his story about his father’s conversion.

He “came to faith after picking up a flyer about Jesus on the street that was just lying around. Reading it and then going to the Bible and reading the gospel about Jesus. Because of all the stigma, he thought the New Testament was written by Nazis, but when he picked it up, he said ‘I felt like it’s the real deal that continues the Old Testament.’”

Imagine that. A gospel tract was thrown away by one person, but another picked it up and was willing to check things out. He was encouraged and challenged enough that he had to know if it was true. The disciples have asked Jesus about the hidden mysteries of God. But nothing is really hidden if one searches for the truth and then opens his heart to what he discovers.

Lord God, our time in handing out tracts may seem wasted when we don’t hear about any conversions or breakthroughs in the area where we hand them out, but give us the desire to continue to share the good news this way and in any other way that we can. A plant cannot grow unless the seed is first planted. Amen.

Monday, 15 September 2025

He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” Matthew 13:9

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at the “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen)

You can also read this commentary, scrolling with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

“The ‘having ears to hear,’ he – hear!” (CG).

In the previous verse, Jesus spoke of the seed falling on the good earth and the abundance it provides. Having completed the parable, He next says, “The ‘having ears to hear,’ he – hear!”

Jesus’ words are the same as Matthew 11:15. It is an admonition to listen, understand, and pay attention, applying His words to their lives. In this case, He has instructed the people concerning soil and seed. What He says has value to the person sowing real seed.

This is how things work, and most people listening to Him, who planted the seed, would know this. Some people may never have thought the process through, just helping out on a farm or being young and unaware of how things worked. They could then say, “I heard that Rabbi speaking about sowing seed and I’ll follow His advice.”

But Jesus’ intent is not to teach about farming practices. The words were given as a parable, and the people would have known this. The problem is that when He says for them to hear, they may not have understood what He was telling them. In fact, in the giving of this parable as recorded in Luke, it says, “Then His disciples asked Him, saying, ‘What does this parable mean?’” (Luke 8:9).

To this day, people differ on the interpretation or intended audience for Jesus’ words. Because this is so, having ears to hear may not be as easy as it seems.

Life application: Despite differing interpretations on parables, verses, intended audience for a given passage, etc., there is a proper and intended meaning for everything in Scripture. There are several important points that must be considered for everything that is recorded. The main point above all is considering the context.

A simple example of this is the Law of Moses. Who is the intended audience for adhering to the law? The context is stated right in the giving of the law and within the law itself. The law was given to Israel. Really, go check it out. Read Exodus 19 and 20, where the basis for the law was given, meaning the Ten Commandments.

After that, Israel is the intended audience throughout the entire time of the law. For example, go read Deuteronomy 5:1 and Jeremiah 2:4, among almost a billion other times that words of law are spoken. Israel alone is always the intended audience. Even Jesus addresses Israel directly, quoting the law, such as in Mark 12:29.

No other nation on the planet was given the law. No other nation was required to observe the law. And when Jesus died, it was in fulfillment of the law. Thus, in its fulfillment, it was ended. This is stated explicitly by Jesus Himself. It is also recorded in the epistles numerous times. So why do churches continue to tell people they have to tithe, not eat pork, or to observe the Sabbath?

These are points of law. The context tells us who the law was for.

To understand the meaning of a parable or who the intended audience is for it may not be readily apparent, but the matter will not be solved and solidified in your mind in a manner that matches Scripture unless you read and rightly apply Scripture.

It may be that you have an exceptional preacher or teacher who properly explains these things, but unless you also know the book, you can only assume what he says is correct. In the end, each of us is responsible for his or her doctrine. To place one’s eternal soul in the hands of someone else’s doctrine without verifying what they say is the height of stupidity.

If you go to any Jehovah’s Witnesses meetings, they will tell you they trust the doctrine of the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society. And yet, what they teach is heretical and anathema to God. Imagine that. Over nine million people in the Jehovah’s Witnesses are destined for eternal separation from God because they fail to accept the principle point of Scripture, that Jesus Christ is God.

Be discerning. Read the Bible, consider its context, and don’t be led astray by people who have an agenda to control your life by controlling the doctrine of your faith.

Lord God, help us in our understanding of Your word. Open our eyes when we read it to find the truth as You present it. Please keep us away from false teachers and unsound teachings. Please lead us to a right understanding of it and to a closer walk with You. Amen.

Sunday, 14 September 2025

But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. Matthew 13:8

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at the “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen)

You can also read this commentary, scrolling with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

“And others, it fell upon the good earth, and it gave fruit. Some, indeed, hundred, and some sixty, and some thirty” (CG).

In the previous verse, Jesus explained that when seed fell among the thorns, the thorns sprang up and choked them. He next says, “And others, it fell upon the good earth, and it gave fruit.”

The Greek includes the definite article, “the good earth.” The implication is that there is, in fact, good earth. When the seed is scattered, some of it is lost to the various places previously identified, but some of it will land in earth that is properly suited for the intended purpose of the sower, which is to produce a harvest.

The words assure Jesus’ hearers that God has provided good earth for this to come about. It is up to the one looking to obtain a harvest to select the right field, prepare it accordingly, and then begin sowing.

Though there is good soil, effort is required to obtain the harvest. Thus, there is the provision of God and the labor of the sower uniting to gain the benefit of the soil. When these are harmoniously combined, the result is “Some, indeed, hundred, and some sixty, and some thirty.”

Each of these numbers is used for the first time: hekaton (100), hexékonta (sixty), and triakonta (thirty). The latter two are formed as decades of the words hex (six) and treis (three).

Jesus’ words are a general statement about the various grains that are sown and the quality of the good earth into which it is sown. As such, the numbers should not be pressed when Jesus explains the parable. He is simply providing an example of how things will work when the seed is sown into good soil.

