Toward Greater Inclusion: Re-examining the Gospel Net Parable of Matthew 13:47-50

 

I was reading my scriptures today, particularly in Matt 13, reminding myself of some of Christ’s parables, when I ran across v47, which made me ponder.

 

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind:

Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away.

So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just,

And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.” (Matt. 13:47-50)

 

There is no explanation for this parable, unlike that of the wheat and the tares. And it is really short, so it’s almost like it is expected that the reader will understand it without too much trouble.  

 

And yet, beyond the pretty obvious message of judgment and the fact that the plight of the wicked is highlighted when they are removed, it is hard to know why Christ thought it was necessary to tell this in addition to the parable of the wheat and the tares.  I felt like there had to be something more in this that I had overlooked.  These parables are supposed to share the mysteries of the kingdom, after all.

 

I started thinking about the process of catching fish with a net. Is the kingdom of heaven like a net used in fishing?  Honestly, I don’t really know because I’m so far removed from anything like that.  It seems like fish don’t just jump willy-nilly into the gospel net through missionary work unless they are super-spiritually-prepared. I’ve grown up in the gospel net and I’ve chosen to stay in it.  I’ve heard of some life-long members who might feel like they are “caught” or “trapped” in the Church’s net though.

 

Something that caught my attention in the parable was the phrase “gathered of every kind.” I have seen short clips of movies of workers on fishing boats sorting through a catch of fish, picking out the types of fish they want.  That made me wonder with relation to the parable--what happens to the types of fish they don’t want?  What if the fishermen catch a jellyfish, for instance?  Is that a marketable product, or do they throw that out?  What if the fishermen in this parable don’t want jellyfish? 

 

That’s when I noticed that in this parable Christ doesn’t necessarily talk about the fish-sorting people being particular about the kind of fish they want. He only tells of them distinguishing between “good” and “bad.”  He speaks of the net having “gathered of every kind.”

 

This led to an encouraging realization—Christ wants every kind of “fish” in His kingdom. He wants jellyfish, shark, and sea anemone, right along with tuna and salmon. He wants every type.  I love that because there are times when I can get my tuna on, but there are other times when I’m a crazy sea cucumber, letting my freak flag fly, and that’s the best I can do.  But if Christ will accept my sea cucumber, I’ll be the best darn sea cucumber I can be.

 

Something else I noticed is what happens to the fish. We might make the assumption that the good fish of the parable are sold in the market for other people to eat, but they’re actually not. They are actually “gathered…into vessels.”  But what for? What happens to them? 

 

This might make you laugh, but the only thing I could imagine those vessels might be was—an aquarium collection!  If they were to be eaten, the fish could just be in baskets, but “vessels” implies some kind of pot that can hold water and thus keep a fish alive. Even though we don’t visualize Bible people having aquariums back then, an aquarium actually makes perfect sense.  Because if the fish are gathered in vessels for an aquarium, then the fish stay alive, and they are fed and stay safe, and they don’t have to worry about other fish eating them out in the big scary sea where big fish are always eating little fish. The aquariums are a safe, nourishing place.

 

So of course the aquarium-owner wants every kind of fish! He loves them all! He wants to see the best specimens of every kind of fish out there. (This is kind of like Finding Nemo, but in reverse…)

 

So maybe this parable is teaching us that we don’t have to worry about fitting to some stifling cultural norm that doesn’t take into account our various personalities and quirks. The only thing we have to worry about is being the best we can be according to God’s commandments. And maybe this parable was meant to teach church leaders to appreciate the good manta rays along with the good trout and bass so they don’t throw them out just because they don’t fit trout-and-bass expectations. It’s also a good lesson for all of us that maybe we need to be humble enough to observe each other and study each other to learn what type of “fish” we’re meeting. We may have met a very good hammerhead shark or moray eel and we just don’t know it.

