Matthew 13

The Explanation

Jesus sat by the sea, and so many people came that he climbed into a boat to teach them. He told a story about a farmer who went out to sow seeds. Some seeds fell on the path, and birds swooped down and ate them up. Some fell on rocky ground, shot up fast, but the sun scorched them because their roots were too small. Some fell among thorns, and the thorns choked them until they died. But some seeds fell on good soil. And oh, how they grew! A hundred times, sixty times, thirty times as much as was sown.

The disciples asked Jesus why he spoke in stories like this. Jesus told them that some people see and hear, but do not really understand, just like Isaiah had said long ago. Then he explained the story quietly, just to his friends. The seed is God's word. The path is a heart where the evil one snatches the word away. The rocky ground is a heart with no roots, so trouble makes it wither. The thorns are worries and money that choke the word. But the good soil, that is a heart that understands and bears fruit.

Jesus told more stories that day. A man sowed good wheat, but his enemy crept in at night and scattered weeds among it. The servants wanted to pull the weeds out right away. But the farmer said no, wait, let them grow together until harvest time. Then the reapers will gather the weeds to burn and bring the wheat safely into the barn.

Jesus said the kingdom of heaven is like a tiny mustard seed. It is the smallest seed, but it grows into a big tree, so big that birds come and rest in its branches. He said it is also like yeast a woman mixed into dough until it filled everything through and through.

Later, alone with his disciples, Jesus explained the weeds too. He himself is the one who sows the good seed. The field is the whole world. The good seed are those who belong to the kingdom, and the weeds belong to the evil one. At the harvest, the angels will separate them, and the ones who follow God will shine like the sun.

Jesus told two more short stories. A man found treasure hidden in a field. He was so happy that he sold everything to buy that field. A merchant found one pearl so beautiful that he sold everything he owned just to have it. Then Jesus said the kingdom is like a net thrown into the sea, catching all kinds of fish. Fishermen kept the good ones and threw away the bad.

When Jesus went to his hometown and taught in the synagogue, the people were amazed. But then they said, wait, isn't this just the carpenter's son? They knew his mother Mary, his brothers, his sisters. They were offended, and would not believe he could really be from God. Because of this, Jesus did not do many miracles there.

What Does This Mean?

Jesus wants us to notice what kind of soil our heart is. Do we let his words just bounce off, like seed on a hard path? Do worries choke his words like thorns? Or do we let his words sink in deep, like good soil, so they grow and grow? The kingdom of heaven starts small, like a tiny seed, but it grows huge. It is worth more than anything else you own, like treasure or a pearl.

The Common Thread

Jesus is the farmer who sows the good seed. He is the treasure worth selling everything for. One day he will separate everything that is good from everything that is bad, like wheat from weeds, like good fish from bad. Until then, he keeps sowing his word, patiently, everywhere, even in hometowns that do not believe him.

For You

What kind of soil is your heart today? You can ask Jesus to soften hard places in you, so his words can grow roots. When you hear a Bible story, do not let it just fly past like a bird snatching seed. Let it sink in. Think about it. Talk about it at dinner.

Talk About It

Which kind of soil do you think is hardest for you: the path, the rocks, or the thorns?

If you found treasure worth everything you own, what would you be willing to give up for it?

Praying Together

Dear Jesus, thank you for sowing your words in our hearts. Make our hearts good soil, so your words can grow deep roots in us. Help us to hold on to you, even when it is hard. Amen.