Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Today's Passage: Matthew 13

When you come to Matthew 13, you realize there is a lot of information there, and some of it can be quite confusing. Just in this one chapter there are 9 parables. Jesus taught during most of his ministry using parables. He did this for several reasons. The most important is that only the ones whom Jesus wanted to understand his teaching could do so. For example, often crowds and some religious people could not handle the truth of Jesus' teachings, so he would use parables. But for those whom Jesus wanted them to understand, he would then explain the meaning of the parable.

That is where we find ourselves in the beginning of Matthew 13. Here we have one of the few recorded parables that Jesus gives, and then interprets it for his, seemingly dull, disciples. How great would it be to hear Jesus teach this parable of the Sower, and then turn around and listen to Him explain it! The parable of the Sower is one of the more famous parables in Scripture. It is an encouraging and realistic look into the spiritual nature of human beings. Often the application point is that the people of God should always be the 'good soil,' so that we may be receptive to God's Word. While this is a true and significant application, this is not what I walked away with today. Rather, I saw the reality of ministry and evangelism in Jesus' day, as well as ours. Meaning that we cannot change the way people handle the truth. To be sure, we definitely come with love, and then present the truth (which Jesus' calls the Word of God, i.e. the Bible).

Everyday there are people who fit into these four categories of soil (path with birds, rocky soil, thorny soil, and good soil). Confidently, I realize that if people responded to Jesus and his ministry that way, why should we expect any different. Every believer is called to minister to this lost and dying world. When this happens we can be sure that some people will understand, some people will get excited and lose heart, some will give up when trouble comes, and others will accept the Word and live it out all of their days. We at Bear Creek cannot force anyone to be 'good soil.' All we can do is present the Good News, day in and day out. Our results will not be any different than Jesus' ministry. May we all continue to minister to those around us in the same way Jesus Christ did, with love and truth, and leave the rest to God!