Binding and Loosing, Differences in Translation

I was looking at Matt 18:18 about the sealing power Christ promised to His disciples.  It seems like there are two different ways this scripture has been translated. They have great implications for doctrine.

Reading #1

King James Bible
Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

New International Version
"Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.

New Living Translation
"I tell you the truth, whatever you forbid on earth will be forbidden in heaven, and whatever you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven.   [My thought: Forbidden?  Permitted? What? Authority to make new commandments?]

GOD'S WORD® Translation
I can guarantee this truth: Whatever you imprison, God will imprison. And whatever you set free, God will set free.

New American Standard 1977
“Truly I say to you, whatever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

Reading #2

Berean Literal Bible
Truly I say to you, whatever you shall bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you shall loose on the earth shall have been loosed in heaven.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
I assure you: Whatever you bind on earth is already bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth is already loosed in heaven.

NET Bible
"I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven, and whatever you release on earth will have been released in heaven.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And truly I say to you, everything whatsoever you will bind in the earth will have been bound in Heaven, and anything that you will release in the earth will have been released in Heaven.

King James 2000 Bible
Verily I say unto you, whatsoever you shall bind on earth shall be what has been bound in heaven: and whatsoever you shall loose on earth shall be what has been loosed in heaven.

World English Bible
Most certainly I tell you, whatever things you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven, and whatever things you release on earth will have been released in heaven.

International Standard Version
"I tell all of you with certainty, whatever you prohibit on earth will have been prohibited in heaven, and whatever you permit on earth will have been permitted in heaven.                   [Prohibit? Permitted?  Already?]

Note that half of these translations say that people on earth are binding what has already been bound in heaven.  If this were the case, then all a priesthood holder would need would be simply revelation to know what was bound or loosed and then communicate it.

But the interpretation that we believe in is the one in which the priesthood holder declares the binding or loosing, and the heavens ratify the action and honor it.  This power is much greater, and also requires great holiness, doing what the heavens and God would do anyway if they were here.

We read this as referring not only to church discipline, but also to the joining of a man and woman in matrimony for eternity and for the sealing of their children to them. When the sealing power was given to Joseph Smith, the meaning and significance of binding and loosing expanded. It no longer can be seen as only having to do with a person’s individual relationship with God, but also as a medium of creating and cementing eternal family bonds and ultimately a more ordered and stable society, not just here, but beyond the grave.

Joseph’s Revelation to Take Mary to Wife & a Connection to Family History

18 ¶ Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.

19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily.

20 But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.

21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins.

22 Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,

23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.

24 Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife:

25 And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name Jesus. (Matt. 1:18-25)

It is interesting to think about how we got this information about a very private and personal dilemma Joseph had and the significant decision he had to make and an important revelation he had—that he had planned to put Mary away privately and was reassured by an angel in a dream that Mary’s pregnancy was not because of fornication but was a miracle according to the will of God.

We know this stuff about Joseph because at some point he told others about it. Maybe he told Mary and it became a story that was part of their family culture of raising Jesus. At some point that story got around among believers, and we know about it today because Matthew recorded it.

This is so fascinating because a private part of someone’s personal history became part of a family history tradition and eventually became part of shared church history of all Christians.

Applying this to us, I think it shows how important it is to record the events surrounding our dilemmas, our decisions, and our revelations concerning the same. Those things change the course of our lives and our families, though we may not know the full extent of their impact until much later. We also don’t know how those stories will help our families in the future, or even other people. We don’t know how far those stories may travel.

Ask, Seek, Knock

7 ¶Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:

8 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. (Matt 7:7-8)

Obviously the main idea of this verse is we can ask of God and He will give. But I found myself asking the question of why Jesus went to the trouble to say this three different ways—ask, seek, and knock. What does each of those words express that the others don’t?

Asking seems to evoke the idea of inquiring on matters we must have answers from God about. If only God knows, then only God can tell. It sounds easy, as though He’s just waiting for our questions. Perhaps without asking the questions we wouldn’t appreciate the answer anywhere near as much.

