Kingship
Part Eight
The House Parables of Matthew 13 were not Jesus’ random thoughts but a sequence of teachings important for His followers to understand. They were, in essence, the future of the Church.
Kingship, living the higher life in Christ, is hidden treasure buried in Scripture begging to be discovered. A man found one of those treasures (Israel), buried it again, and bought the field. Another man found a valuable pearl (Jew and Gentile) and bought that as well. In Jesus’ order the last mystery to be revealed is the full net (Matt. 13:47–50).
He already explained that good seed would grow alongside weeds but now His example is a dragnet full of fish. Many of the disciples were fisherman and understood the process; a large, weighted net was thrown into the water by many men and drawn up when capacity was reached. Not one man, Jesus, but many men; the dynamic had changed.
The future Church would be many people (fishers of men) casting the good news net into the sea of humanity, from all nations, gathering and sorting the good fish from the bad. Who are the good fish? How do you know the difference?
Good questions. How do you know a good tree from a bad tree? Jesus taught earlier (Matt. 7:15-23) that the way to recognize good or healthy fruit was by the actions of a person which displayed relationship and obedience. Jesus said:
The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks. “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you? Luke 6:45-46 ESV
Jesus was clear; you recognize bad fruit or fish by words and actions. The first thing Jesus explained ‘in the house’ was that there will be a separation at the end of the age or the final harvest of souls and the ending isn’t good for those who refuse to humble themselves before God.
Paul understood that being a true Christ-follower included kingship:
… If we have died with Him, we will also live with Him; if we endure, we will also reign with Him; if we deny Him, He also will deny us; if we are faithless, He remains faithful— for He cannot deny Himself.
2 Timothy 2:11-13 ESV
Jesus completed His teachings with one last parable that described a trained scribe or teacher of kingship principles to be like the master of a house who brings out treasures from the new and also the old. We can never leave out the Old Testament principles, the lower stories, but search for the treasures, the upper stories, hidden within them (Job 28:1-11).
They know how to shine light in the darkness and explore the farthest regions of the earth as they search in the dark for ore. Job 28:3 NLT
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