Question :
Did Jesus mean ‘the rich get richer & the poor get poorer’ in Matthew 13:12?
What it is NOT :
Our Lord was not preaching the so-called ‘prosperity gospel’ or discussing material wealth in this passage. Yet despite this, some Bible teachers use it along with other cherry-picked verses to support their own distorted theology.
Context for Matthew 13:12
To understand the verse in question, one must consider its context. Immediately preceding the verse, our Lord told the ‘Parable of the Sower,’ which went over the heads of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law. This prompted the disciples to pose the question: “Why do you speak to them in parables?” In response, our Lord said:
To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. For whoever has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him”
(Matthew 13:10-12).
What Matthew 13:12 really means:
This verse has nothing to do with the notion of “the rich get richer and poor get poorer.” Instead. our Lord was referring to the knowledge and insight into the mysteries surrounding the kingdom of heaven.
The Pharisees and the teachers of the law, despite their diligent study of Law and the Prophets, rejected the light and that rendered them spiritually blind. In contrast, the unschooled fishermen, contrary to everyone’s expectations, were granted the privilege to see and hear what ‘experts’ missed, because they received the Light of the world
Our Lord rewards little faith, even as small as a mustard seed, with further revelation of Himself. However to those that harbor doubts, He will not offer any further evidence. Even the little light will be taken away. With the light withdrawn, their darkened hearts will morph into a state of spiritual callousness. And as the Scripture says “seeing they will see not, hearing they hear not and neither will they understand”
Matthew 13:12 is more than a mere proverbial expression. IT IS THE TRUTH. Light begets more light, while darkness begets more darkness. Little faith, when nurtured and exercised grows into a formidable bullet-proof faith that can quench the fiery darts of the evil one, whereas little doubts, like the little foxes will spoil the whole vineyard.
MEME OF THE DAY