Seeking makes me think of something that requires a lot more of our effort and participation. The thing sought may be hidden. Or it might require a complex process or journey to get there. When we’re told to seek with a promise we’ll find, that teaches that God can lead us along until we find what we’re looking for.

Knocking makes me think of how sometimes it seems like there are barriers and obstacles we must overcome. Knocking represents our use of agency to show we want to overcome, yet we need the Lord’s help. It also makes me think of wanting to be with someone and see them. We want to return to God’s presence, and He must let us in, so knocking might represent our attempts to draw near to God, to have His Spirit with us. Knocking also makes me think of trying to get into a special group of people, or wanting more knowledge. Maybe it is about wanting to be in the know with the heavenly council, to know what’s going to happen.

What do those words—ask, seek, and knock—make you think of?

Whosoever shall say, Thou fool

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But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire. (Matt 5:22)

Preliminary note: The JST omits “without a cause” from the text.

This verse is interesting because it warns of judgments, councils, and hellfire may be the lot of those who are angry, deride, and verbally abuse others.

The council Jesus spoke up meant a religious council for the purpose of discipline and judgment. Thus, someone who said “Raca” (a term suggesting contempt) to someone else was dehumanizing and verbally abusing and would eventually do worse things that would ultimately lead to church discipline.

Now for the term “fool.”  This seems relatively mild to us, since we have a tradition of the word being used for people who were merely unwise or ignorant or jerks.  However, my perspective on this was changed when I read that the term “fool” in the scriptures actually meant something like “apostate.”  (Here’s an interesting paper on this verse that I also found enlightening.)

With that bit of knowledge, suddenly the verses in Proverbs about fools mean something completely different.  And here in Matt. 5:22, we are warned not to call someone apostate. We are warned this will put us in danger of hellfire.

Why might this be?  First, it is hostile, exclusionary behavior. It has the effect of driving away someone who is already probably somewhat alienated. So in effect, it does Satan’s work for him, and there are consequences for that. (Who wants to be agents of Satan? Not me! [raises hand])

We don’t know people’s hearts or their inner struggle. All we can see are their words and actions. We don’t know, but that our continued forbearance and kindness might be instrumental in helping those we consider faithless to begin believing again.

Doing it to the least of these, doing it to Christ

34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:

35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:

36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.

37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?

38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?

39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?

40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. (Matt. 25:34-40)

I don’t know why I didn’t see this before when reading these verses, but I realized recently that Jesus was using the fact of His vicarious sacrifice and suffering to plead for charity. 

Because He suffered the pains and sicknesses and sins and suffering of all, He also knows when that suffering has ended as others have relieved it with kindness.  Reducing others’ suffering quite literally reduces Christ’s suffering too by extension, and He rewards even the smallest charitable act.

New thoughts on the parable of the ten virgins

I was thinking about the parable of the ten virgins recently and realized some things about it that I hadn’t thought of before.

The main thing the parable seems to hinge upon is whether each virgin has enough oil ready to use to light her lamp and keep it lit.  At the beginning, they all think they have enough, but there comes a time that proves that half of the virgins really do not have enough, and the other half realize that they must draw on a reserve, but they do have enough. 

The question that haunts us is, “How can I tell if I have enough oil?” Because when we get to the dark midnight, it will be too late to buy oil; we must have enough.

In the past, the oil has been interpreted to mean testimony, good works, faith, and so on.  But how do you know if you have enough to get you through the dark times? 

I suspect that this story is actually about grace.  Because grace is that enabling power to do and maintain good works that we otherwise could not do on our own. It is the fuel we need beyond our own works.    The testimony, the good works, the faith—all of that might be compared to the light of the lamps, but Christ’s grace is the fuel that keeps our light burning.

