The Parables of The Kingdom of God

The Parables

of

The Kingdom of God

J. K. Kelly

Smashwords Edition License notes: This is the copyrighted work of J. K. Kelly published by Smashwords at http://www.smashwords.com. This book may be reproduced in whole or in part, copied and distributed, but only for non-commercial purposes, provided the book remains in its original form. All reproductions are to maintain this legend at the beginning of the work.

Copyright 2018 J. K. Kelly

Website: http://www.thefirsttrumpet.com

This title and other books by this author available in most eBook formats at no cost.

Revelation 2.0

Worship in Spirit and in Truth

Fulfillment of the Feasts in Discipleship

Scripture quotes from The Holy Bible, New International Version Copyright 1973, 1978 New York International Bible Society, except where otherwise noted

Cover design: Detail of the bronze doors at the entrance to the cathedral in the Campo Dei Miracoli, Pisa, Italy

Illustrations: Created by Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld for Die Bibel in Bildern, Published in Leipzig 1852 to 1860, Dover Publications, Inc., Copyright 2003 Used by permission

Dedicated to my father, who wanted me to wield my pen in faith,

and my sister Kathie, who taught me how to read.

With special acknowledgement and thanks to:

My theological advisor Dr. Choo Lak Yeow

My editors Dr. Jan Roberson and Chris DeMuhalla

and the many men and women of God who helped shape my faith.

May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it. – 1 Thess 5:23-24

Foreword

This book comes out of my struggles to come to completeness in Christ. Though I more or less practiced the Christian disciplines and even experienced spiritual breakthroughs, I could not really be called a mature believer. I was diverted by sin more routinely than I wanted to admit, even to myself. I felt I was stuck in my spiritual progress, focused to a large degree on the cares and desires of life. So I determined to deepen my relationship with the Lord. I studied how Jesus related to people and the life lessons He taught in His parables. I resolved to put the lesson of each parable as I understood it into practice before moving on to the next one—a kind of forty steps program. This proved to be much more difficult than anticipated, turning into a four year project, writing and amending each chapter according to my studies, failures, and successes. This study of the parables is only one of many; others will have different or additional insights.

I am fairly certain I’m not alone in my struggle to truly follow Jesus. Perhaps walking in whole-hearted devotion is so difficult because our material and technological blessings have resulted in being more self-centered than preceding generations. A lack of emphasis on holiness in the church is probably a contributing factor. Additionally, most of us are so focused on work and family problems that we are happy just to make it through another day. As many Bible scholars have noted, today’s church culture is much like that of Laodicea. We are so caught up in our worldly acquisitions and concerns that we’ve become lukewarm about pursuing a close walk with God. I believe that if we are to come into spiritual maturity, we need to move on from the basics of salvation by grace through faith, and pursue a deeper, consecrated walk with Christ. Where most of us stumble in our pursuit of this deeper relationship is in dying to ourselves so we can fully live for Him.

There is no special gnosis or knowledge required to understand Jesus’ parables—just a diligent heart, relying on the wisdom and guidance of the Holy Spirit. Accordingly, they have been divided into four chronological sections that define a progressive salvation walk:

I. The Way Of Faith: The basics of kingdom life.

II. Producing A Fruitful Harvest: The reason we’ve been called to follow Jesus.

III. Disciples of Christ: Becoming more like Jesus so we can walk as He did.

IV. Reaping What We Sow: How our response to Jesus’ teaching determines both our spiritual progress and our eternal destiny.

In order to provide context, each parable starts with an introductory cultural, historical, or chronological background. This is followed by an explanation of the parable, with a practical application for today. There is also a follow up section designed for individual or group study. Each parable teaches a spiritual principle of living for the kingdom of God. The basic truth or principle that Jesus was illustrating is usually found in His words just before, during, or immediately following each parable. About three quarters of these are foundational kingdom precepts. The rest are prophetic in nature, motivating us to live in a manner worthy of our high calling in Christ. Reflecting on the parables and their principles helps us better understand the narrow road of discipleship. Living by them enables us to develop a deeper walk with the Lord, build more meaningful relationships, and fulfill God’s purpose for our life.

