Matthew 13

[Matthitjah]

Grace to you,

Two things I note here after some research.

I took this explanantion from Jamieson -Fausset -Browns commentary;

and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof--This is added, no doubt, to express the amplitude of the tree. But as this seed has a hot, fiery vigor, gives out its best virtues when bruised, and is grateful to the taste of birds, which are accordingly attracted to its branches both for shelter and food, is it straining the parable, asks TRENCH, to suppose that, besides the wonderful growth of His kingdom, our Lord selected this seed to illustrate further the shelter, repose and blessedness it is destined to afford to the nations of the world?

Secondly, there is another parable and it is the parable of the sower even as has been expounded upon here. In it the birds of the air come and devour the seed as it falls on the ground and never leave it chance to germinate or even get planted. It has been proffered that these fowl could actually be the devil and his demons and I agree. Yet it is also probable that it could just be those who hear the word never taking it to heart. They devour the Good seed before it has a chance to become the Kingdom. Often they devour it, never examining it, but wasting it on their own ravenous lusts, before it has had the chance to become a shelter to them or grow into the Kingdom in their hearts. We see these mean sort of fowl who come and hear the Word devouring it up but never taking comfort in the Kingdom fully prospered in their hearts all the time and even in Church.

Peace,

Dave

[Matthitjah]

Mat 13:31 Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field:

Mat 13:32 Which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof.

There are different interpretations on who the birds of the air represent. Who do you think they are, and why?

Um...perhaps......BIRDS??!!!

It's a parable so the birds do represent something or someone. Stop doing that or you'll have a bloody forehead.

[Guest HIS girl]

Is there a connection with the birds in Matt 13 v 4 to the birds in the mustard seed parable?

V4- "And as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds came and devoured them." NKJ

then in v 32 - "which indeed is the least of all the seed; but when it is grown it is greater than the herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in it's branches." NKJ

v4 sees the birds as destructive to the seed...then v 32 shows the seed had flourished and the birds in turn flourish because of it.

(I didn't read previous posts so hope this hasn't already been mentioned..)

[Matthitjah]

Grace to you,

Why not just ask the Spirit for clearer understanding?

I want to add that we are ever learining the Mysteries of the depth of our God and He is an unfolding revelation. I have heard it said that after we are there for a thousand years we will still marvel at the revelation of the Mystery that is God.

One could read the same passage some years apart and come away with a completely different revelation of that passage based upon His current relation to God.

Reading the life of Abraham over and over again over the years have led me to a deeper revelation of the God he served and Loved and with whom he was indeed a friend.

I still maintain beating ones head against a wall only leaves the man with a Bloody head. In the case of Jacob it left him with a broken hip.

Peace,

Dave

[Botz]

Why not just ask the Spirit for clearer understanding?

Because that just puts a robe and a halo on laziness.

I am sure I have read much of what you wrote before somewhere Rufus, have you a source I can reference please?

[Matthitjah]

Why not just ask the Spirit for clearer understanding?

Because that just puts a robe and a halo on laziness.

How so?

Let me quote Scripture as my resource too;

Jas

[Botz]

Why not just ask the Spirit for clearer understanding?

Because that just puts a robe and a halo on laziness.

I am sure I have read much of what you wrote before somewhere Rufus, have you a source I can reference please?

The bulk of it is from "How to Read the Bible for All It's Worth"; this was a lesson I did fifteen years ago and I should have given attribution. My bad.

Thats right, now I remember. Thanks.

[nebula]

I personally don't believe in mixing parables.

Compare:

Mt 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."

Mt 16:6 - "Be careful," Jesus said to them. "Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees."

The interesting point here is that yeast in Scripture is normally given a negative context (i.e. Passover), but in Matt. 13:33 it is applied to the Kingdom of Heaven.

Now, one can twist themselves in knots trying to figure out how yeast means the same thing in these two parables, or one can accept that the two yeast allegories stand alone to the context. I chose the latter.

So are the birds in the mustard seed parable the same as the birds in the Sower parable? I don't believe they are the same any more than they are the same as the birds in Matt. 6:26 (Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?) Would you say that these birds are the same as the birds in the parable of the Sower?

[Guest HIS girl]

So the seed is the Word of God?

That's agreed upon?

As a rule I don't mix and jumble to get an answer either - it was just thinking out loud so to speak...

I was thinking along the lines as the birds (those who rejected the Word of God - whoever they maybe..)..were later on, the very ones to accept it and to thrive on it...

But then..Luke 8 v 12: ' Those by the wayside are the ones who hear; then the devil comes and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved." Jesus - NKJ

Hmmmm..

Anyway back to Matthew 13...LOL

One more thing....

the common link with these parables, is the "sowing".....of the seed....