Category: Matthew

Matthew 15:29–39

Jesus left there and went along the Sea of Galilee. Then he went up on a mountainside and sat down. ³⁰ Great crowds came to him, bringing the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute and many others, and laid them at his feet; and he healed them. ³¹ The people were amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled made well, the lame walking and the blind seeing. And they praised the God of Israel.

³² Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, or they may collapse on the way.”

³³ His disciples answered, “Where could we get enough bread in this remote place to feed such a crowd?”

³⁴ “How many loaves do you have?” Jesus asked.

“Seven,” they replied, “and a few small fish.”

³⁵ He told the crowd to sit down on the ground. ³⁶ Then he took the seven loaves and the fish, and when he had given thanks, he broke them and gave them to the disciples, and they in turn to the people. ³⁷ They all ate and were satisfied. Afterward the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. ³⁸ The number of those who ate was four thousand men, besides women and children. ³⁹ After Jesus had sent the crowd away, he got into the boat and went to the vicinity of Magadan.

Jesus offered another big meal. But now it was for non-Jews. His kingdom was now open to all people.

Jesus fed 4000 people. At first, another miracle like this may seem to be unnecessary. (Compare how Jesus fed 5000 people. This is in 14:13–21.) The two stories seem very similar. But Matthew recorded them both. There was a reason for this.

Jesus had been in a non-Jewish area. It was called Gennesaret. It was next to the Sea of Galilee. (Read 14:34–35.) In 15:21, Jesus was near Tyre and Sidon. This was an area to the far north of Galilee. In this passage, Jesus was in Galilee again. He was in the area of the Ten Towns. Its name was the Decapolis. But he was still on the non-Jewish side of the lake. Verse 29 suggests this. Mark 7:31 confirms it. Another detail confirms it too. The Greek word for ‘basket’ in 14:20 is a Jewish word. But in 15:37, it is a non-Jewish word. This shows that Matthew’s facts were accurate.

Jesus fed 5000 people. This event was at the end of his work among the Jews in Galilee. So, 15:1–39 described Jesus’ work in mainly non-Jewish country. There he fed 4000 people. This event finished a brief time among the non-Jews (or Gentiles). Jewish people who were sick came to Jesus. He healed them (14:14). Gentiles who were sick came to Jesus. He healed them too (15:31).

Matthew referred to Isaiah 52:7. It said that someone would declare the good news of salvation. He would do this on a mountain. That was what Jesus did (verse 29). Next, there was Isaiah 52:7–10. Salvation would come to people who were from all over the world. At that time, Jesus was working among non-Jews. They represented the nations of the world.

Isaiah 35:5–6 described someone who would heal. Matthew used the same words in verses 30–31. The whole of Isaiah chapter 35 was about the same subject. It showed that the results of sin would end. Isaiah 25:6–12 described the final big meal. God would have this big meal for all his people. Here, on the mountain, Jesus provided a big meal. Also there was Isaiah 29:18–19, 23. The Jews would be God’s friends again. Matthew used the same sort of words in 15:31.

Matthew must have thought that these verses were important. One day, God’s kingdom would be complete. There would be people from all nations in it. Here, Jesus provided a big meal for non-Jews (Gentiles). Jesus provided the same big meal for Jews and Gentiles. This showed that non-Jews can be proper members of God’s kingdom. But they must recognize who Jesus is. They must believe that he is God’s rescuer.

This passage taught about Jesus. There were three important lessons.

Jesus brought good news that came from God. Matthew repeated several verses from Isaiah. Jews who read his book would understand why he used them. Jesus was the person whom the verses described. He would declare God’s salvation. He would bring God’s peace to the world.

Jesus himself would achieve this salvation. He would stop the terrible results of sin. Isaiah 35:5–6 told about great miracles. Matthew used the same words about Jesus in verses 30 and 31. We know, too, that the results of sin will end. The rest of Isaiah 35 declared this. Jesus fed 4000 people. That reminds us of God’s final big meal.

Jesus makes men and women to be friends with God. He makes them into holy people. The reaction of the people in verse 31 was like Isaiah 29:18–19, 23. Jesus is the Savior (someone who saves). He helps his disciples to be holy.

Questions

1. Pretend that you were there when Jesus fed the crowd. You were a Gentile (non-Jew). Remember that Jesus was a Jew. So, you would think that he must be against you. Imagine that you met Jesus. What would his attitude really be to you?

2. Many people in our own communities today have great needs. It may not be for actual food. What other needs are there? How can members of the church help them?

Jesus healed the daughter of a non-Jew. This shows that salvation is for all people.

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Matthew 15:21–28

²¹ Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. ²² A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is demon-possessed and suffering terribly.”

²³ Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, “Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.”

²⁴ He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.”

²⁵ The woman came and knelt before him. “Lord, help me!” she said.

²⁶ He replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”

²⁷ “Yes it is, Lord,” she said. “Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.”

