“Then He came to Bethsaida; and they brought a blind man to Him, and begged Him to touch him. So He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the town. And when He had spit on his eyes and put His hands on him, He asked him if he saw anything. And he looked up and said, ‘I see men like trees, walking.’ Then He put His hands on his eyes again and made him look up. And he was restored and saw everyone clearly. Then He sent him away to his house, saying, ‘Neither go into the town, nor tell anyone in the town.’” Mark 8:22-26.
“When it is evening you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red’; and in the morning, ‘It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ Hypocrites! You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times.” Matthew 16:2b-3.
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.” Matthew 13:44.
There are seven parables spoken by the Lord in Matthew chapter 13 only three of which are also mentioned in Mark and Luke and none in the gospel of John.
While the gospels record about thirty parables mentioned by Jesus; these seven are significant because they reveal the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, or as Jesus called them in Mark 4:11, “the mystery of the kingdom of God”.
“Then Jonathan said to the young man who bore his armor, ‘Come, let us go over to the garrison of these uncircumcised [ungodly men]; it may be that the Lord will work for us. For nothing restrains the Lord from saving by many or by few.’ So his armorbearer said to him, ‘Do all that is in your heart. Go then; here I am with you, according to your heart.’ Then Jonathan said, ‘Very well, let us cross over to these men, and we will show ourselves to them. If they say thus to us, “Wait until we come to you,” then we will stand still in our place and not go up to them. But if they say thus, “Come up to us,” then we will go up. For the Lord has delivered them into our hand, and this will be a sign to us.’ So both of them showed themselves to the garrison of the Philistines. And the Philistines said, ‘Look, the Hebrews are coming out of the holes where they have hidden.’ Then the men of the garrison called to Jonathan and his armorbearer, and said, ‘Come up to us, and we will show [teach] you something.’ Jonathan said to his armorbearer, ‘Come up after me, for the Lord has delivered them into the hand of Israel.’ And Jonathan climbed up on his hands and knees with his armorbearer after him; and they fell before Jonathan. And as he came after him, his armorbearer killed them. That first slaughter which Jonathan and his armorbearer made was about twenty men within about half an acre of land. And there was trembling in the camp, in the field, and among all the people. The garrison and the raiders also trembled; and the earth quaked, so that it was a very great trembling. Now the watchmen of Saul in Gibeah of Benjamin looked, and there was the multitude, melting away; and they went here and there.” 1 Samuel 14:6-16.
