Jesus came preaching in Matthew 4:17 “Repent, because the kingdom of heaven is near.” and crowds of people gathered to hear him but not everyone understood the message. His natural family, Mary, his mother, and his brothers were concerned for him, yet he said in Matthew 12:50 “whoever does the will of my Father who is in heaven, he is my brother and sister and mother.” His own disciples asked him in Matthew 13:10 “Why do you speak to them in parables?” Jesus answers that he is not hiding revelation from them by quoting Isaiah in Matthew 13:15 “they have shut their eyes, so that they would not see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them.” Later on, Paul says this in 1 Corinthians 2:14 “But the natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he is not able to understand them, because they are spiritually discerned”. As Jesus explains to his disciples in Matthew 13:38 “the field is the world. And the good seed—these are the sons of the kingdom, but the darnel are the sons of the evil one”. Those who hear and do the word of God are transformed, but all live together until in Matthew 13:40 “the end of the age”.
Whoever Does The Will of My Father
Matthew 12:46–50
Jesus had a family, just as we do. As the crowds pressed on him his family was concerned and came to him in
Matthew 12:46–47 And while he was still speaking to the crowds, behold, his mother and brothers were standing there outside, desiring to speak to him. 47 And someone told him, “Behold, your mother and your brothers are standing there outside desiring to speak to you.”
Since they were standing outside, we know this was not in an open-air setting like the sermon on the mount had been, more likely it was in the synagogue as was his habit in
Matthew 12:9 And going on from there he came into their synagogue.
Jesus responds, ignoring his natural family, and sometimes even well-intentioned family members don’t understand the work that God is doing, so Jesus says in
Matthew 12:49–50 And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, “Behold my mother and my brothers! 50 For whoever does the will of my Father who is in heaven, he is my brother and sister and mother.”
It is those that recognize the work of God and join with you in it that are truly brothers and sisters.
Other Seed Fell On the Good Soil and Produced Grain
That They Would Turn and I Would Heal Them
Matthew 13:10–17
Jesus spoke to people of the kingdom of heaven, a realm they had little contact with. He was telling them about the spirit world where God exists. We may think of the spirit realm as coming and going, as ghost-like, because we have a very limited natural physical experience with it but it is more real, more enduring than our world. Jesus disciples asked in
Matthew 13:10 And the disciples came up and said to him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?”
Jesus response was that in this natural world, there is a limitation, our senses see and understand physical things so “to those people” he says in
Matthew 13:11 And he answered and said to them, “To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to those people it has not been granted.
but to his disciples, revelation has come from God, “your eyes are blessed”, as he says in
Matthew 13:16 But your eyes are blessed because they see, and your ears because they hear.
but it is not God that is holding revelation back, but it is that “they have shut their eyes” in
Matthew 13:15 For the heart of this people has become dull, and with their ears they hear with difficulty, and they have shut their eyes, so that they would not see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them.”
It says it this way in
Romans 1:18–22 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all impiety and unrighteousness of people, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19 because what can be known about God is evident among them, for God made it clear to them. 20 For from the creation of the world, his invisible attributes, both his eternal power and deity, are discerned clearly, being understood in the things created, so that they are without excuse. 21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their reasoning, and their senseless hearts were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools
Listen to the Parable of the Sower
Matthew 13:18–23
Let Both Grow Together Until the Harvest
Matthew 13:24–30
The Kingdom of Heaven is Like
The One Who Sows the Good Seed is the Son of Man
Matthew 13:36–43
Just as it happens today, there are those that participate in events, there are those that work together with us, and there are those that live with us. Here, “he left the crowds” and those working with him, his disciples asked in
Matthew 13:36 Then he left the crowds and came into the house, and his disciples came to him saying, “Explain the parable of the darnel in the field to us.”
So Jesus begins saying in
Matthew 13:37 So he answered and said, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man”
this is as we expect it to be but here in Matthew, he goes beyond “the sower sows the word” message we have likely all heard and gives another of what the seed is. Here, the good seed is what was produced by the word, “the sons of the kingdom” in
Matthew 13:38 and the field is the world. And the good seed—these are the sons of the kingdom, but the darnel are the sons of the evil one.
and here, he says in Matthew 13:40 “at the end of the age” in
Matthew 13:41 The Son of Man will send out his angels and they will gather out of his kingdom all the causes of sin and those who do lawless deeds,
and what will remain is those that are the ones that do righteousness and justice in
Matthew 13:43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. The one who has ears, let him hear!
Study Verses
- Matthew 12:46–50 Whoever Does The Will of My Father
- Matthew 13:10–17 That They Would Turn and I Would Heal Them
- Matthew 13:36–43 The One Who Sows the Good Seed is the Son of Man
Today’s Reading
- Matthew 12:46-50
- Matthew 13:1-43
