Today’s passage: Matthew 14:1-12

Helpful thoughts:

• Herod was gripped by the fear of man.  He wanted people to think he was great.
• Herod was also prideful.  He thought God would raise John the Baptist from the dead just to mess with him.
• When Herod thought that everything was about him, it made him a slave to everyone around him.
• Contrast all this with John the Baptist, who was willing to tell Herod he shouldn’t be marrying his sister-in-law, regardless of the consequences.
• Herod’s self-interest made him totally miss the glory of Jesus Christ.

Questions to consider:

1. Honestly ask yourself, would you rather be John the Baptist or Herod in this narrative (Remember, John the Baptist is dead and Herod is king…)?
2. After you think through the previous question, dig deeper and ask why.
3. What prevents people from talking to others about things that they think might stir up some controversy?
4. Was John the Baptist hating Herod when he warned him or was he loving Herod when he warned him?
5. What are some reasons why we should be thankful we have been made aware of our sin?  What came of that?  What still comes from that?

Today’s passage: Matthew 13:53-58

Helpful thoughts:

• There is good evidence in this passage that Jesus was fully man.  He is fully man and fully God.  Some people believe that He was not fully man.  These people in this passage sure did!
• Jesus had half-brothers and half-sisters because Joseph and Mary had children together after Jesus was born.  Mary was not a life-long virgin.
• Notice, they never deny Jesus’ “mighty works”.  They can’t deny that He did them.  But, they did reject Him.
• Jesus’ response to the people of Nazareth’s unbelief was not to work among them.  He would go elsewhere.

Questions to consider:

1. The pattern on display here was an unwillingness to believe, followed by attempted reasoning, followed by offense and rejection.  What are some examples you could think of where people today do not want to believe and follow this pattern?
2. What is the cause of a prophet going “without honor” in his hometown?  Who is responsible for the lack of honor?
3. Do you struggle with the idea of Jesus withholding the display of His glory where people do not believe?  Why or why not?
4. How does this passage encourage you in your obedience to share the Gospel with others?

Today’s passage: Matthew 13:44-52

Helpful thoughts:

• The kingdom of heaven is worth everything.
• In verse 44, the kingdom is the treasure. In verse 45, the kingdom is the merchant searching for the treasure.
• The parable of the net is very similar to the parable of the wheat and the weeds.
• Jesus is speaking to His disciples in this passage.  Jesus is telling them that they are the scribes (experts of the Scriptures) who are going to bring out (Spread the message) from what is old (Old Testament) and what is new (The teachings of Jesus, the New Testament).

Questions to consider:

1. How do you value the kingdom of heaven?  Is there anything in this world that you value higher?  How would you be able to tell?
2. What is the Bible compared to in verse 52?  What makes the content of the Bible so valuable?  When do we most appreciate its value?
3. Who is the giver of all this treasure?  How can this encourage you today?

Today’s passage: Matthew 13:36-43

Helpful thoughts:

• Jesus shares with His disciples what each component of the parable represents.
• All causes of sin will be removed from the Kingdom at the end of the age!
• Hell is real.  We don’t rejoice in anyone going to hell (Jude 23), but we don’t refuse to believe it either.

Questions to consider:

1. Again, as was asked a few days ago, who are the planters in this field?  Who are all the players in this battle?  What part do we play in this parable?
2. What will it be like to live forever with Christ where there aren’t even any causes of sin present?  How amazing will that day be?
3. How should the reality of Hell motivate us? Both in our own lives and in how we look at others?
4. Jesus says again after this explanation, “He who has ears, let him hear.”  The last time He said this was after sharing a parable.  Is it possible to hear the explanation of a parable and STILL not understand/believe?  What makes the difference?  What has to happen (Beyond explanation) for a person to start understanding? (Hint: The answer is in these last few parables)

Today’s passage: Matthew 13:31-35

Helpful thoughts:

• The Parable of the Mustard Seed and the Parable of Leaven are coupled together to emphasize a similar point.
• The prophecy Jesus is fulfilling by speaking in parables is in Psalm 78:2.
• Remember, the little mustard seed and the little piece of leaven are the Kingdom of Heaven…not little things you can do to make the world a better place.

Questions to consider:

1. What is the consistent feature of both parables?
2. What do you think these parables mean? (They were shared together so go with one meaning)
3. Why do you think the disciples did not come back and ask Jesus to explain these parables?

Today’s passage: Matthew 13:24-30

Helpful thoughts:

• Be careful not to combine the previous parable with this one.  In the previous parable, the soil that received the seed was being compared and contrasted.  In this parable, the different types of seeds/plants are being compared and contrasted.
• The kind of weed mentioned here in the Greek looks much like wheat early on in their growth.  It’s not always easy to tell the difference between these plants without looking closely.
• If you pulled out the weeds at this time, you may mistake some of the wheat and pull it up, or mistakenly pull up the ground around them.  The day of the harvest (The judgement) will come and everything will be rightly identified.
• Jesus explains this parable later in the chapter.

Questions to consider:

1. As you await the Savior’s explanation (Or did you look ahead?), What do you think this parable is teaching?
2. Who was responsible for the weeds being present in the same field as the wheat?  Did the plants plant themselves?
3. Who is ultimately responsible for separating of the wheat from the weeds?

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 here 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?