The wise virgins who had the extra oil are those who knew how to access the grace of God.  They knew they weren’t enough on their own, so they accessed God’s grace through the atonement.  They had plenty of practice doing this, and they were prepared.   Counter-intuitively, those who know they are not enough on their own can turn to the Lord for grace and He becomes enough. His grace is sufficient.

The foolish women did not know how to access God’s grace, and when more was asked of them, they had nothing left to give.  They didn’t know how they could go on.  They would desperately ask others for strength, for something that could help them keep going.  But grace has to come from God, not from other people.  People can encourage and lighten burdens, but the power has to come from God.

So here’s where this parable can really help us today.  We have daily experiences that stretch us, and each one is an opportunity to buy oil for our lamps and gain experience accessing the grace of God.   Grace is the power we need, the fuel that keeps us going. Our testimony and our good works is the flame, the light we shine, but grace is the fuel.

Jesus on casting out devils

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28 But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you.

29 Or else how can one enter into a strong man’s house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? and then he will spoil his house. (Matt 12:28-29)

The context for these verses is Jesus explaining to the Pharisees why he does not cast out devils through the power of Beezebub.

V29 above puzzled me for a long time.  I knew it was setting up an analogy somehow.  There’s the invader and the strong man who owns the house. I wasn’t sure which one was playing the devil’s role. 

Eventually I realized it was describing how Jesus cast out a devil.  It compares a strong man in a house to a devil in a man, and Jesus is the invader.  The invader has to bind the strong man first before he could spoil the house, meaning Jesus had to do something first to restrain the devil.  I suspect that it means Jesus had to rebuke by teaching some righteous principles and commit the person to live them, and use His priesthood power.  That restrains the devil, and then Jesus can take the devil’s possessions (the human soul) as the individual repents.

Some things we learn from this parable is that Jesus is stronger than the devil.  And because He is stronger, He can make us stronger too. 

We could also turn this parable around.  If Satan is invading, he can’t take over, unless he can bind us down and get us to give in.  So to overcome Satan’s temptations, we have to resist longer than he attacks.  And prayer can help us do that.  “Pray always, that ye may come off conqueror, yea, that ye may conquer Satan” (D&C 10:5).

John chastises the Pharisees and Sadducees

As John is baptizing, we get this little bit:

7 ¶But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?

8 Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance: (Matthew 3:7-8)

The question John puts to the Pharisees and Sadducees—“who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?”-- has always puzzled me.  It seemed so odd.  I couldn’t get a grasp on what he was trying to say.  It is obvious he is trying to persuade them to repent, but what exact argument he was making seemed garbled.

Eventually I realized John was demonstrating great discernment about their spiritual state.  John knew they knew they had been called to repentance.  He also knew they knew they would suffer the wrath of God if they didn’t repent.  He also knew they were uncertain about whether their sins were that serious and whether they really needed to be concerned about them.  (Of course we know the answer to that—all sins require repentance.) He also knew they were uncertain about the source of this message.

The warning to repent was an opportunity to flee from the wrath (of God) to come (at judgment day), and John asked them to consider what source would want them to repent and escape God’s wrath.  It’s an easy answer—it’s God.  Satan doesn’t encourage repentance; only God does.  So they needn’t hesitate to repent and worry about the source of the message.

It’s a good message today.  Who tells us we’re fine how we are and we don’t need to change?  That’s a message Satan would like us to swallow.  Who instead warns us to repent?  God.  

For commentary on "generation of vipers," see another of my posts.

The parable of the two sons, hope for the Pharisees

28 ¶But what think ye? A certain man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work to day in my vineyard.

29 He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went.

30 And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir: and went not.

31 Whether of them twain did the will of his father? They say unto him, The first. Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you. (Matt 21:28-32)

This sounds like Jesus is really coming down hard on the scribes and Pharisees, but there’s a little thing there that Jesus says that shows He still holds out hope for them: “the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you.”

