Matthew 13
1 – 4
That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake. Large crowds gathered around him. So Jesus got into a boat and sat, while the people stayed on the shore. Then Jesus used stories to teach them many things. He said: “A farmer went out to plant his seed. While he was planting, some seed fell by the road. The birds came and ate all that seed.
Many places in the Bible show birds being used by the devil. People did not have respect for the seed and in Luke 8:4 we see that they walked on the seed.
5 – 6
Some seed fell on rocky ground, where there was not enough dirt. That seed grew very fast, because the ground was not deep. But when the sun rose, the plants dried up because they did not have deep roots.
Some teachers say that we should not share the Gospel in every place because people will not listen. They say these things as if Jesus was saying that the seed should not be planted in these places. Jesus did not say that! If you want to prove something from the Bible you need to find it in more than one verse. See Matthew 28:19.
7. Some other seed fell among thorny weeds. The weeds grew and choked the good plants.
We can see that the weeds took away the things in the dirt that the seeds needed so the first thing we need to do is to put back the things that were taken away.
8 – 9
Some other seed fell on good ground where it grew and became grain. Some plants made 100 times more grain. Other plants made 60 times more grain, and some made 30 times more grain. Let those with ears use them and listen!
Be careful what you listen to!!! There are many stories of Christians who thought that listening to garbage in school or somewhere else would not hurt them. We do not think about it but lies can enter our minds and come out of our mouths if we are not centered on the Words of the Bible.
10 – 12
The followers came to Jesus and asked, “Why do you use stories to teach the people?”
Jesus answered, “Only you can know the secret truths about the kingdom of heaven. Other people cannot know these secret truths. The person who has something will be given more. And he will have all he needs. But the person who does not have much, even what he has will be taken from him.
Bible wisdom is like the saying, “Use it or lose it!”
13 – 15
This is why I use stories to teach the people: They see, but they don’t really see. They hear, but they don’t really understand. So they show that the things Isaiah said about them are true:
‘You will listen and listen, but you will not understand. You will look and look, but you will not learn. For these people have become stubborn. They do not hear with their ears. And they have closed their eyes.
Otherwise they might really understand what they see with their eyes and hear with their ears. They might really understand in their minds. If they did this, they would come back to me and be forgiven.
But people who are not spiritual cannot receive these truths from God’s Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them and they cannot understand it, for only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means. 1 Corinthians 2:14, Isaiah 6:9-10
16 – 17
But you are blessed. You understand the things you see with your eyes. And you understand the things you hear with your ears. I tell you the truth. Many prophets and good people wanted to see the things that you now see. But they did not see them. And many prophets and good people wanted to hear the things that you now hear. But they did not hear them.
This Gospel was something even the prophets wanted to know more about when they prophesied about this gracious salvation prepared for you. 1 Peter 1:10
18 – 19
So listen to the meaning of that story about the farmer. What is the seed that fell by the road? That seed is like the person who hears the teaching about the kingdom but does not understand it. The Evil One comes and takes away the things that were planted in that person’s heart.
The first thing that we learn is the seed is the Word of God. So before we think about anything else we need to see that the devil wants to take away the Words of God from our minds!
When we have a problem do we first think, “What does the Bible say about this?” If we do not then the devil has already taken God’s Words away from us. People will say, “The Bible has nothing to do with this problem!” When we hear this we know that the devil has won the fight for their minds.
How do we make good ground? Put back the things that have been taken out of the ground! This is our job and we cannot do it if we do not know how to bring the seed of the Bible to people.
20 – 21
And what is the seed that fell on rocky ground? That seed is like the person who hears the teaching and quickly accepts it with joy. But he does not let the teaching go deep into his life. He keeps it only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the teaching he accepted, then he quickly gives up.
Even beautiful Christians can think that they have done so much for Christ that they should never have trials in their lives. Some people are so embarrassed that a problem has come up that they will hide from others so that nobody will know. The devil tells them that it is strange for them to have problems and that other people will look down on them. 1 Peter 4:12
22. And what is the seed that fell among the thorny weeds? That seed is like the person who hears the teaching but lets worries about this life and love of money stop that teaching from growing. So the teaching does not produce fruit in that person’s life.
Money can lie to you. Money can make you think that you are doing very good and no longer need to pray or go to God for what you need. Do not live with the thorns! These thorns come from too much worry about what will happen. Jesus said not to worry about tomorrow.
If you keep on worrying then you are saying that you do not want to listen to what Jesus told you to do! The original language calls worry the same thing as imaginations. Imaginations are things that may never happen but the devil makes it sound like they will happen. Matthew 6:34
23. But what is the seed that fell on the good ground? That seed is like the person who hears the teaching and understands it. That person grows and produces fruit, sometimes 100 times more, sometimes 60 times more, and sometimes 30 times more.”
Tell people a story like Jesus did and they will listen! These people are Christians but they waste a lot of their time with other things and do not see the beauty of bringing others to Jesus and so their life is not complete.
24 – 30
Then Jesus told them another story. He said, “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who planted good seed in his field. That night, when everyone was asleep, his enemy came and planted weeds among the wheat. Then the enemy went away.
Later, the wheat grew and heads of grain grew on the wheat plants. But at the same time the weeds also grew. Then the man’s servants came to him and said, ‘You planted good seed in your field. Where did the weeds come from?’
