Daily Bread 2011 - Matthew 13
Daily Bread Together – Monday – Matthew 13
Verse of the Day: 13:3-9
“Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. Whoever has ears, let them hear.”
What Does This Mean? Jesus taught many things by parables. “Parable” comes from the Greek word, “parabole”, which means to put two things side by side for comparison purposes. Parables use natural events that happen everyday to illustrate universal, spiritual and/or moral truths.
In this parable Jesus uses the farming metaphor, which would be well known in his cultural setting. In this parable, the farmer sows seed indiscriminately along four different soil conditions, which provide four different outcomes. In the final soil condition, the “good soil”, the seed takes root and produces a crop in exponential fashion (30, 60, or 100x’s).
In each of the other three cases, something happened to prevent the seed from realizing the outcome it was intended for…bearing fruit multiple times over. Later in the chapter, Jesus interprets his own parable for the disciples, so they might understand the secret to the kingdom. In each case where the seed fails to germinate and produce fruit, Jesus gives an explanation of how God’s Word has not taken root in a person’s life.
Whether is be the evil one snatching it away on the hard path, or the worries and deceitfulness of wealth, or the troubles in this life; all these external circumstances prevent the Word from bearing fruit in a believer’s life. And yet in the one who hears, understands, and obeys God’s word, he multiplies many times over. This would mean that many more believers come to faith through this one fruitful believer.
What Does This Mean For Us? As believers in Christ, God wants to bear fruit through us and multiply what He has done in us, in others. But as we seek to become fruit-bearing believers there will be many obstacles in life including but not limited to: worries, struggles, a desire for other things, and even the devil himself.
But it is important to realize that just as the seed was meant to multiply itself into more seeds, so we too, as believers in Christ, are meant to multiply and bear the fruit of more believers. So while it is sobering to realize the obstacles, we must hold on to the fact that we were meant to bear fruit. As we stay “rooted” in God’s Word, and in His incarnate Word, Jesus; we will bear much fruit as we were intended to do.
Jesus help us to be like the good seed that fell on good soil and multiplied itself several times over. Help us to stay rooted in You and Your Word, which you have revealed to us so that we might overcome the obstacles and bear fruit that lasts for all of eternity. In Your name, Amen.
Verse of the Day: 13:3-9
“Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. Whoever has ears, let them hear.”
What Does This Mean? Jesus taught many things by parables. “Parable” comes from the Greek word, “parabole”, which means to put two things side by side for comparison purposes. Parables use natural events that happen everyday to illustrate universal, spiritual and/or moral truths.
In this parable Jesus uses the farming metaphor, which would be well known in his cultural setting. In this parable, the farmer sows seed indiscriminately along four different soil conditions, which provide four different outcomes. In the final soil condition, the “good soil”, the seed takes root and produces a crop in exponential fashion (30, 60, or 100x’s).
In each of the other three cases, something happened to prevent the seed from realizing the outcome it was intended for…bearing fruit multiple times over. Later in the chapter, Jesus interprets his own parable for the disciples, so they might understand the secret to the kingdom. In each case where the seed fails to germinate and produce fruit, Jesus gives an explanation of how God’s Word has not taken root in a person’s life.
Whether is be the evil one snatching it away on the hard path, or the worries and deceitfulness of wealth, or the troubles in this life; all these external circumstances prevent the Word from bearing fruit in a believer’s life. And yet in the one who hears, understands, and obeys God’s word, he multiplies many times over. This would mean that many more believers come to faith through this one fruitful believer.
What Does This Mean For Us? As believers in Christ, God wants to bear fruit through us and multiply what He has done in us, in others. But as we seek to become fruit-bearing believers there will be many obstacles in life including but not limited to: worries, struggles, a desire for other things, and even the devil himself.
But it is important to realize that just as the seed was meant to multiply itself into more seeds, so we too, as believers in Christ, are meant to multiply and bear the fruit of more believers. So while it is sobering to realize the obstacles, we must hold on to the fact that we were meant to bear fruit. As we stay “rooted” in God’s Word, and in His incarnate Word, Jesus; we will bear much fruit as we were intended to do.
Jesus help us to be like the good seed that fell on good soil and multiplied itself several times over. Help us to stay rooted in You and Your Word, which you have revealed to us so that we might overcome the obstacles and bear fruit that lasts for all of eternity. In Your name, Amen.
Comments
Post a Comment