Automatic Transcript Generated:
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All right, Eva is asking explain Matthew 13, verses one through 25. And I love this question. Eva. I’ll go ahead and we’ll take a look at Matthew 13. I this is a parable and it’s a really, really cool one.
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And it’s actually one that I loved as a young Bible student because I didn’t understand it at first. It took me a while to kind of pull get it. And I’m not saying that I 100% get it because I feel like you never stop learning when it comes to the Bible. Like you can read a verse and then a few years later read it again, you’re like you get something totally new and different and beautiful from the exact same verse. So anyways, let’s go ahead and look at Matthew chapter 13 and verses one through 25.
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So basically, this is this parable of the sower and the seed. So verse one, it says, on the same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the sea. And I’ll just kind of paraphrase some of this. And it says in verse two, great multitudes were gathered to him and he got on the boat and sat, and the whole multitude stood on the shore. So Jesus is sitting on the boat teaching this parable.
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And so in verse three, this is basically where the parable begins. Jesus says, Behold, a sower went out to sow. So basically like a person who spreads seed like on a farm. And in verse four it says, and as he sowed or he threw seeds, some seed fell by the wayside and the birds came and devoured them. So here we see one case where there’s seed that’s being sown, and some goes by the side and birds eat them up really quick.
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In verse five he says, but some fell on stony places where they did not have much earth or dirt, and they immediately sprang up because they had no depth of earth, so they sprang up quick. But when the sun was up, they were scorched, and because they had no root, they withered away. So that’s another case. And some fell among thorns and the thorns sprang up and choked them. And then in verse eight, this is the last one, but others fell on good ground and yielded a crop, some one hundredfold, some 60, and some 30.
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And in verse nine, Jesus says, he who has ears, let him hear. So Jesus is basically saying, if you have ears, not physical ears, but spiritual ears, spiritual discernment, I want you to hear and listen to what I am trying to tell you. Because he’s speaking in a parable, he’s not seeking something literal, he’s speaking something symbolic. So everything in this parable is a symbol. And so we see the disciples basically after this know, why are you speaking parables?
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And Jesus explains to them, because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven. But to them, it has not been given. So basically, if you understand this, that means that God is speaking to you. And if you just don’t care, you’re not going to get it. But you have to be spiritually discerning.
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You have to pray that God will give you the Holy Spirit to understand the spiritual truth that he’s trying to explain to you here. And it’s okay to ask. The fact that you’re asking the question is a good sign that God definitely wants you to understand it because you have a burden to understand God’s word. All right, so let’s go ahead and look what Jesus says as far as the answer, basically. And so Jesus basically says this is a fulfillment of a prophecy in the Old Testament, which is pretty cool.
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He’s basically quoting anyways, an Old Testament prophecy that because hearing you shall hear and not understanding, seeing, you will see and not perceive. And so anyways, Jesus is just saying, there’s going to be when I come. That doesn’t mean everybody’s going to get it and everybody’s going to understand the truth. That the message I’m coming to bring. I’m going to bring a message and only a few people are really going to get it and understand it, those who are truly seeking the kingdom of God.
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But Jesus says in verse 16, blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. For assuredly I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desire to see what you see and did not see it, and to hear what you hear and did not hear it. So basically God is or Jesus is saying to his disciples, you have a very special and unique blessing and that you get to hear directly from the Son of God the message that he’s trying to give to you, the world, and you are the ones called to continue to proclaim this message. And so Jesus then, in verse 18 through 25, basically explains what the rest of this parable actually means. So in verse 18, he says here’s the parable he’s like, so listen, in verse 19, when anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches it away what was sown in his heart.
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So basically he’s saying the seed is a symbol of the message of the kingdom of God. Basically, God is trying to reach his people in the world and offer them the gift of salvation.
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The sower is giving the seed. And in verse nine, he’s saying when anyone hears the word of the kingdom and doesn’t understand it, basically it just kind of goes by the wayside. They’re just coming. They’re not really going to take it to heart and put it in the dirt. Like he’s know those birds are a symbol of Satan, that they come and eat up the gospel and basically it doesn’t go in their heart.
