The First Parable

Transcript

GR 692
12/2/1984
The First Parable
Matthew 13:3-9, 18-23
Gil Rugh

Matthew closed Matthew 12 with a reference to the physical family of Christ showing that physical ties are no longer significant. Since the nation was rejecting His offer of the kingdom, Christ was, in effect, making a break with the nation Israel as far as offering the kingdom to them was concerned. In the context of the Jews having rejected the Messiah, Matthew continues in Matthew 13 and records Jesus speaking to the nation in parables.
In the previous study, consideration was given to the kingdom of heaven as referred to by Matthew. That phrase always refers to the kingdom promised and prophesied to Israel in the Old Testament. The kingdom of heaven includes the kingdom that will be established when Christ sets up a kingdom on earth and then it continues for all eternity.
The time referred to as the Millennium, the 1,000-year reign of Christ on earth, is the first stage in that eternal kingdom. Frequently I refer to the Millennium and the kingdom of heaven interchangeably. However, the Millennium is the first stage of a kingdom which is eternal and over which Christ will rule and reign. That is the kingdom to which Matthew 13 is referring and it is the period of time to which these parables relate.
Christ introduces new material in Matthew 13: the fact that there will be a gap of time before the setting up of the kingdom promised in the Old Testament. The disciples were looking for the kingdom at the time Christ was present on the earth at His first coming. However, because Christ was rejected by the Jews, that kingdom was not established at that time. It is not known how much time there will be before the kingdom is established, but in Matthew 13 the fact that there will be a gap is revealed for the first time.
The Old Testament prophets saw both the sufferings of Christ and the glorious reign of Christ. It seemed to happen at one time, and they could not understand it. This point is made in 1 Peter 1:10,11: “As to this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace that would come to you made careful searches and inquiries, seeking to know what person or time the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating as He predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow.” They did not understand how a suffering Messiah could rule and reign in glory. Now Christ unfolds to them how that will be possible by declaring that there will be a gap between the first coming of Christ at the time He offered the kingdom to the nation and the Second Coming at which time He would actually establish a kingdom.
In considering the parables of Matthew 13, note the following facts. First, the focal point in the parables is on preparing the people of Israel for the kingdom. Jesus speaks in Matthew 13:38 about the sons of the kingdom as He discusses the preparation of the people for the kingdom. Secondly, the time involved begins with the first coming of Christ and events while He was on earth at His first coming. This is clear from Jesus’ statement in Matthew 13:37, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man.” In this picture the Son of Man is the sower. Sowing the seed must begin with Jesus.

Thirdly, the time frame includes the end of the Tribulation and the Second Coming of Christ. The parable of the wheat and tares and the parable of the dragnet both occur at the end of the seven-year Tribulation, the Seventieth Week of Daniel. That will be covered in detail in the study of those parables. The time involved, therefore, encompasses from the first coming to the Second Coming of Christ.
Fourthly, the kingdom is future as clearly stated in Matthew 13:43: “Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father.” The righteous will shine in the kingdom after the Tribulation when the wicked have been removed and the Son reigns in glory.
So the parables cover the time from the first coming of Christ to His Second Coming. That includes the period of time in which we are living, so it obviously includes the Church, because the Church is existing in the time gap between Christ’s first and second comings. In fact, believers today are being prepared as a people for this future earthly kingdom. Revelation 20:4-6 talks about the first resurrection. “First resurrection ” refers to a quality of resurrection and is not necessarily speaking of a particular time. This resurrection includes every believer from all time who will ever be saved. These believers will all be raised to rule and reign with Christ for a thousand years.
The kingdom Christ is talking about in fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy, particularly the millennial aspect of that kingdom, focuses on the nation Israel and is Jewish in character. The Jews will be the key nation in the world, and the Messiah who reigns over the world will be a Jew, Christ Himself. Other people will be included in that kingdom, and the Church, in effect, will be the spiritual nucleus of that kingdom. The millennial aspect of the kingdom is very important to us as believers in Christ who are part of the Church because that is the wedding feast celebrating our marriage as the Bride of Christ. Revelation 19 unfolds the Second Coming of Christ to earth in glory, the details of which are also revealed in Matthew 24.