²⁸ Then Jesus said to her, “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” And her daughter was healed at that moment.

This was an important story. In verses 1–20, the Jews tried to prove that Jesus was wrong, but He prevailed. Jesus welcomed a non-Jewish woman. The Jews would think that she was ‘dirty’. She belonged to a group called Canaanites. They were non-Jews (Gentiles). But they lived in Israel.

This was a wonderful miracle. But Matthew thought was important was the way that Jesus dealt with the woman. She had a desperate need. So she came to Jesus. She knew that he could help her. She knew too that nobody else could help her. She even seemed to have some understanding of who he really was. She called him the ‘Son of David’.

Note the contrast here. The Jewish leaders had the Old Testament. They should have known that they needed the Messiah. They should have recognized him when he came. Instead, they did not know that they needed anything. They just argued with him. This woman did not have the advantages that the Jews had. But she knew her need. She knew, too, that only Jesus could help her.

Verses 23–26 seem to be strange at first. Jesus seemed to be saying that the woman was asking for too much. He seemed to tell her that he only came to help the Jews. Maybe this explained the disciples’ unkind attitude in verse 23. They were thinking like the religious leaders thought. They thought that Jews had a special claim on God. But Jesus certainly did not believe this.

There are two ways to understand this passage. The disciples may be saying: ‘Send her away. Do not do anything for her.’ If so, Jesus would be copying the disciples’ own thoughts. (Read verses 24 and 26.) But the woman had real faith (verse 28). She showed that she belonged to the real people of God (verse 24). It did not matter that she was a non-Jew (Gentile). Then Jesus healed the woman’s daughter. His words and his action told her that God received her.

Or the disciples may have been saying: ‘Send her away. Give her what she wants.’ Jesus replied that, at present, his work was for the Jews first. But he still encouraged the woman’s faith. She proved that she did have real faith.

Questions

1. Are there any groups of people whom you think may be beyond Jesus’ help? What hope is there for them?

2. Are there people who are foreigners in your area? (Their culture is different from yours too.) They are like the woman in this story. Is there anything that you could do to help them?

3. Should we still think that the salvation of Jews is the most important thing? Is this what Jesus would want

Matthew 15:1–20

15 Then some Pharisees and teachers of the law came to Jesus from Jerusalem and asked, ² “Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? They don’t wash their hands before they eat!”

³ Jesus replied, “And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition? ⁴ For God said, ‘Honor your father and mother’ and ‘Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.’ ⁵ But you say that if anyone declares that what might have been used to help their father or mother is ‘devoted to God,’ ⁶ they are not to ‘honor their father or mother’ with it. Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition. ⁷ You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you:

⁸ “‘These people honor me with their lips,
    but their hearts are far from me.
⁹ They worship me in vain;
    their teachings are merely human rules.”

¹⁰ Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen and understand. ¹¹ What goes into someone’s mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them.”

¹² Then the disciples came to him and asked, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this?”

¹³ He replied, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by the roots. ¹⁴ Leave them; they are blind guides.^[d] If the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.”

¹⁵ Peter said, “Explain the parable to us.”

¹⁶ “Are you still so dull?” Jesus asked them. ¹⁷ “Don’t you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body? ¹⁸ But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them. ¹⁹ For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. ²⁰ These are what defile a person; but eating with unwashed hands does not defile them.”

In the main section of verses 13:53–18:35. There was an argument between Jesus and the religious leaders. It developed from this time until His death.

In the Old Testament, God gave great religious principles. He gave great moral principles as well. He wanted to show the people what the principles meant. So He gave the people some pictures. He gave the Jews some ceremonies and practices. But, by the time of Jesus, things had changed. Ceremonies and practices had become the most important things. To the Jews, that was what real religion meant. The people concentrated on these things. They forgot the reason why God had given them.

The religious leaders added many rules to God’s laws. These rules became more important than the laws. Now the people must obey the new rules. These were called traditions. Often, this meant that the people did not obey God’s laws. Now, this made their religion just acts. In one way, the leaders were making religion easy. People could achieve all that was necessary by themselves. But in another way, the leaders were making religion hard. They asked the people to do so many things. It was just impossible to do them all. (Compare 11:28–30.)

Jesus taught in a very different way from the religious leaders. That caused the leaders to argue over what was more important.

To be clean outside (the body) and inside (the soul)

The religious experts arrived. They wanted to argue with Jesus. They had come from Jerusalem. They reminded Jesus about one of their rules. They said that His disciples were ignoring it. It was the rule about how and when they should wash their hands.

To the Jews, it was vital to be clean in a religious way. But this seemed to be impossible. They would always be dirty. So they developed a complicated system. They hoped that this would solve the problem. They must wash their hands in a special way. They did this first when they got up in the morning.

There was another time for this complicated system. At first, it was just for the priests. People would bring gifts to God at the Temple. The priests could eat part of the gifts. But, first, they must wash their hands in a special way. Later, this system applied to all Jews who said that they were really religious.