Jesus held out hope that the Pharisees would ultimately choose to repent, even if others responded faster than them.  It was as though He said, “You think you’re there, but you’re not yet, and there is still a chance for you.”  Of course, if they ever got there, it would be contingent upon their belief in Christ, and realization of their sinful state and need for Christ.  That was their sticky point.

Today let’s choose to seek the Lord early and repent early and rely on Christ for strength early.  Let’s not procrastinate our repentance or exercising our faith.

Jesus prophesies of his disciples being offended

31 Then saith Jesus unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad.

32 But after I am risen again, I will go before you into Galilee.

33 Peter answered and said unto him, Though all men shall be offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended.

34 Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, That this night, before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice.

35 Peter said unto him, Though I should die with thee, yet will I not deny thee. Likewise also said all the disciples. (Matt. 26:31-35)

It is interesting to see what scripture Jesus is quoting.  It comes from Zechariah 13:7:

Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, saith the Lord of hosts: smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered: and I will turn mine hand upon the little ones.

If you take the time to look at the context of Zechariah 13, this verse comes in the middle of prophecies about the second coming of Christ.  The context maeks it confusing, but evidently Jesus had such a firm testimony of His coming sacrifice that He knew exactly what it was about.

Of course, when He tells His disciples, they can’t imagine any of it happening, even though He’s told them a number of times He’d be killed.  When He tells them they will be offended because of Him, they deny it.

This causes me to ask, “Why even tell them they will deny Him?”  If He were a manipulative person, it would have been to bind them even closer to Him through their protestations, but He’s not manipulative, so that can’t be it.  In some way it must actually benefit them.

The way they react with horror, we can see they think He means they will be permanently offended, but you can see that at the same time He warns them He also promises to lead them again to Galilee after He was risen. ("after I am risen again, I will go before you into Galilee")  He was trying to show them that they were going to act in an aberrational manner because of what would happen to them and Him.  He anticipated not only their self-preservational fear and scattering and Peter’s denials, but also He anticipated the shame and self-reproach that they would go through when they later considered their actions.  He wanted to comfort them ahead of time that they would re-commit to be true.  I think He hoped they wouldn’t cut themselves off from Christ, thinking He couldn’t forgive them.

Imagine if after He was resurrected, His disciples were reluctant to believe He could receive them because of their defection at His arrest?  What if they left their callings forever because of feeling unworthy?  I think that is precisely what Jesus hoped to avoid.

I think it also would help build their faith in Him because it showed He did know how the prophecies would be fulfilled, that He fulfilled them, so He was the Messiah.  Even prophecies that seemed to show them in a bad light while He suffered would be fulfilled.

Many of us are hesitant to share unpleasant truths with our friends and family, but Jesus seems never to have shrunk from it.  (I think His demonstrated love played a big part in that in anyone being able to receive those things.)  His commitment to truth and His mission was paramount, and He always seemed to share those things in such a way as to benefit His listeners most.

What’s kind of sad is that any way you look at it, the way His disciples protested their faithfulness would be painful to Jesus when He know they wouldn’t hold out.  It hurts to not be able to believe your friends.  But if He let Himself believe them, it would be much worse because He’d find Himself watching them run away and feeling bitter, saying, “They said they would never be offended or deny me!”

Another thing this story shows is the human tendency to disbelieve warnings when they indicate imminent dangers that are a reversal of our experience.  But our disbelief means we will be doomed to suffer for our lack of preparation unless we can have the faith to prepare for dangers we hadn’t ever imagined.

Also, this story makes me question how true to the Lord I can be.  I can’t condemn the disciples because I, like them, don’t yet know to what extremities I shall be brought to prove my faithfulness.  I do know, however, that if I am to make it through and remain true, it will be by relying on the Lord and not on my own strength.

The flow of the parables and the parable of the householder

 One of the things about parables as a teaching device is that they don’t usually match doctrine in every respect.  Recently while reading Matthew 13, which contains a number of Christ’s parables, I realized that those parables build on each other in order to communicate truths more accurately to make up the deficiencies of earlier parables.

