Matthew 13:34-35

Matthew 13:34-35

Jesus said all these things to the crowds in parables and without a parable He said nothing to them in order that that which was being said through the prophets should be fulfilled while saying, “I will open my mouth in parables; I will announce that which has been hidden since the foundation of the world.”

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Once more we are told in very plain language that Jesus spoke to the crowds only in parables.  We should be reminded about that which we talked earlier.  There are many reasons to speak in parables.  It helps compare things that cannot be seen and felt to that which can be seen and felt.  It helps us wrap our minds around difficult contexts.  But most importantly, parables help the speaker determine who is the one who is really interested and who is the one who is just interested while it is convenient or easy and then drifts away.  Jesus spoke to the crowds with intention and purpose.  Most importantly, Jesus spoke to the crowds while looking for interested people who had what it took to follow Him.

Do you have what it takes to follow Jesus?  When confronted with that which you do not understand, how do you respond?

Second Thought:

We must also understand that this happened as a fulfillment of the prophetic utterances about Jesus.  Jesus speaks in parables because He is supposed to.  He speaks in parables because it is said about Him that He would.  Jesus does this in order to be obedient to God.  Jesus speaks in parables because God desires Him to do so.

How does the issue of parables really speak to obedience in your life?  How do you respond when obedience and submission are necessary?

Third Thought:

We are also told that Jesus is here to announce that which has been hidden since the beginning of the world.  This also makes sense.  What has been hidden since the beginning of the world is that we need a Messiah to take care of our sinfulness.  But this is in itself a mystery.  This is something that we cannot fully understand.  It makes sense that Jesus would use parables to unveil God’s plan because we cannot understand fully.  We can only understand by going to Jesus and God’s Word, learning what we can, processing it, and returning when we have more questions and a deeper understanding.  That is the process of faith.  It is also the process of learning through parable.

How do you respond when people teach you in parable?  Do you ever want to understand it all right away?  How is our own desire for understanding simply not possible when it comes to the truly deep mysteries of God?

Passage for Tomorrow: Matthew 13:36-43