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Scripture Reading: Matt. 13:24-33; Gal. 1:15a, 16a; 2:20; 4:19; Eph. 3:17a
In the last chapter we began to cover the mysteries of the kingdom from Matthew 13. We saw that the Lord Jesus is both the Sower and the seed. As He sowed, some seeds fell beside the way, which was hardened by the traffic of the world. Other seeds fell on rocky places, where stones beneath the surface hindered their growth. Now we come to the next kind of earth, that which is filled with thorns. We should remember that the source of the thorns was the serpent (Gen. 3:18). In Matthew 13:22 the Lord Jesus told us that the thorns represent the anxiety of the age and the deceitfulness of riches. These thorns choke the growth of the Lord Jesus within us. We all are familiar with the anxiety of the age and the deceitfulness of riches.
In the United States it is easy for people to earn a living, but this situation is filled with temptations. These temptations arise from the cooperation between the modern things and our lusts. We need to earn a living in order to maintain our existence on the earth. With this there is no problem. However, Satan is very subtle. God’s intention is for us to earn a living, but Satan’s subtle design is to choke the growth of Christ within us. If we know the Lord’s way, we will be happy to lower our standard of living rather than trying to lift it. We will continually encounter the temptation of raising our standard of living, of wanting better cars and bigger houses. It is an endless cycle of slavery. Satan wants to make us slaves to the standard of living. He will entice us to work harder and longer to make more money and then to occupy more time to spend the money. It is much wiser to simplify our living. This will save us considerable time. There is no need for us to work so hard and to occupy so much time in spending money. The care of this age is really a snare. Do not be trapped by it. Many Christians have fallen into this snare and have been trapped by the anxiety of this age.
On the contrary, many brothers and sisters have been willing to lower their standard of living for the sake of migration. They have sacrificed their standard of living, and this afforded them a way to migrate to various places. It is not an easy matter to migrate from one city to another. We are the real Hebrews, pilgrims on the earth. We are not settlers or dwellers. If the Lord allows, we will continue to take many more cities by the way of migration. However, if we are always trying to raise our standard of living, we are through with migration. As long as we have food, drink, and clothing, that is sufficient. We are not here for our standard of living; we live on this earth for the Lord’s recovery.
In many respects the United States is a good place for the church life. Everything is here. It is quite easy to find a job working eight hours a day, five days a week. This gives us Saturday, the Lord’s Day, and all the evenings during the week for the practice of the church life. This is an excellent situation for the church life. However, if you are not for the church life, the American way of living is very dangerous. If you do not have the church life, what will occupy you? What will you do on the weekends and in the evenings? Where will you go? No doubt you will be attracted to various amusements, sports, and nightclubs. All these things will become snares.
We are here for the church life! We praise the Lord that the United States exists for the church life. The United States is not only for the church life in this country but for the spreading of the church life throughout the whole world. Have you ever noticed the strategic geographic location of the United States? The United States is located at the crossroads of the world with two great oceans, the Atlantic and the Pacific, on two sides like the two wings of an eagle. It is easy to move in any direction from the United States: from the Pacific coast we can take care of Asia and the Far East; from the Atlantic coast we can take care of Europe and Africa. We can also take care of North and South America. This is wonderful! This is God’s sovereignty. The Lord can never be wrong, and He has chosen the United States for the recovery of the church life.
All the modern conveniences are likewise for the church life. In the last century it took several months to travel from New York to Los Angeles. Now a jet can fly this distance in less than six hours. We are not for the jets; the jets are for us. We are not for this age; this age is for us. We do not need to care for this age. The Lord cares for us, and this age is for us as long as we are for the Lord’s recovery. “Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matt. 6:33). All the things will be free if we buy the kingdom. The kingdom costs something; we must pay for it. If we pay the price of the kingdom, our livelihood will be free. The Lord will care for us if we do not care for this age. We should beware of the deceitfulness of riches. Of course, if you care for this age, money will mean much to you and will snare you. If we are free from the anxiety of this age, we will not care for money. We will make money for the sake of the Lord’s recovery.