The parable of the sower does a great job of communicating the obstacles faced by a person’s heart in trying to receive and endure in the Word, and it conveys very well how the Word can cause people to grow and bring forth fruit with amazing abundance.  But it doesn’t well communicate the penalty for those who don’t grow.  So, the parable of the wheat and the tares is needed.

Neither the parable of the sower or the parable of the wheat and tares adequately conveys the scale of the growth of the Lord’s kingdom like it does the growth of individuals, so the parable of the mustard seed is needed.  It shows how startlingly the kingdom becomes “the greatest of herbs,” even showing how angels themselves (represented as birds) are attracted to it and prefer to dwell in the branches of it.

And none of what goes before conveys the effect the church has on the surrounding world, leavening it and raising the whole, so the parable of the leaven is needed.

And then the parables of the man finding the treasure in the field and the merchant seeking goodly pearls convey truths about how people come into the kingdom of God, some stumbling upon it by accident, and some seeking deliberately until they find it.

But this would be incomplete without a parable of the net gathering of every kind, since that shows how the church tries to draw everyone into it and tries to be as inclusive as possible, keeping in mind that someday there will still be the final judgment when the evil will be cast out and the righteous saved.  (In essence, just because we’re drawn into the net doesn’t mean we are good.  We need conversion if we are to be saved ultimately.)

Finally, the Savior ends with a parable of the householder, one we don’t give much attention to, but which can be encouraging as we strive to be disciples of Christ over a lifetime:

51 Jesus saith unto them, Have ye understood all these things? They say unto him, Yea, Lord.

52 Then said he unto them, Therefore every scribe which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old. (Matthew 13:51-52)

The helpfulness of this parable is not immediately obvious, so it will help to ask questions about it and examine how the meaning might be different if alternate words were used.

Every scribe – If it said “every farmer,” we’d get a different idea of what this could mean. Because Jesus said “scribe” though, we see He is referring to people in the kingdom of God who are intent on studying the scriptures and learning their meaning and, of course, practicing what they learn.  These aren’t the apostate scribes of Judiasm of Christ’s time; these are converted individuals.

which is instructed – If it said “which is teaching,” we would get a totally different idea.  But keeping the focus on being instructed shows us that as part of the kingdom, we are to be taught and we are to learn.  I believe we are to infer that the instruction comes by the Spirit, and it can continue throughout life.  Also, the footnote for this says “which has become a disciple in,” so we might read the whole as “every scribe which has become a disciple in the kingdom of God…”

like unto a man which is an householder – If the man were a merchant he might be trading, or might be in a place of business instead of at home.  Talking about a householder conveys the idea that the man is at home and feels comfortable there, just as the spiritual man feels comfortable in the kingdom of God and considers it his portion and he has a rightful place there.

Which bringeth forth out of his treasure – How would the meaning change if the householder hides his treasure instead of bringing it out?  The treasure would not be very useful then.  What is the treasure of the church that is brought out?  I think it is the doctrines of the gospel and the Restoration.  When is it brought out?  Ideally when it is needed.

treasure both new and old – What is the new and old treasures?  The new treasures are the new things we learn along the way and the old treasures are the basic gospel principles that brought us conversion in the first place.  Note that both the old and new are to be treasured and used.  This is why we should not turn up our noses at principles we’ve heard about many times.  They are still treasures.  They are no less precious for all our long acquaintance with them.  We need only consider how our lives and faith would be poorer without them to realize their worth.

Again, the parable of the householder describes how we endure to the end as disciples—keep learning, keep being instructed, and how we will have old basic principles reinforced in our lives and be taught new things as well.   This perfectly describes what I have seen in my life.  I find the same basic principles reinforced by my experiences and new things taught too.   And of course we should also expect the church instruction to repeat things as well, for which I am grateful.   How sad it would be if we were only taught about repentance once and just expected to remember with no repetition!

