Closure and Conclusion in Matt 13:44-52

Form criticism attempts to reconstruct the life settings that produce biblical texts. Most scholars date Matthew’s gospel between 80-90 CE, written to a Jewish Christian audience, initially in Palestine (Galilee or Antioch) where the first Jewish Christian became established.  Matthew’s community would have been familiar both with the stories and teachings of Jesus, and with the practice of parabolic teaching (material from the rhetoricians demonstrates the popularity of parables in the Greco-Roman world)[1] making it necessary to consider the purpose of Matthew 13 for an audience who are already disciples of Jesus.

The division theme in 13.44-52 and its immediate co-text suggests two main purposes. Firstly, it is an explanation of the limited success of Jesus’ ministry. The prophetic nature of the parables plus the Old Testament quotations which predict the deafness of Israel (13.15, 18-23) function to explain the lack of receptiveness on the part of the crowds. The parables of The Wheat and the Tares and of The Dragnet also show that lack of receptivity doesn’t come from God but from human sinfulness and Satan’s activity (13.19, 24-30).^[2]

Secondly, for Matthew’s Christian audience who are following the gospel story, it affirms inclusion into God’s family. By bringing the audience into the familial space of the house with Jesus and the disciples (13.36), the text is suggesting that the audience too is invited into the household of Jesus and they too are invited to receive the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven (13.34-35). This emphasis on inclusion is supported by W. Carter who argues that Matthew is written to Jewish Christians after splitting from the synagogues. Such an audience would affirm the need for reassurance if they had been rejected by Judaism, the historical family of God.

Matthew’s emphasis on kinship throughout the gospel also supports this increasing insider’s/outsider’s dichotomy. Matthew’s frequent references to Jesus’ family suggests that family ties and heritage are significant.^[3] However, when Jesus appears to reject his natural family in 12.46-50, he redefines what it means to be part of the family of the Messiah, announcing a kinship based on obedience to God. As both the disciples within the narrative and Matthew’s intended readers enter the house in 13.43-52, they are figuratively invited into the household of God and established with special privilege.

Matthew 13.11 introduces the theme of disclosure of mysteries which denotes the revelation of God’s ways and purposes.^[4] Jesus himself affirmed that it is not the ‘wise and learned’ who are receiving the revelation of the kingdom, but the common people, or the ‘little children’ (11.25). This is then repeated directly to his disciples in 13.11-12, 16-17 and is present as blessing to those who hear and accept. As well as this, Matthew has stated that many are called to the gospel but few will accept it (7.14, 11.24, 13.18-23). These factors function to create a dichotomy between those people who reject Jesus and those who accept him, between outsiders and insiders. The culmination of these factors suggest that for both the disciples within the narrative, and Matthew’s intended audience, the invitation to follow Jesus into the private setting of the house would affirm their status as insiders, inciting eagerness and anticipation for the revelation to come.

The message of the parables in 13.43-52 suggests that the purpose has shifted. Whilst the parables of the previous pericopes emphasise the divisive and hidden nature of the kingdom 13.43-52 teaches the need for radical discipleship, diminishing the confidence that being included as an insider may bring. Whilst Matthew’s intended audience wouldn’t have needed convincing of the kingdom’s value, they may have needed encouragement to make radical sacrifices in their new Christian lives. To do this, the parables in 13.44-52 portray examples of human action and invite the audience to do likewise.[5]

Whilst the narrative lead-up, setting and genre of 13.44-52 have all contributed to establishing a theme of insider/outsider dichotomy, the four parables of 44-52 undermine any sense of comfortableness or ease with challenging teachings on sacrificial discipleship. Matthew arranges a final set of parables renewing the formula, ‘the kingdom of heaven is like […]’ and continuing the form of the previous parables.

The parable of the Treasure and the Pearl are thematically parallel to the preceding pair of parables, the Mustard Seed and the Leaven. Both pairs of parables teach the apparently hidden and small nature of the kingdom movement at present.[6] The repeated use of kryptein (hidden) further associates the kingdom with the apocalyptic disclosure of mystery, repeating the explicit reference in 13.35.[7]  However, although the Treasure and the Pearl are paired with the Mustard Seed and the Leaven they also have an extra dimension and a different nuance.[8] The imagery of finding hidden treasure alludes to Prov 2.3 which likens gaining Wisdom or insight to  finding hidden treasure. Jesus’ parable implies that the kingdom of heaven is the true wisdom and is of ultimate value as shown by the protagonist’s willingness to ‘sell all that he has’ to acquire it. This emphasis on the cost for the disciple functions to dramatically counter and challenge any privileged expectation or self-importance that the disciples and readers may feel by their inclusion in Jesus’ inner circle.