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And so he’s just talking about different types of people out there and you have to really think hard and critically. Which person are you in this situation? Are you somebody that just kind of hears the Bible and just kind of goes in whatever and then Satan is the one that will get you distracted and basically make you miss your chance at understanding the gift of salvation. In verse 20 Jesus says here’s another person, but he who received the seed on Stony Places. This is he who hears the Word and immediately receives it with joy, yet has no root in himself, but endures only for a while.
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When tribulations or persecutions arises because of the Word, immediately he stumbles. So basically Jesus is saying there’s another person that they hear the gospel and they go, oh, this is good. But they don’t take root, they don’t let it go deep enough to take root. And so it kind of just springs up, and then it’s kind of a phase or a fad in that person’s life. And it only endures for a little while until basically tough times come or whatever happens or things get busy and they choose because they didn’t allow it to sink into them and really take the time and the effort it takes to like when you cultivate a seed, it takes time, it takes energy.
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You have to put effort into that plant for it to survive and grow. And it’s the same thing with the kingdom of God and the same thing with your relationship with God. You have to take the time to read your Bible, to pray, to do these things, to grow spiritually. Otherwise it’ll just be like something that springs up real quick and then quickly dies away because you’re not investing what that relationship needs. Just like that seed didn’t have what it needed to grow properly.
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In verse 22 it says now he who received seed among thorns is he who hears the Word and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the Word and he becomes unfruitful. So basically there’s other people that they know that God’s Word is good and they have the opportunity and the ability to invest into that relationship, into their walk with God. But they allow things like these thorns which are symbolically the cares of this world, money, their career, things like this to choke out the Word. So basically when a seed is planted it needs some room to make roots. And basically if you crowd a seed with other things, with other plants, it can’t grow it, it will wither and die.
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And it’s the same thing with your relationship with God. If you allow things into your life that choke out that relationship, that it’s. Like if you had a marriage relationship or you were trying to get married to somebody and you never went on a date because you didn’t invest the time with them. That relationship is not going to go anywhere just because you didn’t invest the time and things that need because you allowed other things to eat up your time. And so that’s another circumstance that can happen with people who maybe they’re sincere and they really want to know God and they have everything in place that they should.
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It’s just that they allow other things to distract them from that time that they need to invest in their walk with God or just they know better and they choose other things other than God. And basically this walk they know they should keep the Ten Commandments, but they say, you know what, that interferes with my career and what I want to do, my goals. And so they choose themselves what they want over God. And verse 23 says but he who received the seed on good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit. And we know that bearing fruit.
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One hundredfold 60 30 bearing fruit. Jesus talks about this in John chapter 15 that’s you sharing the gospel with others, you’re bringing other people into the kingdom and also bearing the fruit through the spirit. Galatians chapter 522 23, which is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, patient, gentleness, self control, all these things. Basically you’re building a character that resembles the character of God and again that only can happen in a plant that is being invested into with the time, energy and resources that it needs anywho. And you went on to say verses 24 and 25 as well.
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And again this is very similar. The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field but while the man slept, his enemy came and sowed tears among the wheat and went his way. So basically he’s just saying that kind of the same thing. There was somebody who came and put good plants in the earth, but there was also evil plants. And so in verse 25 it says but while men slept, the enemy came and sowed tears among the wheat and went his way.
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And so basically it’s another thing about wheat and tears. Basically just saying that you will only know by their fruits, you shall know them, you’ll only know or God will only know his people once they’ve had the time and opportunity to develop into either. Because when a seed first sprouts it’s hard to know what exactly that plant is and isn’t until it’s full grown that you know what it is. And again, that kind of goes back to the other question of why do we have to see everything play out in this wicked world? Why do sufferings have to happen?
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It’s because we need to see what character people truly have. And so again, are we going to grow up into good plants by investing in our spiritual walk or are we going to grow up into thorns and thistles that are not going to be part of the kingdom? So it’s up to you. It’s your choice. And so I just pray that you take the time to think about which camp you fall into and make sure you give the energy, time, everything that your relationship with God needs so that you can grow and bear much fruit and be a blessing to others.
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In His Service
BibleAsk Team
