It is important to understand the parables of the kingdom of heaven, Jesus Himself said so. They are more than nice stories, they are in fact mysteries. Jesus explains this importance in the gospel of Matthew and Mark.
Matt. 13:10 And the disciples came and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?”
Matt. 13:11 He answered and said to them, “Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.
Matt. 13:12 For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.
Matt. 13:13 Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.
Matt. 13:14 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;
Matt. 13:15 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.’
Matt. 13:16 But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear;
Matt. 13:17 for assuredly, I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.
The disciples ask a very important question, why do you speak in parables? A parable is a story that conveys a point. That’s the easiest way I can put it. This is important point to grasp. Understanding comes from the Spirit of God not from man. 1 Cor. 2:7-14 It is by the grace of God that we understand. However, with that said, there is a way to increase.
The way we increase in anything we are given is through the proper stewardship of it. You and I cannot determine our starting point. This is something that the Lord determines for us and He knows best. Some are given five talents, some are not. Don’t get hung up on this. Just realize what you have and learn how to steward it.
There is a way we steward money and a way we steward relationships. As we will find out here, there is a way to steward mysteries as well.
He tells the disciples, that to them it has been given to know the mysteries (Secrets) of the Kingdom of Heaven. To others it had not been given. This is inline with other scripture.
Deut. 29:29 “The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.
1 Cor. 2:7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory,
1 Cor. 2:8 which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
1 Cor. 2:9 But as it is written:
“Eye has not seen, nor ear heard,
Nor have entered into the heart of man
The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”
1 Cor. 2:10 But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.
Prov. 25:2 It is the glory of God to conceal a matter,
But the glory of kings is to search out a matter.
Knowing that the Lord has hidden things within His word for us is an amazing revelation. It is fun to seek the scriptures for buried treasure. As we go through these we are going to discover amazing nuggets, that if stewarded correctly, will reap benefits for the rest of our lives.
First we have to understand that stewarding is not just keeping good records. Stewarding has to do with taking the resources that you have received from the Lord and using it for the kingdom bringing increase. We see this in the parable of the talents in Matthew 25.
The master will ask us to give an account of those things that He has entrusted to us. As we see in that parable, we all don’t start out at the same level. Just know this, the Lord gives to everyone. In the kingdom, the Lord has placed in everyone’s hand something to be used for the kingdom. There are no exceptions and it is the job of every believer to find his or her gift.
Why is stewarding so important? Jesus tells us that it has been given to us to know the mysteries of the Kingdom. He then tells us a principle of the kingdom which for most people will seem unfair at first.
Matt. 13:12 For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.
Remember, everyone receives something in the kingdom, otherwise there would be nothing to take away. This is the principle.
Mark 4:24 And He said to them, Be careful what you are hearing. The measure [of thought and study] you give [to the truth you hear] will be the measure [of virtue and knowledge] that comes back to you—and more [besides] will be given to you who hear.
To the degree you pursue the truth that you here is the amount you receive back from it. If you hear truth and don’t pursue it, then it will fade away. Where gifts and calling are irrevocable, truth is not. How you steward truth determines whether or not it brings forth a harvest.
Jesus makes this statement in reference to the parable of the sower of seed. Everyone hears truth but not everyone responds properly.
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