19.01 | Parables & Proximity

Matthew 13:1-23

“Then the disciples came and said to him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” And he answered them, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.”

Matthew 13:10-13

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Why do you speak to them in parables?

It’s a very good question. Parables make things obscure. Parables leave things open to interpretation. Parables leave people wondering if they’ve had a life lesson or an agricultural one. 

Parables, in other words, are not an obvious way of getting a message out there.

Jesus’ answer doesn’t really clear things up for us.

So that some will hear but not understand.

So that some will see but not get it.

So that some will encounter the Kingdom, and find it to be a total mystery.

Er, what?

Why make things so difficult? Why leave some feeling excluded, confused, and going home scratching their heads?

The parable that sandwiches the question helps us. The word of the Kingdom (Jesus’ teaching) goes out. Some falls on the path, and gets snatched away by the enemy. Some falls on rocks, and fails to grow the kind of deep roots that leads to resilience. Some fall among weeds of worry, which throttle the plants that were meant to grow and thrive.

The seed was good. The parables are good.

But the prospects of the seed utterly depends on the condition of where it lands. So too with Jesus’ parables. 

Some heard, and yet it was snatched away by the devil, elsewhere called the Father of Lies. Some heard, but they only welcomed the words at a superficial level that leaned on the feel-good factor of a good story, but not on the heart work of deep repentance. Some heard, and yet their attention was so focused upon the anxieties of life that the truth of what they hear gets choked out.

The use of parable means that the teaching does not just instruct; it exposes. It exposes what kind of soil you are. It reveals the condition of the heart.

And yet there is a more essential level behind all of these things. Because here’s the really surprising thing:

The disciples didn’t get the parable either.

In fact, the disciples not getting parables is a characteristic feature of the Gospel accounts.

This puts us in very good company. Because Peter didn’t get it, John didn’t get it, Bartholomew didn’t get it, and neither did Matthew. And in all honesty, I’m pretty sure you and I wouldn’t have understood this parable either.

We’re getting to where the money is. Indeed, we’re getting to the single organising principle behind all human flourishing. The disciples do have one thing.

They have Jesus.

Their understanding comes from Him. Their ability to contend the lies of the enemy comes from Him. Their learning to grow deep roots comes from Him. Their ability to understand is rooted in their simple proximity to Him.

Why do you speak to them in parables?

Parables create a scenario that Jesus knew was essential to life in His Kingdom. 

Parables mean that you can only perceive if you stand with the one who gives sight.

Parables mean that you can only understand if you journey with Him who opens ears.

Parables mean that you cannot get the lessons of the Kingdom without friendship with the King.

Parables mean that insight comes from intimacy, perception from proximity, and knowledge of good from knowing the One who alone is Good.

You have one priority today, before and above all others. It is not to understand, to interpret, to try harder, to achieve, to excel, or even to be fruitful. It is this: 

Walk with your rabbi.

Get really really close.

The answer to your questions lies primarily not in answers, but in the Answerer. 

This is where the good soil is. The heart that has one great priority:

Jesus.

And the outcome? A harvest. Of magnificent abundance.

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Reflect:

What does it look like to make proximity to Jesus my number one priority today?

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Pray:

Lord Jesus,

I name you as my priority again today. And I really do mean it.

But I also tend to forget it.

I get distracted. I get derailed. I get discouraged. 

Today I recognise afresh that true understanding does not come from how much content I can consume,

But in how closely I can walk with you.

Today, help me to walk simply, humbly, attentively to you.

You are my rabbi,

You are my Lord,

You are my peace.

And as I walk with you, 

Open my eyes to see as you see, 

To hear as you hear,

And for my heart to become alive and courageous and creative,

As you purposed it to be,

That the harvest may be beautifully abundant,

Overflowing from our deepening friendship.

In your name,

And with eyes on you,

Amen.

Old Testament: 

For those also reading the Old Testament this year, your additional readings are here:

Genesis 40-41 | Proverbs 3:13-20