In Matthew 13, Jesus tells several parables about the kingdom of heaven - a picture of the church of disciples we are called to build today. As we build the church to be a pure, spotless bride with no spot or wrinkle that is holy and blameless (Eph 5:27), it is important for us to examine ourselves to ensure we are not pretending to answer the call of discipleship and taking comfort in attending in a new covenant church, yet not living as a disciple ought to live. We may fool ourselves and others in the church that we are disciples, but God and discerning spiritual elders who love us can convict us and point out if we are truly answering the call to repent of any unchristlikeness, taking up our cross, denying our own will and following Jesus wholeheartedly. As elders in churches, our calling includes being discerning of ones that might be impostors appearing to be disciples and be vigilant to guard, correct and protect the church from compromise and blemish while maintaining an eagerness to be merciful ald see ALL repent (even the one we have may lost hope in) and grow in holiness and humility as a church.
Let’s look at these 5 parables and the warnings of impostors in them:
The Seed on Rocky Soil
Matt 13:5,6 - Others fell on the rocky places, where they did not have much soil; and immediately they sprang up, because they had no depth of soil. But when the sun had risen, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away
Matt 13:20,21 - The one on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, this is the man who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no firm root in himself, but is only temporary, and when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he falls away.
There is a warning here about ones in the church that spring up too fast - especially young people who appear to be zealous and eager for ministry in the church, or others among us who are stimulated by good messages, sermons, and daily devotionals. The explanation of the parable says that such people even received the word with joy. Yet they were only temporary and when difficulty arose or when they received a word of correction (like the scorching sun), they started to wither because they were not connected to the Root of Christ in humility. Brothers and sisters, do not fall into the trap of measuring your spiritual growth by your eagerness to listen to good messages and teachers and theologians that you find stimulating. If the word you hear doesn’t take root and drive you to repentance through the discipline of the Lord, you will be only temporary. Hebrews 12:11 says that when we receive the discipline of the Lord and of our elders, it will drive us to repentance and although it may be painful for a short while, it will yield the PEACEFUL fruit of righteousness in time as we are trained by it.
John 12:24 Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. There is a pain and a dying to one’s will that must take place if the seed is to take root and go deep into the ground rather than immediately spring up. Only such seeds can eventually grow to bear fruit. Jesus said the words above when he saw that the intellectual Greeks were eager to meet him in order to be further stimulated by his teaching in their mind. Let that be a warning to every intellectual person - being eager to hear the message of Jesus to stimulate your mind cannot result in spiritual growth and bearing the fruit of the Spirit - only going into the earth and dying to yourself in complete humility will result in growth.
Lamentations 3:27-29 - It is good for a man that he should bear the yoke in his youth. Let him sit alone and be silent since He has laid it on him. Let him put his mouth in the dust,
Perhaps there is hope. This is a good command and advice for every young intellectual person to follow. Perhaps there will be hope for all of us if we put our mouth in the dust in humility.
John 15:2b - every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. The promise to the one that bears fruit, is that the Lord will continue to prune and discipline to bear more fruit (John 15:2). This is the exciting calling of abundant fruitfulness for us in this lifetime!
The Tares among the Wheat
Matt 13:24-28 - The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went away. But when the wheat sprouted and bore grain, then the tares became evident also. The slaves of the landowner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?’ And he said to them, ‘An enemy has done this!’
A tare is an old English Biblical word that means a toxic weed that looks like wheat. This is the enemy’s plan to destroy the church of God is by having impostor “disciples” mixed in with the the true disciples looking and behaving in the church setting and midweek groups with a squeaky clean “outside of the cup” in outward testimony just like true disciples but yet deep down inside there is something toxic and destructive in their spirit that they themselves may sometimes be unaware of. This is a spirit of gossip about brothers and sisters that disguises itself as spiritual discernment; a root of bitterness that defiles many (Heb 12:15); or a spirit of compromise in idle talk and conversation about worldly things; words that put others down; an immodest spirit that subtly draws attention to oneself. What is telling is that the enemy was able to bring this corruption into the church because the men who were supposed to be watching the field were sleeping. This is a warning ot all elders and shepherds - a lack of discernment and a desire for inclusivity will bring on spiritual slumber that then allows the enemy to bring in these noxious weeds amidst the true disciples that will defile other naive believers.
The Birds’ Nests in the Branches
Matthew 13:31-32 - The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field; and this is smaller than all other seeds, but when it is full grown, it is larger than the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches.
