Today’s passage: Matthew 13:18-23

Helpful thoughts:

• Jesus now is explaining to His disciples the parable he shared in 13:10-17.
• “He falls away” in verse 21 comes from the Greek work that just means, to stumble.  This is not to be confused with the false idea of losing your salvation.
• Soil is good for farming when it is properly prepared.  This is the work of the Spirit (See John 16:8-11)

Questions to consider:

1. Knowing that the seed is the Word of God and that the good soil is prepared by God, what is God’s role in sharing the Gospel and what is our role?  What should we be sharing and doing?
2. How does rightly understanding God’s role in evangelism give us GREATER confidence and assurance of success?
3. Can you think of three people you can be praying for, inviting to share the Word of God with, and/or inviting to church? (Will you do it?)

Today’s passage: Matthew 13:10-17

Helpful thoughts:

• Instead of Jesus fulfilling the prophecy in this passage, the people are the ones who fulfill the prophecy from Isaiah 6:9-10.
  • In Isaiah’s prophecy, God had given the Israelites opportunity to repent previously and they refused.  He now was bringing judgement and they were unable to turn away from it.  Isaiah was told that people would not hear him.
• Understanding of the secrets/mysteries of the kingdom of heaven is given, not earned.
  • The mysteries of the Old Testament were revealed in Christ.  They are right there for all to see…if they had eyes to see.
• There is no one who wants to “see” and does not.  Everyone who does not see, is perfectly happy with their own view of things.  There are no humble/repentant people in hell.
• The disciples were seeing and hearing what Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, David, Elijah, etc. never got to see on the earth with their own eyes.  But, all of those men looked forward to His coming in faith.  They had spiritual eyes to see by God’s grace.  The disciples got the privilege of being given spiritual eyes to make sense of what they were also seeing with their physical eyes.
• Remember, Jesus had already taught in a clearer manner (e.g. Sermon on the Mount).

Questions to consider:

1. Why do you think the disciples came to ask Jesus about the parable and no one else did?  How does that go along with Jesus’ explanation?
2. The “one who has” is a believer.  So, how does the rest of the New Testament and the promises given to believers help us to make sense of what Jesus is saying in verse 12?  What all is being given to the believer?  (By the way, this would be a good time to praise the Lord in thanksgiving for all He has given to us in Christ!)
3. If the passage in Isaiah was referring to coming judgement for unbelief and a lack of repentance, and if Jesus is referring to His parables and the audience, who do not have ears to hear, what are the parables now serving as?

Today’s passage: Matthew 13:1-9

Helpful thoughts:

• Be patient…we will be looking at this passage over three days.  We will let Scripture explain Scripture as we go through the chapter.
• When a great crowd gathered to hear Jesus, He spoke in a way that was hard to understand.
• Jesus didn’t explain the parables to the crowds, only to His disciples.
• “He who has ears to hear, let him hear” is like saying, if you can understand it, understand it.  Understand?

Questions to consider:

1. If you had been there that day and heard Jesus say this parable, what would you be thinking?
2. What would be required for you to have a right understanding?
3. How does a person get “Ears to hear”?

Today’s passage: Matthew 12:46-50

Helpful thoughts:

• Word was spreading around about Jesus, including the Pharisees’ hatred of Him. His earthly family may have been concerned for His well-being.
• Jesus did not renounce Mary or his half-brothers in this passage.  He invited them into His family.
• Jesus’ invitation to the family was universal.  Everyone who believes and follows Him will be included.  Anyone who rejects Him will not be included. (Even His own mother or half-brothers and half-sisters)

Questions to consider:

1. What is the difference between our earthly families and the family of God?
2. How do you know that you are in the family of God?
3. How does this passage state we can see if someone else is in the family of God?

Today’s passage: Matthew 12:38-45

Helpful thoughts:

• Jesus had just healed a demon possessed man (Not to mention all the other miracles done thus far).
• Jesus here foretells his death, burial and resurrection.  A sign certainly on the scale of amazement they were asking Him for here. Having just been rebuked, they were upping the demand for better signs.  They may very well have left that day feeling justified in their unbelief because He didn’t perform for the them on demand.
• The belief of Gentile people is contrasted here with these Jewish people’s refusal to believe.
• Jesus compares the Jews’ rejection and wickedness to the worsened state of a demon possessed man (Which He had just healed).  Jesus just called these men a “brood of vipers” and He is stating they are only going to get worse.

Questions to consider:

1. Did Jesus fail to prove who He is?  Did He raise from the dead?
2. If a person determines in their heart to reject Jesus, is there any sign that will persuade them?
3. Why do you think people who refuse to repent, blame God for their lack of repentance?  Where does that come from?

Today’s passage: Matthew 12:33-37

Helpful thoughts:

• Good trees bear good fruit.  Bad trees bear bad fruit.  You can’t staple an apple on a lemon tree and call it an apple tree.
• Everything that comes out of us started within, in the inner man (The heart).
• Jesus judged these Pharisees based on what they said.

Questions to consider:

1. Where do the things we say come from?
2. Is it right to say, “That wasn’t me!” when we do or say something wrong?  Why not?
3. How do we grow in our actions and words?  Where is the target for change?

Today’s passage: Matthew 12:22-32

Helpful thoughts:

• Jesus’ healing of this demon-possessed man was indisputable.  The Pharisees could not deny it.  So they accused Jesus of being a demonic trickster.
• In verse 28, Jesus says, if I am casting out demons by the power of the Spirit of God, then you cannot logically deny that I am the Messiah! (The problem was, the Pharisees were NOT being logical.  They simply refused to submit.)
• Blasphemy is a conscious denouncing of God.  And this can be forgiven!  Not believing in God or speaking poorly of Him is something that can be repented of.  Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is said by Christ to be a different matter.  A primary ministry of the Holy Spirit throughout the NT is to point people to Jesus…and the Pharisees had been pointed to Jesus.  His Holy Spirit-powered works had been on display right before their eyes.  Nobody knew the OT better than these men and Jesus had proven over and over that He was the Christ.  Jesus is saying here in this passage that these Pharisees had once and for all chosen to reject the ministry of the Holy Spirit by denying what was obviously true.  They refused to acknowledge the Spirit was working through Him and that He was the Christ.  This was blasphemy, directly in opposition to the work of the Holy Spirit.  So, to once and for all deny Christ, to be determined to reject Him in spite of the Spirit’s work, is to blaspheme against the Holy Spirit.

Questions to consider:

1. How does the fact that Jesus’ miracles were indisputable encourage your faith and courage to share the Gospel?
2. What does the nature of these Pharisees’ rejection of Christ remind us of as it relates to our work in trying to prove to people that Jesus is our Lord and Savior?  Can we simply convince someone to get saved?  What has to happen in the sinner’s heart?
3. How can this passage make us more thankful for our faith?

Today’s passage: Matthew 12:15-21

Helpful thoughts:

• Jesus was aware of the Pharisees’ plotting.  He is omniscient.
• Verses 18-21 are from Isaiah 42:1-3.
• Two main takeaways from the prophecy:
  • Jesus was God’s servant.
  • Jesus withdrew as opposed to being on the offensive.  He did not try to persuade the Pharisees to not “destroy” Him.  He did not quench the smoldering wick.

Questions to consider:

1. What was Jesus’ ultimate service to God and for us?
2. Whose servant are we?
3. In what ways would it be right to have the same mindset and approach as Jesus when we face opposition?