Story-Time With the King, Part 2 (Matthew 13:24–30, 36–43)

The thirteenth chapter of Matthew’s gospel records an abrupt shift in Jesus’s teaching ministry. Responding to his formal rejection as messianic King by Israel’s leadership (12:24), the Lord pivots from a clear declaration of the nearness of the kingdom of heaven to seemingly simple stories that, as he explains to his disciples, are meant to reveal new kingdom truths to some and, at the very same time, conceal those truths from others (13:11–12). Today we come to the parable of the tares among wheat, the second parable in total but the first that purposes to uncover a novel kingdom reality. This, like that of the sower before it (13:3–9, 18–23), is a parable that Jesus both tells (13:24–30) and later interprets (13:36–43) for his disciples. From this text we want to grow in our understanding of the parable itself, the mystery it revealed, and the implications for us today. Key Passage: Matthew 13:24–30, 36–43 Series: Matthew: Of King and Kingdom Speaker: Josiah Boyd