Taking the Savior’s Yoke

28 ¶Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. (Matt 11:28-30)

This is more of an incremental insight, but it is precious to me anyway. 

In the past, whenever I have read this, I have wondered, “How does learning of the Savior’s meekness and lowliness help us find rest?” 

In Sunday School a few weeks ago we discussed this block of verses and someone pointed out that if you yoke a trained ox with an untrained one, it is possible for the untrained ox to learned from the trained one.

I liked that a lot.  If we are yoked to the Savior, we can learn how He does things. 

When the burden is heavy, He doesn’t shirk or refuse or fight it.  That is how His meekness and lowliness is exhibited. Also, He didn’t refuse to carry our burnden of sin when He worked out the Atonement.

Just knowing we can go to Him for help lightens our load.  I’ve found that when I take time to remember Him, somehow my spirit is renewed and my soul finds rest.  I had a few days this week when at the end of the day I just was exhausted and wondered how I could go on.  But when I sat and took some time to think about Christ and remembered and envisioned what He did for me, I felt the Spirit renewing my strength.

KJV versus JST: Parable of the Wheat and the Tares

There are two different sections of JST to pay attention to in the parable of the wheat and tares.  One is part of the parable itself, and the other is in the interpretation given by Jesus.

KJV Matthew 13:30	JST Matthew 13:30
Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.	Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the wheat into my barn; and the tares are bound in bundles to be burned.

The major change that takes place here is the order of gathering is completely reversed. Instead of first gathering the tares, the wheat is gathered first.

Now, why would that be?  I think it may be because there is far less chance of false positives of the wheat is gathered first rather than the tares first.  Earlier in the parable, the householder would not let his servants gather the tares up because of concern that they’d root up wheat too (false positives).  There may be just as much danger as there would be at the beginning of rooting up wheat if the harvest takes the wicked first .

In life, if the Lord wants the righteous gathered, He sends prophets and apostles and missionaries and priesthood leaders with the message, and the righteous are gathered while the tares disregard the message.  This isn’t just true about the gathering into the church, but in any future instructions given by church leadership.

Next is the JST of v39-44:

KJV Matt 13:39-42	JST Matt. 13:39-44
39 The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world;	39  The enemy that sowed them is the devil; The harvest is the end of the world, or the destruction of the wicked.
and the reapers are the angels.	40  The reapers are the angels, or the messengers sent of heaven.
40 As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world.	41  As, therefore, the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so shall it be in the end of this world, or the destruction of the wicked.
41 The Son of man shall send forth his angels,	42  For in that day, before the Son of man shall come, he shall send forth his angels and messengers of heaven.
and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; 42 And shall cast them into a furnace of fire:	43 And they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity, and shall cast them out among the wicked; and there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.	44  For the world shall be burned with fire.

What do we learn from these changes?

1.     The end of the world and the destruction of the wicked are synonymous.

2.     Messengers of heaven are sent as well as angels, so the messengers are mortals.  (These would have to be duly ordained church leaders sent.)

3.     The removal of the wicked from Christ’s kingdom will happen before Christ comes again. This implies that it can happen through the disciplinary process, if those who do iniquity are not willing to repent.

4.     Those that do iniquity are cast out into the world, rather than into a furnace of fire.  Then there is the warning that the wicked world will be burned with fire, so this is something that may not happen immediately when the iniquitous are cast out, but by and by.

How does this parable help us today?  I think it helps us realize the importance of repenting quickly and removing from our lives all things that offend before we have to be told.  Our place in the Lord’s kingdom and our safety when the Lord comes again are at stake. 

It also helps us realize that the removal of those who do iniquity from the kingdom of God can be happening all along, not at some indefinite period just before the second coming.

Finally, it is yet another reminder of how important it is to follow the counsel of the prophets and apostles and our church leaders.