Matthew 13 Study Notes

13:36-43 This parable is frequently interpreted as if the wheat represents true disciples and the weeds false disciples. But Jesus’s interpretation shows that the subject is not the mixture of true and false disciples in the church but rather the presence of both good and evil people in the broader world. Many Jews expected Messiah to immediately destroy evildoers and vindicate the righteous. Thus they were puzzled as to why Jesus didn’t do this if he truly were the Son of Man (see Dn 7:13-14). In this parable Jesus demonstrated (1) that he is not the source of evil (13:27-28,36-39); (2) the entire world belongs to the Son of Man, and the devil had no right to bring evil into it; and (3) the Son of Man would assert his kingship over the world by punishing the wicked and blessing the righteous at an appropriate future time.

13:44-46 These parables teach that the kingdom of heaven is so valuable that the wise are willing to sacrifice anything in order to gain it (19:21-26).

13:47-50 The parable of the net closely parallels the parable of the wheat and weeds (vv. 24-30,38-43). It describes the final judgment in which the righteous (Jesus’s disciples) are separated from those who reject him and his rule and are sentenced to everlasting punishment.

13:51-52 Because of their exposure to Jesus’s teaching, which disclosed what had previously been hidden (vv. 34-35), Jesus’s disciples were better qualified than the scribes and Pharisees to serve as teachers of the law. In their storeroom of instruction, they had old treasures (the OT) and new treasures (the teachings of Jesus).

13:53 The words when Jesus had finished are important for understanding the structure of the Gospel. See “Structure” in the Introduction to Matthew.

13:54 Jesus’s hometown was Nazareth (see note at 2:22-23).

13:55 This verse and its parallels (Mk 6:3; Lk 4:22) are the only references to Joseph’s and Jesus’s trade in the NT. Jewish tradition dictated that fathers teach their trade to their sons. The word carpenter (Gk tekto-n) was occasionally used to describe stone masons, but normally referred to woodworkers. One early tradition says that Jesus primarily made yokes and plows. Both James and Judas later became followers of Jesus and authored NT books.

13:56-57 Jesus identified himself as a prophet, but also more than a prophet (12:41). Prophets were typically rejected (23:37).