Matthew 13:47-52. Net | Niv Lobo | 260823 | Whoever has ears

And in Matthew 13, Jesus is bringing his disciples in on the secret.

If you turn back a page, you can see that in verse 11.

The disciples ask Jesus, why teach everyone in parables? And Jesus replies, because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you.

In this chapter, Jesus hasn't just been telling stories to the crowd as they gather to listen.

He's been revealing secrets to his disciples as they come to him privately.

That's what he's doing in this chapter.

He's telling them and us as we listen the secrets of his kingdom.

What is the kingdom of God really like? He tells us, so we began with the parable of the sower, focusing on how his kingdom begins and grows through his word, which is good seeds and yields an amazing crop when it finds good soil.

Then Jesus taught us about the wheat and the weeds, the weeds being sown in later, telling us why we are waiting in a world where everything is all mixed up and why God doesn't just put it right instantly, because the weeds can't be pulled up at this point without doing damage to the growing wheat.

And that growth is what Jesus is interested in.

It's the life of his kingdom.

Then we have this story about the mustard seed and another about the yeast, showing how small beginnings in his kingdom lead to extraordinary growth.

And that's a principle in Jesus' kingdom.

It's how his kingdom works.

But you know, that's also the history of his kingdom.

So you consider how Jesus' kingdom is spread across the world today.

And the church is worshipping him in every continent and island.

And then we had last week the hidden treasure and the pearl.

Jesus showing us that life in the kingdom, life with him as the king, is so wonderfully valuable.

Having him is so good that nothing you could ever give up to have him would ever be too much.

This is the secret of the kingdom he's revealing.

And this evening, we have the last of these parables.

If you glance back at our reading and look at the verse straight afterwards, you'll see it says, when Jesus had finished these parables, he moved on, etc.

We'll come on to that little section next week.

But tonight we're focusing in on the end of these parables.