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Matthew 13:24-43 provides accounts of three more parables.
In the first of these Jesus describes how good seed is sown first, but then an enemy sows weeds. Both the wheat and the weeds are allowed to grow to avoid harming the crop, but at harvest time the good and bad are separated and the bad destroyed.
The second is another story about growth. Although at the start a seed may be insignificant, it can give rise to a plant big enough and strong enough to provide shelter for the birds.
And the third story is about yeast, explaining how even a small piece affects a large amount of dough. In those days leavened bread would have been a kind of sour dough process. When baking, a small portion of dough would be retained for the following day. Mixed with the new dough it would act as a starter; when the new dough had risen and was ready for the oven, another small piece would be set aside and the larger part baked.
The disciples asked Jesus to explain the first parable and he goes through it in detail for them.
Notice how these parables use living processes to open our minds to how the kingdom works. How many different points can you find which Jesus illuminates with ideas from life? There are several in each parable. We learn about growth in competition, the risk of causing harm, development of structure and strength, great results from small beginnings, and more.
Could you use this kind of story-telling with the people you meet. Can you think of parable-like ideas from modern life? The kingdom of heaven is like...
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Showing posts with label wheat. Show all posts
Showing posts with label wheat. Show all posts
Wednesday, 11 September 2013
Sunday, 8 September 2013
Matthew 12:1-21 - Jesus' authority and nature
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Here in Matthew 12:1-21 we see again that Yahshua is more concerned about the spiritual intention of the Law than he is about the observance of the details.
The Pharisees were experts at writing minute rules, often going far beyond the Mosaic Law itself. The Law requires people to rest on the Sabbath, but it doesn't say that rubbing off the wheat husk to nibble the kernels is "work". Doing so while strolling through the fields might just as well be seen as a form of relaxation.
Not only does he provide cogent counter-arguments, he also demonstrates that they flout their own rules when necessary and then heals in a way that requires no more work than the words "stretch out your hands".
His response to their plotting is simply to go to another area. Matthew tells us that Jesus is fulfilling Isaiah 42:1-4.
One important lesson to take from this passage is that we, too, should be much more concerned about the spiritual intentions of the Law than about its literal meaning. We should not be so careful about church tradition that we fail to respect our parents, for example. We should not use any kind of ritual duty to justify neglecting the hungry. Nor should we criticise others for failing to pay a tithe or pay into church funds when they are struggling to feed their family. And we are not to be self-satisfied at attending a worship service while our neighbour needs help with a practical difficulty at home.
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Here in Matthew 12:1-21 we see again that Yahshua is more concerned about the spiritual intention of the Law than he is about the observance of the details.
The Pharisees were experts at writing minute rules, often going far beyond the Mosaic Law itself. The Law requires people to rest on the Sabbath, but it doesn't say that rubbing off the wheat husk to nibble the kernels is "work". Doing so while strolling through the fields might just as well be seen as a form of relaxation.
Not only does he provide cogent counter-arguments, he also demonstrates that they flout their own rules when necessary and then heals in a way that requires no more work than the words "stretch out your hands".
His response to their plotting is simply to go to another area. Matthew tells us that Jesus is fulfilling Isaiah 42:1-4.
One important lesson to take from this passage is that we, too, should be much more concerned about the spiritual intentions of the Law than about its literal meaning. We should not be so careful about church tradition that we fail to respect our parents, for example. We should not use any kind of ritual duty to justify neglecting the hungry. Nor should we criticise others for failing to pay a tithe or pay into church funds when they are struggling to feed their family. And we are not to be self-satisfied at attending a worship service while our neighbour needs help with a practical difficulty at home.
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