Many Jews would keep water ready in their homes. They would use it before a meal. There was a minimum amount of water that they could use. It was enough water to fill ten empty eggs! Someone poured this water on both hands. The person must point the fingers up. The water must run down the hand. Then the water must drop off. This was because the water itself was now ‘dirty’. It had touched the ‘dirty’ hands. It must not run down the fingers again. Or the fingers and the hands would both be ‘dirty’ again.

Then they repeated the process. This time the person must point the fingers down. Then they must rub each hand with the fist of the other hand. (Note: This meant that the person bent the fingers into the hand. The person held them there very hard.) The person might be a strict Jew. If so, he would do all this between each part of the meal as well.

The leaders asked Jesus a question. Jesus did not answer it immediately. Instead, he showed them that their religion was wrong. It was against God’s word! All people should give honor to their parents. They should respect them. God expected this. (Read Exodus 21:17 and Leviticus 20:9.) The law was quite clear (verse 4).

But the leaders thought that this law meant too much responsibility. So, they invented their own law. God had a greater claim on them than their parents had. So, the leaders said, ‘Give the money to God.’ Then, they could not use it for their parents. But the giver was God’s manager. So, the giver could use it himself. God had given him the responsibility of his parents. But a man could avoid it in this way. He could even use God’s authority to do that. Jesus was saying that this practice was wrong in verses 4–6.

Jesus spoke clearly to these leaders. They were just pretending to be good. He repeated Isaiah 29:13. God had said these words to religious leaders. It was in the time of Isaiah. This was 800 years before the time of Jesus. But the leaders had still not learned the lesson.

Jesus said something even more important in verses 10 and 11. A person may be ‘dirty’ or wrong. But lack of a ceremony did not cause it. What made a person really ‘dirty’ or wrong came from inside them. (Read verses 16–20.)

The reaction of the Jewish leaders was not a surprise. But it was a great pity. (Read verse 12.) They did not understand the principles of real religion. Perhaps they were unable to understand them. Maybe they could not understand because they did not want to understand. So they had invented their own religion. But it could only lead to hell.

Questions

1. People must do certain things before they can be ‘real Christians’(Be Born Again). Some people insist on other acts. But these some of acts are not in the Bible. Can you think of any things like this? Do you insist on any of them yourself?

2. Some Christians teach about things that you must not do. They teach more about these things than about the things that you can do. What could this passage teach these Christians?

3. Some people are ‘almost Christians’. Other people may think that they are Christians, but they are not. But they insist on certain ceremonies. We might think that these ceremonies are not necessary. Should we oppose them?

Matthew 14:13–36

13 When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns. ¹⁴ When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick.

¹⁵ As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.”

¹⁶ Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.”

¹⁷ “We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered.

¹⁸ “Bring them here to me,” he said. ¹⁹ And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. ²⁰ They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. ²¹ The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children.

Jesus Walks on the Water

²² Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. ²³ After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone, ²⁴ and the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.

²⁵ Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. ²⁶ When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear.

²⁷ But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”

²⁸ “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”

²⁹ “Come,” he said.

Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. ³⁰ But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”

³¹ Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”

³² And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. ³³ Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

³⁴ When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret. ³⁵ And when the men of that place recognized Jesus, they sent word to all the surrounding country. People brought all their sick to him ³⁶ and begged him to let the sick just touch the edge of his cloak, and all who touched it were healed.

These events showed that Jesus was the Messiah and that He was God.

Read about Jesus’ miracles again. They are in chapters 8 and 9. Here, Matthew described two more miracles. They are in 14:13–33. Jesus fed 5000 men(women and children not included). Jesus walked on the water. These miracles were used as lessons that we can learn from.

Then Matthew described two examples of unbelief or lack of faith. (Read 13:53–58 and 14:1–12.) The two miracles now give a contrast. They describe faith. It is real faith, but it is weak faith. At the same time, they show who Jesus really was, and who He still is.

The crowd followed Jesus. He pitied them. So He did not satisfy His own needs. He satisfied their needs instead. (Read verse 14.) The disciples were not like Jesus. They did not like it when the crowd did not go home. Jesus used this situation to teach the disciples. He showed them that they had a responsibility (verse 16). But they just complained. They could not do anything. They did not have nearly enough food (verse 17). Then Jesus showed them that they had Him. The miracle showed that He was their supply.

The disciples took their own small supply of food to Him. Then they could do something about the needs of the people. Jesus blessed the bread and the fish. He broke them into pieces. Then those pieces multiplied in the hands of the disciples. T

We must have real faith (verses 22–36)

We can learn at least 5 lessons from Jesus’ control of the storm. They are about a person who has real faith.

