In the message from
Matthew 13:1-17 on Sunday, we looked at the dual purposes for which Jesus
taught in parables. Parables were
designed to deliver the secrets of the kingdom of heaven to believers and to conceal them from
unbelievers. We noted that in concealing
the truth from unbelievers, God gives them what they want. Conversely, in revealing the truth to
believers, God gives them what they want.
But I noted a question that still lingered in my mind: why do believers
want the truth of the kingdom, but unbelievers don’t?
Those of us who are
“enthusiastically reformed” tend to run to such questions. We can even be bothered by texts like
the one we studied on Sunday because it teaches that the concealing of the
truth is a response to unbelief. We are uncomfortable saying that
unbelievers don’t understand the truth because they don’t believe. We reformed folks would rather say,
“no, they don’t believe because the truth hasn't been revealed to them.” And that is true – unbelievers don’t
believe because their eyes have not been opened to the truth. We should all affirm that as biblical
truth. But that is not the point
that Matthew 13:10-17 makes.
We all have our
favorite topics, hobby horses, and soapboxes. I once heard of a preacher who would conclude every sermon,
no matter the text or topic, with, “And now, a few words on baptism…” My tendency is to do that with the
doctrine of God’s sovereignty, but I don’t ever want to be guilty of forcing
every text into my systematic theology, or forcing my systematic theology into
every text. The main point of the
sermon should be taken from the main point of the text. That’s why on Sunday I shied away from
answering that lingering question about why believers want the truth.
But now that the
sermon has been preached, let’s scratch the itch. Why do believers want the truth and unbelievers do not? The short answer is that some have been
enabled to believe and to desire the truth and some have not. The default condition of man is deadness
in sin; rebellion against God; allegiance to the devil, the world, and the
flesh; and complete self-deception (Rom 1:18-23, 28-32; 2 Cor 4:4; Eph2:1-3). Man is unable to take the
first step toward God or to please Him in any way (Rom 8:4-8). It is God who must act upon the human
heart to give repentance and faith so that the sinner might believe and be saved
(Acts 5:31, 11:18; Eph 2:4-10; 2 Tim 2:24-26). He acts in this way according to His own gracious choice (John1:12-13, 6:44, 6:65; Rom 8:28-30, 9:15-18; Eph 1:3-6).
So the ultimate
reason that some desire truth and that others do not is that God has graciously
acted upon some and not on others.
This fits well with what we studied in Matthew 11:25-30 a couple of
months ago. God has graciously
revealed the truth to some and justly concealed it from others.
Our passage on
Sunday, Matthew 13:1-17, taught that those who have embraced the initial
revelation of Christ (by God’s sovereign grace) are given additional revelation
in the form of knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven; those who
rejected that initial revelation (according to their own sinful nature) are
denied any further revelation. In
other words, believers receive the temporal blessing of further revelation, while
unbelievers receive the temporal judgment of an inability to comprehend any
truth. Matthew’s emphasis was not
on God’s sovereignty over the believing or the unbelieving, but rather on the
responsibility of man to believe and obey the truth.
Interestingly,
Mark’s version of this story emphasizes God’s sovereignty rather than man’s
responsibility. Look at Mark
4:10-12:
10 And when he was alone, those around him
with the twelve asked him about the parables. 11 And he said to them, "To
you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside
everything is in parables, 12 so that
"they may indeed see but not perceive, and may indeed hear but not
understand, lest they should turn and be forgiven."
Compare this with
what we saw in Matthew 13:13: 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.
Mark teaches that
Jesus taught in parables so that the people would not obey
the gospel; Matthew teaches that Jesus taught in parables because the people did
not obey the gospel. Which is
right? They both are. They are simply emphasizing different
angles of the same event. Mark emphasizes
God’s sovereignty while Matthew emphasizes man’s volition. The Jews’ rejection of Christ was due
both to the sovereign rule of God and to their own desire to disobey.
Should it trouble
us that Mark and Matthew do not emphasize the same thing or that they do not
tell the story from the same angle?
Certainly not. This is why
it is a blessing to have four Gospels instead of just one. Each Gospel writer wrote to a unique
audience for a unique purpose to make a unique point. We are beneficiaries of each. When studying one, we should focus on its intent and
message, allowing its unique context to inform our understanding and convey the
Spirit-inspired point.
Posted by Greg Birdwell
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