Immerse: Messiah - Flipbook - Page 348
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IMMERSE
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MESSIAH
13:34-52
Jesus always used stories and illustrations like these when speaking to
the crowds. In fact, he never spoke to them without using such parables.
This fulfilled what God had spoken through the prophet:
“I will speak to you in parables.
I will explain things hidden since the creation of the world.”
Then, leaving the crowds outside, Jesus went into the house. His disciples
said, “Please explain to us the story of the weeds in the field.”
Jesus replied, “The Son of Man is the farmer who plants the good seed.
The field is the world, and the good seed represents the people of the
Kingdom. The weeds are the people who belong to the evil one. The
enemy who planted the weeds among the wheat is the devil. The harvest
is the end of the world, and the harvesters are the angels.
“Just as the weeds are sorted out and burned in the fire, so it will be at
the end of the world. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will
remove from his Kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil.
And the angels will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will
be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the
sun in their Father’s Kingdom. Anyone with ears to hear should listen and
understand!
“The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure that a man discovered hidden
in a field. In his excitement, he hid it again and sold everything he owned
to get enough money to buy the field.
“Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant on the lookout for
choice pearls. When he discovered a pearl of great value, he sold everything he owned and bought it!
“Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a fishing net that was thrown into the
water and caught fish of every kind. When the net was full, they dragged
it up onto the shore, sat down, and sorted the good fish into crates, but
threw the bad ones away. That is the way it will be at the end of the world.
The angels will come and separate the wicked people from the righteous,
throwing the wicked into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping
and gnashing of teeth. Do you understand all these things?”
“Yes,” they said, “we do.”
Then he added, “Every teacher of religious law who becomes a disciple
in the Kingdom of Heaven is like a homeowner who brings from his storeroom new gems of truth as well as old.”
