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Structure of Matthew 13
The Eight Parables
A
1 -9. The sower
The sowing of the seed
into four kinds of ground.
They (Israel) did not understand.
The first
B
24 -30. The tares Good and bad together.
four
Separated at the harvest
parables
(the end of the age);
spoken
the bad are cast into a
outside
furnace of fire,
the house
there shall be wailing
to great
and gnashing of teeth.
multitudes.
C
31,32. The mustard tree
One
tree.
D
33.The leaven
Hid
in three measures of meal.
D
44.The treasure
Hid
in a field.
C
45,46. goodly pearls
One
pearl.
B
47 -50.The drag net
Good and bad together.
The
Separated at the end
last four
of the age;
parables
the bad are cast into
spoken
a furnace of fire,
inside
there shall be wailing
the house
and gnashing of teeth.
to the
disciples.
They (disciples) did understand.
A
51,52.
The scribe The treasure opened to those in the house.
The harmony that exists between the component parts of this structure is
quite evident to all. If we can see the disposition of any passage of
Scripture, we are in possession of a help to its interpretation. Sometimes a
word may have more than one meaning, and the balance in favour of either
rendering may be fairly equal. If we can find its place in the structure, we
shall often, by so doing, fix its meaning also.
Look at the central pair of parables. The Leaven `hidden' in three
measures of meal in the parables spoken outside the house finds its
corresponding member in the contrasted Treasure `hidden' in the field which
was spoken to the disciples only. The parable of the Tares finds its
complement in the parable of the Drag Net. The parable of the Sower is
balanced by that of the Scribe, and the Mustard Seed by the Pearl.
The Sower
Matthew 13:1 -9,18 23