I had another one of "those" experiences. The one that I'm sure many of you have had. The one where you read a Bible verse for the thousandth time and something new jumps out at you, giving you a whole new look at the message.
I am referring to Matthew 13. Matthew 13 is giving us glimpses of the Kingdom of Heaven. With the exception of the first one, the parables start out with the phrase "The Kingdom of Heaven is like..." or "may be compared to". It is those words that caused me to see things differently.
The first parable is the parable of the sower. The sower sows the seeds (the word of the Kingdom, Mat. 13:19) and they fall in different places. Here are the results:
The seed on the path - not understood, the evil one snatches away what was sown.
The seed on rocky ground - received with joy, no root, tribulation and persecution
cause it to fall away.
The seed in the thorns - the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches
chokes the word and is unfruitful.
The seed on good soil - heard, understood, bears fruit.
For the longest time I thought this parable was about who is saved, who is not, and did some lose their salvation. That's not the case here at all. It's basically saying, here's why some make it into the Kingdom (the good soil) and why others don't (all others).
The seed on the good soil is understood, takes root, and not swayed by tribulation and persecution. It is not choked by the cares of the world or the deceitfulness of riches. It is fruitful.
The Kingdom of Heaven is like that.
There is definitely going to be a separation between those in the Kingdom and those that are not. The parable of the wheat and the tares and the parable of the fish in the net show this. At the end of the age the tares will be separated from the wheat and burned. The good fish will gathered and the bad fish will be thrown away. Matthew 13: 49, 50 says, "So it will be at the end of the age; the angels will come forth and take the wicked from among the righteous, and will throw them into the furnace fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."
The Kingdom of Heaven is like that.
The Kingdom is valuable. The parable of the treasure in the field and the parable of the pearl tell us that. It is worth selling all you have to obtain it. Remember the seeds thrown among the thorns?
The Kingdom of Heaven is like that.
The parable of the mustard seed and the leaven shows us that the Kingdom will grow into something huge. That it will infect the world.
The Kingdom of Heaven is like that.
I hope this gives you a little glimpse into what the Lord is showing me. God bless y'all real good.
1 comment:
It is interesting to see how different people break down the Scriptures. Just another way God will meet us where we are. I am not too sure Ball of Dirt would say the same thing, but anyway. Being not well read when it comes to the Scriptures (something I know I need the Lords help in fixing), I love to get a glimpse into other peoples' understanding of the Word. I am trying so hard to make the time each day to read the Bible but I most times fall way short. Any help in time management would be welcome. Just email me or give me a ring.
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