Matthew 13:10-15

Matthew 13:10-15

And after the disciples came they said to Him, “Because of what reason do you speak in parables to them?”  And the one who answered said to them, “Because to you it has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of heaven.  And to those it has not been given.  For whoever has, it will be given and it will be present abundantly.  But the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.  Because of this I speak to them in parables: because while seeing they do not see and while hearing they neither hear nor understand.  And the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled to them while saying, ‘By hearing you all will hear and you all should surely not understand.  And while seeing you all will see and you all should surely not behold.  For the heart of this people was being made thick and they heard with heavy ears and they closed their own eyes lest they should see by the eyes and they should hear with ears and they should understand with the heart and they should turn their life back and I will heal them.’”

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Look closely at the disciples question to Jesus.  They say to Jesus, “Why do you speak in parables to them?”  They are noticing a change in how Jesus teaches the crowd versus how Jesus teaches them.  They don’t ask, “Why do you use parables?”  They ask, “Why do you use parables with them?”  This sheds great light upon the post that I wrote two days back.  Jesus is using parables with the crowd while not using them with His disciples because they are already His disciples.  There is no need for Jesus to see who is really interested among His disciples.  The truth is that they are already interested!  Thus, Jesus absolutely employs a different methodology when teaching the disciples than He uses when teaching the crowds.  When Jesus is teaching the disciples, He speaks truth – sometimes hard truth – all up front.  But when Jesus instructs the crowd He’s giving them truth, but He’s doing it in a way that allows Him to discern who is really seeking the truth and who is really willing to pursue it.

How does the disciples’ question to Jesus help you understand the use of parables?  Does the disciples’ question help you discern you own ability to use parables?

Second Thought:

Jesus’ reply to the disciples is blunt.  Jesus essentially says, “You all want to know, so I speak it plain to you and give you as much as you can handle.  However, those people haven’t decided that they want to know.  So until they decide that they are willing to pursue the truth even what they do know will be put in question.”  You don’t get more blunt than that.  Those who come to Jesus in honest and submitted faith will receive truth – even difficult truth.  But those who are just looking for a spectacle or a free meal will walk away with just as many questions if not more.

Does this make sense to you?  Why would it make sense that those who come with a submitted and seeking heart will find that for which they are looking?  Does it make sense to you that those who come only looking for their own interests would walk away with as many or more questions about Jesus and God?

Third Thought:

The quote from Jesus always makes me sad when I hear it.  It shows us once more what we find all over the Gospels.  The main reason that people reject God and reject Jesus is because it inherently implies change.  One cannot genuinely believe in God without also believing all that for which God stands.  When one truly comes to God, we have to abandon our own ways and embrace His.  That’s a hard decision to truly make.  Many people do not want to make that decision.  So they shut their ears, close their eyes, and block out their mind.  People have every right to make that decision.  But it saddens me that people turn away from God because they desire to live their life their way more than anything else.

Do you open your ears to God?  Do you open your eyes to God?  Is your mind open to God’s truth?  Are you willing to reform your life so that rather than you living it is God who is living within you?

Passage for Tomorrow: Matthew 13:16-17