He will always make use of all the truth that God shows. That person does not just agree with the truth. He will be ready to act because of that truth (verses 27–28). Jesus told the disciples not to be afraid. In the language of the original Greek, He said to them ‘I am’. This was a clear reference to God. It was the name that God called Himself in the Old Testament. (Read Exodus 3:1–17.) Peter agreed that this was true. So he used what Jesus taught. Peter tried to do something that was impossible. But he did not think first. (Compare Luke 9:57–58 and Matthew 16:24–25.)

A person with faith will use all of life’s circumstances. They can be opportunities for two things. They can be a chance for spiritual growth. They can bring honor and praise to God too. The storm was a severe trouble for the disciples. But it made them sure that Jesus was God (verse 33). They recognized this clearly for the first time. They worshiped Him as God. Jesus showed them that nature must obey Him. (Read 8:23–27.) Jesus will always use a person’s troubles. The troubles can help that person to grow in a spiritual way.

A person with faith will not be too afraid to act in the way that he should (verse 26).

He may have very hard tests. It is easy to speak against Peter. He should not have looked at the wind and the waves. But Peter was already doing something that was impossible. Then his faith began to fail. Because faith is faith, there will be ‘storms’ in each believer’s life. There will be fears and doubts. The answer is always to look to Jesus.

A person with faith will show it by trusting Jesus completely. Peter began to sink. Then he cried, ‘Lord, save me!’ Jesus immediately put out his hand to him. He helped Peter in his great need. Only Jesus has the resources to help us. Only he can make our faith strong. We must always look to him. We must always come to him.

Questions

1. Is there something in your life now that is impossible? Jesus may be asking you to trust Him about it. Then you will be able to do that impossible thing. Talk to him about it now.

2. When should members of a church try to do something that is far beyond their resources? (This could be a plan to build. Or it could be special big meetings.) They could have great faith. Or they could be being stupid. How can we know the difference between these two things?

3. The 5000 people could represent the people in the world. We could represent the disciples. If so, how does the big meal apply to modern life?

People can know the truth, but still refuse to change their ways. This is a fact that should grieve Christians. When witnessing to others, you can not let this stop you from trying with others.

Matthew 14:1–12

 At that time Herod the tetrarch heard the reports about Jesus, ² and he said to his attendants, “This is John the Baptist; he has risen from the dead! That is why miraculous powers are at work in him.”

³ Now Herod had arrested John and bound him and put him in prison because of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, ⁴ for John had been saying to him: “It is not lawful for you to have her.” ⁵ Herod wanted to kill John, but he was afraid of the people, because they considered John a prophet.

⁶ On Herod’s birthday the daughter of Herodias danced for the guests and pleased Herod so much ⁷ that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she asked. ⁸ Prompted by her mother, she said, “Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist.” ⁹ The king was distressed, but because of his oaths and his dinner guests, he ordered that her request be granted ¹⁰ and had John beheaded in the prison. ¹¹ His head was brought in on a platter and given to the girl, who carried it to her mother. ¹² John’s disciples came and took his body and buried it. Then they went and told Jesus.

This is a sad story. A man knew that God’s word was true. But he was too weak to receive it.

Here, ‘Herod’ was Herod Antipas. He was a son of Herod the Great. His mother was Malthace. She was wife number 4 for his father. Herod Antipas was ruler of Galilee. He married a daughter of Aretas 4 from Nabatea. But Herod had sex with the wife of his half-brother, Philip. Then Herod married her. (Her name was Herodias.)

John the Baptist continued to tell Herod that his actions were wrong. So Herod put him in prison. (Read verses 3–4. Read 3:1–6. It will remind you about John.) Herod was not obeying three of God’s commands. First, he had sex with a married woman. (God forbids this in Exodus 20:14.) Then he divorced his first wife. And he did not have a good reason to do that. (Read Deuteronomy 24:1–4.) He also married his brother Philip’s wife. (Compare Leviticus 20:21.)

Of course, Herodias hated John. She had tried to make Herod to kill him. But Herod was afraid to do it. So, she was ready for any chance to kill John. She would even use her daughter. Salome was her daughter from her first marriage. In the ancient world, a princess would never dance in public. Such dances were usually sexual. But this is what Salome did. She was only a young woman at the time of this incident. (She was probably between 13 and 15 years of age.) But she still agreed to her mother’s wicked plan. Later, she married a relative too. She married her great uncle! (He was the brother of one of her grandparents.)

Psalm 14:1 says that only the fool denies that God Doesn’t exsist. Herod knew that John had messages from God. (Read Mark 6:20.) He knew that John spoke the truth. We know that Herod had a guilty conscience. He thought that John had come back to condemn him (verses 1–2). He had listened to John. He had protected him. But Herod still hated John. Other things were more important to him than peace with God.

There were at least three reasons for this. First, Herod was afraid of what his friends might think of him (verse 9). He was also very afraid of his wife. Also, he was afraid about God’s demands. This chapter described his typical way of life.