The Apostle John records in Revelation 19:7, “Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready.” The verb translated “has come” could also be translated “has occurred. ” Believers will already have been taken to heaven where the marriage has occurred.
John continues, “It was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. Then he said to me, ‘Write, “Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb”’” (vv. 8,9). The friends of the bridegroom, a designation for Old Testament saints and the Jews, are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb. As Christ prepares to come to earth, blessing is promised to those who are invited to come into the wedding feast. Matthew 25 presents the parable of the ten virgins representing the nation Israel that is ready for the reception of the Messiah when He comes at the Second Coming. Those who are ready will go into the wedding feast.
The kingdom that Christ will establish is important for the Church as we are being prepared for participation in that kingdom. In the previous study I referred to ultradispensationalists and indicated that I am not one. The fact that I see the Church as having a part in the kingdom excludes me from identity as an ultradispensationalist because they do not see any place in the kingdom for the Church.
I do see the Church involved in the kingdom, but I believe that the focal point of emphasis in Matthew 13 is not on the Church, but rather on God’s program for the Jews as a people and as a nation. This is indicated by the fact that in two of the parables the events occur at the end of the Tribulation and the description is of Jews who survive the Tribulation and are brought into judgment by Christ at His Second Coming. The Church will be taken from the earth seven years earlier at the Rapture.

Even though the period of time included in the parables of Matthew 13 encompasses both the first coming and the Second Coming of Christ, the focal point seems to be on events related to the first coming and events surrounding the seven-year Tribulation which is the preparation of Israel for the coming of the Messiah. I believe this is the prime interpretation of the parables of Matthew 13 although I believe there is application for the Church from these parables.
In the previous study I noted that the word translated “parable” means to place beside something. In a parable an earthly fact is placed beside a spiritual truth. One of the prime purposes of the parables was to keep the unbelievers from being exposed to the truth. That was an evidence of the grace of God toward unbelievers because the more truth an unbeliever is exposed to and rejects, the greater condemnation he is under. A few guidelines will help in interpreting the parables.
First, be aware of the historical circumstances around the parables. They must be interpreted in light of their historical setting, and it is important to be careful not to read experiences of our day into the parables. For example, when Matthew refers to a sower going out to sow seed, we must think of what a sower would have done in biblical times, not a modern-day farmer.
Secondly, the context is crucial. You cannot understand a parable properly apart from its context because it is an earthly story, but it illustrates a spiritual truth which must come out of its contextual setting. For example, the parables of Matthew 13 must be understood in light of the rejection of the Messiah in Matthew 12 and in light of how Jesus says they relate to the kingdom of heaven. These parables do not relate to the Church, although there is application for the Church. But the interpretation of the parables must relate to the kingdom of heaven and the kingdom Christ is going to establish on earth.
Thirdly, compare Scripture with Scripture. You must not wander far and wide in your interpretation of the parables. The interpretation must be consistent with Scripture itself.
Fourthly, and perhaps most important, one central truth is being taught in each parable. It is necessary to determine what truth is being taught in each parable. It is not appropriate to try to find something significant about every little detail of a parable. Many of the details are there just to make the story flow, but there is one central spiritual truth being conveyed in each parable. A caution frequently stated warns against making a parable “walkon all fours.” In each parable in Matthew 13, the goal is to find the basic truth which is being conveyed in that parable.
The first parable in Matthew 13 is called the parable of the sower or the parable of the soils. Some refer to it as the parable of the sower because it begins, “Behold, the sower went out to sow” (v. 3). Others refer to it as the parable of the soils because the focal point and expansion of the parable relates to the soil and how it receives the seed. Either description is acceptable.