To obtain a hundredfold is not something that was considered impossible. Centuries earlier, the record of Isaac’s life says –

“Then Isaac sowed in that land, and reaped in the same year a hundredfold; and the Lord blessed him. ¹³ The man began to prosper, and continued prospering until he became very prosperous; ¹⁴ for he had possessions of flocks and possessions of herds and a great number of servants. So the Philistines envied him.” Genesis 26:12-14

Life application: Normally, one will get out of his efforts what he puts into them. This isn’t always true because there can be catastrophes that sweep away one’s efforts. For example, someone may plant papayas around his property. Those plants that are in good soil, have proper sunlight, and have abundant water will produce fruit.

Others that are out of the sun may not be productive. And because papayas need sufficient water, others may have the buds fall off or produce really deficient fruit if not kept properly watered. This is to be expected when someone tries various spots on his property for planting them.

The ones that meet all the right conditions may produce a large harvest. However, just as the harvest is almost ready (I mean, within days), a hurricane (we’ll call it Hurricane Helene) comes through the area and floods the property with saltwater from the nearby gulf. That fruit will be ruined because of the saltwater. The plant is likely to be blown over by the wind, too.

Such things can happen, and one has to ask himself whether it is worth the risk of planting fruit trees at all. For certain, there will be no fruit if one doesn’t try. In other words, life is a risk. It takes getting up and working in order to produce a harvest.

Fruit trees abound in the world, but when they are in uncleared areas, they generally are not as productive as they will be when land is cleared, prepared, and the trees are planted in optimum conditions. Sometimes, several years of experimenting may take place before any results are realized.

Thomas Edison said, “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” Eventually, he made a lightbulb that works and lasts. How willing are you to make the effort to learn biblical languages, learn to share the gospel, or excel at playing music (which includes playing at church on Sunday morning)?

We will never have results if we don’t get to work. God has given us the time, place, and ability to make things happen. So get up, pray about what you intend to do, asking God to bless your efforts, and then get to work.

If a hurricane (this time we’ll call it Milton) comes through and destroys your efforts, you have more choices to make. Pray that God will lead you in the right decisions to continue to glorify Him.

Lord God, may our actions and words be directed first and foremost to Your glory. Only when that is the case, may we then produce the right results that will cause our efforts to multiply. Keep us from thoughts of abundance without effort unless the glory is directed to You. Whether we reap a harvest with a lot of effort or without it, may we acknowledge You as the reason it came about. Amen.

Saturday, 13 September 2025

And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked them. Matthew 13:7

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at the “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen)

You can also read this commentary, scrolling with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

“And others, it fell upon the thorns, and they ascended, the thorns, and they choked them” (CG).

In the previous verse, Jesus described how the seed that fell on the rock-like areas scorched and withered. He now turns to another category, saying, “And others, it fell upon the thorns.”

Thorns in Israel are about as bad as they get. They are everywhere, and they come in a seemingly unlimited number of torturous varieties. When God cursed the earth and said that it would produce thorns and thistles (Genesis 3:18), it seems He was specifically highlighting this promised curse in the land of Israel.

Everyone listening would understand His words. The sower is out spreading seed. As he does, some of it falls on the uncleared area where thorns had not been fully removed through burning or tilling. They may not be evident if the tops were burned off, but the roots remained because they weren’t in the main part of the field that was fully tilled and cleared.

Leaving thorns around a field can have a positive purpose, such as keeping out unwanted creatures, but once the seed falls into such an area, there is no going back and picking it out. It is there for the duration. Once cast there, Jesus says, “and they ascended, the thorns, and they choked them.”

Like dominant plants in any area, those that are hardiest will overcome those that are not. Thorns don’t need much water to thrive. They get started early, and when the rains come, they are already prepared to speedily grow beyond whatever else is in the soil. As such, the grain cannot compete against the thorns, and they become choked out, never reaching maturity. Vincent’s Word Studies notes the words of Ovid that closely match Jesus’ words of these past verses –

“Now the too ardent sun, vow furious showers,
With baleful stars and bitter winds combine
The crop to ravage; while the greedy fowl
Snatch the strewn seeds; and grass with stubborn roots,
And thorn and darnel plague the ripening grain.”
Metamorphoses

Life application: If you go to Israel on a vacation, business trip, tour, or whatever, be sure to have long pants and appropriate shoes if you plan on going for walks in the fields or mountains.

There are thornbushes, thistles, scratchy weeds, etc., all over the place. One can have a jillion lacerations after a short walk through an area that was not cleared. Many of these look innocuous until you step into them. Once you do, it is painful just trying to back out.

This is true throughout the world. The curse that was pronounced at the beginning has continued to be proven true throughout human history. In Israel, a land that is still being reclaimed after two thousand years of inactivity due to the curses of the law being brought to bear against the people for rejecting Jesus, every hill that remains unoccupied bears a reminder of the curse.

Slowly, Israel is subduing these areas and rebuilding towns and villages in the wilderness. Where they haven’t, the walk may appear beautiful and an exciting challenge when viewed from a distance, but once you get into the area, you may find yourself wishing you had gone to Tahiti or even to North Korea… anywhere but the painful hill you are walking on.

So be careful if you go. If you remember to avoid such pitfalls, you should probably have a great adventure as you enjoy the land where Jesus walked.

Lord God, it will be really great when we are given a new place to set our feet, one without thorns, thistles, poison ivy, and harmful critters. Violating one law brought about all of this and so much more. But we know that through the grace of Jesus Christ, what we will experience will be more wonderful than we can imagine. Thank You for this sure hope we possess. Amen.