Today I heard, “Check out those parables about The Kingdom is like …”.  So I did and the search began with Matthew 13.  This journey took on a meaning I’ve never heard before.  And here’s how it began.

First came the parable about the seed falling on various grounds.  And immediately my spirit said “The seed is truth.  The soil is people.”  So I went on.

Next, Jesus explains why He used parables so that everyone would NOT understand.  Yeah, I remember that revelation some time ago.  As we run around trying to make sure everyone understands exactly what scripture means, Jesus is saying not everyone will, and not only that, but He doesn’t WANT everyone to understand.  And the reason is simple.  We can’t have the wisdom of The Kingdom unless we are willing to have the relationship it takes to receive it.  We can’t piggy-back off anyone, not even a preacher.  It’s the meaning behind the oil the 5 wise virgins wouldn’t share.

Continuing in Matthew 13, the part comes when Jesus explains the first parable.  Sure enough, the soil is people.  But here he mentions that the seeds are the “Good News about The Kingdom”.  Hmmm.  Ok, that’s the truth He’s spreading.  AND when it falls on good ground it reproduces 30, 60, and 100 fold.  One person brings 30, 60 or 100 fold more people into The Kingdom.  But exactly WHAT is the good news?  Are we telling that context correctly?

Now comes the parable about the wheat and the tares.  Continuing in the same vein as before, I heard, “Still the seeds are truth, the soil is people, and tares are lies planted by the enemy.”   Well, that makes sense because it says not to pull up the lies but let them grow with the truth.  When the roots are matured and truth is harvested for the storehouse, then “reapers” will gather up the lies and burn them.

This example witnesses in my own heart.  As lies live and mature there, they eventually reveal themselves to be lies because they don’t reproduce any good thing.  I end up tearing them out of my head myself.  But if I had torn them out too early, I’d have damaged some truth growing right beside it.

I’ve found truth to be stronger, and it lasts, producing helpful wisdom I share with others.  It’s like secret keys of wisdom.  And everyone wants them.  Well … most people.  They help significantly in times of trouble, especially when we’re not sure which decision is the right one.

 

 

Well now, this is an amazing journey and I’m enjoying this trip.

Next, is the parable of the tiny mustard seed which represents The Kingdom.  It grows until other creatures find comfort in it.  Huh.  I think that’s what I just said.  Yay!

Moving onward, we have a woman making bread and the yeast represents The Kingdom.  It spreads and fills the whole.  And that’s exactly the way good news flows.

Then, Jesus explains the tares and the wheat and suddenly I pause.  Now the seed represents people.  Wheat is believers and thistles are the wicked.  Whoa!  What just happened?  My whole revelation just exploded by Jesus, Himself.  Really?

Well, I’ve learned from past experience with Father that first glance is not always true.  Truth is found through The Spirit.  That’s why Jesus told parables.  Those who couldn’t connect through Spirit would never get the bottom line.  They would go happily onward believing exactly what they see in black and white.

So let’s continue with the thread Father had me following and see what happens.  Only at this juncture, we’re going to have to look inwardly and hear from Him personally or we’ll never garner the truth and fall short of the glory.

I looked up the word “people” in verse 38 and discovered that it means “sons”.  Then it hit me.  Satan never had sons.  He can’t reproduce.  He can only deceive.  That’s not the same thing as reproduction.  It’s not creation.  Satan does not have sons, only God has sons.  And if one of the references doesn’t mean sons, then the other doesn’t either.

In The Spirit, it felt like it meant a product spewed out of the heart.  Like sperm is spewed and ejected forth to produce sons, so are qualities of Spirit issued forth.  Father’s issue would still be truth and Satan’s issue would be lies.

 

 

This parable also introduces the “end of the world” and since I’ve long gotten past the problem of there being an actual end of the world, I’ve accepted that the term generally means “end of the age”.  So I pondered this.  But again I had to pull into The Spirit to know the truth.  And here’s what I found.

It wasn’t the end of the physical world, but the end of a period of philosophy in our personal lives.  It’s a level of progression that includes lies living alongside truth within us.  Just as the wheat and tares were allowed to grow up together in the field, so truth and lies grow up together inside our hearts.  Until the day comes, at the end of that age, when we recognize the truth has been productive and the lies have not.  Then we quickly uproot the lie and burn it.  And we harvest the truth for safe keeping in our storehouse.

Burning lies causes the weeping and gnashing of demons teeth.  Their plans came to nothing.  They don’t win, and never will because they don’t produce anything lasting.  And growing season always exposes them.

Demons and lies are thrown into the fire and burned.  Not people.

The really triumphantly Good News from this day’s revelations is that burning lies are destroyed forever and cannot come back to torment us.  At the end of this process, the sons of God will shine without these temptations affecting their growth.  The way will be clear.

What an amazing victory to know there is an end to this for each one of us.  And our world won’t be destroyed for it to come to pass.  The destruction is not ours but belongs to evil.  These are the last enemies to become His footstool WITHIN US.  And the new Jerusalem will have arrived on earth through us from The Kingdom within.

I know this isn’t traditional doctrine.  And it may feel so new and weird that it makes us pause.  But that’s OK.  Let’s allow it to grow and see if it produces.

Thank you for joining my journey.  Blessings on yours,

Faith