CONTENTS

The Kingdom Of God

Section I. THE WAY OF FAITH

1. The Light Of The World

2. The Old And The New

3. A Tree And Its Fruit

4. The Wise And Foolish Builders

5. The Two Debtors

6. The Rich Man

7. The Watchful Servants

8. The Faithful And Wise Manager

Section II. PRODUCING A SPIRITUAL HARVEST

9. The Unfruitful Tree

10. A House Divided

11. The Sower

12. A Lamp On A Stand

13. The Weeds

14. The Growing Seed

15. The Mustard Seed & The Yeast

16. Hidden Treasure & A Priceless Pearl

17. The Fishing Net

Section III. DISCIPLES OF CHRIST

18. The Good Shepherd

19. The Wandering Sheep

20. The Dutiful Servant

21. The Unmerciful Servant

22. The Good Samaritan

23. The Persistent Friend

24. The Wedding Feast

25. The Great Banquet

26. The Tower and The Battle

27. The Lost Sheep & The Lost Coin

28. The Lost Son

Section IV. REAPING WHAT WE SOW

29. The Shrewd Manager

30. The Rich Man And Lazarus

31. The Persistent Widow

32. The Pharisee And The Tax Collector

33. The Workers In The Vineyard

34. The Ten Coins

35. The Two Sons

36. The Wicked Tenants

37. Invitation To A Wedding Banquet

38. The Fig Tree

39. The Ten Virgins

40. The Sheep And The Goats

Appendix: Kingdom Principles

The Kingdom Of God

Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. – Matt 4:23

We hear much about the Gospel, or Good News of Jesus Christ. A quick search of Scripture reveals that this Good News is occasionally referred to as: the Gospel of God or the Gospel of the grace of God, the Gospel of salvation, and the Gospel of peace. However, Jesus didn’t use these terms. He called His gospel message the good news of the kingdom of God. I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God . . . because that is why I was sent. (Luke 4:43)¹ Mark’s account confirms this. After introducing his book as The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, he goes on to say that after John was imprisoned, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel. (Mark 1:14-15 KJV) Jesus did more than just preach the good news of the kingdom. As our Savior, He opened its gates to all who would repent and believe in Him.

The word kingdom generally brings to mind the idea of a sovereign country, state or territory. However, the meaning of the kingdom of God is better conveyed by the Aramaic word malkuth, which emphasizes the spiritual reign of God. "Malkuth . . . is properly an abstract noun, meaning ‘kingship,’ ‘kingly rule,’ ‘reign,’ or ‘sovereignty,’ . . . in which (God) is revealed as King or sovereign Lord of His people."² We enter the kingdom of God by submitting ourselves to the reign of its King, making Jesus Lord of our life.

Jesus’ instruction about the kingdom was a revolutionary departure from the strict Pharisaical focus on the written requirements of Mosaic and rabbinic law, with their belief in a distant, future kingdom of God. Jesus made it clear that the same kingdom could be presently found in the inner recesses of the heart by anyone diligently seeking and submitting to God’s will: The kingdom of God does not come visibly, nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is within you. (Luke 17: 20-21) Those who do not enter this spiritual kingdom through repentance and faith in this life will not be part of it in the age to come.

Although Jesus preached His Gospel for only a few short years a very long time ago, the four accounts of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John faithfully convey His ministry and teaching. At the core of His instruction are the parables, which illustrate the operative principles or truths of the kingdom of God. After the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus spoke . . . to the crowd in parables; he did not say anything to them without using a parable. (Matt 13:34) The parables help His disciples (that’s us!) understand and remember the principles of the kingdom so we can live by them. Jesus revisited the subjects He knew would give us the most difficulty, such as repentance, humility, money, and watchfulness. Sometimes He gave more than one illustration of the same principle, such as the parables of The Lost sheep and The Lost Coin, so that both men and women could relate to His message. Additionally, some of His earlier parables are repeated later in His ministry. (In these cases, complementary parables have been combined into one chapter, and later duplicative parables have been omitted.)

During His life, Jesus fully embraced the kingdom of God, following its principles and teaching them to all who would listen. At His sacrificial death, He defeated the devil in his own dark realm, opening the gates of the kingdom to all who would put their faith in Him. However, prior to His death and resurrection, Jesus was limited to announcing the imminence of the coming kingdom, stating, The kingdom of God is near (at hand – KJV). (Matt 4:17) This is because entry into the kingdom can only be granted by being born again through the Holy Spirit, who would not come until after Jesus had risen and returned to the Father.

In only one instance did Jesus alter the tense of His announcement. When driving out a demon, He told the objecting Pharisees that The kingdom of God has (already) come to you. (Luke 11:20) Because the millennial kingdom of God will render Satan powerless over mankind, this future reality became a present spiritual fact when Jesus cast out demonic spirits. Since that time, each demonic deliverance, and every healing or other work of spiritual power, is both a triumph over the kingdom of darkness and a guarantee of Jesus’ return to establish His kingdom on earth.

