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FULL BACKGROUND
PARABLES AND THEIR MEANINGS
It's surely not coincidental that Jesus explained why He spoke in parables in response to a question from His disciples, after this particular one. For it is not necessarily easy to understand but it is important.
Let’s look at His general explanation of parables first.
“The disciples came to him and asked, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?â€
He replied, “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 he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. 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:â€
‘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 I tell you the truth, many prophets and righteous men 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)
Parables then, are not simply good moral stories but contain “the secrets of the kingdom of heavenâ€. This is confirmed by Wheaton in his discussion on parables:
"It was the mistake of Jülicher to reduce the messages of the parables to moral platitudes. More recent scholars have rightly recognized that they formed part of Jesus’ proclamation of the kingdom of God."
And further on:
“Many of the parables of Jesus are specifically related to the *kingdom of God (e.g. Mk. 4:26, 30), and in general the parables are related to its nature, its coming, its value, its growth, the sacrifices it calls for, and so on†2
The parables confirm that we all must enter Heaven in the same way, by believing in Jesus and not through works. (e.g. The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard – Matthew 20:1-16) But they also reveal that not all Christians are the same.
Nor are our rewards, although that is not the subject of this parable. (See 'A Revelation of… The Overcomers of Revelation.') This is hard for those who live in democratic societies to understand and accept, as we tend to apply a completely wrong principle of egalitarianism to all those in the Kingdom. Extrapolating the ‘one man, one vote’ principle of democracy to a heavenly, ‘all floating about on the same sized, fluffy clouds!’ Definitely not the kind of Kingdom the parables, or indeed the whole Bible reveals!
THE DEVELOPMENT OF JEWISH SOCIETY - IN AND OUT OF ISRAEL
It is most interesting that the development of Jewish society parallels God’s revelations of Himself throughout Old Testament Israel. For God has always revealed Himself, then and now, in a way that people can understand. As the agricultural system upon which Jewish society was based developed, so God revealed His character and purposes in deeper ways. Like many things in God, there are three distinct time periods of revelation. Amazingly, these are split by two approximate 400 year Gaps in Bible recording, the transition periods between the three. So let's investigate.
NOMADIC PASTORAL FARMING
The Patriarchs, from Adam through Abraham and Isaac to Jacob (To the end of the Book of Genesis) lived primarily in nomadic family groupings, moving from one place to another as the grass in each area necessary for feeding their animals was exhausted. Some cropping was done by the time of Abraham. So presumably, they were able to stay in the one area long enough over the winter season when both grass and crops would grow in the cooler and wetter conditions.
This society operated under the very basic spiritual revelation of the Melchizedek priesthood, which we know very little about. Information had to be passed down the generations orally, so limiting its transfer. However, throughout that time, God built the foundations of what was to come later. In particular, He established one family, fathered by Abraham, as His chosen people. Because of the nomadic nature of the lifestyle, families would split up and go their own way in order to survive on the pasture available. Therefore, during this period, only one member of each succeeding generation retained the family ‘spiritual inheritance’. So by the time of Jacob ‘Gods chosen race’ only consisted of 70 people. Through the favour of the Pharaoh, as a reward for the work of Jacob’s long lost son Joseph, the family was allowed to settle in Egypt during a time of famine in their usual homeland of Palestine. Her they settled for approximately 400 years.
THE FIRST GAP
The Bible records virtually nothing about the 400 odd years the people spent in Egypt. It is simply silent. But this period saw huge developments in Jewish Society that would afterwards see God reveal, and man record, a far more detailed picture of His nature and plans for mankind. This was not simply ‘chance’, for there was another similar gap during a further tumultuous period of change, before God's final revelation of Himself through Jesus. Quite incredible, really!
SETTLED AGRICULTURE
Because of his huge gratitude to Joseph, the Pharaoh allocated the most fertile grassland area of Egypt to Jacob's family to graze their stock. They soon learned too, from their Egyptian hosts, the principles of growing annual and permanent crops. Made possible because of the reliable water flows of the huge River Nile, used for irrigation during dry periods. Because of this combination of fertile ground and abundance of water, the people became prosperous and rapidly multiplied in number.
