Whoever has will be given more

Whoever has will be given more

Scripture:

The disciples came to him and asked, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?” He replied, “Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. 

This is why I speak to them in parables: “Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand. In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah: “You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving. For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.’ But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it. Matthew 13:10-17

Observation:

In this passage, we begin with the Lord’s disciples asking Him why He always spoke in parables. The Greek Word for parable is ‘parabole’, which means comparison, illustration, or analogy. Typically, parables are short tales or picturesque illustrations that come with an important truth or lesson which are not always clear. 

The Lord then explains how by speaking in parables, the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom are made available to them as His disciples, but not to the crowd as a whole. Many of the crowd are there just for curiosity or entertainment and do not sincerely seek to follow the Lord as true disciples.

Correlating back to the parable of the Sower, the Lord then differentiates between those who have knowledge and those who do not have it. Those who have are given more, welling up in abundance while those who do not have lose even what little they already have.

Remember the seed that fell on good soil and produced a crop a 100, 60 or 30 time? The disciple’s hearts had good soil, for they left everything to follow Jesus. Their hearts were inclined to serve the Lord and learn from what He would teach them. The very term disciple gives us the picture of a student committed to learning from a master, living with him, and being obedient to him.

In contrast, consider the seed that fell on the rocky paths. The birds came and devoured them. They did not understand the Word, and the devil came and took away the little they heard and remembered. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken away from them. Now, consider that all the Jews had frequent access to the Old Testament, and read it frequently throughout their lives. In spite of this, they did not understand that Jesus was the Messiah, though they had God’s Word so close to them.

The Lord then explains further how the prophecy of Isaiah applies to those who do not have this knowledge. They are described as having eyes that see but do not perceive and ears that hear but do not understand. As they have closed their calloused hearts, they can hardly hear and hardly see. What is a calloused heart? It is a hardened, unyielding heart, and the metaphor of the rocky places is very apt in describing it. The prophecy further indicates that if they could see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, the Lord would heal them. This is another powerful reminder to us how if we turn back to God, He will definitely respond and heal us. That is God’s nature, God’s faithfulness to us. Blessed be His name!

And in the final part of this dialogue, the Lord tells his disciples how blessed they are that their eyes see and their ears hear for many righteous people and prophets longed to see and hear what they experienced but did not have the opportunity to do so. When we have the privilege of hearing His voice, when in our hearts we are encouraged and are able to learn and understand deep truths from His Word, we must be thankful, for such revelation does not come to everyone.

Application:

Praise God that as true disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ, we have access to knowledge of the secrets of Heaven. How do we access this knowledge? We have to listen to the Lord, by studying His words closely in the Bible, and having a close daily personal relationship with Him. Remember that God gives wisdom generously to all who ask Him.

The bible states how the human heart is deceitful beyond cure. Our heart is easily lured by the temptations of the world. Therefore, we need to guard our hearts closely, submitting ourselves to the Lord. Beware especially that our heart does not become calloused, hardened and impervious to the things of God. In humility, ask God to keep our heart tender and fresh and open towards Him, passionate in expecting new, fresh experiences in our walk. Let our hearts not be like rocky places but be like fertile ground.

Praise the Lord for His great faithfulness and mercy for in His Word, He has promised to heal those who would turn back to Him. We may have been unfaithful, and left the way of the Lord, but when we turn back to Him sincerely, He still accepts and forgives us for God cannot change. His mercies are new every morning.

Thank the Lord for the great things that He reveals to us. Let us not take His revelation for granted, but praise His name and share what He teaches us with others.

Prayer:

Praise thee, Heavenly Father, for You are Lord of Heaven and Earth, Mighty and Powerful, glorious in the Heavens. We praise thee, O Lord, for giving us access to knowledge of the secrets of Heaven. Grant us wisdom we pray. Bless us O Lord with deeper and greater truths even as we study Your Word and listen to Your servants our Pastors and Teachers.

Bless thee, Lord Jesus, for You guard our hearts and protect us from harm. Let our hearts ever be tender and loving and passionate to You O Lord. Forgive our sins and stubbornness we pray. Let us be fertile even as we submit ourselves to You for Your purposes.

Praise thee, precious Lord, for thy great faithfulness and mercy. You do not deal with us as our sins deserve, but forgive us when we turn to You. Your mercies are new every morning, Your faithfulness extends to the skies for You O Lord are forever, unchanging. Bless Your holy name we pray. In Jesus name, Amen.