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Disciples and Multitudes Distinguished!

Text: Matthew 13 : 1 - 23

The number of people who actually became disciples was relatively small compared to the people whom Matthew continued to note as “the whole multitude” (Matthew 13:2).

“Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom…”

This statement is best read and understood in the light of the spontaneous prayer that Matthew recorded in his Gospel. Let’s read that brief word of prayer He offered to His Father.

“I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth,
that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent
and have revealed them to babes. Even so, Father, for so
it seemed good in Your sight.”
MATTHEW 11:25-26

Why did He speak to the multitudes in parables? One reason is given here and it is a startling one. It was not God’s will for them to know the mysteries of the kingdom! The many profound truths of God are His to give and to reveal to whomsoever He wished. The multitudes had heard Jesus speak and seen Him perform mighty miracles. Why had they not chosen to become His disciples? Since they had not chosen to believe in Jesus, neither would God reveal His great truths to them!

To the small band of people who had become the disciples of Jesus, this privilege was now extended! They would be given knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven! This was their reward for believing in Jesus as the Messiah. This was their blessing for having chosen to become His disciples!

“For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance…”

Jesus now explained to His disciples an important spiritual principle that God worked with. He requires a person to respond appropriately. The disciples had done just that. They had paid attention to what Jesus had been teaching. They had responded well when they left their all to follow Him as His disciples!

The disciples had been given great teachings! (Ponder again what Jesus taught them in (Matthew 5-7, 10.) Because they had shown appropriate response to all that they had been taught, even more would be given to them! What is in store for the disciples? One word was sufficient to convey it – “abundance”!

“But whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him”

This was the other side of the coin! The fact was that all had equal opportunity to hear Jesus preach. All had access to Him. All could follow Him as His disciples. Another grim fact was that many had chosen not to act on what they had heard. They had not responded appropriately. They ended up as people who “did not have”. They had everything one moment. They ended up with having nothing the next!

The scribes and Pharisees were particularly privileged. They had every opportunity to be educated and to study the Scriptures. Instead of making good, they turned against Jesus and all that He represented! Having made their decision not only to oppose Jesus but to plot His death, the die had been cast. Even what they had would now be taken from them.

What little insights of truth they had would now no longer provide the enlightenment and the encouragement that they could have enjoyed. Their decision to oppose Jesus on every front resulted in Jesus choosing parables as the major means of teaching at this point of time!

“Seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand”

The multitudes, inclusive of the scribes and Pharisees had seen Jesus perform miracle after miracle! The blind saw! The lame walked! The deaf and dumb heard and spoke! The demonized were healed and restored to normalcy! What had they seen? How often had they seen such phenomena?

Jesus took time to explain who He was. He presented Himself as the eschatological Son of Man! He cited the Scriptures. He gave them every opportunity to read the Scriptures! Surely they could see that He was not in league with Beelzebul!

The crowds had heard Jesus preach! They had heard Him speak gentle words of compassion and love to so many who came to Him. What had they heard – if anything at all? The sad but true fact was that they had not seen or heard anything significant at all! They might as well be blind and deaf! They were – in the spiritual sense of the word!

REMEMBERING AN ASTONISHING PROPHETIC INSIGHT

Jesus had not been naive about the true spiritual state of the hearts of the nation of Israel, notwithstanding the fact that He had ministered to them in such deep and personal ways. The prophetic word of Isaiah came readily to mind.

“And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says:
‘Hearing you will hear and shall not understand,
And seeing you will see and not perceive;
For the hearts of this people have grown dull.
Their ears are hard of hearing,
And their eyes they have closed,
Lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears,
Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn,
So that I should heal them.'”
MATTHEW 13:14-15

Isaiah had actually prophesied that Israel would reject the Messiah! Jesus was not surprised in the least at the lack of response from the multitudes! The terrible spiritual state of Israel as a nation had been at a low ebb for a long time. Apart from little flashes of revival from time to time, the general populace had not been paying much attention to spiritual matters at all! Their hearts had grown dull. They had closed their eyes!