Parables

Thanks to Ricci for helping me make this page look cool without being all girly. It makes me feel like a lumberjack. I want to go tromping through forests, felling trees with a single swoop of my mighty axe....

Sorry I got kinda lost in the moment there.

Today's passage is from Matthew 13. It's a bunch of parables that Jesus told to His disciples and to the crowds. Here's the thing I guess I never got as a kid: Jesus didn't explain them to the crowds. He just told them and then let them try to figure out what those stories meant. Only when the disciples came asking did He explain the meaning, and why He spoke to the people in parables.

18 “Now listen to the explanation of the parable about the farmer planting seeds: 19 The seed that fell on the footpath represents those who hear the message about the Kingdom and don’t understand it. Then the evil one comes and snatches away the seed that was planted in their hearts. 20 The seed on the rocky soil represents those who hear the message and immediately receive it with joy. 21 But since they don’t have deep roots, they don’t last long. They fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted for believing God’s word. 22 The seed that fell among the thorns represents those who hear God’s word, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life and the lure of wealth, so no fruit is produced. 23 The seed that fell on good soil represents those who truly hear and understand God’s word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted!” (NLT)

So I guess from this we get three things:

1. When you read the Word, make sure you understand it. Use a study Bible or cross-references. Compare two different translations. Ask somebody. There's always something new to learn from a passage, but don't walk away going "What was that about? Oh well..." That's a waste of your time with God (time that He intended for something.)

2. Dig in deep. Dive into God's word and make sure you have other believers to help you learn and be strong, so that when persecution comes you can stand strong for Christ.

3. The seed that fell among the thorns represents those who hear God’s word, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life and the lure of wealth

This one is too easy. And yet still difficult isn't it? We so often let the dumb inconsequential things get in the way of living this life we've been given for the one that gave it to us. We let the desire for things become more important than loving people.

You know, I said three things, thinking the good soil was default if you take out all the bad things. But it's not is it? Making sure we are open and receptive to what God is teaching doesn't come naturally. Often it's exactly the opposite of what we want to hear. So here's the fourth thing, and it's something Jesus said repeatedly:

He who has ears, let him hear.

I know I've said "you" a lot in this post, but I'm just as guilty of these things as anyone. I read scripture and get confused and walk away. I close my heart to what God is saying to me too sometimes. It's always a growing process. As always feel free to share.