SONS OF THE KINGDOM
[p. 404] SONS OF THE KINGDOM
Matthew 13:24-30; Matthew 13:36-43
JT We have here the idea of sons. The principle of the kingdom indicates that the sons are begotten of that principle, and hence the word of God is spoken of as sown, but here it is the persons themselves. They represent the brothers or sisters who believe, whom the Lord would have in mind for maintaining His testimony in the positions in which He would set them. Hence they would prove characteristic persons, whoever they were, selected and sown; serving and taking on all that relates to the Lord’s affairs in the sense of the kingdom. So that if we are alive to the situation, we know that we can count on such in all emergencies, and know that the Lord’s things will be cared for. The devil sowing his sons shews what will work in the opposite way. These two kinds are together, not in the assembly, but in the sense of physical contact, allowed to grow up and ultimately dealt with as we shall see. This gospel does not deal with us as being taken up, that is with the ascension, but as continuing and holding the ground; holding God’s testimony, and the removal of whatever offends; it all eventuates in the millennium. These remarks will be intelligible because they come from Matthew, who does not deal with the ascension or the rapture; these are found elsewhere.
Ques What is in mind as to the seed being persons?
JT The scripture expounds the parable from verse 37, and says, “He that sows the good seed is the Son of man, and the field is the world; and the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom, but the darnel are the sons of the evil one”. That is why in the beginning of the chapter it says, verse 3, “Behold, the sower went out to sow: and as he sowed, some grains fell along the way”, and so on; it is “grains”, the word of God, not persons.
Ques Are you suggesting the root in the heart of man, “the implanted word”, James 1: 21?
JT That is right, what is implanted in our hearts; it is the word of God, and what we are as thus formed, and as serving the Lord in the kingdom. Therefore we are to look for such, each in certain positions, and as time went on they would be recognized as those locally “in each assembly”, as Acts 14: 23 speaks of them. Paul and Barnabas chose elders, who would be set in the assemblies to rule. I give this as an illustration. In this town there are certain who are known as caring for the Lord’s interests, and it is known throughout the world in the same way. His interests are not left. David left the sheep with a keeper; that is the idea.
Ques Are sons formed in the kingdom?
JT Well, the truth of the kingdom is seen in each gospel, and the same can be said of the epistles; each has its own particular view. Matthew gives this particular view; so scripture is seen fitting to scripture; we have to go to the epistles; hence Romans is formally said to be the kingdom of God, and teaching the fundamentals of the kingdom, with the gospels also, so Matthew ends with “And behold, I am with you all the days, until the completion of the age”, Matthew 28: 20. So this particular parable contains the end of the age. The point to bring out is that the Lord would have His interests cared for, taught and governed too.
Ques Is there something contradictory in the darnel?
JT Yes, the Lord says that in the exposition of the parable. He dismisses the crowds; parables hide the truth, but exposition opens it up; it was a good sign that they wanted to know (verse 36); it takes [p. 406] place in the house, as now, when the Lord would open up something to us. The apostles being there had some understanding as they went over the scriptures; the “sons of the evil one” are opposed, as maybe, there are opposers in this town.
Ques Has the Lord in mind that they should become men of influence, “the righteous shall shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father”?
JT Just so; when Paul went to Troas in Acts 20, there were seven brothers who accompanied him, “And there accompanied him as far as Asia, Sopater son of Pyrrhus, a Berean; and of Thessalonians, Aristarchus and Secundus, and Gaius and Timotheus of Derbe, and of Asia, Tychicus and Trophimus”, verse 4. In each position these men, who held Paul’s doctrine, would hold the ground. Paul here discoursed as if there was something needed, something they had to learn before they could break bread, and so it is today. I feel that the breaking of bread is not well understood. Anyone wanting to know could have asked any one of these men. “Many lights” (verse 8) means spiritual lights, men who could teach.
Ques Would these men in Acts 20 be like “sons of light”?
JT They would be sons of the kingdom, which carried the idea of power and instruction.
Ques Would Barnabas in Acts 11 being sent to help in Antioch be on this line?
JT Yes, I would say that Barnabas would discern what was in the place, for there was quite a work of God there, and it seems that he felt unequal to it. Under the Lord’s guidance, he would feel that Saul had what was needed; he had the ministry of the assembly, though it was not known publicly yet. Barnabas surely would have some sense he had it, and that is why he sought him out.
Rem The success of the teaching there resulted in the “large crowd”, verse 24, giving place to the “assembly”, verse 26.