Family wise too, this represented a big change, for towns could now be built and the people lived together in much closer proximity. So the ‘chosen race’ went from being a single-family unit under the nomadic system, to now include all the extended family. Over four centuries their numbers grew into the millions and became a significant population and even more powerful economic force, in Egypt.
As feeding themselves became easier, the Jews had time to learn trades from the more developed Egyptians. These skills would enable them to build the Tabernacle of Moses and later Solomon's Temple, creating a powerful country, once they were released.
But first, during their time wandering in the desert, they had to totally rely upon God’s provision to survive, becoming the reason why so many wanted to return to Egypt. But once they crossed the River Jordan and entered the ‘Promised Land’, a land ‘flowing with milk and honey’ (because of fertile soils) the farming methods they had learned in Egypt could once again be used. But now there was a difference. Here they had to rely upon the Lord, rather than the Nile, to water their crops.
The scene was now set for God to reveal Himself to His chosen people in a way that still has huge importance to, and impact upon us today. The simple fact that Moses could record the 10 Commandments and the Law enabled it to be passed down the generations, which even today, has a big, if reducing influence on most countries legal systems. The details of the Tabernacle, God’s first church, provide a revelation of how we are to live our lives today and show the pattern of His church, past, present and future. (See A Revelation of… Gods First Church and Ours Today.)
As the people now had the ability to read and write, God was able to disclose far more detail of Himself and His plans than before, knowing that it would be accurately recorded for the generations to come. The people too, because of their more settled lifestyle, had both the resources and a little more time to devote to discovering more about, and worshiping their God.
So as Israel came to gradually settle the Promised Land, they had already acquired the technical and spiritual knowledge and resources necessary to organize and administer the major regional power they became, particularly under the leadership of Kings David and Solomon. Of course, as they disobeyed the instructions given by God, the Kingdom split into two, rapidly going into decline.
THE SECOND GAP
It is both extremely interesting and spiritually significant, that at the end of this period of growth and decline of the Jewish nation, there was another Biblical recording gap of approximately 400 years. During this time God was preparing them for the third phase in their development – dispersion among the nations, for disobedience to Him. The prophets were again silent. The people once again lived under oppression. The final revelation, that of Jesus, was about to come.
THE DISPERSION
Have you ever wondered why Jesus came when He did?
By now the Jewish people had suffered greatly under hundreds of years of oppression from the various ‘superpowers’ of the day, those whose fortunes had ebbed and flowed through their land over the centuries. From the Assyrians to the Babylonians, to the Persians and finally the Romans, whose arrival in Palestine finally and literally paved the way for the coming of Jesus. For the Romans developed roads and communication methods, enabling the message of Jesus to be readily taken into all of Europe and into Asia, effectively the ‘ends of the earth’ as known at the time. An earlier dispersion would have been distinctly regional.
So Jesus came. The original Apostles failed to heed His instructions by remaining in and around Jerusalem after His death. This resulted in the addition of Paul to truly replace the traitor Judas. (See 'A Revelation of…The Coming Cross') Then God moved. Firstly, the Temple was destroyed on 5 August, 70AD and the now unnecessary sacrifices, finally ceased. This was followed 4 weeks later, on 2 September, by Roman destruction of the upper part of Jerusalem.
The Apostles and people, believers and non-believers alike, were forced to flee, taking both their Jewish faith and Christianity with them. The new Roman roading system aided much in the dispersion, for today we find Jewish communities and the Christian faith in nearly every country. The non-evangelistic Jewish Religion has not grown in a dramatic way, but those who embraced the teachings of Jesus revolutionized the world. All because Jesus came to the right place at the right time. God’s perfect time, of course! For He is in control now, just as He has always been, right through history.
JEWISH RELIGIOUS FESTIVALS – FOLLOWING THE CYCLE OF THE HARVEST
Israel has two calendars, Civil and Religious, starting 6 months apart. This brings confusion when it comes to understanding the timing of events in the Bible, so we need to know which calendar is being used, in order to see how things fit together.
