Immerse: Messiah - Flipbook - Page 346
334
IMMERSE
•
MESSIAH
12:48–13:15
Jesus asked, “Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?” Then he
pointed to his disciples and said, “Look, these are my mother and brothers. Anyone who does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and
sister and mother!”
Later that same day Jesus left the house and sat beside the lake. A large
crowd soon gathered around him, so he got into a boat. Then he sat there
and taught as the people stood on the shore. He told many stories in the
form of parables, such as this one:
“Listen! A farmer went out to plant some seeds. As he scattered them
across his field, some seeds fell on a footpath, and the birds came and ate
them. Other seeds fell on shallow soil with underlying rock. The seeds
sprouted quickly because the soil was shallow. But the plants soon wilted
under the hot sun, and since they didn’t have deep roots, they died. Other
seeds fell among thorns that grew up and choked out the tender plants.
Still other seeds fell on fertile soil, and they produced a crop that was
thirty, sixty, and even a hundred times as much as had been planted! Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.”
His disciples came and asked him, “Why do you use parables when you
talk to the people?”
He replied, “You are permitted to understand the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven, but others are not. To those who listen to my teaching,
more understanding will be given, and they will have an abundance of
knowledge. But for those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them. That is why I use these
parables,
For they look, but they don’t really see.
They hear, but they don’t really listen or understand.
This fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah that says,
‘When you hear what I say,
you will not understand.
When you see what I do,
you will not comprehend.
For the hearts of these people are hardened,
and their ears cannot hear,
and they have closed their eyes—
so their eyes cannot see,
and their ears cannot hear,
and their hearts cannot understand,