JT Just so; and so it is in this town, if it is like that; let the crowd melt away and the assembly come to light. In Acts 20 they are spoken of in three pairs. It is the great Ephesian position here; and if they would say that what Paul was saying is not scriptural, well, Paul would mention those two from Berea. Why are those men mentioned, if it is not so?
Ques Does Paul speak well of Timothy in Philippians 2: 20, “I have no one like-minded who will care with genuine feeling how ye get on”?
JT Just so, an excellent example whenever care is needed. Timothy was sent to Corinth at one time, to put them “in mind of my ways” — says Paul — “as they are in Christ”, and the Lord does it Himself now, for we have no one like Paul now, unless He uses a brother of moral weight.
Ques Is there any connection between the sleep here, in verse 25, and the sleep of Eutychus in Acts 20? In a wrong sense, I mean.
JT Yes; it is culpable, “while men slept”; it is a man who works by imitation, as the note suggests; hence the need of watching; there is no need to be an elder to watch.
Rem Paul speaks of such activities in Acts 20: 29 - 30, and ends with, “Wherefore watch”.
JT Just so; see what has grown up in connection with the great Romish system.
Rem So Paul enjoins Timothy as his “true child in faith” to remain in Ephesus, to “enjoin some not to teach other doctrines”, 1 Timothy 1: 23.
JT Just so; Paul could do that; he had certain brothers, like Timothy and Titus, who were what you would call ‘apostolic delegates’. Apollos was a servant on the same ground as Paul, but serving independently from Paul at Ephesus at an early date,
Acts 18: 24. But “Aquila and Priscilla, having heard him; took him to them and unfolded to him the way of God more exactly”. So he was viewed as a labourer; so Paul says, “I have planted; Apollos watered; but God has given the increase” — 1 Corinthians 3: 6, so he became a recognized servant very quickly. But he was not minded to go to Corinth when Paul asked him, 1 Corinthians 16: 12. Thus independent service is maintained, and so is dependent service; it shews the variety of workmanship.
Ques Do we need instruction to know what is of the enemy?
JT Paul says, “that we might not have Satan get an advantage against us, for we are not ignorant of his thoughts”, 2 Corinthians 2: 11.
Ques Do we have to be initiated into this?
JT Very few of us are.
Ques Would there be a connection with this teaching and the breaking of bread?
JT It may have that at a later date, just to shew how the truth can come in in a different way, and maybe now it is to shew how things require to be properly manned. The priesthood is weak, there are long pauses when the most precious time is before us. The sisters have to feel it and go through it; and it is not right to sit and to say nothing; the Spirit would use us, if we were active in our minds. I say the priesthood, because Aaron was not called a priest until the Hebrew servant is seen in Exodus 21 governed by love, and then we have the priesthood specifically named in Aaron and his sons; they were there before, but not mentioned by name till love is active. It is the lack of love; but something can be said, and let it be said intelligently. It is general too this lack of intelligence.
Ques Are we to take on the instruction of the sons of the [p. 409] kingdom?
JT I mentioned Troas, because if you followed what happened there, these seven men would not act like that.
Ques Should we be “cutting in a straight line the word of truth”? 2 Timothy 2: 15.
JT Yes, if we are not doing that, any Berean would shew us up.
Ques What is the implication of the “sowing”?
JT It is just characteristically that. The Lord sowed; and the devil sowed the darnel; “sowed” means set in a position in which we grow up.
Ques May we be like children and lack the sense of responsibility?
JT Yes.
Rem They say they understand according to verse 51.
JT Yes, the Lord does not dispute it, and goes on in verse 52 to enlarge on it, as to the brother who “brings out of his treasure things new and old”. He goes about ministering or preaching for he has a treasure, even at the tea table; he has something good, not the news of the world, but “things new and old”.
Rem The key to taking part is if we have a treasury; Psalm 45: 1 indicates that his heart is “welling forth with a good matter”.
JT The sons of Korah say that; “My heart is welling forth with a good matter: I say what I have composed touching the king. My tongue is the pen of a ready writer”.
Rem That is the treasure.
JT Yes, the writer has got the things; he is calling upon all that is within him — Psalm 103: 1; it is what the Spirit has formed.
Rem “Communicating spiritual things by spiritual means”, 1 Corinthians 2: 13.
JT Yes, that is “the depths of God” — 1 Corinthians 2: 10, and these things should be under our hand.
[p. 410] Ques Will there be discrimination at the end, “the completion of the age”?