Added to this, unlike most countries at latitudes further north or south where annual crops are grown over the summer, cropping in Israel is centred round the relatively cooler and wetter winter months.
The seasons too, follow the Northern Hemisphere pattern, summer coming in the middle of the now generally used Gregorian Calendar Year.
Their annual crops, in earlier days primarily wheat and barley, were planted in the late autumn at the beginning of the Civil Year. Grown over winter they were harvested in spring in the case of barley and early summer for the longer maturing wheat.
The 3 primary festivals of the Religious year, which all men were required to travel to Jerusalem to attend, followed the pattern of the seasons and the harvest. Part of the Feast of Passover, the sub-feast, Feast of First Fruits (Bikkurim), is a celebration of the first of the annual crops, the quick maturing barley, harvested in April/May. God was to be offered the first of the harvest both then and now. From my experience as a commercial grower, the first is usually the best of the crop as well. The men had to return again 50 days later to celebrate the maturing of the more desirable wheat. Wheat is harvested over June/July, with the Feast of Weeks (Shavuot) or Pentecost ('Pente' meaning fifty) as we now know it, celebrating this.
Towards the end of the hot, dry summer and into early autumn, the traditional, delicious, permanent ‘summer fruit’ crops including olives, figs and grapes matured. They were harvested during September/October. This led to the final celebration of the Religious Year, the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot), at which time the people gave God thanks for His provision throughout another year.
The Civil Calendar (Genesis 1 – Exodus 11) closely follows the agricultural cycle, beginning with the month of Tishri, in late Autumn, when planting commences, ending in early Autumn, at fruit harvest time.
The Religious Calendar, which the Lord gave to Moses after the Israelite’s escape from Egypt, (Exodus 12 onwards) commences in the 7th month of the Civil Calendar, with the month of Nisan. It is spring, the natural season of new beginnings. It’s also the month of Passover, the first of the religious festivals, celebrating the new beginning for the Israelites after their captivity in Egypt. For us too, as Christians, the death and resurrection of Jesus at Passover time represents a new beginning, the change from Law to Grace. The opportunity to be restored into a relationship with God through the death of Jesus, the final sacrifice on our behalf.
WHEAT AND BARLEY
The two staple cereal crops in biblical times were barley and wheat, as indeed they, and in particular wheat, are in much of the world today.
Great religious significance was placed upon the bounty they provided throughout the Old Testament, with Jesus himself using them to illustrate a number of aspects about the Kingdom of God, including of course, the Parable of the Sower.
BARLEY
Barley is a coarser grain than wheat, with a long ‘beard’ which is hard to separate out from the grain. The beard was used as fodder for horses and cattle, even though its sharp strands could sometimes get stuck in the animal’s mouth. Barley grain was also used for making bread. As it was cheaper and less desirable than wheat, it was looked on as poor people's food. It had advantages over wheat though, in that it matured more quickly and could be grown in poorer soils.
On both occasions when Jesus multiplied the loaves and the fishes, barley bread was used.
Spiritually, barley can be seen as a type of the resurrection of Jesus, the ‘firstfruits’ of the Harvest to follow. The first harvest, the annual barley crop was of course, the reason for the Feast of Firstfruits. Significantly this is celebrated on the exact day Jesus rose from the dead, 3 days after the Feast of Passover, when He died. (See A Revelation of……. The Feasts of the Lord) Surely not a co-incidence!
WHEAT
With the possible exception of rice, wheat is the world’s most popular cereal crop and definitely its most valuable. The universal use of bread, mostly made from wheat, signifies the huge importance of this crop to us.
Wheat has a great flavour and its short beard makes it easier to separate out the grains from the heads in the threshing process. It takes a little longer to mature than barley, so the wheat harvest is celebrated 50 days after ‘Firstfruits’ at the Feast of Pentecost (Weeks). We, of course, relate Pentecost to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on that day. Jesus too, likened himself to a grain of wheat. The seed must ‘die’, be planted and grow again, in order to produce a crop. The comparison is striking.
In general though, the wheat crop is seen as an illustration of the harvest of souls into the kingdom, again shown in our parable.
