Interpreting God’s Word is serious business and the area of parables finds the most difficult waters to navigate in Scripture, even more so than prophecy. McClain writes, “these parables of the Kingdom, even for the saved, must be divinely interpreted in order to serve any beneficial purpose. In no area of the Word of God is there greater need for caution on the part of interpreters than in the parables, and especially in those concerned with the ‘mysteries of the kingdom of heaven.’ Even the most spiritual and well-taught among students of the Word may go astray here; and many an error has found its basis in some parabolic detail, e.g., the gradual and ultimate triumph of the Church in converting the world through the ‘leavening process’ of the Gospel.”[1] It is not enough for an interpretation to be academic; it must also be prayerfully discerned, allowing as much as possible for the context to lead the interpreter to the proper interpretation…

The “word of the kingdom” (Matt 13:19a) has become a matter of great confusion. As with any subject of Scripture, the flaws are alwaysfound in the hermeneutical method being used to interpret various passages. We know, and have confidence, that the text of Scripture is completely free of error (Ps 19:7-10; 2 Tim 33:16-17), so our only other conclusion about the confusion that has ensued is that it is due to a user error. Therefore, there are three areas that must receive our attention so that we can proceed with a biblical understanding of Jesus’ teaching in the parables of Matthew 13. They are:

The Contemporary Understanding of the Kingdom
The Nature of the Kingdom in the Gospels 
The Nature of the Kingdom in the Church Age

While these considerations are not exhaustive, they should help to clear up some of the confusion that often surrounds the subject of the kingdom…