Layman's Pulpit

 

MAY 05  THE JESUS QUESTIONS  JQ#14 

“ Jesus said to them, 

‘Have you understood all these things?’” 

 (Matthew 13:51)

LIVING FOR JESUS  Daily Prayer    

JESUS, thank You Lord for the strength You give me each day

 to “arise and walk”, thank You for just being able to get out of bed and 

get out of the house and most of all the ability to “enjoy” this wonderful

 world You have Created! 

Lord, I pray that You will grant it in my life that as I go through the 

day that my “spiritual” eyes will be open to the beauty and mystery of Your 

world that I may have the “Joy” and “Peace” that comes from “knowing”

 the Father and above all desires, I desire to “understand with my heart”

 the Love of God and that with my “understanding” will come

 “Sharing with others” the blessings You have showered on us.     

AMEN

THE JESUS QUESTIONS

Jesus is Teaching us the importance of “understanding” His Lessons 

and Jesus emphasizes the point that the Truth of God is the main

 purpose of His Teaching.

 If we do not “understand” the Lesson then we will miss the Truth of God

 and the Lesson will be useless.  Jesus illustrates this point

 when after asking the lead-in question

 JQ#14A “Who is My mother and who are My brothers?”

 (Matthew 12:48) 

Jesus immediately gives the answer 

that those who listen and learn His Teaching and  

“does the will of My Father in heaven [are] 

My brother and sister and mother.”

 (Matthew 12:50)  

Jesus then Taught in parables to 

“the multitudes that were gathered together…” (Matthew 13:1-3) 

to hear Him Teach about the kingdom of God — 

and the multitude listened intently to Jesus as He told the parable 

of the sower which sowed seed and the different results from the

 “sowing of the seed” depending on the “soil”

 in which the seed was sown. 

Jesus was asked by His disciples after He had Taught the Parable of the Sower

 to the multitudes why He was Teaching to the multitude in parables?

 (Matthew 13:10) 

and Jesus answered, 

(A1) “…it has been given to you [My disciples that listen to My Word]

 to ‘know’ the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven…” 

(Matthew 13:11) and 

(A2) “Therefore I speak to them [those that are following the world]

 in parables, because “seeing they do not see, 

and hearing they do not hear, nor do they 

‘understand’.” 

(Matthew 13:13) 

When we look at His answer to His disciples why Jesus had spoken in parables, 

we see that the 

“Truth of God” 

has to do with 

“understanding 

the WORD of God” 

which is the key to “knowing the mysteries of God” 

——— without 

“understanding 

of the WORD of God”

 we are blind and deaf to the “kingdom of heaven”. 

Jesus is Teaching that even though the same seed is planted that the success

 of the sown seed is determined by our 

“understanding”

 “But he who received seed on the good ground 

is he who hears the [WORD] and 

‘understands’ 

it, who indeed bears fruit and produces…” (Matthew 13:23) 

The Law of Choice and Consequence 

also applies as Jesus Teaches that the different levels of 

“understanding” 

are compared to different types of soil: 

(U1) soil that has been walked on and packed down by

 the “way of the world” 

Jesus called “the wayside”

 and when the seed was sown on “the wayside” 

that “the birds came and devoured them.” (Matthew 13:4) ——— 

 (U2) The 2nd “soil” was “stony places” and this was soil that 

the stones were not removed nor the soil properly prepared and

 there was not enough good soil to hold (the Living) water

 and nutrients in it, that the seed may sprout but 

without enough (Living) water and nourishment 

the seed “sprang up” and “they withered away”.

 (Matthew 13:5-6) ——— 

(U3) The 3rd type of soil was good soil but the water and nutrients 

were being used by the thick roots of thorns and weeds which 

represent the sin and iniquities of our worldly habits that we let 

take over our lives and when the seed of faith is sown among thorns

 that the good seed can not take root because the teachings of the world 

“choked them.” (Matthew 13:6-7) ——— 

(U4) Lastly, the 4th type of soil, Jesus said was soil that would produce fruit

 because it had not been trampled on by the world and the rocks and weeds

 of the world had been removed so the seed made deep roots

 in the good soil and the

 WORD of God produced much “fruit”, 

and Jesus said specifically that good soil is the soul that 

“…hears the [WORD] and 

‘understands’ it…” 

(Matthew 13:23) 

Jesus then went the extra mile with His disciples and Taught them to use their

 “spiritual eyes and ears”

 to see and 

“understand” 

the “Truth of God”. 

Jesus made sure we 

“understood” 

by first Teaching the parable of the sower and then immediately Jesus Taught 

the true meaning of the parable so that there would be 

“no misunderstanding” 

of the directions which Jesus gave His disciples as He pointed out the

 hazards of the world at certain points of our lives.

 Jesus says 

“Follow Me”

 and He will 

“lead you in paths of righteousness…and deliver you from evil…” 

and you will by your 

“understanding of the WORD of God” 

be able to confidently proclaim 

“Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life 

and I will dwell in the house of the LORD FOREVER”! 

(Psalm 23) 

Don’t you want to follow the map and find the narrow gate 

where you can enter into His Rest and hear Him say 

“Welcome Home”????