THE HARVEST
Barley and wheat are harvested in slightly different ways. The harvesters, or reapers, would grab the standing grain in one hand and cut it near the top with the sickle they held in the other. Because barley stalks are used for horse and cattle fodder, the whole plant was then generally pulled out by the roots.
With wheat though, the remaining stalks were left for sheep, goats and cattle to graze at a later time. The cut ends of the stalks were tied into bundles and left out in the fields to dry. Once the moisture was removed and the grains had turned a golden brown, the sheaves were taken away to the threshing floor for further processing.
As part of God’s ‘social welfare system’ the poor were allowed to follow the harvesters through the fields and pick what was missed. Also to harvest grain from the corners of the field, deliberately left for them. This was made famous by Ruth, when she gleaned in Boaz’s fields. (See A Revelation of…Thee Book of Ruth)
THRESHING AND WINNOWING
This age-old process was perpetuated in Jordan and Syria right through until the mid-1980’s.
Sheaves of grain were spread out over the threshing floor. This generally consisted of a flat area of exposed bedrock surrounded by a low wall of fieldstones. A threshing sledge was made of wood, approximately 3 metres long, a metre wide with an upturned front like a toboggan and embedded with metal spikes or sharp stones on the bottom. This was used to crush the stalks and release the kernels from the husks. A draft animal would pull the sled, heavily loaded with weights, back and forth over the grain. Once threshed, the winnowing process could begin.
For efficient winnowing, the threshing floor would ideally be located at a high spot exposed to afternoon breezes. At this time, an open-ended tent would be erected to funnel the wind more efficiently. Taking a shovel you would throw the grain into the air. The lighter chaff would float away on the wind, while the heavier, denser grain fell more or less straight down. Having disposed of the chaff you then closed up the open ends and slept there at night to protect the grain from theft. Crop protection was the reason Boaz was sleeping out at the threshing floor when Ruth was sent out by Naomi to lie with him.
GROWING THE BEST CROPS
There are 4 primary factors affecting the production of an optimum harvest.
THE BEST SEED
Ask any farmer or horticulturist about the importance of planting good seed and they will quickly tell you that seed quality plays a huge part in the crop produced. Hence today, we find huge resources being put into hybridizing and developing new seed strains to produce greater and greater crops. The controversial field of genetic engineering too, has found its first and major application in the modification of seeds, in an endeavour to grow larger, pest and disease resistant, more easily grown, crops.
As a former horticulturist and floriculturist, I spent often seemingly exorbitant amounts of money to purchase the best seed available in order to produce the best crop I could. It's truly amazing the difference quality seed makes.
THE SOIL
As Jesus so rightly points out in this parable, soil quality too, is a huge determinant of crop success. Growing crops in unsuitable soil types is an almost certain guarantee of failure. Fortunately, soil conditions that favour one crop are anathema to another, so there is a wide variety of crops available, to suit many different soil types. Sometimes we can adjust the soil quality for a particular crop, but only in a limited way. But growing the wrong crop for the soil is an almost certain guarantee of failure.
CROP CARE
While we can have good seed and great soil, if we don’t feed, water, weed and generally look after our crop’s ongoing growing requirements, our crop will fail, or at least not do as well as it should. Good husbandry is as necessary for plants to grow well as is taking good care of our bodies for us to be healthy and strong. Except for weeds of course, which seem to thrive in all conditions! Blame that on Adam and Eve!
‘ACTS OF GOD’
One of the challenges of horticulture, and farming in general, is coping with and accepting the unexpected. For nature, for God, is simply greater than us. Even though we often try to deny it! It's not surprising then, that those who work on the land are, on average, more spiritually aware than city dwellers. For they can see, and are directly affected by, a greater power than themselves at work, every day. Rain, hail and snow, floods, storms and drought, sun, cloud, heat and cold, all affect crop performance, often dramatically.
Yes, the might of God is reflected in so many things that are simply beyond our control. Whatever we do, however careful and skilled we are, the fruit of our labour can be wiped out in a moment. Such is the awesome power of God.
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