Then the disciples came and asked him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” He answered, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.

The reason I speak to them in parables is that ‘seeing they do not perceive, and hearing they do not listen, nor do they understand.’

For this people’s heart has grown dull,
and their ears are hard of hearing,
and they have shut their eyes,
so that they might not look with their eyes,
and hear with their ears
and understand with their heart and turn—
and I would heal them.’ —Matthew 13: 10-11, 13, 15

Introduction: We live in an upside-down world!

“Eternity is already in progress; it is not something that will start later… Unlike the kingdom of God, human government functions on principles of force, deception, brutality, and the power of death…the kingdom of God has the power of life. Human governments can kill. God’s government gives life. We are invited to bring our lives into the eternal life of God.” —Dallas Willard (John 17:3)

Jesus told upside-down stories where rebellious sons were

home and rich men had trouble getting into heaven.

Parables are

describing situations in everyday life which Jesus used to convey spiritual meaning.

Parables: invite you to find yourself in the story, make the lesson

, and reduce

Reveal Answer

with hostile listeners.

Schools in Western cultures commonly teach to

often with little input from the students.

Jesus

to transform with the expectation of dialogue with the students.

Jesus spoke to everyday people using

things like money, fruit, seeds, vines, and sheep.

“Jesus would present a story about an everyday occurrence, such as a family dispute or common farming situation, and place it beside the kingdom of God to provide clarity about what the kingdom is like.” —Dallas Willard

A story invites

, not argument.

Parables turn out to be

leading into a beautiful and loving reality, yet they also disrupt our comfortable notions about God and heaven.

Jesus was a master

.

Jesus message was that the kingdom of the heavens is available

and accessible to

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people alike.

The only

to enter the kingdom of the heavens is a sincere heart to follow Jesus.

Jesus’ First Parable: (Matthew 13:1-3)

knew what sowing was.

Notice that there is not one

word in that story.

Jesus

pray, read scripture, or sing a hymn before during or after the story.

Jesus told them a story in the context of the ordinary life of a farmer which seemed to

the disciples. (Mt 13:10)

Jesus Explains the Parable of the Sower: (Matthew 13:18-21)

The

of human life battle for our attention and ability to receive the Kingdom of God life Jesus offers.

If you are too

with other things to receive the Word of God, the Word will not take root and grow. Matthew 13:22 The cares of the world and the lure of wealth are the

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of this life. (Matthew 13:23)

“When a human being says, ‘I want to have my way!’ God says, ‘Alright, you can have your way.’ Sadly, the worst thing that can ever happen to a human being is to have their way when that way does not include God.” —Dallas Willard

God’s good will for us is to be good soil that receives the good Word (Jesus) and then bears good

!

The Problem: Many people do not want to

. God allows those who wish to turn away to do so.

Apart from God’s love, humans are dominated by

and

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which both cause a hardness of heart.

“God will allow us to live the ‘with me’ life – the source of all our troubles – instead of the ‘with God’ life, which is a life of growth and abundance. —Dallas Willard

Jesus parables required processing

for some to warm up to ideas they might have initially resisted.

The parable of the sower applies to

of us all the time.

The sower is Jesus and his good word comes and fills our lives only

we want it.

Action Step: What one thing will you do between now and Easter to remind you that God is

to you now?

“My additional notes:

”.