The parable continues, “and as he sowed, some seeds fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate them up. Others fell on the rocky places, where they did not have much soil; and immediately they sprang up, because they had no depth of soil. But when the sun had risen, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away. Others fell among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked them out. And others fell on the good soil and yielded a crop, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty. He who has ears, let him hear” (Matt. 13:4-9).
It is not difficult to interpret this parable because Christ interpreted it for us. Therefore, there is not a lot of room for disagreement about its interpretation. Jesus began the interpretation of the parable in Matthew 13:18 in the presence of the disciples. There are three factors of importance in this parable, the sower, the seed and the soils.
As Jesus introduces the parable in Matthew 13:3, He simply says, “Behold, the sower went out to sow.” In this parable Jesus does not say anything about the sower. However, later in Matthew 13 in the parable of the wheat and tares, Jesus identifies the sower as “the son of Man” (v. 37). There is no reason to make any different identification of the sower in the first parable.
The sower also represents all who serve Christ by spreading the seed. This becomes clear in the parables because some of the sowing is done during the time of the Tribulation which is yet future, a point that is true in the parable of the wheat and the tares. In that parable both the wheat and the tares grow together through the Great Tribulation until the Second Coming of Christ when the angels come and sort them out. Christ will not be personally on the earth sowing the seed then.
Therefore, the sower must also include those who are representatives of the Son of Man. That also fits Jesus’ statement in John 20:21, “As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.”
In previous studies Jesus has identified Himself with those He has sent. “He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me” (Matt. 10:40). Those who go as Christ’s representatives stand in His place. That is what Paul was talking about in 2 Corinthians 5:20 when he said, “Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.” Jesus said in Acts 1:8, “You shall be My witnesses.”
Paul discusses this concept in more detail in 1 Corinthians 3:5-9: “What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, even as the Lord gave opportunity to each one. I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth. Now he who plants and he who waters are one; but each will receive his own reward according to his own labor. For we are God’s fellow workers.” It is a remarkable concept that as we are involved in the ministry God has called us to, we are fellow workers with God because we are used in accomplishing His purposes in the lives of those to whom we minister. Therefore, the sower going forth to sow refers to Christ and the representatives that He uses in spreading His word.
The sower going forth to sow pictures Christ and His representatives giving those who hear the Word of the kingdom that God has promised and prophesied in the Old Testament. This will be particularly significant during the seven-year Tribulation as it was also significant at Christ’s first coming. During the Tribulation, the proclamation will continue to be made to Israel, and through Israel to the nations of the world, that the Messiah is coming to establish the kingdom which has been promised and prophesied.
The second important factor in this parable is the seed which is being sown. The seed is identified in Matthew 13:19 as “the word of the kingdom.” The message concerning the kingdom is directly in view in this parable. In Luke 8, Luke gives his account of this parable, “The seed is the word of God” (v. 11). In Matthew 13 the particular aspect of emphasis in the Word of God is the message concerning the Messiah and His kingdom, but one characteristic of the Word of God in its entirety is that life is in it. The Word of God is life-giving and life-producing.
After Mark records the parable of the sower, he records another parable in Mark 4 which Matthew does not include. The purpose of this parable is to show that the seed has life in it. Mark wrote, “And He was saying, ‘The kingdom of God is like a man who casts seed upon the soil; and he goes to bed at night and gets up by day, and the seed sprouts up and grows-how, he himself does not know” (vv. 26,27). The thrust of Mark’s account is to show that there is life, vitality and power in the seed. It germinates and springs to life on its own. Life is inherent in the seed. There are certain things you can do to encourage the seed to sprout to life, such as making sure it gets sunlight and water. But if you plant a rock, no matter how much water or sunlight you give it, it will not grow because there is no life in a rock.
The important thing in the parable in Mark 4:26-29 is that the seed of the Word of God is alive. That is where the power is resident. The Apostle Paul said in Romans 1:16, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation.” The gospel, the good news about Christ’s death and resurrection, has power to bring about salvation.
