PARABLE, MIRACLE, AND SIGN
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the apostles as members of the fellowship of believers, yet their sad history shows us that Matthew 13:22 and
Hebrews 6 are commentaries upon the causes of failure during the Pentecostal dispensation. They brought no
fruit to perfection. The command, `Cut it down' - long delayed - at length was fulfilled; the olive tree of
Abrahamic blessing and Jewish privilege was cut down, to remain in that condition until the end of the age.
Then, after the fulness of the Gentiles be come in, `all Israel shall be saved', ungodliness shall be turned away
from Jacob by the Deliverer sent to them - the Lord Jesus Christ (Rom. 11:25,26).
This is represented by the `good ground'. This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the habitable
world (oikoumene - a word relating to the kingdom) (Heb. 2:5), for a witness unto all the nations, and then shall
the end come' (Matt. 24:14). This final witness leads on to the fulfilment of the commission of Matthew
28:19,20:
`Go ye therefore, and make all nations disciples, baptizing them into the name of the Father, and of the Son,
and of the Holy Ghost; teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am
with you always, even unto the consummation of the age' (Author's translation).
The final sowing will be fruitful. `Israel shall all be righteous' (Isa. 60:21), `all Israel shall be saved' (Rom.
11:26), `they shall revive as the corn, and grow as the vine' (Hosea 14:7). After the tribulation of the last days,
the Lord `will send those that escape unto the nations ... and they shall declare My glory among the Gentiles'
(Isa. 66:19). This is the heart of the New Covenant.
From the days of old (Isa. 6:10), during the earthly ministry of the Lord (Matt. 13:14), and throughout the
Acts of the apostles to its close (Acts 28:27), the heart of Israel had been hard, and had `waxed gross' the `lust
of other things' had choked the word; but when the time comes for the final sowing, the Lord will send Elijah,
who shall accomplish that which was foreshadowed by John the Baptist; he will make ready a People for the
Lord.
`The upright in heart' of the Psalms, and the `pure in heart' of the Sermon on the Mount, are those indicated
in the final sowing of the seed of the kingdom. The promise to Israel is, `I will give them one heart, and I will
put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh'
(Ezek. 11:19). This is the blessing of the New Covenant, sealed by the blood of Christ by which alone the
kingdom can be made secure (Jer. 31:31-40). In 2 Corinthians 3:3-6 we have the `heart of flesh' contrasted with
the `heart of stone' in relation to the New Covenant.
The days shall come when Israel, now cast off, shall bring forth an hundred-fold. An handful of corn in the
top of the mountains shall shake like Lebanon. It was towards this glorious consummation that the Lord Jesus
looked as He reviewed the `mysteries of the kingdom of the heavens'. He knew that His rejection would but
subserve the mighty purpose of God. In due time He came to die, and in due time He will come to reign.
The parable of the Sower may supply us with many valuable lessons, but to discover the primary teaching is
the object of this series. Let us bring the four sowings together, namely:
JOHN THE BAPTIST.
Wayside hearers.
`They seeing, see
not, neither do they
understand'.
THE LORD JESUS,
Stony ground
`Nothing but leaves
THE TWELVE AND
hearers.
...
it
withered
THE SEVENTY.
away'.
PETER AND
Thorny ground
`No
fruit
to
THE
TWELVE.
hearers.
perfection'.
`Riches, pleasures,
the lust of other
things' (Heb. 6).
THE
FINAL
Good
ground
`The honest
and
WITNESS
(Matt.
hearers (the heart of
good heart'.
24:14).
the new Covenant).
`Some
hundredfold'.