Primary Text: Matthew 13:1-35
Memory Verse: Another parable He put forth to them, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field, which indeed is the least of all the seeds; but when it is grown it is greater than the herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches.” Matthew 13:31-32
Introduction:
A large focus of Jesus’ earthly ministry was preparing His disciples to take over the helm once His time on earth was complete. The disciples came from a variety of backgrounds—highly educated to uneducated—so the strategy of teaching with parables was a form that could be understood by the men at both ends of the educational spectrum, as well as all those in between.
Jesus used parables to explain hidden truths in ways that were relevant to the human experience. He sought to expose the workings of the Kingdom of Heaven using things as simple, earthy, and as varied as weeds, a mustard seed, and yeast.
But we shouldn’t let the simplicity of the parables mislead us into thinking the message they bear is superficial. The parables explained truths that had been hidden from the foundation of the world (Matthew 13:35). They provided clarity to complex aspects of the ology and religion. By exposing the Word of God in this way, Jesus made the Word physical and personal, as well as understandable.
The parables Jesus told have been called stories about Heaven with meanings rooted in Earth: or “earthly stories with heavenly meanings.” They are allegories, riddles, proverbs, similes, and metaphors, all brought together under the “roof” of a story. Through the formula of figurative language, they illustrate the Kingdom of God and reveal God’s very nature. Their design ignites our passions and stimulates our thinking.
C.H. Dodd, in The Parables of the Kingdom, relates that a parable is defined as “a metaphor or simile drawn from nature or common life, arresting the hearer by its vividness or strangeness, and leaving the mind in sufficient [quandary] about its precise application to tease [the mind] into active thought” (1961; Fontana Books; p. 16). By its very nature, the parable entices us to study, ponder, and delve into the vast richness of its secrets and the wealth of the knowledge lying in wait for us.
Studying the Word
Lesson Study
- Why did Jesus teach in parables? Matthew 13:10-17, 34-35; Mark 4:11-12; Proverbs 1:1-7
- What four types of soil did the seed fall on? Matthew 13:4-8, 19-23
- What does the Parable of the Sower tell us about the responsibility we have for the condition of our hearts? Luke 8:5-8, 11-15; Proverbs 4:23
- How do we keep weeds out of our heart? Romans 12:2; Isaiah 26:3-4; Deuteronomy 5:29; 11:13; 1 John 2:15-16; Joshua 1:8
- What characterizes each of the three stages of Spiritual Growth? Mark 4:28; 1 John 2:12-14; Galatians 4:19; Hebrews 5:12-13; 1 Corinthians 3:1
- What lessons does Jesus present in the wheat and the weeds parable? Matthew 13:24-30
- What can be expected when even small seeds of the Word of God are spread in the world? In the church? In our lives? Matthew 13:33-35; Mark 4:30-32
- What does the leaven represent? Matthew 13:33; Luke 13:20-21