Life Recovery Bible - Flipbook - Page 31
M atthew 1 3 / Page 1217
do you use parables when you talk to the
people?”
11
He replied, “You are permitted to understand the secrets* of the Kingdom of Heaven,
but others are not. 12 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. 13 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.
14
15
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,
and they cannot turn to me
and let me heal them.’*
“But blessed are your eyes, because they
see; and your ears, because they hear. 17 I tell
you the truth, many prophets and righteous
people longed to see what you see, but they
didn’t see it. And they longed to hear what
you hear, but they didn’t hear it.
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“Now listen to the explanation of the
parable about the farmer planting seeds:
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The seed that fell on the footpath represents those who hear the message about the
Kingdom and don’t understand it. Then the
evil one comes and snatches away the seed
that was planted in their hearts. 20 The seed
on the rocky soil represents those who hear
the message and immediately receive it with
joy. 21 But since they don’t have deep roots,
they don’t last long. They fall away as soon
as they have problems or are persecuted for
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believing God’s word. 22 The seed that fell
among the thorns represents those who hear
God’s word, but all too quickly the message
is crowded out by the worries of this life and
the lure of wealth, so no fruit is produced.
23
The seed that fell on good soil represents
those who truly hear and understand God’s
word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty,
or even a hundred times as much as had been
planted!”
Parable of the Wheat and Weeds
24
Here is another story J esus told: “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a farmer who planted
good seed in his field. 25 But that night as the
workers slept, his enemy came and planted
weeds among the wheat, then slipped away.
26
When the crop began to grow and produce
grain, the weeds also grew.
27
“The farmer’s workers went to him and
said, ‘Sir, the field where you planted that
good seed is full of weeds! Where did they
come from?’
28
“‘An enemy has done this!’ the farmer exclaimed.
“‘Should we pull out the weeds?’ they
asked.
29
“‘No,’ he replied, ‘you’ll uproot the wheat
if you do. 30 Let both grow together until the
harvest. Then I will tell the harvesters to
sort out the weeds, tie them into bundles,
and burn them, and to put the wheat in the
barn.’”
Parable of the Mustard Seed
31
Here is another illustration J esus used: “The
Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed
planted in a field. 32 It is the smallest of all
seeds, but it becomes the largest of garden
plants; it grows into a tree, and birds come
and make nests in its branches.”
Parable of the Yeast
33
Jesus also used this illustration: “The Kingdom of Heaven is like the yeast a woman
used in making bread. Even though she put
only a little yeast in three measures of flour,
it permeated every part of the dough.”
13:11 Greek the mysteries.
13:14-15 Isa 6:9-10 (Greek version).
13:24-30, 36-43 The story about the wheat and the weeds applies to those of us considering
recovery. Ultimately, there are two kinds of people in the world: Some submit to God’s will and
experience the restoration he offers in Jesus Christ; the others, whether they realize it or not,
have submitted to the control of Satan. This stark but realistic contrast shows us that if we do not
choose God, we choose Satan by default. If we have already undertaken a form of recovery but
have not yet committed ourselves to Jesus Christ, we still have one more step to go before experiencing the victory available in God’s recovery program.