We are not a cursed field growing thorns; we are a blessed field growing Christ as the real wheat. Our source is not the serpent; our source is the God of life. So we are not cursed; we are blessed. It is the cursed earth whose source is the serpent that produces thorns. We, however, come from another source, from our Father, the God of life. Therefore, we are a field, a farm, much blessed by our Father. We grow Christ, the real wheat. We are not the wayside or the rocky place or the thorny earth. We are the good earth, growing Christ. As we have seen, the seeds are sown in Matthew, and the development of the seeds takes place in the Epistles. If we remember this principle, we will discover much from our reading of the New Testament.
From Matthew 13 we go on to 1 Corinthians 3. In this chapter Paul clearly states that we are God’s cultivated land, that he planted and Apollos watered, and that God causes the growth. This is the development of Matthew 13. First Corinthians 3 shows that in the development of the seed, God’s co-workers are planters and waterers. It does not say that Paul taught and Apollos edified and God gave the graduation certificate. In this chapter there is no teacher, but there is a planter. There is no edifier, but there is a waterer. We thank God for the planting, for the watering, and for the growth. This is one side of the development.
Another side is found in Galatians. In Galatians 1:15a and 16a the apostle Paul says, “It pleased God...to reveal His Son in me.” This means that God sowed Christ into him. When God the Father reveals His Son in us, He sows Christ into us as the seed of life. In Galatians 2:20 Paul says, “Christ who lives in me.” First, Christ is revealed in us; second, Christ lives in us. This indicates growth and development. In Galatians 4:19 Paul says, “Until Christ is formed in you.” Christ not only lives in us, but He is being formed in us. To be formed in us means that Christ becomes fully settled within us. Many times I have used the illustration of a glove. A glove was made to contain a hand. Sometimes it may be difficult to put our hand into a glove in a proper way. We must gradually insert each finger forcibly until it fits exactly into the fingers of the glove. This illustrates Christ living in us and endeavoring to be formed in us. He is waiting for an opportunity to spread into every inward part of our being. When He is able to do this, He will be formed in us.
This will be the reality of Ephesians 3:17, which says, “That Christ may make His home in your hearts.” The heart is composed of the mind, the will, the emotions, and the conscience. At the center of our heart is our spirit. Christ is in the center, awaiting the opportunity to spread out of our spirit into our mind, emotions, and will. Then Christ will settle Himself in every part of our heart. This means that Christ makes His home in our heart, occupying and possessing our whole being. This is the spreading of the indwelling Christ. The spreading of the indwelling Christ is simply the growing of the seed of life within us.
Although we may have previously heard about the increase of Christ within us, we perhaps did not realize that this increase within us is simply the growth of the kingdom. The increase of Christ within us is both the growth of the kingdom and also the gradual coming of the kingdom. The kingdom comes by the growth of Christ. As the indwelling Christ is spreading and growing within our inward parts, the kingdom is coming. Even now the kingdom is coming, although somewhat slowly due to the condition of our soul-life. If we will render the Lord more adequate cooperation, the speed of the coming of the kingdom will increase.
Many think that the kingdom of God will come automatically and that we can sleep while we wait for it to appear. If you take this way, you will sleep for two thousand years and still the kingdom will not come. The kingdom does not come in such a way. According to the revelation of the Bible, the kingdom comes by the growing process of the indwelling Christ. When the indwelling Christ grows in us, it means that the kingdom has gained more ground. The full coming of the kingdom will be the maturity of the growth of Christ. The maturity of the growth of Christ within us is the coming of the kingdom. We are waiting for the coming of the kingdom in a growing way. While we are waiting, we are growing. While we are growing, the kingdom is coming, for our growing is the coming of the kingdom.
There are three other parables found in Matthew 13: the parables of the tares, the mustard seed, and the leaven. These three parables, along with the parable of the sower, form one group. They are all related to the vegetable life and to farming. In the first parable the sower sows the seed. In the second parable the tares appear, also growing on the farm. In the third parable there is a mustard seed growing in the field. In the fourth parable meal is made from the grains of wheat produced by the field. Therefore, these four parables concern one growth. They are related to one another and should not be separated.
