Matthew Henry Commentary Matthew 13

Jesus entered a boat so that He might be less pressed, and be better heard by the people. By this He teaches us, in the outward circumstances of worship, not to covet what is stately, but to make the best of the conveniences God in His providence allots to us. Christ taught in parables. In this way, the things of God were made plainer and easier to those willing to be taught, and at the same time more difficult and obscure to those who were willingly ignorant.

The parable of the sower is plain. The seed sown is the word of God. The sower is our Lord Jesus Christ, by Himself, or by His ministers. Preaching to a multitude is like sowing seed; we do not know where it will land. Some types of ground, even if we take great pains with it, bring forth no fruit of real value, while the good soil brings forth plentifully. So it is with human hearts, whose different characteristics are described here by four types of ground.

Careless, trifling hearers are an easy prey to Satan; for as he is the great murderer of souls, so he is also the great thief of sermons, and will be sure to rob us of the word if we do not take care to keep it. Hypocrites, like the stony ground, often initially appear more advanced than true Christians in outward displays of their profession. Many are glad to hear a good sermon but do not profit by it.

They are told of free salvation, of the believer's privileges, and the happiness of heaven; and, without any change of heart, without any abiding conviction of their own depravity, their need of a Savior, or the excellence of holiness, they soon profess an unwarranted assurance. But when some heavy trial threatens them, or some sinful advantage can be gained, they give up or disguise their profession, or turn to some easier system.

Worldly cares are aptly compared to thorns, for they came in with sin and are a fruit of the curse. They are good in their place to stop a gap, but a person must be well-armed who has much to do with them. They are entangling, vexing, and scratching, and their end is to be burned (Hebrews 6:8). Worldly cares are great hindrances to our profiting from the word of God.

The deceitfulness of riches causes the harm; they cannot be said to deceive us unless we put our trust in them, for then they choke the good seed. What distinguished the good ground was fruitfulness. By this, true Christians are distinguished from hypocrites. Christ does not say that this good ground has no stones in it, or no thorns, but rather that it has none that could hinder its fruitfulness.

Not all are alike; we should aim at the highest, to bring forth the most fruit. The sense of hearing cannot be better employed than in hearing God's word; and let us look to ourselves so that we may know what sort of hearers we are.

Regarding verses 36-43, this parable represents the present and future state of the gospel church: Christ's care for it, the devil's enmity against it, the mixture of good and bad within it in this world, and the separation between them in the world to come. Fallen man is so prone to sin that if the enemy sows the tares, he can simply go his way, as they will spring up and cause harm; whereas, when good seed is sown, it must be tended, watered, and protected. The servants complained to their master: Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field?

No doubt he did; whatever is amiss in the church, we are sure it does not come from Christ. Although flagrant transgressors and those who openly oppose the gospel should be separated from the community of the faithful, no human skill can make a perfect separation. Those who oppose must not be cut off but instructed, and that with meekness. And although good and bad are together in this world, yet at the great day they will be parted. Then the righteous and the wicked will be plainly known; in this world, it is sometimes hard to distinguish between them.

Let us, knowing the terrors of the Lord, not commit iniquity. At death, believers will shine forth to themselves; at the great day, they will shine forth before all the world. They will shine by reflection, with light borrowed from the Fountain of Light. Their sanctification will be made perfect, and their justification will be declared.

May we be found among that happy number.

The purpose of the parable of the seed sown is to show that the beginnings of the gospel would be small, but its eventual outcome would be a great increase. In this way, the work of grace in the heart—the kingdom of God within us—would be carried on. In the soul where grace truly is, it will grow genuinely; though perhaps at first not discernible, it will eventually come to great strength and usefulness.

The preaching of the gospel works like leaven in the hearts of those who receive it. The leaven works certainly, as does the word, yet gradually. It works silently and unseen (Mark 4:26–29), yet strongly; without noise, for such is the way of the Spirit, but without fail. So it was in the world.

The apostles, by preaching the gospel, hid a handful of leaven in the great mass of mankind. It was made powerful by the Spirit of the Lord of hosts, who works, and no one can hinder. So it is in the heart. When the gospel comes into the soul, it works a thorough change; it spreads into all the powers and faculties of the soul and alters the very function of the members of the body (Romans 6:13). From these parables we are taught to expect a gradual progress; therefore, let us ask ourselves: Are we growing in grace? And in holy principles and habits?

Here are four parables.

1. That of the treasure hidden in the field. Many disregard the gospel because they look only at the surface of the field. But all who search the Scriptures, so as to find Christ and eternal life in them (John 5:39), will discover such treasure in this field that makes it unspeakably valuable; they make it their own on any terms. Though nothing can be given as a price for this salvation, yet much must be given up for its sake.

2. All people are busy; one desires to be rich, another to be honourable, another to be learned; but most are deceived and accept counterfeits for pearls. Jesus Christ is a Pearl of great price; in having Him, we have enough to make us happy here and forever. A man may buy gold too dear, but not this Pearl of great price. When the convinced sinner sees Christ as the gracious Saviour, everything else becomes worthless in his thoughts.

3. The world is a vast sea, and people, in their natural state, are like fish. Preaching the gospel is casting a net into this sea, to catch something out of it, for His glory who has the sovereignty of this sea. Hypocrites and true Christians will be separated: miserable is the condition of those who will then be cast away.

4. A skilful, faithful minister of the gospel is a scribe, well versed in the things of the gospel and able to teach them. Christ compares him to a good householder, who brings out fruits of last year's growth and this year's gathering—abundance and variety—to entertain his friends.

Old experiences and new observations all have their use. Our place is at Christ's feet, and we must daily learn old lessons over again, and new ones also.

Christ repeats his offer to those who have rejected him. They upbraid him: Is not this the carpenter's son?

Yes, it is true he was reputed to be so; and it is no disgrace to be the son of an honest tradesman. They should have respected him all the more because he was one of their own; yet for that very reason, they despised him.

He did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief. Unbelief is the great hindrance to Christ's favors. Let us remain faithful to him as the Savior who has made our peace with God.