The Parables of the Kingdom| G. Campbell Morgan 

About the Book: 

G. Campbell Morgan’s The Parables of the Kingdom is a clear, compelling guide to one of Jesus’ most important teaching moments: the parables of Matthew 13. Morgan doesn’t treat these stories as scattered “moral lessons.” He shows them as a unified, carefully ordered message in which Christ reveals how the Kingdom of Heaven works in the present age—its hidden growth, its mixed condition, its conflicts, its final outcome, and the responsibility of those who belong to the King.

What makes this book stand out is Morgan’s rare combination of biblical depth and readable clarity. He is reverent toward Scripture, attentive to the flow of the Gospel text, and unafraid to address difficult themes—judgment, separation, the cost of discipleship—without sensationalism or shallow optimism. His teaching is pastoral and practical: he explains the meaning of the parables, keeps the main emphasis where Jesus places it, and continually draws the reader back to the central issue of the Kingdom—the Kingship of God.

Above all, this book helps you read the parables the way Jesus intended: not as puzzles for curiosity, but as windows into spiritual reality. It steadies your understanding of the world, the Church, and the future, and it strengthens faith to serve faithfully in an age where Kingdom principles are present, powerful, and yet not fully victorious.

What You’ll Gain from This Book

• A unified view of Matthew 13 as one coherent “Kingdom discourse,” not a random collection of sayings.

• A solid framework for interpreting parables, avoiding fanciful details while grasping the intended spiritual truth.

• A realistic, hopeful vision of the present age, where good and evil grow side by side, and God’s purposes move forward.

• A deeper sense of discipleship responsibility, especially in how believers are called to live and teach “things new and old.”

• A reverent, Christ-centered approach that strengthens confidence in Scripture and the authority of Jesus.

Who Should Read This Book?

• Bible readers who want more than surface-level lessons from Jesus’ parables.

• Pastors, teachers, and small-group leaders who need a trustworthy guide for preaching or leading studies on Matthew 13.

• Christians seeking clarity about the Kingdom of God—how it works now, what it means for mission, and how it will be fulfilled.

• Readers who appreciate thoughtful, devotional theology—serious but warm, doctrinal but practical.

• Anyone discouraged by the world’s conflict and confusion, who needs a larger biblical perspective on God’s reign and God’s future.

Why It Still Matters Today

The parables of the Kingdom speak directly to a world where faith can feel hidden, mixed, and contested. Morgan’s work helps you hold together two truths at once: God is ruling, and the conflict is real; the Kingdom is present, and its fullness is coming. If you want to understand Jesus’ Kingdom teaching with greater depth—and live with steadier courage in your own generation—this book is a wise and rewarding companion.

About This Modernized Edition

This modernized edition of The Parables of the Kingdom is prepared to help today’s readers engage G. Campbell Morgan’s rich teaching with greater clarity and ease—without altering the substance of his message.

The original work reflects the vocabulary, sentence structure, and punctuation of an earlier era. In this edition, the language has been carefully updated for readability while remaining faithful to Morgan’s intent, tone, and theological emphasis. Long or densely constructed sentences have been refined for smoother comprehension, and obvious typographical or scanning errors have been corrected. The goal is to remove unnecessary barriers, so the reader can focus on the beauty and force of the author’s argument.

To preserve the integrity of the book, all Bible verses and Scripture references are kept unchanged. The text has also been formatted with clean headings and standard paragraphs to read comfortably in both eBook and print.

If you have appreciated Morgan’s insight but found older prose difficult to follow, this edition is designed for you—offering the same classic content in a presentation that is clear, accessible, and consistent for modern reading.

About the Author: G. Campbell Morgan (1863–1945) — The Prince of Expositors

G. Campbell Morgan (1863–1945) was one of the most influential Bible teachers and expository preachers of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, widely respected on both sides of the Atlantic for his clear, text-driven preaching and his ability to unfold Scripture with warmth and conviction.

Morgan served as pastor of Westminster Chapel, London, in two major periods (early in the 1900s and again later in life), where his preaching and Bible teaching drew large crowds and helped shape a generation of evangelical ministry. In his later years at Westminster he played a significant mentoring role, helping bring Martyn Lloyd-Jones into the pulpit and preparing the way for him to become his successor.

