FIVE SHORT PARABLES CONCERNING FAITH IN MATTHEW CHAPTER 13*

Jesus once told a parable of the mustard seed. Let us read about it in Matt.13:31-32. He told them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all your seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and perch in its branches." (NIV)

In this parable, our Lord Jesus tells of a man who took a mustard seed and planted it in his field. Jesus points out that the mustard seed is one of the smallest seeds; but when it grows, it becomes a huge tree. It is such a wonder that a seed so small and insignificant can attain the size of a big tree. With its hugeness and strength, it can sustain and assist the lives of other creatures. Jesus mentioned the example of the birds which come to its branches and perch there, even building nests on it. This is like the seed of FAITH. In Matt.17:20 Jesus also compared FAITH with the small mustard seed by saying that if we had faith, even as small as a mustard seed, we could command a mountain to move from its place and it will indeed move. In the verses that we read, Jesus says that if we plant this small seed of faith in our lives, it would grow big enough to benefit others, just like the birds which benefitted from the branches of the grown mustard tree. Such was the small faith of Moses whom God used in order to benefit the Israelites ( Exodus chapters 3-4 ). Such too was the small faith of Peter whom God used to benefit the new believers in Acts chapter 2.

The next parable that Jesus used is similar to this. It is called the parable of the leaven. Let us read Matt.13:33.
He told them still another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount of flour until it worked all through the dough." (NIV)
The baking of bread was a common task in the time of Jesus. Thus, leaven was something familiar to His audience. Everyone who was listening understood the powers of leaven and how it functioned in the baking of bread. They knew that the leaven ( or YEAST as more popularly known today ) when added to kneaded flour would change the nature of the flour. It would TRANSFORM the flour and make it " rise ". Unleavened bread which was made without the benefit of leaven did not " rise ". Leaven is similar to our faith. If we put even a small amount of faith ( COMPLETE TRUST IN GOD ) and applied it to our lives, our lives would be transformed. With faith in Jesus Christ our minds are changed and our hearts are brought into subjection to the will of our Heavenly Father. " A little yeast leavens the whole lump ", as Paul said in Gal.5:9. Just like the little mustard seed that was planted in the ground, a little faith could have remarkable effects in our life.

In the next two parables, Jesus likens faith to earthly riches. Let us take a look by reading Matt.13:44-46.
"The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it. (NIV)
Jesus tells us of a man who discovered a hidden treasure in a field. In the immense joy at his discovery, the man sells all his possessions; and with the money he received, he buys the field that had this hidden treasure. It is like a man who discovers the great hidden treasure of trusting God, otherwise known as FAITH. Such a man would forsake all of the many other things in life in order to pursue a life of trusting God : to walk hand in Hand with our Creator. Jesus knew that, as He taught, there would be those who would seriously conduct a search for spiritual treasures. They would not merely be casual searchers but serious searchers who would give up much in order to benefit from spiritual treasures. This illustration and the next parable were meant for them. The next parable is very similar. It spoke of a pearl merchant who came across a " pearl of great value ". It was such a good investment that he went and sold all that he had in order to buy that one pearl. He sold off all his other investments for the sake of ONE GREAT INVESTMENT. Faith is our greatest investment. No other investment has as great value as faith. Throughout history we have seen men of wealth and power forsake everything just to lead a life of trusting and obeying the will of God. Abraham, Moses, Paul, Mark who wrote this gospel, and Matthew the apostle — they all gave up their wealth and power in order to pursue a life of obedience to God. Such is the value of faith. All other investments for the sake of ONE GREAT INVESTMENT.
Now we come to the last parable of the chapter, the parable of the dragnet. Let us read this in Matt.13:47-50.
"Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away. This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." (NIV)

Jesus at this moment was teaching by the sea where there were fishing vessels. These boats utilized dragnets in order to catch and haul in the fishes. Jesus teaches that the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that is cast into the sea. Various types of fishes are caught in the dragnet. And when the dragnet is full, it is pulled towards the shore where the fishes are then sorted out. The good ones are kept but the bad ones are thrown away. Our Lord’s teaching in this parable is very plain and clear. He even gives its explanation. When the gospel is cast into the sea of humanity, many people will be " caught " in the dragnet and brought into God’s shores. Some have been truly converted and their lives transformed. Others will be merely professing Christians without true faith, and their lives not transformed. The true ones will be separated from the untrue; the transformed from those not transformed; the good from the bad. And the untrue ones will be thrown into a " furnace of fire; there will be wailing and gnashing of teeth ". EXTREME SUFFERING. TORTURE WITH NO END.
God bless us all.