The parable of the Pearl is very similar to the Treasure. The parable repeats the central theme that the protagonist had to have ‘sold all he had’ to acquire the treasured object. This variation indicates to the intended audience (who may have been recent converts), that whether they discovered the gospel by accident, or whether they were seeking it, the cost is the same. The ‘pearl’ in the parable is closely related to the treasure of the parables of the Treasure and the Householder. Where Matthew uses pearl, the LXX and the Hebrew refers to jewels in general.[9] This supports the reading that the parables in 13.44-52 are mostly grouped together by their share treasure and cost theme.

The parable of the Dragnet is very different to the other parables and does not sit so easily within the theme of radical discipleship. However, it does challenge those who perceive themselves to be ‘insiders’. The parable and its interpretation use imagery characteristic of apocalyptic literature. Apocalyptic literature is suggested to be the primary background to the parable but the image of the net is also used to symbolise judgement in passages of the Old Testament such as Hab 1.13-17.[10] As well as warning of judgement, the imagery of the net functions to reinforce the disciples’ role as fishers of people. ‘All kinds of fish’ (13.47), reminds Matthew’s intended audience that God’s kingdom is open to all and encourages them to persevere with their preaching ministry.[11]

Like the Treasure and Pearl parables, the Dragnet mirrors the previous pericope by acting as a parallel to the parable of the Wheat and the Tares (13.24-30). But whereas this parable emphasises perseverance for the righteous, the Dragnet focuses on eschatological punishment for the ‘bad’ (13.48). These two parables of judgement frame the parables of the Treasure and the Pearl and counteract the joy of finding the kingdom with a warning against ignoring its requirement of radical allegiance.[12]

The Dragnet is the only parable in this pericope that has a nimshal (interpretation), mirroring the structure of the previous two pericopes (13.18-23, 37-43).[13] In this nimshal Jesus interprets the parable using further apocalyptic imagery of angels and fire (13.49-50). In using symbolic imagery in the interpretation Matthew’s Jesus lessens the metaphorical distance between the parable and the audience.[14] This adds force to his warning against lax discipleship in pursuit of the kingdom of heaven.

The Parable of the Householder is the final parable and the climax of the discourse. It is framed within a conversation about understanding, between Jesus and the disciples. Understanding the parables is the ultimate assessment of whether the audience is included in the community of the kingdom of heaven. However, the parable of the Householder teaches that true understanding of the kingdom results in radical sacrifice. Philips translation of the passage reveals a person clearing out their storehouse, working from the outside in ‘to make way for something else.’^[15]

The parable seems to allude to Prov 8.10-11 which instructs that wisdom is more valuable than any world treasure. Snodgrass argues that the repetition of treasures in 13.52 assists oral conveyance but the two parables are not related.[16] The narrative progression of the pericope suggesting that the kingdom requires lucrative investment is a unifying theme. In the same way that the parable of the Pearl assumes some of the narrative features of the parable of the Treasure (such as the joy of finding the kingdom), so the Householder assumes the pretext of having found the treasure kingdom. The narrative of the parable focuses on the behavior of the protagonist provoked by the discovery of the kingdom.

The parable provides closure and conclusion to the teaching discourse by acting as an inclusio with the parable of the Sower. Like the Sower, the Householder doesn’t strictly begin with the formula ‘the kingdom of heaven is like’. As the Sower portrays the different responses to the kingdom of heaven, so the Householder reflects upon the responsibility of those ‘good soils’ in whom the seed has been sown. Matthew’s intended audience become ‘scribes discipled for the kingdom of heaven’ by participating in the narrative.[17]

They too are challenged by the responsibility of ‘every scribe’ to make radical sacrifices. Whilst the disciple’s affirmation of understanding concludes the discourse, the Householder is the final saying and leaves the image in the mind of the audience. In arranging this teaching of absolute commitment to the kingdom as the climax to this teaching discourse, Matthew continues to drive the theme consistently through his gospel challenging his audience to live more radical, sacrificial lives in their discipleship of the kingdom of heaven.