As a writer, Morgan was remarkably prolific. Readers have long turned to works such as The Crises of the Christ (a focused study of key events in Jesus’ life), The Great Physician (meditations on Christ’s compassionate dealings with individuals), The Acts of the Apostles, and The Gospel According to Luke, along with larger teaching resources like The Analyzed Bible and collections of his preaching such as The Westminster Pulpit.

In The Parables of the Kingdom, Morgan brings his greatest strengths into a single, memorable study: careful attention to the flow of the Gospel text, a disciplined approach to interpreting parables, and a steady focus on what Jesus reveals about the Kingdom of Heaven in the present age. If you’re new to Morgan, this book is an excellent place to begin—clear enough for serious readers, substantial enough for teachers, and spiritually bracing for anyone who wants to understand Christ’s Kingdom teaching with greater depth.

Contents

About the Book 3

About This Modernized Edition 5

About the Author 6

CHAPTER 1 — THE PARABOLIC METHOD 7

CHAPTER 2 — THE SCHEME OF THE DISCOURSE 17

CHAPTER 3 — THE PARABLE OF THE SEED 28

CHAPTER 4 — THE PARABLE OF THE DARNEL 38

CHAPTER 5 — THE PARABLE OF THE MUSTARD SEED 47

CHAPTER 6 — THE PARABLE OF THE LEAVENED MEAL 55

CHAPTER 7 — THE PARABLE OF THE HIDDEN TREASURE 63

CHAPTER 8 — THE PARABLE OF THE PEARL 73

CHAPTER 9 — THE PARABLE OF THE NET 83

CHAPTER 10 — THE PARABLE OF THE HOUSEHOLDER 92

CHAPTER 1 — THE PARABOLIC METHOD

“On that day went Jesus out of the house, and sat by the sea side. And there were gathered unto Him great multitudes, so that He entered into a boat, and sat; and all the multitude stood on the beach. And He spake to them many things in parables.”—Matthew xiii. 1–3a.

“And the disciples came, and said unto Him, Why speakest Thou unto them in parables? And He answered and said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven, but to them it is not given. For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that which he hath. Therefore speak I to them in parables; because seeing they see not, and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. And unto them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah, which saith,

“By hearing ye shall hear, and shall in no wise understand;
And seeing ye shall see, and shall in no wise perceive:
For this people’s heart is waxed gross,
And their ears are dull of hearing,
And their eyes they have closed;
Lest haply they should perceive with their eyes,
And hear with their ears,
And understand with their heart,
And should turn again,
And I should heal them.

But blessed are your eyes, for they see; and your ears, for they hear.”—Vers. 10–16.

“All these things spake Jesus in parables unto the multitudes; and without a parable spake He nothing unto them: that it might be fulfilled which was written by the prophet, saying,

I will open my mouth in parables;
I will utter things hidden from the foundation of the world.”—Vers. 34, 35.

“And it came to pass, when Jesus had finished these parables, He departed thence.”—Ver. 53.

I. THE PARABOLIC METHOD

Matthew 13 is naturally full of interest to every student of the teaching of Jesus. In it we find truth set forth concerning the establishment and progress of the Kingdom of Heaven in this age. Any study of it, if it is to be truly valuable, requires careful consideration of its scope and its method. The present discourse proposes to deal with the parabolic nature of the method; the scope and scheme of the chapter will be considered later.

There is, however, one matter concerning this scheme that should be stated at once, as a guide to the whole method of consideration that will be followed. In this series the chapter is to be regarded as a set discourse of Jesus, and not as a collection of truths taken from the Saviour’s teaching at different times and arranged by Matthew as though they formed one consecutive discourse. Dean Alford’s words on the subject may be quoted, as giving a simple yet sufficient reason for holding this view.

The seven parables related in this chapter cannot be regarded as a collection made by the evangelist, as related to one subject, the Kingdom of Heaven and its development; they are clearly indicated by verse 53 to have been all spoken on one and the same occasion (the italics are Dean Alford’s), and form indeed a complete and glorious whole in their inner and deeper sense.

