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MATTHEW 13 (ESV)

¹ That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. ² And great crowds gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat down. And the whole crowd stood on the beach. ³ And he told them many things in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow.  ⁴ And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. ⁵ Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, ⁶ but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away. ⁷ Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. ⁸ Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. ⁹ He who has ears, let him hear.”……

¹⁸ “Hear then the parable of the sower: ¹⁹ When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path. ²⁰ As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, ²¹ yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away. ²² As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. ²³ As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”

REFLECTION

• Jesus told a series of parables to the puzzled crowds, and in another series, He told to His disciples. Jesus explained the unexpected aspects of His kingdom.
• This parable makes clear that reception of the gospel depends on the soil, i.e. the condition of the recipient. In this parable, the seed and the sower are the same in each case, but the soil varies.  There are many who do not respond favourably to Jesus’ message, but the few who did produced remarkable fruit.
• What kinds of worries have potential to choke your growth in Christ? How can you free your life from these “thorns”?
• What helps a believer to have deep “roots” which prevent one from falling away? What gives you root?
• What “crop” does Jesus want believers to yield? How would you increase your “crop productivity”?

Prayer & Journaling:

On your prayer journal, as you listen to God, write down a few thoughts, questions, words, names, drawings, or anything that has come to your mind during this time.