Matthew 13 Parable
11
He replied.
The knowledge of the secrets of the Kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. 12 Whoever has will be given more, and he will have
an abundance. Whoever does not have even what he has will be taken from him. 13 This is why I speak to them in parables.
(Parable)
“Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do
not hear or understand.”
14 In
them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah:
“You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will
be ever seeing but never perceiving.
15
For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise
they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.”
16 But
blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. 17 For I tell you the truth, many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you see but did
not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.
18
“ Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: 19 When anyone hears the message about the Kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes an snatches away what
was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown along the path.
20The
one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. 21But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time.
When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away. 22The one who received the seed that fell among the
thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful.
23But
the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop,
yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”
The Parable of the Weeds
24
Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. 25But while everyone was sleeping: his enemy came and
sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. 26 When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.”
27
“The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then
did the weeds come from?’ 28 “
‘An enemy did this,’ “he replied.
“The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and
pull them up?’ 29” ‘No,’
he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may root up the wheat with them. 30Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell
the harvesters First Collect the weeds and tie them to bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.’
”
The Parable of the Weeds Explained.
36
Then he left the crowd and went into the house His disciples came to him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the
weeds in the field.” 37 He answered,
“The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. 38The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the sons of the Kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one,
39 and the enemy who sows them is the
devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.
40”As
the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. 41 The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that
causes sin and all who do evil. 42 They
will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the Kingdom of their
Father. He who has ears, let him hear.
When I read these parables, they really leaped out off the page
to me.
The first parable reminded me of how I was in my life when it
came to reading the Bible or the lack there of, to reading in church, and how quickly I could forget what I just read, and heard in a service or a lecture.
As I would try to understand, what I had read or heard I would
feel satisfied and plan to correct my actions. But then, I would be tested and promptly fall flat on my face.
This is not the case anymore, at least in some things. I believe
God shows me gradually what to correct. If I was to see all my flaws at one time, I know I would be so discouraged that I
would not even start, or know where to start.
I feel better and happier when I know I am not copping out on
something I know I am supposed to be working on.
When I was young, at thirteen years old, I thought each year must
get better and better because I will have learned another years worth of knowing myself and in turn, become a better person.
I am going to be forty-eight this November (2005) and I find this
partially true. Now I understand that life is not just learning about me, and problems but giving up my problems to God.
What I mean is that I always tried to do it myself and did not
rely on God. I would ask God for help and then I would just try doing whatever it was with my own ideas. Giving my issues
up to God gives me peace. Joyce Meyer talks of peace a lot and she has said that she wouldn’t give up her peace to anybody.
The more I rely on God the more peace I have, so I am understanding
more and more of what she means.
I liked the second Parable so I thought I would share it with
you.
Bible verses taken from the New International
Version.