In and of itself, it is alive and powerful. “For the Word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword” (Heb. 4:12). The Word of God is unique and remarkable. I am still amazed at that fact after being a believer for over thirty years. It still boggles my mind that you can take the Bible and share the words of its pages, and as people hear and believe it, it brings about transformation of lives. You can read any other book that has ever been written, but it will not have the power and life that this Book has because it is the Word of God.
James 1:21 (KJV) refers to “the engrafted (impregnated) word which is able to save your souls.” The Word of God has the power to save. “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ” (Rom. 10:17). As people hear and believe the Word, salvation occurs in a supernatural process. Only the Word of God is able to save your soul.
Anyone who is ever saved at any time is saved because he heard the good news of the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ and believed it. The Apostle Peter wrote, “For you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God” (1 Pet. 1:23). Recently a new believer from our congregation asked the minister of one of the larger churches in town about salvation. That man had the nerve to say that you can be a Christian without ever hearing the gospel. The stupidity of a man who supposedly knows something about the Word of God is amazing. The Bible itself says that we are born again by the living and abiding Word of God, yet this man says you need never hear the gospel in order to be a Christian. There is no hope of salvation for anyone who does not hear the gospel. That is why it is important for everyone to hear the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ. We ought not to “sell short” the Word of God. When we share the gospel, we are not just spouting off verses; we are disseminating a seed which has life in it. It may not germinate immediately, but as it is being sown, it has the power resident within it to bring about a miraculous, supernatural transformation of life.
There is one other aspect of this parable, a point of utmost significance. This parable focuses on the soil in which the seed is sown. The different soils in the parable represent four different heart conditions.
This parable helps us to understand that there are some people who hear the Word of God and nothing happens, even when the Son of God is the sower and when the seed is the Word of God which is alive and powerful, able to save the soul. The responsibility is placed on the person who hears. The response is dependent on the condition of the heart of the hearer.
If you share the gospel with people and it seems that nothing ever happens, it is possible that you are sowing the gospel on soil that is not productive. In biblical times the sower scattered the seed by hand. Some of the seed would fall on the path along the side of the field that was beaten hard from the traffic of people walking on it. Some of the seed would fall on shallow ground that had a layer of rock underneath it. Some would fall on ground that had the seed of thorns in it, and the other seeds would sprout up and strangle the seed. Some of the seed would fall on good ground. Each of these soils depicts a condition of the hearer’s heart.
The first condition of the heart is described in Matthew 13:19: “When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is the one on whom seed was sown beside the road.” When the seed is sown on the hard, beaten path, it does not penetrate the soil, but lays on the surface. There is no response. Satan, the evil one, eventually comes and snatches away that seed so that there is no result.
This describes the condition of the heart of one who does not understand or respond to the Word as it is given. The message concerning Christ is presented and the truth falls into the heart, but the person does not respond. The message does not penetrate and the person does not understand it. He may even be aggravated as he hears the message. His mind may also be occupied with other things so that the seed does not penetrate the heart.
In explaining this parable, Luke says, “Those beside the road are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their heart, so that they will not believe and be saved” (Luke 8:12). A person may hear
the life-transforming message of the gospel of Christ. Then the purpose of the Devil is to snatch the truth from the heart before the person responds and believes it. Before the person responds, his mind may be caught up with other things. If he has been exposed to the gospel in a church service, he may begin thinking about how pretty the day is, how nice it would be to have a picnic or where he plans to go for dinner. His mind may be caught up with the game which will be played or some other activity. With these distractions Satan has grasped the Word so that the person does not give it another thought.
Matthew 13:12 explains what happens in such circumstances: “For whoever has, to him more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him.” Those who do not accept the truth lose what they have.
Some respond positively while some do not. What is wrong when the seed is sown and nothing happens? The sower is the same, and the seed is the same. But the condition of the heart makes the difference. If the heart is not receptive, nothing is accomplished by the seed.
