Jesus tried to explain to his followers and I quote “The Kingdom of Heaven is like….” He made this statement 10 times. I looked at a few from the book of Matthew that I found specifically spoke to what the Kingdom was like.
Matthew 13
1.
The Parable of the Sower
13 That same
day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake. 2
Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in
it, while all the people stood on the shore. 3 Then
he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer
went out to sow his seed. 4 As he was
scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it
up. 5 Some fell on rocky places, where it did
not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6 But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and
they withered because they had no root. 7 Other
seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. 8 Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a
crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. 9
Whoever has ears, let them hear.”
10 The disciples came to him and
asked, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?”
11 He replied, “Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of
heaven has been given to you, but not to them. 12 Whoever has will be given more, and they
will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be
taken from them. 13 This is why I speak to
them in parables:
“Though seeing, they do not see;
though hearing, they do not hear or understand.
14 In them is fulfilled the
prophecy of Isaiah:
“‘You will be ever hearing but
never understanding;
you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.
15 For this people’s heart has become calloused;
they hardly hear with their ears,
and they have closed their eyes.
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
hear with their ears,
understand with their hearts
and turn, and I would heal them.
16 But blessed are your eyes
because they see, and your ears because they hear. 17 For truly I tell you, many prophets and
righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear
what you hear but did not hear it.
18 “Listen then to what the parable
of the sower means: 19 When
anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil
one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown
along the path. 20 The seed falling on rocky
ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy.
21 But since they have no root, they last only a
short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly
fall away. 22 The seed falling among the
thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and
the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful. 23 But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who
hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop,
yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”
2.
The Parable of the Weeds
24 Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his
field. 25 But while everyone was sleeping,
his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. 26 When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the
weeds also appeared.
27 “The owner’s servants came to him and said,
‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come
from?’
28 “‘An enemy did this,’ he replied.
“The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them
up?’
29 “‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are
pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. 30
Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the
harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then
gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.’”
3.
& 4. The Parables of the Mustard
Seed and the Yeast
31 He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and
planted in his field. 32 Though it is the
smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants
and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.”
33 He told them still another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into
about sixty pounds of flour
until it worked all through the dough.”
34 Jesus spoke all these things to the crowd in
parables; he did not say anything to them without using a parable. 35 So was fulfilled what was spoken through the prophet:
“I will open my mouth in parables,
I will utter things hidden since the creation of the world."
The Parable of the Weeds
Explained
36 Then he left the crowd and went into the
house. His disciples came to him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the
weeds in the field.”
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.
5.
& 6. The Parables of the Hidden
Treasure and the Pearl
44 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden
in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and
sold all he had and bought that field.
Pretty self explanatory right? Heaven is so valuable or should be that it is
worth giving up everything for.
7.
The Parable of the Net
47 “Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a
net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. 48 When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the
shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the
bad away. 49 This is how it will be at the
end of the ag. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous
50 and throw them into the blazing furnace, where
there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
51 “Have you understood all these things?” Jesus asked.
“Yes,” they replied.
Next week; Who is the greatest? and more!
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