JT It is the time of introduction before the millennium; it is depicted in the Revelation; in that book we need not expect a good time, but we are waiting quietly, knowing the Lord’s promise to Philadelphia, “I also will keep thee out of the hour of trial, which is about to come upon the whole habitable world” — Revelation 3: 10; but the trial will come.
Ques Is the truth to have a separating effect upon us?
JT Quite right.
Ques Does growing together involve reaching maturity?
JT That is not the assembly setting, but geographically, say in Europe, not in Asia only, evil is left in both, they both “grow together”.
Ques Do the sons of the kingdom grow up to God?
JT “Grow” there involves maturity; sons of the kingdom means a man you can rely on; it is the sons who suffer too.
Ques Would they be like Ananias in Acts 9?
JT A very good suggestion, only he was refractory at first.
Ques Would the reason for the lapses in our comings together be due to the failure to understand this principle of separation?
JT No doubt there would be a want of formation, indeed a malformation, something allowed, it may not be a demon as in Luke 11: 14, “He was casting out a demon, and it was dumb; and it came to pass, the demon being gone out, the dumb man spoke”; so “he was casting out a demon”, the devil is behind completely silent persons. Why are people dumb all the time? The young man of Nain, raised from the dead, “began to speak” — Luke 7: 15; it is Luke’s thought, so he describes the Lord’s own way of speaking, “the words of grace which were coming out of his mouth”, — Luke 4: 22.
Rem In Revelation 4 and 5 every mouth is open.
JT Quite so.
Ques Is it another side in the speaking of the Corinthians — 1 Corinthians 4: 7 - 8?
JT Yes, they were like children with toys, playing with their gifts, at one time; so Paul says, “no one, speaking in the power of the Spirit of God, says, Curse on Jesus; and no one can say, Lord Jesus, unless in the power of the Holy Spirit”, 1 Corinthians 12: 3. We might open our mouths and say wrong things; we must notice that. This one, in Luke 11, who had his mouth opened speaks right.
Ques Is there a danger of formality and routine?
JT I suppose that applies to Christendom; they have very little gift there, but the speaking abroad in Christendom is in a humdrum way; there is nothing of the Spirit of God; they are not subject to apostolic teaching. God governmentally prevents them.
Ques Was the prophecy of Micah the son of Imlah before Jehoshaphat and Ahab in 1 Kings 22 in the power of the Spirit of God?
JT A fine scripture; a man faithful, and that can only apply now where there is moral power. One knows of those who can influence others, that they grow in grace.
Ques Is the difference in these settings important?
JT The Spirit of God makes these paragraphs, “Then, having dismissed the crowds, he went into the house; and his disciples came to him, saying, Expound to us the parable of the darnel of the field”, He left the outside and came inside and they asked Him to expound this parable only, and supported what was said in verse 51, and there are many other things; He says, “all these things”; but He does not dispute their “Yea, Lord”. It was very nice, and throws light on all this parabolic section.
Rem The Lord was the householder in verse 27, and the scribe in verse 52; he became patterned after the Lord.
JT Just so. The Lord was Son over the house; Peter followed after Him, Paul also pursued the way.
Ques Is verse 27 a suggestion that we should be free to ask the Lord? Does the absence of enquiry burden us?
JT I am sure that is good. The Lord has greatly honoured these conversational discourses. These special meetings, especially at the weekends are divinely set up, and a brother who is suitable comes along; then ask questions! Brethren do not ask enough.
Ques Are we therefore to discern that and go to the Lord about it?
JT Yes; and brothers who are invited to go to certain places, the more they are with the Lord, and the more they are cast on Him for the right word, He certainly will not fail them.
Ques What is the significance of the reference to the Son of man in verse 41?
JT The Lord uses it of Himself about eighty times. It involves His worldwide position.
Ques Was His ministry effective to the two going to Emmaus, “He interpreted to them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself”, Luke 24:27.
JT He used very strong words to them, though that was not in the house.
Ques Does the Lord imply suitable conditions are needed for teaching the truth, in “having dismissed the crowds”?
JT Just so; the crowds could not understand,
[p. 413] hence the need for parabolic ministry. Those that are really born of God, in principle, are those who truly understand.
Rem It is in accord with the gospel of Matthew and the side of the kingdom, that “his disciples came to him”.
JT He has the same thought in Matthew 5: 1.
Rem Everyone has to be in the spirit of enquiry.
JT Yes; and the sisters too, though they ask at home; all should enquire when they do not know.
Rem The Lord says to Peter, “Then are the sons free”.
JT Quite so.
Ques Is coming to Him the principle of acknowledging allegiance?
JT Quite so.