From the chapter we have selected portions that constitute its framework rather than its essential message. The King was approaching the great crisis in His proclamation, when it would be necessary for Him to challenge His disciples as to the result of His mission, and their opinion concerning Him. In view of this, and in all probability in preparation for it, He uttered this parabolic discourse. It is in large measure illuminated by the experiences of His ministry, and it illuminates the future for them in the matter of their ministry.

Let us first briefly examine this group of Scriptures, which forms the foundation of our present study.

Verses 1–3a. We first see the King as He comes out from the house in which He had been holding communion with His disciples, and takes the seat of a Teacher by the sea. Multitudes gathered about Him, and “He spake to them many things in parables.”

Verses 10–16. In the midst of this discourse—indeed, after the first of the parables—His disciples came to Him and asked, “Why speakest Thou unto them in parables?” Then follows the answer He gave them, which contains for us His own explanation of His method.

Verses 34, 35. At the close of the account of the parables addressed to the multitudes, Matthew carefully states the fact that here He adopted the method of parable, and announces his reason for recording it.

Verse 53. The last verse (53), read in connection with the first three, reveals the boundaries of the discourse.

The question of the disciples, “Why speakest Thou unto them in parables?” is our own question as we begin our study of this discourse. Perhaps we shall best understand the answer as we look at the question in its context of time and circumstance. It seems evident that at this point in His ministry Jesus began, in practice, a new method. So far as we are able to trace the story of that ministry chronologically, it becomes clear that He had already made some use of the parable-method in His teaching, but now He pressed it into service and employed it supremely. I think the disciples noticed the change, and therefore asked Him the question. He had usually spoken with perfect plainness and definiteness; now He began to present truth in the garb of the parable.

Perhaps the force of their question is discovered by placing the emphasis upon the words “unto them,” for in His answer Jesus immediately said, “Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven, but to them it is not given.” If this contrast between the multitudes and themselves was in their mind—and if it was a real one, as the reply of Jesus would lead us to think—it must still be remembered that before the discourse was finished He addressed Himself to them also in parables. I call attention to this again, in order that we may understand at once that whatever reason led Him to adopt the parabolic method with the multitudes, it obtained also, in some degree at that time, in the case of His own disciples.

We are not left to speculation as to the meaning of the method. The King answered their question, and His explanation of His own method must be accepted. It is, however, of such a nature as to demand very careful consideration, or it may be entirely misinterpreted. I utter this word of warning because I am convinced that it often is sadly misinterpreted, and much of its most tender purpose is lost.

Let us first inquire into the meaning of the word parable. Literally, it is a throwing or placing of things side by side, with the suggestion of comparison. Something is placed alongside something else, with the intention of explaining the one by the other. Such is the method of the parable. The old and simple definition many of us remember from childhood comes back to us: “A parable is an earthly story with a heavenly meaning.” That is to say, some familiar thing of earth is placed alongside some mysterious thing of Heaven, so that our understanding of the one may help us to understand the other. The method is that of taking one set of facts—familiar and material—and making them explanatory of others—strange and spiritual. In the teaching of Jesus, a parable was invariably a picture of things seen, intended to reveal and explain things unseen. A rapid glance over this chapter will show how the King used the things most common in the experience of those among whom He was teaching for this purpose.

I do not suppose that if Jesus were teaching in London to-day He would use any of the comparisons He used then; rather, He would draw attention to the common sights of city life and use them as illustrations. All the parables of this chapter were events under actual observation, or within the immediate experience, of the men He was teaching. Perhaps, even then, a sower could be seen in the distance scattering his seed. A field sown with wheat and intermixed with darnel was familiar to them from boyhood. The mustard tree, about which we know so little, they knew full well. The woman hiding the leaven in the meal was an everyday home picture. Treasure found in a field was not so common, but it was not unknown; and so with the merchant seeking pearls. The fisherman with his net, and the householder of the final parable, were perhaps the most familiar of all.

We are a little shocked in the present day if ministers preach on such subjects as “wireless telegraphy,” “road-making,” or even “Baxter’s Second Innings”; and yet, is not this method of the parable Christ’s own method? I freely confess my own inability in such a form of teaching. I dare not attempt a method so delicate and beautiful. I have no hesitation, however, in saying that if Jesus were in London, He would take as His illustrations the common things of the streets and the newspaper, and use them as mirrors of eternal truth.