The Apostle Paul describes this work of Satan in 2 Corinthians 4:3,4: “And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” Satan’s goal is to keep the hearer from understanding and believing the gospel.
Jesus proceeds to the second kind of soil in Matthew 13:20,21: “The one on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, this is the man who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no firm root in himself, but is only temporary, and when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he falls away.” The soil described here is very shallow. In Palestine there is often a layer of limestone rock just under the soil. When seed is sown there, since there is no depth to the soil, the roots cannot go down deep. The heat of the sun and the moisture of the soil cause the seed to immediately sprout. All the energy is utilized to send up the sprout, but there is no depth of soil where the root can go deeper.
This pictures a person who hears the truth and suddenly responds to what he thinks he wants. There is an immediate emotional response. Verse 21 describes the results: “Yet he has no firm root in himself, but is only temporary, and when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he falls away.”
A significant phrase occurs in each verse: he “immediately receives it with joy” (v. 20) and “immediately he falls away” (v. 21). This pictures an emotional grasping of the message. “Oh, yes, ” he replies, “that is what I always wanted. ” Yet there is no true depth, so as soon as the person runs into affliction and persecution, pictured by the sun beating down, he shrivels up and dies away.
When people oppose this individual for his faith in Christ, “immediately he falls away” [skandalizo] (v. 21). Jesus used the same word in Matthew 11:6: “And blessed is he who does not take offense [skandalizo] at Me.” The one who falls away stumbles over Christ or is scandalized because of Him. He is not a true believer at all and is responding only emotionally. You have probably seen many individuals respond in this way. After someone shared the gospel with them, they lit up like a light bulb, bounced up to the ceiling and floated around for a while. But then when some opposition from family and friends came, they were gone just that quickly. They came quickly and went away in the same way.
This is not to say that there is anything wrong with an emotional response to the gospel. The moment you trusted Christ may well have been the most emotional moment of your life. There is nothing wrong with overwhelming joy at the time of your conversion. But if the seed puts down roots, it will exhibit durability which will characterize the one who has believed, even in the midst of opposition, persecution and resistance.
Jesus moves on to describe another kind of soil in Mathew 13:22: “And the one on whom seed was sown among the thorns, this is the man who hears the word, and the worry of the world and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the
word, and it becomes unfruitful.” This seed falls on ground where thorns are present. Maybe they are not visible yet, but within the soil there are the seeds of weeds and thorns. We know what happens to seed sown in this kind of soil. When the good seeds begin to grow, the weeds and thorns strangle the good seed.
Christ says the weeds and thorns picture the person who is overcome with the worries of the world. The word “worry” in the phrase “worry of the world” in verse 22 is the same word “worry” used in Matthew 6:25,27,28,31,34. This word is used several other times in the New Testament where believers are instructed not to be anxious which means having an improper care and concern about worldly things. If you are concerned and anxious about the things of this world, then you try to reach for security in tangible things. In Mark’s recording of the same parable, in addition to “the worries of the world,” he speaks of “the deceitfulness of riches” (Mark 4:19). This is the desire or lust for things. Luke adds the “pleasures of this life” (Luke 8:14).
Such a person is concerned not only about the worries of the world but also the deceitfulness of riches and the pleasures of this life. The tragedy of such a life is that there is no room in this heart for the Word of God because the person’s life is already full. He is completely occupied with the things of the world so that there is no room for Jesus Christ. The seed falls there, but the heart is already occupied. Rather than concentrating on the Word of God, the person is thinking about how his investments are doing, whether he will get promoted, how much he will make, whether he can buy the house or car he wants, where he will go on vacation or how secure he will be for retirement. These kinds of things clutter the life and fill the heart so that the Word of God is strangled and no fruit is produced.
You have probably known many individuals who have no room for the Word in their lives but concede that it is good for other people. I have known some who were blessed materially and who have heard the Word of God week in and week out. Yet to the best of my knowledge, the Word never found a place in their hearts. They were always preoccupied with other things. The seed was sown, but it was strangled and rendered lifeless.
