Today’s Podcast
Today’s Bible reading plan:
Read it in a year – Genesis 48-50
see the whole year’s plan [here](http://www.bible-reading.com/bible-plan.pdf)
Today’s Devotional
Matthew 13:37-43
Jesus: The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world; the good seed represents the children of the Kingdom. The weeds—who do you think the weeds are? They are the children of the evil one, and the enemy who threw the weeds among the wheat is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the workers are God’s heavenly messengers. In the parable, I told you the weeds would be pulled up and burned—well, that is how it will be at the end of this age. The Son of Man will send His messengers out into the world, and they will root out from His kingdom everything that is poisonous, ugly, and malicious, and everyone who does evil. They will throw all that wickedness into the fiery furnace where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth. And the righteous will shine like the sun in their Father’s kingdom. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.
What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?
In the verse before Jesus’ words, the disciples ask Him to explain the parable of the weeds. So Jesus answers them. This, I think, is an important lesson for us as we contemplate Jesus’ words for us today. Jesus spoke to the crowds around Him in parables fulfilling the prophecies given to Isaiah and Psalms. People would listen but not hear, try to understand, but not comprehend. He gives them His message, but they do not exercise enough faith to let His words break through to their heart and mind so they understand Him.
But the disciples wanted to know more about the messages Jesus gave the crowds. They weren’t content to just hear His stories and go away and live their lives as if nothing happened. They wanted deeper understanding. So they came to Jesus and asked what His parables meant. That’s the real message I’d like begin with from Jesus’ words today. We need to want to know more about Him so we ask Him to clarify His word. He wants us to delve into His word and learn about Him. He wants us to draw close to Him and ask questions. He wants to settle our doubts and calm our fears. But He can’t do that unless we engage with Him in conversation. We have to get away with Him and talk to Him.
And then comes the good part. Jesus didn’t ridicule His disciples because they didn’t understand. He didn’t send them to the library to look up the answers. He didn’t send them off to the seminary or tell them to go study their catechism. No. Jesus answered their questions. He understood their infancy in their faith and took the time to explain His teachings to them. He made sure they understood His message so they could better understand Him and His mission from the Father.
It helps us know that Jesus doesn’t want to be hidden from us. His message was plain: The kingdom of heaven is at hand. God has burst in upon the scene. He wants an intimate relationship with you. I’ll tell you stories to help you understand the relationship God wants to have with you. But He also wants you to exercise your faith a little. He also wants to see that His relationship with you isn’t completely one-sided. He carries the biggest load. He pulls the heaviest weight. He makes the greatest sacrifice. But He also expects us to do at least a little something in the relationship.
He spoke to the crowds in parables. Most of the people in the crowd listened to His stories and walked away happy to have seen His miracles and heard His message. But they didn’t understand and didn’t do anything else about it. It’s not unlike many who sit in the pews in churches all across America. We come and listen to the music, hear a good sermon, then go home and live the rest of the week without any thought about what any of it meant. We don’t think about the words we heard or the work God has for us to do. We don’t understand it, but we don’t ask about it either. We are happy just to keep our superficial appearance of righteousness, but there is no substance to our relationship.
Jesus answered the disciples questions because they asked them. He encouraged them to find out what His messages meant so they could draw closer to Him and His Father. He wanted them to understand His mission because He would soon pass that mission on to them and they would need that relationship with the triune Godhead vibrant and strong to withstand the fury of those Satan would throw in their way. They needed to know that no question was too insignificant for Him to answer for them.
So how about you? Do you just sit in the pew every once in a while or every week and just hear the words without really listening to the message God has for you? Do you leave the church without meditating through the week on the sermon and songs you heard? Do you fail to ask God what He wants you to know in building your relationship with Him and others? Then these words of Jesus were meant for you. You see, Jesus has answers to our questions. And He wants us to ask them.
The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved. In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.