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Commentaries and Other Bible Study Helps - Prayer Tents - Prayer Tents
13:36-53 Explanations and Parables Told to the Disciples. Jesus explains the parable of the wheat and weeds (vv. 36-43) and then gives the disciples the parables of the hidden treasure (v. 44), the costly pearl (vv. 45-46), the dragnet (vv. 47-48), and the householder's treasure (vv. 51-52).
13:38 The parable describes the activity of God's kingdom in the world rather than within the church. The enemies of the kingdom (weeds) will always coexist with the sons of the kingdom (good seed) in this age.
13:39-40 harvest. The judgment that will follow the Son of Man's return at the close of the age (see note on 24:3) to establish his kingdom in its fully realized form.
13:41-42 fiery furnace . . . weeping and gnashing of teeth. Jesus' typical description of eternal judgment in Matthew's Gospel (cf. 8:12; 13:50; 22:13; 24:51; 25:30).
13:43 The righteous will shine like the sun, thus reflecting in some lesser way the brightness of the glory of God (cf. Ex. 34:35; Dan. 12:3; Matt. 17:2; 1 Cor. 15:49).
13:44 Treasure was often hidden in fields, since formal banks did not exist (the "bankers" of 25:27 were money-changers who exchanged currency and also seem to have loaned money at interest). Buys that field does not suggest earning one's salvation; instead, the parable emphasizes the supreme value of the hidden treasure (the kingdom of heaven), which is worth far more than any sacrifice one could make to acquire it (sells all that he has).
13:45-46 Unlike the man who stumbled upon the hidden treasure (v. 44), this merchant searched diligently for the fine pearls. But when he found the one pearl of great value (the kingdom of heaven), his reaction was the same: he sacrificed all that he had and bought it (see note on v. 44).
13:47-50 The net, shaped like a long wall, was dragged toward shore by both ends, trapping fish of every kind. sorted. Fish without scales and fins, e.g., were considered bad and unclean (cf. Lev. 11:9-12). Evil will not be totally removed from the world until the close of the age.
13:51-52 Have you understood . . . Yes. True disciples grow in understanding through Jesus' teaching (cf. 28:20). They are like the man who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old, in that they understand both the "new" revelation from Jesus and how it fulfills the "old" promises in the OT.