In the use of the parable it is always necessary to emphasize the teaching of similarity and disparity. The similarity of principle is emphasized by the recognition of disparity. I say this to warn the youngest Bible student. To forget the teaching of disparity is to fall into the terrible blunder of fanciful interpretation.

Perhaps an illustration will be helpful. I distinctly remember in my boyhood hearing an excellent man preach from the parable of the Good Samaritan; and though I was only a lad, the whole thing was so grotesque to me that for many years I was afraid to try to speak of the parables at all. He informed us that Jesus was represented by the Good Samaritan, and the man fallen among thieves was the sinner. I am not sure that even these applications are warranted; but the folly of trying to carry out every detail of the picture will be seen when I tell you that he went on to declare that the inn was the Church, the innkeeper the Holy Spirit, and the two pence represented food and raiment, wherewith we are to be content during “the little while.” This is a conspicuous example of how not to deal with parables. We must watch for similarity of principle and disparity of detail.

The question now naturally arises: Why did Jesus adopt this parabolic method of teaching? What was His intention? Let me answer first with a simple statement based on what we have already seen. The purpose of the parable is revelation by illustration, and the method is always intended to aid, and never to hinder, understanding. I make this statement deliberately, in order to arrest attention. I know of nothing more curious—and at the same time more pernicious—than a certain interpretation of the motive the King had in His use of parables, and I feel it is of the greatest importance that we should avoid it. I refer to the view that our Lord adopted the parabolic method with His hearers because He had abandoned them in anger, and that His purpose was to hide His truth so that they should not see it. This I most strenuously deny to be true. Christ never adopted any method characterized by such subtlety and cruelty. He never professed to be teaching men while at the same time resolutely trying to hide truth from them. To charge Him with doing so would be to charge Him with dishonesty.

The parable is an aid, not a hindrance. It veils truth, not that men may not grasp it, but that it shall not escape them. There is a sense in which the sun is hidden by the piece of smoked glass a boy holds before his eyes; yet without such an instrument he could not look upon the sun at all. Essential light, unveiled, blinds. Its veiling is the opportunity of vision.

It is not for us, however, to speculate, but to listen to what the King Himself said in answer to the disciples’ inquiry. Let us hear all He says, not contenting ourselves with His first sentence, but giving attention to His whole explanation. In answer to the inquiry, “Why speakest Thou unto them in parables?” He said, “Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven, but to them it is not given.” That is the first part of His answer; and though I am not going to make the mistake of treating that utterance as the whole of His answer, it is well to pause over these first sentences. If Jesus had said no more than this, I should have drawn the deduction that I maintain has often been falsely made. I should have understood Him to mean that He was compelled to use the method of the parable with these people because it was intended that they should not know the truths concealed.

Having made such a deduction, I should have been sorely perplexed. The whole meaning of His mission was that of giving men “to know the mysteries of the Kingdom,” and why at any time should He use a method ordinarily employed for illumination in order to reverse His intention of revelation and produce the opposite effect in His hearers?

But let us follow Him further, and the meaning of the first statement becomes apparent. “For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that which he hath.” Note carefully the contrast this explains. “Unto you it is given … to them it is not given.” Now the explanation: “Whosoever hath, to him shall be given.” He declared that it was given to His disciples to know the mysteries. Why was this knowledge given to them? According to the Teacher’s explanation, it was because of something they already possessed.

Now turn to the contrasted position: “But whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that which he hath.” He declared it was not given to these men to know the mysteries. Why was that knowledge denied? According to His own explanation, it was because of something they lacked. These men lacked what the disciples possessed—something the possession of which created capacity to receive the mysteries of the Kingdom. It was therefore not possible for them to grasp these mysteries; and even what understanding they did possess they were in danger of losing.

What, then, did the disciples of Jesus possess that these men lacked? To answer, let us ask it another way. What was the essential difference between the disciples and the rulers and multitudes standing around? Did it not lie here: the disciples had received Jesus as King; and by reason of that act, and their attitude toward Him, they had become able to receive the mysteries of His Kingdom?