We have seen that God’s intention is to sow Christ into us as life so that He can grow within us. This growth process is the coming of the kingdom. However, Satan, God’s enemy, never sleeps. He is always busy. Once he saw that God’s farm was growing wheat, he came in to sow false seed, the tares (vv. 24-30). Prior to this, he had already caused considerable damage. First, he was likened to a bird, snatching away the seed from the wayside. Praise the Lord that some seed was sown into the field. Yet underneath some of the earth were rocks — the unrenewed mind, emotions, and will. These are Satan-saturated elements in our being. The Satan-saturated mind, will, and emotions are hard rocks beneath the soil. Outwardly, Satan was unable to snatch away the word, but inwardly, he held to the mind, emotions, and will, causing them to be huge rocks. Then Satan worked to produce thorns, causing the anxiety of this life, the love for money, and the deceitfulness of riches to choke the growth of Christ. This indicates that Satan, the subtle one, is constantly busy. He snatches away the seed, he hardens people, and he causes thorns to spring up. However, regardless of all the damage that Satan could do, God still gained the victory. There was some good ground, which produced wheat.
After this, Satan came in to sow false seed, the tares, into the field. Many years ago I read an article which said that even an expert cannot tell the difference between tares and wheat until the blade appears. In other words, it is only after the fruit appears that anyone can discern between the wheat and the tares. The tares resemble the wheat in every aspect. The difference is clearly evident only after the fruit appears. The genuine wheat brings forth the ears; the tares produce something else, something false. At that time it is easy to tell the difference between tares and wheat. Satan was very subtle to produce the counterfeit, false Christians, and plant them among the genuine Christians to confuse the situation and frustrate the growth. We all must be alert. Satan sowed the tares while men slept, meaning they were not alert. In all the churches we must be alert, making it difficult for Satan to sow the false seed. Satan himself will never sleep. Regardless of how good a church is, he will attempt to sow the false seed, to grow something that closely resembles the real thing. This will choke and frustrate the growth of the real wheat and will confuse the condition of God’s farm. We must be careful. Some people may make a certain suggestion, and this may be a sign that they are tares and not real wheat. When they first appeared, they had the same appearance as everyone else. Even an expert could not discern whether they were genuine or false until the day that they made a certain suggestion. Then some began to realize that they might be tares. In the churches the leading ones must be especially alert not to be cheated by tares. Satan will try to sow tares to cause confusion, frustration, and damage, and to hinder the growth of the real wheat. We must be careful of anyone who suggests something that will frustrate the growth of the wheat. That may be the sign of a tare.
Now we come to the parable of the mustard seed (vv. 31-32). The Lord Jesus said that the mustard seed is the smallest of the seeds, yet it grows into a great tree. Although it may not be readily apparent, this also is damage caused by Satan. According to Genesis 1, all the vegetables are to reproduce according to their kind, and the animals according to their kind. For example, a peach tree should bring forth according to its kind, and an apple tree should bring forth according to its kind. Therefore, an herb should be according to its kind, and a tree should be according to its kind. However, in this parable we see something that grows not according to its kind — an herb becomes a tree. This is growth out of proportion and growth that breaks the regulation of the life law. With every kind of life there is the life essence, the life power, the life shape, and the life law. We have the confidence that if a peach sprout grows, it will become a peach tree, it will attain the height of a normal peach tree, and it will bring forth peaches. We do not need to be concerned that the peach tree might grow into another kind of tree and not produce peaches. This is impossible, for within the peach sprout is the peach life, and within the peach life are the peach essence and the peach law, which regulate its development. According to its law of life, the peach sprout will grow into a peach tree and will bring forth peaches.
The mustard herb, however, grew into a great tree. The shape, nature, and form were changed; it broke the law of life and grew out of proportion. This represents Christendom. Christendom has become a great tree. According to its nature, a mustard herb is small and good for food. But this herb grew out of proportion and became a great tree with many evil birds lodging in its branches. As such, it was no longer good for food. Earlier in the same chapter, the Lord Jesus told us the interpretation of the birds, saying that they were the devil and his angels. Many evil spirits lodge in Christendom today. The branches have become the lodging place of demons. This should not be a mere doctrine to us; we must have the practical application.
