AMONG THE WEEDS
Matthew 13: We find Jesus sitting in a boat teaching and preaching to the crowd of people assembled on the beach. As was His custom He was using many parables to make His point. The first parable is the story of the farmer sowing seeds telling us that while many seeds are sown only a few will produce good results; this is representative of the Word of God being presented to many and only a few accept it. At this point they asked Jesus why He taught in parables and He explained that the secrets of Heaven will be shown to them but not to the world because the world, by and large, has closed its eyes and ears to the ways of God. Isaiah 6:9 prophesized: “He said, ‘Go and tell this people: “Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving; Make the heart of this people calloused; make their ears dull and close their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.” Jesus said he would have healed them (the Jews) if they would listen but they chose not to. Jesus told them how blessed they were because they listened and accepted the things He said.
The parable of the weeds is indicative of the world then and now. We believers have to live among the non believers, but at the end of the world as we know it all believers will be separated from them; believers going to Heaven and the non-believers going to hell. He used a mustard seed as an example of how many people will eventually find rest in Heaven; though Christianity began in a small way it would eventually reach world proportions. The parable of the treasure and the pearl demonstrate that one should be willing to give all they have for the Kingdom of Heaven. In summation He compares the likeness of a net full of fish and Heaven, when the fisherman, at the end of the day, separates the good fish from the bad.
When Jesus finished, He went to His home town and began to preach to the crowds who were astonished at His authoritative teaching and yet they refused to believe and accept His words, resulting in Jesus stating in verse 57: “…Only in his hometown and his own house is a prophet without honor.” Therefore, He cut short His visit.
There are so many valuable lessons to be learned in this chapter, yet the one that I would like to highlight is the parable of the weeds. Perhaps it is because I, too, need to be reminded on a daily, or moment by moment basis that we are lights for the world to see.
We desperately need to watch our behavior and be forever in an example mode. If we are what we say we are, do we live it? We must pray in earnest for the Holy Spirit to help us in our daily living, we need to demonstrate that we are the new creature in Christ that Paul tells us we are in 2nd Corinthians 5:17: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come.”
Do you know Jesus as your Savior? If not perhaps now would be a good time to ask Him to come into your heart. Remember, He is coming back for His church (us), but we don’t know when. I pray you will be ready as I am.
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