But these pleasures did not last for Herod. Herodias persuaded Herod to do something that was stupid. He asked Caesar (the chief Roman ruler) if he could have the title ‘king’. But, an enemy of Herod sent a message at the same time. He told Caesar that Herod was planning to fight against Caesar’s rule. So Herod did not get the title. He had to go away to Gaul. (This is modern France.) He lost everything except Herodias.

Questions

1. Have you met people whose reactions are the same as Herod’s reaction? What sort of people are they? How can you help them?

2. Some people are ‘almost believers’. These people can use up much of the church’s resources. How should the members of the church deal with them?

God will judge all sinners. This fact alone sure light a fire under all Christians to get out and witness to the unbelievers.

Matthew 13:47–58

⁴⁷ “Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. ⁴⁸ When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away. ⁴⁹ This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous ⁵⁰ and throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

⁵¹ “Have you understood all these things?” Jesus asked.

“Yes,” they replied.

⁵² He said to them, “Therefore every teacher of the law who has become a disciple in the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old.”

A Prophet Without Honor

⁵³ When Jesus had finished these parables, he moved on from there. ⁵⁴ Coming to his hometown, he began teaching the people in their synagogue, and they were amazed. “Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers?” they asked. ⁵⁵ “Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? Isn’t his mother’s name Mary, and aren’t his brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas? ⁵⁶ Aren’t all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?” ⁵⁷ And they took offense at him.

But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own town and in his own home.”

⁵⁸ And he did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith.

Jesus said that God must judge people. It would happen to all non-believers. In Israel, people used a large square net with ropes at each corner in which to catch fish. But, when the boat moved, the ropes pulled the net into a shape. It caught the fish as the boat dragged it through the water. (It was called a drag-net.) This type of net caught all sorts of fish. The boat would return to land, dragging the net. Some of the fish were not good for people to eat. So the people who caught the fish must check them all.

Jesus lived in a place where people’s main job was to fish. So most of those who heard him would know about the nets. The story taught the same lesson as the story about the good grain and the weeds. (Read verses 49–50. Compare verses 40–43.) Jesus taught the same truth twice. He explained it each time. This was to make sure that those who heard him had understood him.

Read verses 51–52. Here, Jesus showed that religious experts could believe in him too. There was nothing to stop them being his disciples. They thought that Jesus’ teaching was different from the Old Testament. But the Old Testament and Jesus’ teaching matched. A good teacher would notice this. And Jesus wanted those who heard him to understand this too. In his book, Matthew often showed how they matched. He showed how the Old Testament pointed to Jesus.

People who came from his home refused to accept Jesus (verses 53–58)

In these verses, Matthew began a new section of his book. He described people’s reactions to Jesus.

Jesus returned to Nazareth. That was the town where he grew up (verses 53–54). There, he went to the synagogue. It was the last time that Matthew recorded that Jesus went there. People were surprised that Jesus was in the synagogue. The people heard his words. They saw his actions too. But they could not believe in him. They were familiar with Jesus and his family. They thought that they knew all about him. So they refused to accept him (verse 57).

Because of this, Jesus would not do many miracles there. It was for the same reason that he spoke only in parables. People would not believe in him. So he would not teach them in any other way.

Matthew recorded this incident here on purpose. In the parables, Jesus had been describing most of the Jews. They were like bad soil. They were like weeds. They were like fish that men must throw away. Now, the people who were in Jesus’ own district would not believe in him. They refused to accept his wisdom. They saw his wonderful actions. But they still did not recognize the source of the actions. They did not see that his actions were evidence of the work of God’s Spirit. They did not know that Jesus was the Son of God. So they did not understand that his disciples were his real brothers.

Questions

1. You can think that you know Jesus very well. But you may not really understand him. Is this possible? If so, explain how it could be possible.

2. Jesus clearly believed that knowledge of the Old Testament was vital. Why is it vital?

3. Do people in your culture have their own ideas about Jesus? Do these ideas show what Jesus is really like? Do the people in your church have their own ideas about Jesus? Do they match what the Bible teaches about him?

Did you ever feel like your contribution for God’s Kingdom is tiny? Or that you didn’t have much to give? What ever you do for the Lord will be blessed and can grow if we get out of the way and let God work.

Matthew 13:31–35, 44–46

³¹ He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. ³² Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.”

³³ He told them still another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about sixty pounds of flour until it worked all through the dough.”

³⁴ Jesus spoke all these things to the crowd in parables; he did not say anything to them without using a parable. ³⁵ So was fulfilled what was spoken through the prophet:

“I will open my mouth in parables,
    I will utter things hidden since the creation of the world.”

⁴⁴ “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.

⁴⁵ “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. ⁴⁶ When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.

The kingdom of Jesus began in a small way. But it will have a wonderful future that will never end.

Jesus lived in the district called Galilee when He was a child. He did much of His work there. Mustard bushes grew in Galilee. They had tiny seeds. But each seed could grow into a very large bush. It would be 12 to 15 feet tall. The birds would make their nests in it. Jesus was referring to this bush. It was a familiar description in the ancient world.