The people, notwithstanding His ministry, had rejected Him up to this time; therefore He could not give to them—nor could they have received—the mysteries of the Kingdom. To the men who had crowned Him, He belonged; and all the principles and privileges of the Kingdom they were able to appreciate and possess. The others had thus far refused their allegiance and were therefore unable to see, or enter into, the Kingdom.

If we go further back for a moment, we may state the case thus. All these men among whom the ministry of Jesus had been exercised had preliminary knowledge of the ways of God as a result of the religion in which they had been born and trained. In fulfilment of the messages of their own Scriptures He had come. Some received Him; others rejected Him. To those receiving Him were given the mysteries of the Kingdom. To those rejecting Him these messages could not be given, and they were in danger of losing the real value of all they had gained through their early religious training.

Now, with these men to whom the secrets of the Kingdom were denied because of their disloyalty to the King, Jesus adopted a new method. He would give them pictures to lure them toward the truth.

Follow Him still further: “Therefore speak I to them in parables; because seeing they see not, and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. And unto them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah, which saith,

By hearing ye shall hear, and shall in no wise understand;
And seeing ye shall see, and shall in no wise perceive.”

That was the ancient prophecy of Isaiah, and Christ declared it was fulfilled in the case of the people to whom the mysteries of the Kingdom were “not given.” They were the people who, hearing, did not understand; and seeing, did not see, nor perceive. Upon whom is the blame of their blindness and deafness to be laid? In answer, let us continue the quotation as Christ continued it.

“For this people’s heart is waxed gross,
And their ears are dull of hearing,
And their eyes they have closed;
Lest haply they should perceive with their eyes,
And hear with their ears,
And understand with their heart,
And should turn again,
And I should heal them.”

Here the heart of the whole subject is laid bare. Christ declared, in effect, that these people did not see what His disciples saw. They saw without seeing; they heard without hearing. And why? They had shut their eyes lest they should see, and stopped their ears lest they should hear. They had rejected the King at the beginning of His ministry, and without the King they had no key to the mysteries of the Kingdom.

Because of this dulness, consequent upon disobedience, He now proceeded to address them in parables. Nowhere is the infinite pity of the heart of God, revealed in Jesus Christ, more beautifully seen than in these parables. The people were half intoxicated and slumbering in grossness, consequent upon wilful closing of their eyes; and by the parabolic method He attempted to arouse them.

We should be perfectly justified if, in all reverence, we described this method of the Master as that of the kindergarten. The people did not understand the principle. Their eyes were heavy and their ears shut because they did not want to understand. They were afraid of what they might see and hear if they were obedient to the first things He had said to them. Therefore they had closed their eyes and ears and hearts against Him, and so were missing the infinite music of His teaching.

To such people He turns once more, as though He would say: If you will not hear the essential things of which I came to speak, let Me talk to you of the things with which you are familiar—the earthly things. In His heart was the purpose of revealing the heavenly meaning through the earthly symbol.

We have all seen a skilful teacher arrest a class with a story. Here, then, is the vision of the great Teacher, speaking in parables—not in order that these men might not see, nor hear, nor feel, but in order to constrain them to a willingness to see and hear and feel. So far as we are concerned, herein lies the vindication of every method which in itself is upright and pure: it will make men listen. A flag, a brass band, a picture, a story—anything to awaken the wilfully blind and godless age. Men are as much asleep to-day as they ever were. Seeing, they still see not; and hearing, they hear not; and we still need the parable, the picture, to awaken them and make them think.

Presently we shall see that Jesus had to use the same method with His disciples, and for the same reason. Their vision was not yet perfectly clear, for they had not yet absolutely surrendered everything to His Kingship. There were things, therefore, that He could only interpret to them in this way. Yet I think we shall feel, as we study the parables He used in the case of His disciples, that they were more delicate, more beautiful, finer in texture than those He used in addressing the multitudes.

This preliminary study is intended to redeem the method of the Master from grievous misinterpretation. The parable is always the method of Infinite Love. It is the method adopted in grace to meet the need of near-sightedness. All that it suggests to us is ultimately interpreted and enlarged by more direct teaching. We are, then, to look in the series of pictures presented in this chapter for figurative illustration of essential truth concerning His Kingdom; and in doing so we must be careful to remember His purpose, and to watch constantly for the teaching of similarity and disparity.

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