30 days with Jesus (day 10) - Jesus teaches his disciples using parables

Good morning everyone.  God is good all the time, all the time God is good.  BLESSED!   Well, today we are 1/3 of the way into 30 days with Jesus.  It has been a learning experience for me and as well for you I do hope.

  Today is Matthew 13:1-52 - where Jesus teaches his disciples with parables.  Why was Jesus teaching through parables?  Jesus did so in speaking to his disciples and the peoples who would gather so they would understand.  He would compare something familiar with something unfamiliar.  Jesus' parables have listeners discover truth, and at the same time hiding the truth from those who are too lazy or too stubborn to see it.  The people who are sincerely seeking the truth it becomes clear.  However, we need to caution ourselves to not read more into the parables than what they truly mean.

    Jesus begins with the parable of the sower or the four soils.  Most of us know this story where the sower casts seeds, some on footpaths, some on stony ground, some among weeds, and some on good soil.  Obviously the ones that grew to maturation were the ones on good soil.  This is where our spiritual life needs to be, in/on good soil. Reading, listening, learning about God's word and sharing.  Good seeds sprout, produce, and have good seeds of their own and this spreads.   Jesus explains this in verses 10-23

   Next comes the parable of the weeds.  You know, good seed planted and an enemy comes in and plants weeds among the good seed.  The workers ask if they should pull the weeds or tares.  This is a lesson to us to beware.  As young plants it is difficult to tell the difference between the young tares and the young good plants.  The new sprouting leaf will look similar if not the same.  Wait until they grow and at harvest bundle the weeds and burn them.  This is a warning to us all. Who is filling your pulpit?  Who is filling the important roles in your church?  Are they leading you by scripture or personally, with THEIR beliefs?  The Holy Spirit or the evil one - whom is the leader? This can be scary!

   Next comes the parable of the mustard seed.  I did a short study on this in my blog on January 19.  Click here to read.

  In the last part of the mustard seed in verse 33 is a short, very short parable that Jesus throws out and possibly we, but I know for certain I have not recognized until this study.  Here is KJV Matthew 13: ³³ He told them still another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about sixty pounds of flour until it worked all through the dough.”

   Huh?  Wait, read that again!  Yeast, a woman, dough?  What?    Yeast can be used as a negative; however, here is it used as a positive. This is also in Luke 13:20-21.   Let us look at this for a moment. The kingdom of heaven is like yeast - quite a small beginning, almost microscopic.  Then it is mixed into 60 pounds of flour.  Now it is not just cast in there, but it is kneaded or worked all through the dough.  Jesus started with 12 apostles, the hearts of men were changed (think about salvation and the Holy Spirit) and the word spread.

   A little bit of yeast causes the dough to rise bigger and bigger.  The 12 spread the word like yeast rising dough and the disciples have become many; spread the gospel throughout the world.  “The earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea” (Habakkuk 2:14).

  May you be as yeast in your daily walk, causing others to rise in their thinking and belief, reaching out and spreading the gospel.

   In verses 36-43 Jesus explains the parable of the weeds.  Short but good to read again, please.

  The parable of the hidden treasure and the pearl can be slightly hard to understand at first.  It is short, but full of information.  Matthew 13:

⁴⁴ “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field.

When a man found it, he hid it again,

and then in his joy went and

sold all he had and bought that field.

⁴⁵ “Again, the kingdom of heaven is

like a merchant looking for fine pearls.

The kingdom of heaven is more valuable than anything else we can have, and a person must bee willing to give up everything to obtain it.  The man who discovered the treasure hidden in the field stumbled upon it by accident but knew its value when he found it.  The transaction of purchasing the field cost him everything, BUT, he paid nothing for the priceless treasure itself.  It came free, with the field.  Salvation come free to us; it is a PRESENT from the most high God.
    Next is the parable of the pearl merchant:

⁴⁵ Again, the kingdom of heaven

is like unto a merchant man,

seeking goodly pearls:

⁴⁶ Who, when he had found one pearl of great price,

went and sold all that he had, and bought it.

This is as Christ did for us; he became poor, emptied himself of everything, even gave himself a ransom for them, and so made a purchase of them, with the price of his own blood.  Jesus had it all, sitting in heaven, then gave it all up so that we might have eternal life.  Your life is worth the sacrifice of God's own son, JESUS CHRIST!  Yes, he gave it all up just for YOU!!!
  The last of these parables is about the fishing net.  In the end, when the net is full, the good fish will be kept; the bad ones will be thrown away.

   Matthew 13:⁴⁹ So shall it be at the end of the world:

the angels shall come forth,

and sever the wicked from among the just,

⁵⁰ And shall cast them into the furnace of fire:

there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.

^{Change the following scripture to say "have you, (name) Johnny, understood all these things?
51} Jesus saith unto them, Have ye (your name) understood all these things? They say unto him, Yea, Lord.
May we all say:  YEA, LORD!!  Love you all.  Tomorrow Jesus demonstrates his power over nature.
In Christ's Love and Grace
Johnny