Jesus taught that He had brought God’s kingdom. But this must have been hard for the Jews to believe. Their prophets spoke about a kingdom that included the whole world. People thought that Jesus was only a teacher and healer (someone who made people well). His work was only in a very small area.

So, in this passage, Jesus was teaching about the future. One day, God’s kingdom would include the whole world. This was just what the prophets had promised. (Compare Isaiah 2:2–4; 25:6–9; 35:1–10 and 65:17–25.) Jesus had begun to establish that kingdom. The signs were there already. (Jesus repeated Isaiah 35:5–6 earlier. Read Matthew 11:5.) The beginning of the kingdom was small. But it would grow. One day, Jesus would rule the whole earth.

Another parable taught the same truth. (Read verse 33.) Yeast is a substance that makes bread rise. The woman mixed it into the flour. At first, nobody could see the yeast. But, when the bread was ready, it was different. Everybody could see the effect of the yeast then. It is the same with God’s kingdom. Jesus is establishing it. People may not be able to see it now. But, one day, it will be there for everybody to see.

In verse 35, Matthew repeated Psalm 78:2. This Psalm spoke about how people might use parables in future times. Jesus showed more wonderful things in parables than other teachers did. He was the greatest teacher.

Precious treasure

There were no banks in the ancient world. Ordinary people had no official way to keep their money safe. They would hide any valuable things in the ground. The ground was often the safest place. There were many battles in Israel. And people would often have to run away. But first, they would bury their valuable things in the ground. They hoped that they would be able to return one day. Then they could dig up the valuable things again.

The man who was in the story probably had to look for work each day. He was certainly very poor. He wanted to buy a field where he had found a treasure. But first, he had to sell all that he had. But he was still willing to do it. He wanted that treasure so much.

The next parable (verses 45–46) was very similar. But the man was a rich seller. In the ancient world, there was something special. It was a pearl (a precious stone). People would rather own a pearl than anything else. In this story, the rich seller found a very special pearl. He, too, sold everything that he had. But he was willing to do it. He wanted to enjoy the pearl so much. It would be such a pleasure to him to own it.

Jesus repeated the same lessons in the two parables. He wanted the people to understand them.

To be in Jesus’ kingdom was a delight. The worker went with joy to buy the field. He wanted the treasure that he had found. But the seller was looking for something special too. Other people would admire him. It was a very special treasure. To follow Jesus and to enter his kingdom is still a delight.

To enter Jesus’ kingdom means that we must give everything. We may be rich or we may be poor. But we must be willing to leave everything. Then we must follow Jesus.

There were two types of discovery in the two parables. The first discovery was that the man did not expect to find it. But the seller was searching hard for pearls.

It is the same with the riches of Jesus’ kingdom. Some people find Jesus when they are not expecting to find Him. Other people have been searching for Him for a long time. Whatever way that it happens, it is still a great event. A person finds and enjoys Jesus’ kingdom. This is the very best experience that anyone could have.

Questions

1. What joys have you known when you found Jesus? Was your discovery of him a surprise? Or, were you searching for him for a long time?

2. How should members of the church show people that Jesus is such a special treasure?

3. In the parable, the two men must sell all that they had. What does this mean for us today?

Christians are not going to live in a world full of believers until Jesus’ return. There will be “Weeds” in the world. Satan is trying to ruin our witness, but take heart that God knows the weeds from the good seed.

Matthew 13:24–30, 36–43

²⁴ Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. ²⁵ But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. ²⁶ When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.

²⁷ “The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’

²⁸ “‘An enemy did this,’ he replied.

“The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’

²⁹ “‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. ³⁰ Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.’”

³⁶ Then he left the crowd and went into the house. His disciples came to him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.”

³⁷ He answered, “The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. ³⁸ The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the people of the kingdom. The weeds are the people of the evil one, ³⁹ and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.

⁴⁰ “As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. ⁴¹ The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. ⁴² They will throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. ⁴³ Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears, let them hear.

Evil people may live next to Jesus’ disciples. But it will not always be like this. Jesus explained about it.

Chapter 13:24–52 forms a section of the book of Matthew.

►  Verses 24–30: Parable of the weeds

►  Verses 31–35: Two more parables

►  Verses 36–43: Jesus explained the parable of the weeds

►  Verses 44–46: Two more parables

►  Verses 47–50: Parable of the net. (This has the same meaning as the parable of the weeds.)

Matthew chose two main*parables. He recorded Jesus’ explanation. He showed their importance. (Read verses 24–30, 47–50 and 36–43.)

The weeds

This parable used an event which was common in ancient Israel. It would be very familiar to farmers. There was a weed called ‘the bearded darnel’. It grew very fast. It is still common in Israel. It is especially common in the region called Hebron.

When the weed begins to grow, it looks exactly like wheat. Wheat is the good grain. It is only easy to recognize the weed later. But, by that time, the roots of the wheat and the roots of the weed are together. Nobody can pull up the weed. If they tried, the wheat would come up too.