The man answered, ‘An enemy planted weeds.’ The servants asked, ‘Do you want us to pull up the weeds?’ The man answered, ‘No, because when you pull up the weeds, you might also pull up the wheat. Let the weeds and the wheat grow together until the harvest time.
At harvest time I will tell the workers this: First gather the weeds and tie them together to be burned. Then gather the wheat and bring it to my barn.
The devil send his helpers to church to make trouble. We see that this can happen while we are asleep in our spirit. The way to stay awake is to be fresh int eh Word! When we find someone making trouble in the church we need to follow Galatians 6:1 and Matthew 18 so that we do not make more trouble in the church. The devil will cause real Christians feel sorry for the trouble makers if we are not careful how we handle this!
31 – 32
Then Jesus told another story: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed. A man plants the seed in his field. That seed is the smallest of all seeds. But when it grows, it is one of the largest garden plants. It becomes a tree, big enough for the wild birds to come and make nests in its branches.”
This mustard seed is not growing in a way that we expect. The wild birds are mixed with God’s people, and we welcome them and make them thirsty for a new kind of life.
33. Then Jesus told another story: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman mixes into a big bowl of flour. The yeast makes all the dough rise.”
God’s church is like this woman. We plant some small ideas as we talk with people and God makes these ideas grow.
34 – 35
Jesus used stories to tell all these things to the people. He always used stories to teach people. This is as the prophet said: I will speak using stories; I will tell things that have been secret since the world was made.”
Sometimes God asks us, “How much do you want to know?” Psalm 78:2
36 – 39
Then Jesus left the crowd and went into the house. His followers came to him and said, “Explain to us the meaning of the story about the weeds in the field.”
Jesus answered, “The man who planted the good seed in the field is the Son of Man.
The field is the world. And the good seed are all of God’s children in the kingdom. The weeds are those people who belong to the Evil One. And the enemy who planted the bad seed is the devil. The harvest time is the end of the age. And the workers who gather are God’s angels.
We see that the devil does his work in secret. He plants some small ideas and waits for them to grow. There will always be something that someone is offended about so this evil seed is always there to make the problem worse.
40 – 43
The weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire. It will be this way at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send out his angels. They will gather out of his kingdom all who cause sin and all who do evil. The angels will throw them into the blazing furnace. There the people will cry and grind their teeth with pain. Then the good people will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Let those with ears use them and listen!
The Lord will take the unbelievers out of the church so we do not have to spend any time fighting about this. They will also destroy themselves.
Those who are wise will shine as bright as the sky, and those who lead many to righteousness will shine like the stars forever. Daniel 12:3
44 – 46
The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field. One day a man found the treasure, and then he hid it in the field again. The man was very happy to find the treasure. He went and sold everything that he owned to buy that field.
Also, the kingdom of heaven is like a man looking for fine pearls. One day he found a very valuable pearl. The man went and sold everything he had to buy that pearl.
Is there anything that you see as more important than knowing Jesus? There are too many real life stories of people who had a lot of money and had very bad lives. Would it really be worth it to have everything you ever wanted and at the same time have no real happiness on earth? No real friends? No one who really loved you?
47 – 51
Also, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was put into the lake. The net caught many different kinds of fish. When it was full, the fishermen pulled the net to the shore. They sat down and put all the good fish in baskets. Then they threw away the bad fish. It will be this way at the end of the age.
The angels will come and separate the evil people from the good people. The angels will throw the evil people into the blazing furnace. In that place the people will cry and grind their teeth with pain.” Jesus asked his followers, “Do you understand all these things?” They answered, “Yes, we understand.”
Some teachers do not like the idea that there are many kinds of fish in this story. The Lord has opened the door for everyone on this earth to be saved. If you listen to teachers who say that only some people can be saved then you are listening to false teaching! God does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent. 2 Peter 3:9
52. Then Jesus said to them, “So every teacher of the law who has been taught about the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house. He has both new things and old things saved in his house. And he brings out both those new things and old things.”
Whatever is inside of you is what comes out. You can only hide the real you for a short time. If you keep Scriptures inside of you that is what will come out. You will be able to use old things that you have learned and new.
53 – 56
When Jesus finished teaching with these stories, he left there. He went to the town where he grew up. He taught the people in the synagogue, and they were amazed.
They said, “Where did this man get this wisdom and this power to do miracles? He is only the son of the carpenter. And his mother is Mary. His brothers are James, Joseph, Simon and Judas. And all his sisters are here with us. So where does this man get all these things?”
Jesus is an example to us in everything. You can go to Bible school and learn many things from men, but you will find more power in your life when you take notes on the Bible for yourself. Go through every book of the Bible and put it into words that are easy to understand.
Study everything you can find out about what you are reading and make careful notes. Ask strong Christians to check your notes. There are so few people who do this that you will find out that God is sending people to you so that they can learn what He has taught you. Deuteronomy 17:18
57 – 58
And the people refused to accept Jesus. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is honored everywhere except in his own town or in his own home.” The people there did not believe in Jesus. So Jesus did not do many miracles there.
We need to know when people are not ready to hear us. In that case, all we can do is pray that God will send someone that they will listen to. Matthew 13:57