MATTHEW
13:1-23
1Later that day Jesus left the
house and sat down by the lake of Galilee. 2So many people came to him that he
got into a boat and sat down to teach, while all the crowds stood on the beach.
3He taught them many things using parables:
“The Sower went out sowing
seed. 4As he was sowing, some of the seeds fell on the road, and
the birds came and ate them up. 5Other seeds fell on stony ground where there
was not much dirt. There they sprouted at once. 6But then the sun came up and
scorched them because they had no roots, and they withered. 7Other seeds fell
among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. 8Other seeds fell on good
soil, and produced a harvest - some one hundred, some sixty, and some thirty. 9Anyone
who has ears to hear, listen!”
10The disciples came to Jesus
and asked, “Why do you speak to them using parables?” 11He replied, “You are
privileged to know the revealed mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven [God], but
they are not given such insights. 12For whoever already has understanding, to
them more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But whoever does not
have understanding, whatever they have will be taken away from them. 13That
is why I speak to them in parables. Seeing, they do not actually see; and
hearing, they do not really hear, nor do they understand. 14In their case the
prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled: ‘Even though you hear, you will not
understand, and even though you see, you will not comprehend. 15These people
have a stubborn attitude. They do not want to listen, and they have closed
their eyes. Otherwise, they would see with their eyes, hear with their ears,
and understand in their minds, and return and repent, and I would heal them.’
16Blessed are your eyes,
because they see, and your ears, because they hear. 17I am telling you the
truth: many prophets and good people longed to see what you are seeing, but did
not see it, and longed to hear what you are hearing, but did not hear it.
18“So, listen to the parable
of the Sower.
19When someone hears the
Gospel [of the Kingdom of God] - the word and does not understand it, then the
Evil One comes and snatches away what was sown in his mind. This
is what happens to the seeds sown on the road. 20The seeds sown on stony ground
are people who hear the Gospel [about the Kingdom of God] - the word and
immediately accept it with joy. 21They last for a while, but because they do
not have roots, when problems and trouble come because of the Gospel [about the
Kingdom of God] – the word, they immediately fall away. 22The seeds sown among
thorns are people who hear the Gospel [about the Kingdom of God] – word, but
then the worries of this age and the temptation of wealth choke the Gospel
[about the Kingdom of God] – word and it bears no fruit. 23The seeds sown on
good soil are people who hear the Gospel [about the Kingdom of God] - word and
understand it, and who produce a good harvest - some one hundred, some sixty,
and some thirty.”
MARK
4:1-20
1Jesus began teaching again by
the sea [of Galilee]. So many people came to hear him that he got into a boat
and sat there offshore while the crowd listened from land. 2He was teaching
them using many parables.
3“Listen!” he said: “A Sower
went out to sow. 4As he was sowing, some seeds fell on the
path. The wild birds came and ate them. 5Other seeds fell on rocky ground where
there was not much soil. Immediately they sprouted, but because the soil was
not deep, 6when the sun came up they dried out because they did not have roots,
and they withered. 7Other seeds fell among thorns. The thorns grew up fast and
choked out the sprouting seeds so that they produced nothing. 8Other seeds
fell on good ground where they sprouted and grew, producing a harvest of
thirty, sixty, and a hundred times what was planted. 9Whoever has ears, listen
to what I am saying.”
10When he was alone, his
twelve disciples and the others with him asked him about the parables.
11“The revealed secret of the
Kingdom of God has been given to you to understand,” he said to them. “All
those on the outside get everything in parables, 12so that even though they
see, they do not perceive, and even though they hear, they do not understand;
otherwise, they would turn back and be forgiven.”
13He said to them, “Do you not
understand this parable? If you do not, how are you going to understand all the
other parables?
14The Sower sows the Gospel
[about the kingdom of God] – the word. 15Those on the path where the Gospel
[about the Kingdom of God] – the word is sown hear it, but immediately Satan
comes and takes away the word which has been sown in them.
16Those on the rocky ground hear the Gospel [about the Kingdom of God] – the
word, and immediately they accept it with joy. 17But because they have no
roots, they survive for a while until trouble or persecution comes because of
the Gospel [about the Kingdom of God] – the word, and then they quickly fall
away. 18Others sown among the thorns hear the Gospel [about the Kingdom of God]
– the word, 19but the concerns of this age, the temptation of wealth, and other
desires choke the growth of the word, and it becomes unproductive. 20But
those sown on good soil hear the Gospel [about the Kingdom of God] – the word,
accept it, and bear fruit, producing thirty, sixty, and a hundred times what
was first sown.
LUKE 8:4-15
4A large crowd gathered from
many towns to see Jesus. He spoke to them using a parable.
5“A Sower went out to sow his
seed. As he sowed, some seed fell on the path where people
walked on it, and birds ate it up. 6Other seed fell on rocky soil, and when it
sprouted,
it dried up for lack of
moisture. 7Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up with it and
choked it out. 8Other seed fell on good soil and grew up and produced a harvest
a hundred times as much.” When he told them this parable, Jesus would
customarily shout out: “Whoever has ears to hear, listen!”
9His disciples asked him what
this parable meant. 10Jesus replied, “You have been given insight to know
the mysteries of the Kingdom of God, but the rest have parables, so that,
‘Seeing, they do not really see; and hearing, they do not really understand.’ 11“This
is what the parable means: The seed is the Gospel [about the Kingdom of God] –
the word.
12The seeds on the path are
like those who listen, but then the Devil comes and takes away the word from
their minds, so that they do not believe it and so are not saved.
Note: This is one of the most
fundamentally significant sayings of Jesus, showing that salvation is
conditioned on an intelligent reception of the Gospel of the Kingdom, the word
of the Kingdom (Matthew 13:19; Mark 1:14-15; Luke 4:43; Acts 8:12; 19:8; 28:23,
31, etc.). Constant reference should be made by students of Jesus and his
Gospel to 2 Thessalonians 2:10, where Paul, in a spectacularly interesting
passage about the Antichrist and the spirit of deception, says that people are
perishing “because a love of the truth they would not receive in order to be
saved.” This is very much parallel to Luke 8:12, where salvation and believing
the Gospel of the Kingdom go together.
13The seeds on the rocky soil
are those who listen and receive the Gospel [about the kingdom of God – the word
with joy, but they do not have any roots. They believe for a while, but when
difficult times come, they give up.14The seeds that fell among thorns are those
who listen, but they are choked by life’s worries, wealth, and pleasure, and
they produce no fruit.15But the seeds in the good soil are the ones who
listen to the Gospel [about the Kingdom of God] – the word with an honest and
good heart. They hold onto it and produce fruit with perseverance.
Notice: 1 Peter 1:1-2: From
Peter, an Apostle of Jesus Messiah, to the spiritual resident aliens who are
living in the Dispersion in the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia,
and Bithynia, who are chosen 2according to the foreknowledge of God the Father,
being made holy in the spirit, for the purpose of obedience to Jesus Messiah,
and being sprinkled by his blood: Grace and peace be multiplied to you.
Note: We are chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father – Yehovah, and made holy in the spirit, to be obedient to the lord Messiah Jesus, being sprinkled by his blood, for it was by the sin-offering sacrifice of the lord Messiah Jesus that he offered up to his God and Father Yehoshua that reconciled us – brought us back to God and made it possible for Him to forgive out sins. What amazing grace our loving God – Yehovah has poured out upon all who are His, who are new creations in the lord Messiah Jesus!
poured out upon all who are His.
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