The Mysteries of the Kingdom (1)

And he said, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not hear (Luke 8:10).

The accompanying question is: "Is this election and reprobation, or just acknowledging that some just will not turn and believe (as some commentaries maintain)?"

The parallel passages in Matthew and Mark are worth quoting here: And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables? He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive: for this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them. But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear (Matt. 13:10-16).

And when he was alone, they that were about him with the twelve asked of him the parable. And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables: that seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them (Mark 4:10-12).

It must not be forgotten that these verses are Jesus' explanation for teaching in parables. Many commentators take an entirely wrong view of the passage and explain these words to mean that Jesus used parables to make the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven obscure. Parables then are something like riddles that are difficult to solve and understand. One has to have the key to unlock their hidden truths. Jesus, so to speak, gives His disciples the key, while He does not give it to others. The result is that the disciples are enabled to understand the parables, while those without the key are not. Parables then provide something like the mysterious, hidden, saving knowledge that certain sects claim they alone have. Only an inner circle really understands true knowledge, and one must possess certain clues, or keys, or inner light to be able to appropriate this secret knowledge. The majority of people are outside the circle of the select few.

But this is dead wrong. Jesus taught in parables in order to make the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven as clear as possible. The kingdom of heaven is a kingdom outside this world and outside human experience in this world. The kingdom of heaven is emphatically "of heaven." It is spiritual and from above, from another world. Hence, it is always difficult for earthly people to understand heavenly realities. So our Lord uses earthly illustrations and figures to make clear heavenly and spiritual truths.

The kingdom of heaven is like a sower that went forth to sow. You see, there is a point of similarity between the earthly and the heavenly. And that point of similarity is there because God Himself created this earthly creation after the pattern of the heavenly. A sower's sowing his seed on different types of soil is a picture of gospel preaching, which also falls on different kinds of hearts. Everyone can understand this.

Milton Terry in his Biblical Hermeneutics puts it well: "May we not safely affirm that the analogies traceable between the natural and spiritual worlds are parts of a divine harmony which it is the noblest mental exercise to discover and unfold? ... Trench has the following profound observations: 'It is not merely that these analogies assist to make the truth intelligible, or, if intelligible before, present it more vividly to the mind….  Their power lies deeper ... They are arguments, and may be alleged as witnesses; the world of nature being throughout a witness for the world of spirit, proceeding from the same hand ... All lovers of truth ... know that the earthly tabernacle is made after the pattern of things seen in the mount; and the question suggested by the angel in Milton is often forced upon their meditations - "What if earth / Be but the shadow of heaven and things therein / Each to other life, more than on earth is thought?""'

All this has not answered the question whether Jesus' statement has to do with election and reprobation. It is my firm conviction that indeed it does; that, in fact, it cannot be explained in any other way. That election and reprobation are implied here is clear from our Lord's quotation of the prophecy of Isaiah 6:9-10.

But I want to show how this claim is true from the passage itself. And I can do that only by showing first of all that Jesus' answer is closely tied in with His reason for teaching in parables. And that reason is that Jesus may make the truths of the kingdom He had come to establish as clear as possible - as clear as possible not only to His disciples, but also to all the Jews. Not only, throughout the ages, to the believer, but also to the unbeliever. All must understand the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven.

But more needs to be said. Please, keep this article in a handy place so that you can review what is written here before reading the next installment.