The mustard herb became a great tree by breaking the life law and growing out of proportion. What does this mean? Many Christians are ambitious to be great. To desire to be great is very dangerous because it can break the law of life. We thank the Lord that the move of His recovery in this country has been growing gradually throughout the years. When we conducted the training on the Psalms in 1969, we had seven hundred attendants. In 1972 we had close to twenty-two hundred, more than three times the number in 1969. This has been the proper growth. Although it has been rather slow, it is nevertheless the normal growth. During the past years we have been growing slowly because we do not like to have a big work. Therefore, we do not use propaganda and advertisements. Recently, a reporter from a newspaper contacted one of the brothers, wanting to give us some advertisement and publicity. The brother told the reporter that we do not like to be advertised. We prefer to remain hidden. We are a little mustard herb; we do not want to be a great tree. According to the natural human concept, it is good to be a mushroom, growing up overnight. A mushroom grows up overnight, but it also disappears overnight. Anything that comes fast will also go fast. You can be sure of this. Let us seek the growth in the proper proportion according to the law of life, growth that is according to its kind. We do not want growth that is out of proportion and not according to its kind. We will not rise up fast; neither will we go down fast. We must grow according to the law of life and be according to our kind, in the proper proportion. I advise you never to use any advertisement. If you are going to get a name, it is better to have a bad name. Let people speak about you in an evil way. Do not display your best points to people. If people come to examine you, let them find out your weak points. We have always practiced this because we do not want to be great. We desire to remain a little mustard herb and never become a great tree. In the Lord’s recovery we have no giants. If anyone comes to your locality asking who is your minister, you should tell him that everyone is a minister. Even the little sisters are ministers. We do not have a great leader; we are the little mustard herbs.
Mustard herbs are good for food. The whole world is hungry. The hungry world does not need a great tree; it needs a little mustard herb to feed people, to satisfy the hunger in all the human beings. Let all the local churches be small; even if we have a large number, we should be small in nature. We should always maintain the law of life and never grow out of proportion.
The parable of the leaven is next. As an evil bird, Satan snatches away the word, produces hard rocks under the soil, causes thorns to choke the growth of life, sows confusion by planting tares, and causes the growth out of proportion. All these things are Satan’s work to ruin or retard the proper growth of life in God’s field. Yet God is victorious! Some grain is still produced. Therefore, we have the meal, the fine flour. Regardless of how much Satan attempts to frustrate God’s farm, it still produces the meal, which is good for making a loaf. Of course, the grains first must be ground, blended, and cooked.
At this point Satan came in again to damage the meal by adding leaven. In both the Old and New Testaments leaven signifies an evil, corrupting element. If we study leaven in the Bible, we will see that it represents the satanic, sinful, worldly, and fleshly things.
In this parable there is the meal, the leaven, and the woman. This woman in Matthew 13 signifies the Roman Catholic Church. She is also Jezebel, the woman mentioned in Revelation 2. This evil woman, the great harlot, added leaven to the fine flour, producing a mixture of the real and the false, the good and the bad, the elements of Christ and the elements of Satan. In Christendom you can see some real things and some false things, some holy things and some worldly things, some elements of Christ and some elements of Satan, all mixed together. In the Roman Catholic Church and in all the denominations, there are many real Christians, yet there is also much leaven. The Roman Catholic Church has picked up many pagan things and mixed them with the things of Christ. For example, did you know that the origin of Christmas is pagan? Christmas Day, December 25, celebrated the birthday of the sun god. The Roman Catholic Church took in this pagan holiday, making December 25 the birthday of Christ. Many Christians argue that Christmas is an excellent time to preach the gospel because they can take the opportunity to preach Christ while people celebrate Christmas. This is leaven and is the subtlety of the enemy. Easter is also a leaven. When the Catholic Church went to China, it even embraced ancestor worship. Not only in the Roman Catholic Church but also in the denominations, there are many worldly things and lusts added to the things of Christ to produce a mixture. Our eyes need to be opened to see this mixture.
We are against the birds of the air. We are against the rocks underneath the soft earth. We are against the thorns, and we are against the tares. We are against the disproportionate growth of the great tree, and we are also against the leaven. We oppose anything that corrupts. This is a matter of the Lord’s recovery and of the Lord’s kingdom. These parables are the mysteries of the kingdom.