In such a cluttered heart, the Word of God comes to nothing. What a tragedy! That is why Jesus said, “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God” (Matt. 19:24). The heart of such a person is full of so many things that there is no room for the Word of God. Although Jesus is talking about unbelievers here, I believe the same application can be made to believers. The weeds and thorns of this life can still strangle the life out of the Word in believers’ lives because they get so caught up in things. You have probably heard believers say, “Oh, yes, I’m going to serve the Lord after I get established in my job,” or many other things they can list. The tragedy is that the “after” they talk about never comes.
After reading about all the kinds of soil upon which the seed is sown without effect, it is easy to get discouraged. But Matthew 13:23 provides encouragement; “And the one on whom seed was sown on the good soil, this is the man who hears the word and understands it; who indeed bears fruit and brings forth, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty.” The good soil produces a good crop, even a hundredfold. That is quite an increase! Genesis 26:12 reports a crop Isaac sowed in which the increase was a hundredfold. Notice that all soil does not produce with the same amount of increase, but all the good soil produces, some thirtyfold and some a hundredfold. There is quite a difference in the increase, some producing over three times as much fruit as another, but the point is that the good soil produces.
When seed falls on a heart that has been prepared by God, that seed is understood and accepted. Perhaps the most immediate context identifies the fruit as the understanding of the Word of God. That is what Jesus talked about in Matthew 13:12: “For whoever has, to him more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him.” This verse describes a person who accepts the Word as one who is continually growing and increasing in knowledge and understanding of God’s Word, plan and purposes.
Another fruit produced in such a life is the fruit of the Spirit as identified in Galatians 5:22 and 23: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”
Sometimes we get discouraged that there are not more results when we sow the Word. But we have to back up and ask what we are sowing. Are we still sowing the Word of God? It is alive and powerful, but I am not responsible for the condition of the heart in which it is sowed. The hearer is responsible for the soil of his own heart. We must sow the Word faithfully, but if that Word falls on the beaten path of a person who does not understand it and is not interested, there is nothing we can do to make it penetrate that hardened soil. If it falls on the shallow ground of an emotional person who jumps on it and runs off to chase something else, we cannot do anything about that. Neither can we do anything about the heart of the person whose life is so full of worthless things that there is no room for the Word. But we can sow the Word and know that by the grace of God it will fall on some prepared hearts.
It takes time for the seed to reveal the results. Even here in the parable of the sower, we see that there will be a gap of time before the results are evident. The disciples could not determine the kind of soil they were sowing their seed on at the time they sowed it. Some who responded immediately would wither away under persecution. It takes time to see the results of seed sown on good ground. As it is nurtured and nourished it bears fruit.
The responsibility of believers is clear. We must be sowing the Word of God if there is to be any crop at all. Nothing happens to bring about the transformation of lives if the Word of God is not sown.
People are not transformed by hearing religious messages, by being baptized, by participating in the sacraments, by being confirmed or by becoming members of a church. People are transformed by being exposed to the truth of the Word of God and believing that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, died for them personally. Our responsibility is to be faithful sowers. How God chooses to use that seed in the heart is between the one who hears and God. The condition of the heart of the listener determines the response.
We have been privileged to sow on ground that has been very fertile. The evidence of that is obvious, as many have trusted Christ. Some people sow where the ground is less fertile, and they do not see the same response. That is not an indication that they are unfaithful. It is an indication that the soil is not as receptive.
What has been your response to the gospel? Your response is an intensely personal matter. What is the condition of your heart? No one knows the condition of the heart of another person, but you can determine what a person’s response is by his response to the Word of God. Is there room in your life for the truth of God? Have you ever stopped to consider what the Word of God means and what its message is for you? Have you ever believed that Jesus Christ is the Savior? Have you seen the transformation of your own life as a result of the seed of the Word falling on good soil?