One Year Pray for America Bible - Flipbook - Page 87
77
January 20
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.’”
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 be
comes the largest of garden plants; it
grows into a tree, and birds come and
make nests in its branches.”
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.”
34 Jesus always used stories and illustrations like these when speaking
to the crowds. In fact, he never spoke
to them without using such parables.
35 This fulfilled what God had spoken
through the prophet:
Man will send his angels, and they
will remove from his Kingdom every
thing that causes sin and all who do
evil. 42 And the angels will throw them
into the fiery furnace, where there will
be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
43 Then the righteous will shine like
the sun in their Father’s Kingdom.
Anyone with ears to hear should listen
and understand!
44 “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.
45 “Again, the Kingdom of Heaven
is like a merchant on the lookout for
choice pearls. 46 When he discovered
a pearl of great value, he sold every
thing he owned and bought it!”
13:35 Some manuscripts do not include of the world.
Ps 78:2. 13:37 “Son of Man” is a title Jesus used for
himself.
13:39 Or the age; also in 13:40, 49.
PSALM 18:115
For the choir director: A psalm of David,
the servant of the Lord. He sang this song
to the Lord on the day the Lord rescued
him from all his enemies and from Saul.
He sang:
1
2
“I will speak to you in parables.
I will explain things hidden
since the creation of the
world.*”
36 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.”
37 Jesus replied, “The Son of Man* is
the farmer who plants the good seed.
38 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. 39 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.
40 “Just as the weeds are sorted out
and burned in the fire, so it will be
at the end of the world. 41 The Son of
3
4
5
6
I love you, Lord;
you are my strength.
The Lord is my rock, my fortress,
and my savior;
my God is my rock, in whom
I find protection.
He is my shield, the power that
saves me,
and my place of safety.
I called on the Lord, who is
worthy of praise,
and he saved me from my
enemies.
The ropes of death entangled me;
floods of destruction swept
over me.
The grave* wrapped its ropes
around me;
death laid a trap in my path.
But in my distress I cried out to the
Lord;
yes, I prayed to my God for help.
He heard me from his sanctuary;
my cry to him reached his ears.
