 Matthew 13:24-30; 36-43
In the Parable of the Weeds, Jesus teaches that God plans to leave the wicked in his world until the righteous have fully matured. The Parable promises divine resources for Christians to stand tall to the glory of God.
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 Matthew 13:1-23
Jesus' "Parable of the Sower" (Matt 13:18) is famous. Since the day he first told that story, images of the four types of "soil" have been considered over and over again. As Matthew presents it to us, the Parable of the Sower is the beginning of Jesus' practice of teaching the crowds only in parables. When we consider this aspect of the narrative, we gain strategic understanding for engaging our own time with the word of God.  Malachi 1:6-2:9
God has much about which to take issue with the priests of Israel not long after the return from exile. As God scolds them through the prophet Malachi, present-day Christians can learn important lessons from their mistakes. We are reminded that our task is to honor, proclaim, and display the awesome holiness of the living God.  Matthew 12:46-50
There are many ways we identify with other human beings as "family." Not all of them have to do with blood relations. Naturally, we bring this tendency into the Church. We gather in "families" of people "like me." In the passage, we are reminded that the family of Jesus is defined according to himself. Jesus' family is "everyone who does the will of My Father in heaven."  Many Christians join their neighbors in their communities in celebrating the arrival of a New Year. Yet, "New Year's Day" has never been a Christian holiday. What reasons might Christians have for celebrating a time when the earth begins another trip around the sun? As we listen to God's word answering this question, we are reminded of some of the most profound teachings from God.
 Genesis 3:8; 2 Corinthians 5:17
There was a time in God's special garden in Eden that man and woman took walks with God in the cool of the evening. Apparently, God drew near in the form of a human body in order to enjoy this garden time with them. The man and woman's sin ruined all of that, corrupting human nature itself. Now the human life would be marked by Death in many forms of experience. At just the right time, God took human form again, but in a very unique way. God united his own being to the corrupt human being in the man, Jesus. By sacrificing this human life for our sins, God renewed human nature in Jesus Christ. Now, we have God's promise that in Jesus we will someday enjoy the fullness of that new humanity. Someday, we will take walks with God again in his special garden.  Matthew 12:38-45
How a person responds to the authority of Jesus says everything that needs to be said about the kind of disciple they are or might be. In this passage, Jesus promises that his resurrection will function like "the sign of Jonah." That is to say that it is the knife's edge of the word of God in the world, separating true from false believers. This leads us to self-reflection, asking the question, "What sort of believer am I?"  Matthew 12:22-37
When the religious experts slander Jesus, Jesus turns the situation into an object lesson. The Pharisees define for us what Jesus means when he says God will judge us for every "careless word" we speak. This helps disciples test ourselves to make sure we continue to make progress in growing to be like Jesus.  Matthew 12:1-21
Living the Christian life requires knowing the word of God well. In two encounters with some Bible experts, Jesus teaches us that there is something more to knowing God's word than just mastering the details of the words in the Bible. In the course of these encounters, Matthew shows us that Jesus is the One who has come to establish justice on the earth. His way is not through coercive force, but through the gentle and beautiful heart of God.  Matthew 11:28-30
Jesus's invitation to discipleship is to let him rule our lives as our Lord and Teacher. He promises that if we do, he will save us. Further, the lessons he teaches, the way he guides us to live in righteousness brings rest to our souls rather than weariness. |
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