When we respond to the Gospel message by surrendering our life to Jesus, we are reborn a new spiritual creation, becoming children of God. As members of the household of faith and citizens of the kingdom, we are also disciples of Christ. Walking in the narrow way of discipleship, we follow Jesus’ teaching and example, living by kingdom principles and growing in the Divine virtues. This means that we may not idly rest in the gift of salvation any more than a newborn may remain in its infancy, dependent on others its entire life. Just as every other living thing grows and matures, the Lord expects us to grow as spiritual beings. We do this by learning from Jesus and His appointed church leaders so we might become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. (Eph 4:13)

Though He ascended into heaven, Jesus has not left us to walk the path of discipleship alone. He is present with us in His Holy Spirit to strengthen our faith and transform us into His likeness. He has also provided a place for us within His church so we might receive guidance and encouragement, learning to relate and minister to one another in love. And He has left us a roadmap to living the Christian life in His parables, with their simple lessons on how to walk in faith, hope, and love. By studying and applying ourselves to their lessons, we receive the grace to persevere through temptations and trials so we might in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. (Eph 4:15) The result of our faithfulness will be a plentiful harvest of spiritual fruit that enriches the soul, bringing the light of grace and truth not just into our own life, but through us into the lives of others. Following Christ and bearing the fruit of His character, we will inherit the place reserved for us when He returns to establish His kingdom reign over all the earth.

_______

1 The NIV translates the implied meaning of this verse, inserting the words: the good news of, probably based on Mark 1:14-15 and Matt 4:23.

2 C.H. Dodd The Parables of The Kingdom Charles Scribner’s Sons 1961 p. 21

Section I

The Way Of Faith

I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. – John 14:6

After the fall of mankind, God called a remnant to walk by faith. Hebrews 11 lists several individuals who responded to His call: Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, and Moses. When the Lord delivered the Israelites from Egypt, He extended this call to the twelve tribes of Israel. He entered into a contract, or covenant, with them to be His special people, to serve him . . . in holiness and righteousness. (Luke 1:74-75) This Mosaic, or old covenant, was designed to instill a faith-based love of the Lord that would result in reverent obedience to God’s laws and love for one’s neighbor. As long as the memory of their deliverance from Egypt remained strong in the hearts of the people, they kept faith and walked in God’s ways. However, later generations lost this vivid remembrance of God’s provision for them, and Israel began to follow the ways of the nations around her.

The Lord sent numerous prophets to call His covenant people to return to a walk of faith and obedience. One of these was Habakkuk, who stated the simple truth that The righteous shall live by his faith. (Hab 2:4) The prophet Micah presented a concise statement of the way of faith: He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly, and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. (Micah 6:8) And the prophet Hosea pointed out that mercy and the knowledge of God are even more important than the sacrificial burnt offerings required by the law for forgiveness (Hos 6:6). This is because repeated forgiveness is of little value unless it is accompanied by a change of heart that brings about changed behavior. Therefore, the message they heard was of no value to them, because those who heard it did not combine it with faith. (Heb 4:2)

God finally judged His people for their sins. The northern tribes of Israel were scattered abroad by the Assyrians. Later, Judah was invaded, the temple destroyed and the people led captive to Babylon. During the Babylonian captivity, synagogues were established in an effort to preserve the teaching of the Law contained in the Torah. The practice of meeting for instruction continued after their repatriation to the Promised Land. During the Hellenic period, the learned class of men known as Scribes, who were called rabbi, or teacher, took over administration of the synagogues. Their goal was to faithfully pass the precepts of the Law to each new generation and ensure they were followed. No one wanted a repeat of God’s devastating judgment of invasion and captivity in a foreign land.

Over time, the Scribes established hundreds of new directives and traditions to interpret Mosaic Law, much like court decisions interpret and modify our laws today. Rabbinic law and tradition eventually came to hold the same authority as the Law of Moses. The Pharisees zealously kept watch for the slightest violation of rabbinic rules. Instead of producing righteousness by faith, however, this approach led to righteousness by works. The love of God and one’s neighbor became an array of externally imposed duties rather than a heart-based walk of reverent faith and compassion for others. This was the society into which Jesus was born.

Practical Application

Jesus was not the first prophet to teach about faith to a wayward generation, but