This is a seemingly benign and disguised impostor that we must be discerning of and examine ourselves that we are not in this category. The interesting thing about birds’ nests is that they are made of branches - dead branches. From the outside and from a distance, they look exactly like the other branches and may be mistaken to be part of the tree. But they are not abiding in the Vine and are not living branches. Jesus says in John 15:5 - I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. A true branch can do nothing on its own without Christ, is content to be nameless, and is eager to stay deeply spiritually connected to the Root and to the other branches. A great wind or storm will not displace such branches, but it may displace the birds; nests that appear to be branches. Hebrews 12:25-27 talks about a great shaking that the Lord will bring so that only those things that cannot be shaken remain.
There are no benign moles on the Body of Christ. The Lord has a desire to remove not just cancerous weeds but even spots and wrinkles to form His holy blameless Body. Every member of the body must have a function and must be supplying to the spiritual needs of others and must be properly working for the Body of Christ to GROW in love. Eph 4:15-16 - We are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.
The leaven in the dough
Matt 13:33 - The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three pecks of flour until it was all leavened.
Leaven is the yeast in dough that causes it to rise and be inflated. The picture Jesus used here was of impostor members in the body that on the outside look just like the rest of the flour but are inwardly proud and inflated even thought their pride may not be immediately evident.
Mark 8:15 - Then He charged them, saying, “Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.
Jesus used leaven to describe the spirit of the Pharisees and the spirit of Herod. The Pharisees were righteous on the outside but full of hypocrisy, spiritual pride and judgment and accusation owards others. This type of “leaven” is eager to be inflated and to rise up and be given prominence in the church and for their ministry to be noticed by others even if it is just to have a reputation as a godly sister or brother, a helping hand, a parent who raises well-behaved kids, a great Sunday school teacher, a praise and worship leader, a talented musician, a great host, a good cook who supplies mealsm etc.
Matt 6:1 - Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven
The other type of leaven that Jesus warns about is that of Herod. Herod is a picture of one that wanted the appearance of being a religious Jew but also wanted the grandeur of Roman pride, wealth, immorality and compromise. This is how much of Christianity has conformed to the world’s culture and values today with its music, pursuit of wealth and prosperity, adulterous and immoral eyes, pursuit of fame and honor and glory and a comfortable life on this earth as its top priority - this is the “leaven of Herod”. It’s even said of Herod that he used to enjoy listening to sermons by John the Baptist (Mark 6:20) and enjoyed the reputation of being identified with the Jews but had no desire for repentance and a transformed life in Christ but was content to be conformed to the world (Romans 12:1,2).
The bad fish with the good fish
Matt 13:47-48 - Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet cast into the sea, and gathering fish of every kind; and when it was filled, they drew it up on the beach; and they sat down and gathered the good fish into containers, but the bad they threw away.
The fish in the net are a picture of the church today with members that look the same on the outside. But the dead giveaway of bad fish is their smell. There is an aroma that is not of Christ in their complaining attitude, their self-pity, their “victim” mindset, their worry and anxiety. These are ones for whom the promises of God are just empty words they quote in midweek groups but without faith. They claim but do not believe that God’s grace is sufficient for them; they are resigned to be defeated in their lives and bring down others with complacency and no desire to live a victorious life in Christ.
2 Cor 2:14-15 - Thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place. For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing.
The good fish will be marked by a fragrance of the sweet aroma of eternal life (which is an intimacy of knowing Christ in all situations - John 17:3). They are marked by being led in triumph in Christ victorious over sin, eager to repent when they are convicted of sin, and confident that God’s promises will be fulfilled in their lives with the aroma of goodness and mercy following them wherever they go even if they are surrounded by difficult situations and people - they see the Lord preparing for them a feast for them even in the their biggest battles (Ps 23:5,6).
Conclusion
As we seek to build the church in holiness and purity and in helpless dependence on the Head of the Body that is Christ, may be violent against compromise and spiritual pride, guarding are tongues from gossip, complaining, and unkind words and guarding our hearts from bitterness, anxiety, self-pity. May we seek to grow in humility - eager to receive correction and discipline with the exciting invitation to bear more abundantly the peaceful fruit of the righteousness of Christ. And if we have fallen short and have been convicted even as we read this, may we reject the “no-entry” roads of discouragement and condemnation and be assured that we have a Heavenly Father who is abundant to pardon and longs to be gracious at the sound of our cry (Is 55:7; Is 30:18,19)