But, at the time of harvest, it is vital to separate the weed from the wheat. The weed has a bitter taste. There is some poison in it that causes people to fall over easily. It also makes them throw up any food that is in their stomachs.

An enemy might plant the weed secretly in a farmer’s field. Roman laws forbade it. So this must have happened often. There were strict punishments for anyone who did it too. In Jesus’ story, an enemy had been working. Normally, the servants’ question would be natural (verse 28). But, the farmer knew that the crop had grown too much. So the weeds and wheat (good grain) must grow together. At the time of harvest, the farm workers must pull up the weeds. Then they would burn the weeds.

What the story means

First Jesus described the various parts of the story. (Read verses 37–39.) Then he explained what the story meant. (Read verses 40–42.)

Jesus had already taught about his kingdom. One day, the extent of that kingdom would be the whole world. (Read verses 31–33.) But, the people in the world are a mixture. Some of them are good. And some of them are evil. This is the same today as it was then. There are people who obey Jesus. And there are those who refuse to serve him. They often live next to each other.

In Jesus’ story, even the angels could not understand this. The present state of the world is not the final one. God will remove all that is evil. That time will come. (Read Joel 3:13; Jeremiah 51:33 and Hosea 6:11.) God must punish those who refuse to obey Jesus. Then his disciples will be able to enjoy his kingdom completely. (Read verse 43.)

Jesus used strong words in verse 42. He described God’s final punishment. It would be for those who refuse to accept God’s ways. They must suffer for ever. The Jews would know what he was describing very well. (Read Jude 6–7; Revelation 14:9–11 and 20:10 too.) Jesus’ words were very serious. So he wanted those who heard him to understand his words. He wanted them to listen to his warning. Then he wanted them to do something about it (verse 43).

Wicked people and people who follow Jesus will live next to each other. Jesus did not say why he would allow this. But we know the reason from other verses that are in the Bible. One of them is 2 Peter 3:9. God has great mercy. He does not want to punish anyone. He is giving more time for people to repent.

Questions

1. What things in this passage can comfort me? What things can test me?

2. Some religious groups have tried to live completely separate lives from other people. Is this possible? How much should we involve ourselves with the world? (Note: The ‘world’ refers to non-Christians in the world. It can also refer to events in and pleasures in the world.)

3. We work with non-Christians. We often live next to them. How can we warn them about their terrible future? (Note: Jesus says that Christians have their ‘roots together’ with non-Christians. Some Christians’ lives are not different from the lives of their non-Christian friends. But this is not what Jesus meant. We are living next to them. But we should not be like them.)

Jesus has to explain many thing to us. Because our spiritual knowledge is limited. We need object lessons and stories to explain things our minds can’t grasp. Parables can do two things. They draw people into a story and they make things clearer. This parable shows us the ways the world will hear God’s Word.

Matthew 13:10–23

The disciples came to him and asked, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?”

¹¹ He replied, “Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. ¹² Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. ¹³ This is why I speak to them in parables:

“Though seeing, they do not see;
    though hearing, they do not hear or understand.

¹⁴ In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah:

“‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding;
    you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.
¹⁵ For this people’s heart has become calloused;
    they hardly hear with their ears,
    and they have closed their eyes.
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
    hear with their ears,
    understand with their hearts
and turn, and I would heal them.’

¹⁶ But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. ¹⁷ For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.

¹⁸ “Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: ¹⁹ When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path. ²⁰ The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. ²¹ But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. ²² The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful. ²³ But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”

The disciples heard Jesus’ story and asked, ‘Why are you using this way to teach?’ (verse 10.) Jesus’ reply was in two parts. They are in verses 12–15 and verses 16–17. Jesus also gave a brief statement of the main points in verse 11.

First, parables would add to the knowledge of those who believe and could confuse the people chose not to believe. Causing the unbelievers to ponder on the words. They might have had a little understanding. Jesus gave the reason for this. It is in verses 14 and 15. He repeated Isaiah 6:9–10. They had chosen not to believe. So they could not receive the truth. The parables of Jesus just showed what they were like. This is still true about people today.

Parables can also help people who hear them. Some people want to know the truth about Jesus. So they listen to what He says. These people will understand the parables. So, the same words can have the opposite effect. They confuse those who refuse to believe. They give clearer understanding to those who want to obey Jesus. (Read verses 16–17.)

Think about the greatest spiritual men in the Old Testament. There were God’s people. Examples of these are Noah and Abraham. Also there were the prophets. Examples of these are Samuel and Isaiah. They knew that a Messiah would come at some time. But there was so much that they did not know. The person who wanted to follow Jesus knew more than they did! He or she would learn that Jesus was that Messiah. People who lived in Old Testament times had so many hopes. And Jesus was the answer to them all.

First, Jesus told the parable. (Read verses 3–9.) Then he explained why he taught by parables. (Read verses 10–17.) Finally, he would explain how to understand them.

