Sep
04
Matthew 13:36–43
36Then He left the crowds and went into the house. And His disciples came to Him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field.” 37And He said, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man, 38and the field is the world; and as for the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom; and the tares are the sons of the evil one; 39and the enemy who sowed them is the devil, and the harvest is the end of the age; and the reapers are angels. 40“So just as the tares are gathered up and burned with fire, so shall it be at the end of the age. 41“The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness, 42and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43“Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear. Focused Thinking: “Explain...
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03
Matthew 13:33–35
33He spoke another parable to them, “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three pecks of flour until it was all leavened.” 34All these things Jesus spoke to the crowds in parables, and He did not speak to them without a parable. 35This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: “I will open My mouth in parables; I will utter things hidden since the foundation of the world.” Focused Thinking: What is leaven (yeast)? What is leaven illustrating in this parable? Leaven (yeast) is used as a symbol of evil or uncleanness (Matt16:6); but that isn’t the context here, it is a positive symbol of growth. Like the parable of the mustard seed, this parable stresses small beginnings with great growth. While the seed grows, however, the yeast permeates and transforms; thus, we see another aspect of the kingdom. Although yeast looks like a minor ingredient, it permeates the whole loaf. Like leaven...
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02
Matthew 13:31–32
31He presented another parable to them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field; 32and this is smaller than all other seeds, but when it is full grown, it is larger than the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches.” Focused Thinking: CONTEXT: Through this parable, Jesus explained that his kingdom would have a small beginning. It began with Jesus alone and, upon his ascension, was left in the care of twelve apostles and just a few hundred other followers. Jesus compared this beginning to the mustard seed, which was the smallest seed that a farmer used. The mustard seed was so small that it would take almost twenty thousand seeds to make one ounce. No other seed so small produced such a large plant. From this very tiny seed would grow a large shrub—the largest shrub among all the herbs that the farmer would plant in his...
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01
Matthew 13:24–30
24Jesus presented another parable to them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field. 25“But while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went away. 26“But when the wheat sprouted and bore grain, then the tares became evident also. 27“The slaves of the landowner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?’ 28“And he said to them, ‘An enemy has done this!’ The slaves said to him, ‘Do you want us, then, to go and gather them up?’ 29“But he said, ‘No; for while you are gathering up the tares, you may uproot the wheat with them. 30‘Allow both to grow together until the harvest; and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather up the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them up; but gather the wheat into my barn.”’” Focused Thinking: The parables...
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30
John 4:35–38
John 4:35–38 (see also Matt 9:35–38) 35“Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look on the fields, that they are white for harvest. 36“Already he who reaps is receiving wages and is gathering fruit for life eternal; so that he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together. 37“For in this case the saying is true, ‘One sows and another reaps.’ 38“I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored and you have entered into their labor.” My priority time went in a different direction today. Here is the result. I will pick back up tomorrow with Matthew 13:24–30. Focused Thinking: 35“Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look on the fields, that they are white for harvest.” In September we will teach our people to “Love People,” to “Love your neighbor as yourself.” The fields are white for harvest...
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28
Matthew 13:18–23
18“Hear then the parable of the sower. 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. 20“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; 21yet 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. 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. 23“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.” Focused Thinking: What happens...
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27
Matthew 13:14–17
14“In their case the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled, which says, ‘You will keep on hearing, but will not understand; You will keep on seeing, but will not perceive; 15 For the heart of this people has become dull, With their ears they scarcely hear, And they have closed their eyes, Otherwise they would see with their eyes, Hear with their ears, And understand with their heart and return, And I would heal them.’ 16“But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear. 17“For truly I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it. Focused Thinking: How authoritative is it when Jesus quotes Isaiah and says this prophecy is being fulfilled? The One who is the WORD is quoting the WORD. The One who is the WORD is telling that ISAIAH’S WORD has come true in this moment. That would be exciting...
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26
Matthew 13:10–13
10And the disciples came and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?” 11Jesus answered them, “To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted. 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. 13“Therefore I speak to them in parables; because while seeing they do not see, and while hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. Focused Thinking: Why do you speak in parables? 11“To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted.” If we refer back to the parable of the sower, the farmer is the same and the seed is the same; the only difference is the soil. There are people who harden their heart against God and His truth. There are people who resist and reject God’s truth. There is a...
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25
Matthew 13:1–9
1That day Jesus went out of the house and was sitting by the sea. 2And large crowds gathered to Him, so He got into a boat and sat down, and the whole crowd was standing on the beach. 3And He spoke many things to them in parables, saying, “Behold, the sower went out to sow; 4and as he sowed, some seeds fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate them up. 5“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. 6“But when the sun had risen, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away. 7“Others fell among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked them out. 8“And others fell on the good soil and yielded a crop, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty. 9“He who has ears, let him hear.” Focused Thinking: What is the context? Jesus left the synagogue and began to teach outdoors. Jesus left those opposed to...
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23
Matthew 12:46–50
46While He was still speaking to the crowds, behold, His mother and brothers were standing outside, seeking to speak to Him. 47Someone said to Him, “Behold, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside seeking to speak to You.” 48But Jesus answered the one who was telling Him and said, “Who is My mother and who are My brothers?” 49And stretching out His hand toward His disciples, He said, “Behold My mother and My brothers! 50“For whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven, he is My brother and sister and mother.” Focused Thinking: Unexpected Response: How many times does Jesus give an expected response? Almost never. He is constantly confusing people. He is constantly making people think. What was the expectation here? They were expecting Him to give a simple response. They were expecting Him to stop what He was doing and find out what His mother and brothers needed. If not that, they were at least expecting...
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