USING *PARABLES TO COMMUNICATE WERE A HALLMARK JESUS’ TEACHING MINISTRY*
Jesus regularly wove these simple stories, filled with features and scenes that were easily recognizable to his audience into His messages in order to convey deep truths about His Kingdom and their place in it.
While it’s true that the reason that Jesus used parables to give difficult truths clarity, understandability and accessibility…that’s not the sole reason
“Then the disciples came up and asked him, “Why are you speaking to them in parables?”
He answered, “Because the secrets of the kingdom of heaven have been given for you to know, but it has not been given to them. For whoever has, more will be given to him, and he will have more than enough; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. That is why I speak to them in parables, because looking they do not see, and hearing they do not listen or understand.”
—Matthew 13:10-13
In this passage, Jesus explains that while His parables do illustrate and
To those who listened by faith, with believing hearts, and who sincerely desired to understand spiritual truth, the parables brough clarity.
But those same parables only confounded those who were proud, self-righteous and wise in their own eyes.
*THIS WAS ACTUALLY AN ACT OF MERCY ON THE UNBELIEVNG HEART *
You see, the more truth they heard from Christ, the more truth they were accountable for. The more they hardened their hearts against truth, the more severe their
“To whom much is given, much more will be required” —Luke 12:48
By concealing spiritual lessons in these parables, Jesus was keeping those who He knew would reject truth from piling up
“I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and revealed them to infants. Yes, Father, because this was your good pleasure.” —Matthew 11:25-26
“On that day Jesus went out of the house and was sitting by the sea. Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat down, while the whole crowd stood on the shore” —Matthew 13:1-2
“Then he told them many things in parables, saying, “Consider the sower who went out to sow. As he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them.” —Matthew 13:3-4
Jesus paints a picture of a sower planting seed in a field.
First Century fields in Israel were long narrow strips of land surrounded by footpaths. The sower, walking along the footpath, carried a seed bag and one handful of at a time, broadcast the seed over the field.
A skilled sower flings the seed as widely and evenly as he could, but even the best couldn’t do it perfectly. While his hopes were that the seed would find good soil and a crop would be produced, some of that seed would never take root because of where it landed.
Only the seed that found good soil would yield a harvest.
With this story, Jesus zeroes in on this reality: The productivity of the seed depends upon the condition of the soil.
Look again in verse 4 “Some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them”
Referring to those well beaten footpaths – compressed – seed can’t penetrate it / trampled & eaten.
“Other seed fell on rocky ground where it didn’t have much soil, and it grew up quickly since the soil wasn’t deep. But when the sun came up, it was scorched, and since it had no root, it withered away” —Matthew 13:5-6
ROCKY GROUND – limestone rock bed just under the surface of the dirt, just beyond the reach of a plow. The plant there springs up quickly but its roots cant get past the rock where the nutrient are.
“Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns came up and choked it.” —Matthew 13:7
This seed falls on ground that looks deceptively fertile.
It’s well cultivated, rich, and seems ready but just beneath the surface, the dense roots and tiny seeds of weeds that are ready to spring to life. They soak up the soils moisture, drain its nutrients, and produce useless foliage that will block sunlight from the crops – choking them out.
“Still other seed fell on good ground and produced fruit: some a hundred, some sixty, and some thirty times what was sown.” —Matthew 13:8
This is clean, fertile soil that is free of weeds - Roots penetrate deeply, crops thrive, grow and produce an abundance of fruit.
WHAT DOES ALL THIS MEAN?
“So listen to the parable of the sower: When anyone hears the word about the kingdom and doesn’t understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the one sown along the path. And the one sown on rocky ground—this is one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy. But he has no root and is short-lived. When distress or persecution comes because of the word, immediately he falls away. Now the one sown among the thorns—this is one who hears the word, but the worries of this age and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. But the one sown on the good ground—this is one who hears and understands the word, who does produce fruit and yields: some a hundred, some sixty, some thirty times what was sown.” —Matthew 13:18-23
It means that a persons response to the Word of God depends upon the condition of their heart
1. The
“When anyone hears the word about the kingdom and doesn’t understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the one sown along the path” —Matthew 13:19
2. The
“And the one sown on rocky ground—this is one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy. But he has no root and is short-lived. When distress or persecution comes because of the word, immediately he falls away” —Matthew 13:20-21
3. The
“Now the one sown among the thorns—this is one who hears the word, but the worries of this age and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.” —Matthew 13:22
4. The
“But the one sown on the good ground—this is one who hears and understands the word, who does produce fruit and yields: some a hundred, some sixty, some thirty times what was sown.” —Matthew 13:23
QUESTION TO PONDER: How is the condition of our hearts?