The seed and the soil

It was not important here to know who the farmer was. The important thing was the seed. The seed was like the word of God. The main lesson was about the effects of the ‘seed’. It had a different effect on those who heard God’s word. The people who heard God’s word were like the various types of soil. The lessons that Jesus taught are still true today. They are:

The way that we receive God’s word is most important. There is nothing wrong with the message. There is nothing wrong with the person who brings that message. The problem is with those who hear it. Jesus compares them to different types of soil.

It is impossible to teach some people. The seed that fell on the path could never grow. The farmer might be very skillful. The seed could be the very best seed. But it would not grow. Some men and women can be like this. They do not want to know the truth. They may hear the good news about Jesus. But they never really listen to it. So they can never benefit from it.

Some people do not realize that God’s word is vital. Jesus described ground where there was not much soil. There were rocks just underneath the surface. Jesus was speaking about people who do listen to Him. They like His message. It is the answer to their sense of need. So they are often eager to welcome it. But this desire does not last.

Some people are busy with many things. With them, it is like the seed that fell among thorn bushes. (Note: A thorn is sharp, like a needle.) There was nothing wrong with the soil. The person who is like this receives God’s word. He or she even acts in a Christian way for a time. But there is a problem. There are other important things in that person’s life. Soon, he or she has no time for the things of God.

Some people have the right reactions to God’s word. With them, it is like the seed that fell into good soil. The size of the ‘harvest’ will depend on their gifts. But each one of them will be useful in the service of Jesus.

This passage showed attitudes to Jesus and to His message. We can often have the wrong attitudes ourselves. We do not like to think about this. It is a natural reaction. But we must be willing to listen to Jesus.

Questions

1. How could the different types of soil refer to non-Christians today? How could they apply to Christians today?

2. There are many problems in the church today. Could they come because people do not hear God’s word properly? What things in the church could spoil our ‘harvest’?

3. Some people today want to obey Jesus at first. But they do not become real disciples. How do the different types of soil describe them? (Look at your answers to question 1.) What can we do to help these people?

The reason why we are on earth is to spread God’s word and further His kingdom. The seed in the parable is the Word of God.

Matthew 13:1–9

13 That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake. ² Such large crowds gathered around Him that He got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore. ³ Then He told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. ⁴ As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. ⁵ Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. ⁶ But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. ⁷ Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. ⁸ Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. ⁹ Whoever has ears, let them hear.”

Jesus told the parables about a farmer. When Jesus taught before this time, He used some little parables. (Read 5:13; 6:26–30; 7:24–27 and 9:16–17.) But now parables were the main way Jesus would teach the people.

There was another change in Jesus’ work here. The religious rulers had made a final decision about Jesus. Jesus knew what this meant. They would never receive Him. (Read 21:31–32.) They had chosen not to accept Him. So the time had come to leave them. (Read 12:15.) Some people would hear Him gladly. He was ready to go to them now. (Read 12:16–21.)

This explained something. Jesus changed the place where he taught. It had been the synagogue. Now he went to the beach (verse 1). He also used a different method to teach. It would benefit the people who wanted to obey him.

There was a large crowd of people. So Jesus found a suitable place to speak to them (verse 2). Then he began to tell the story. Maybe a farmer was working on one of the hills near there. Certainly, the hearers would know exactly what Jesus was talking about.

In ancient Israel, the fields were long and narrow. There was a path for the public between each field. Because people used the path so much, it became very hard. The farmer scattered the seed by hand. So it was natural that some seed would fall on the path. The seed might be very good seed. But it could never grow when it fell there.

Most of the hilly areas in Israel were rocky. The soil was not very deep. Hard rock was just under the surface. So there was not much water in the soil. A seed would begin to grow in this kind of soil. But, without water, it would soon die. A good farmer would not throw seed where there were weeds. But, weeds always seem to grow more quickly than good seed. So the strong weeds would soon kill the good seed. The farmer would plow after he had scattered the seed. This was usual at that time. This made it harder for the good seed to grow.

But there was the seed that fell into good soil. It produced a harvest. Jesus gave different sizes of the crop. The sizes that he gave were 100, 60 or 30. In the ancient country called Israel, the size of 10 would be good. But Jesus might not be referring to the whole crop. He might be referring to the grains that each seed produced. If so, farmers might expect these higher numbers. But the numbers were not important. Jesus was teaching about growth of God’s Kingdom. And when one sinner repents and is saved we should all be ecstatic.

Questions

1. Think of the different kinds of soil that are in this parable. Do any of them describe what you are like? In what ways are you like them?

2. Write your own parable. Make it fit with modern times. But show the same truths as Jesus did. How do these truths affect us today?

3. Think about the farmer, the seed, the soil and the harvest. What can we learn from them? Apply these things to yourself first. Next, apply them to the people who are in your church. Then apply them to people who are not in the church. How does this parable help us to understand non-Christians better?