death and resurrection. This fact should deter us from too hastily assuming that in Matthew 13 we have an

elaborate discourse concerning `the gospel'.

In order to show that these parables come (1) in the kingdom section proper, and (2) before the Lord's

revelation of His death and resurrection, we must repeat the structure of the Gospel already given:

A Matt. 1:1 to 3:12. Preparation.

B Matt. 3:16,17.  Voice from heaven - `My beloved Son'.

C Matt. 16:16.

Peter's confession - `Thou art the Christ,

the Son of the living God'.

B Matt. 17:5.

Voice out of the cloud - `My beloved Son'.

C Matt. 26:63,64. The Lord's confession -

`The Christ, the Son of God'.

A  Matt. 28.

The `time' divisions of Matthew are twofold, agreeing with the twofold message from heaven, and

confession on earth:

(1) `From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand' (4:17).

(2) From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto His disciples, how that He must go unto Jerusalem, and

suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third

day' (16:21).

We can now see clearly that the parables of Matthew 13 come within the first section of Matthew's Gospel,

which has for its subject exclusively `the kingdom'.

In examining the book still further, we find that it reveals three main discourses, and a due appreciation of

their place and teaching is of the utmost importance. They are as follows:

A Matt. 5 to 7. On a mountain

The kingdom

B Matt. 13. Out of the house

The kingdom

A Matt. 24,25. On a mountain

The kingdom

set up.

In the Sermon on the Mount the Lord Jesus, as King, sat upon the mountain, and gave His laws and

described the character of the subjects of His kingdom. In the prophetic chapters of Matthew 24 and 25 the

Lord Jesus looks forward to the day when His kingdom shall be set up on earth with power and great glory. The

interval between the two `mountain' discourses is filled in by the rejection of the Lord by Israel, and the

parables of the secrets of the kingdom. We may expect therefore, to find something to teach us the character

and course of the `kingdom of the heavens' during the period of the rejection of the King. One thing we must be

quite clear about, and that is, we shall not find depicted a history of events which were to take place after the

kingdom of the heavens became in abeyance.

These parables trace the progress of the gospel of the kingdom along its course through the period while the

Lord was on the earth, and during the Acts of the Apostles. The present interval of the dispensation of the

Mystery must of necessity be omitted, and the history of the kingdom be resumed again when God once more

takes up His ancient people, for the interpretation of some of these parables takes us to the `end of the age'.

Before we examine the parables in detail, we must examine them together. Some of our readers may be

surprised to find us speaking of the EIGHT parables of Matthew 13. It has become almost sacred to prophetic

students to speak of the seven parables of Matthew 13, so that we shall have to set out the complete arrangement

in order to demonstrate the fact that the Lord gave eight parabolic or figurative utterances in connection with the

`mysteries (or secrets) of the kingdom'.



A 1-9.

The SOWER. The sowing of the seed



into four kinds of ground.