{"id":2483,"date":"2007-08-08T00:10:58","date_gmt":"2007-08-08T00:10:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/jesuscreed\/2007\/08\/missional-jesus-33.html"},"modified":"2007-08-08T00:10:58","modified_gmt":"2007-08-08T00:10:58","slug":"missional-jesus-33","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/jesuscreed\/2007\/08\/missional-jesus-33.html","title":{"rendered":"Missional Jesus 33"},"content":{"rendered":"

Matthew 13 is a collection of Jesus’ parables and I want to provide brief summaries of each today. Why? Each of these parables reveals a dimension of missional Jesus and his mission.
\n1. Missional Jesus teaches that, in this life, the wheat (those who respond to the kingdom message of Jesus) and the weeds (those who don’t) must co-exist in peace and the former are not to use violence to uproot the latter (Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43).
\n2. Missional Jesus teaches that kingdom will either grow, like a mustard tree from a mustard seed, from insignificance to significance or (more likely) the insignificat beginnings are not to be compared with the glory of its endings (13:31-32).
\n3. Missional Jesus teaches that his message will gradually influence everything the way yeast leavens a whole lump (13:33).
\n4. Missional Jesus teaches that his kingdom work — the formation of this society that will do God’s will — is of more value than anything and so it is worth risking everything for it (13:44-46).
\n5. Missional Jesus teaches that there will be a judgment at the end wherein the good fish will be separated from the bad fish — bass and walleye from carp and catfish — and that this distinction is rooted in moral character (13:47-50).
\n6. Missional Jesus exhorts those who follow him to be discerning enough to know how to bring out both the old and the new from the sacred writings and stories of Jesus (13:52).
\nMatt. 13:1 \tThat same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake. 2 Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore. 3 Then he told them many things in parables, saying: \u201cA farmer went out to sow his seed. 4 As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5 Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6 But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. 8 Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop\u2014a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. 9 Whoever has ears, let them hear.\u201d
\nMatt. 13:10 \tThe disciples came to him and asked, \u201cWhy do you speak to the people in parables?\u201d
\nMatt. 13:11 \tHe replied, \u201cThe knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. 12 Those who have will be given more, and they will have an abundance. As for those who do not have, even what they have will be taken from them. 13 This is why I speak to them in parables:
\n\u201cThough seeing, they do not see;
\nthough hearing, they do not hear or understand.
\n14 In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah:
\n\u201c\u2018You will be ever hearing but never understanding;
\nyou will be ever seeing but never perceiving.
\n15 For this people\u2019s heart has become calloused;
\nthey hardly hear with their ears,
\nand they have closed their eyes.
\nOtherwise they might see with their eyes,
\nhear with their ears,
\nunderstand with their hearts
\nand turn, and I would heal them.\u2019c
\nMatt. 13:16 \tBut blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. 17 Truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.
\nMatt. 13:18 \t\u201cListen then to what the parable of the sower means: 19 When people hear the message about the kingdom and do not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their hearts. This is the seed sown along the path. 20 The seed falling on rocky ground refers to people who hear the word and at once receive it with joy. 21 But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. 22 The seed falling among the thorns refers to people who hear the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful. 23 But the seed falling on good soil refers to people who hear the word and understand it. They produce a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.\u201d
\nMatt. 13:24 \tJesus told them another parable: \u201cThe kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. 25 But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. 26 When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared. 27 \u201cThe owner\u2019s servants came to him and said, \u2018Sir, didn\u2019t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?\u2019
\nMatt. 13:28 \t\u201c\u2018An enemy did this,\u2019 he replied.
\n\u201cThe servants asked him, \u2018Do you want us to go and pull them up?\u2019
\nMatt. 13:29 \t\u201c\u2018No,\u2019 he answered, \u2018because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.\u2019\u201d
\nMatt. 13:31 \tHe told them another parable: \u201cThe kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. 32 Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.\u201d
\nMatt. 13:33 \tHe told them still another parable: \u201cThe kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about sixty poundsa of flour until it worked all through the dough.\u201d
\nMatt. 13:34 \tJesus spoke all these things to the crowd in parables; he did not say anything to them without using a parable. 35 So was fulfilled what was spoken through the prophet:
\n\u201cI will open my mouth in parables,
\nI will utter things hidden since the creation of the world.\u201db
\nMatt. 13:36 \tThen he left the crowd and went into the house. His disciples came to him and said, \u201cExplain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.\u201d
\nMatt. 13:37 \tHe answered, \u201cThe one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. 38 The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the people of the kingdom. The weeds are the people of the evil one, 39 and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.
\nMatt. 13:40 \t\u201cAs the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. 41 The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. 42 They will throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears, let them hear.
\nMatt. 13:44 \t\u201cThe kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.
\nMatt. 13:45 \t\u201cAgain, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. 46 When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.
\nMatt. 13:47 \t\u201cOnce again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. 48 When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away. 49 This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous 50 and throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
\nMatt. 13:51 \t\u201cHave you understood all these things?\u201d Jesus asked.
\n\u201cYes,\u201d they replied.
\nMatt. 13:52 \tHe said to them, \u201cTherefore every teacher of the law who has been instructed about the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old.\u201d
\nMatt. 13:53 \tWhen Jesus had finished these parables, he moved on from there. 54 Coming to his hometown, he began teaching the people in their synagogue, and they were amazed. \u201cWhere did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers?\u201d they asked. 55 \u201cIsn\u2019t this the carpenter\u2019s son? Isn\u2019t his mother\u2019s name Mary, and aren\u2019t his brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas? 56 Aren\u2019t all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?\u201d 57 And they took offense at him.
\nBut Jesus said to them, \u201cOnly in their own towns and in their own homes are prophets without honor.\u201d
\nMatt. 13:58 \tAnd he did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Matthew 13 is a collection of Jesus’ parables and I want to provide brief summaries of each today. Why? Each of these parables reveals a dimension of missional Jesus and his mission.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":298,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[41],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2483","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-missional-jesus"],"yoast_head":"\nMissional Jesus 33 - Jesus Creed<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/jesuscreed\/2007\/08\/missional-jesus-33.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Missional Jesus 33 - Jesus Creed\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Matthew 13 is a collection of Jesus’ parables and I want to provide brief summaries of each today. 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