1Later that same day Jesus left the house and sat beside the lake.2A large crowd soon gathered around him, so he got into a boat. Then he sat there and taught as the people stood on the shore.3He told many stories in the form of eparables, such as this one:
“Listen! A farmer went out to plant some seeds.4As he scattered them across his field, some seeds fell on a footpath, and the birds came and ate them.5Other seeds fell on shallow soil with underlying rock. The seeds sprouted quickly because the soil was shallow.6But the plants soon wilted under the hot sun, and since they didn’t have deep roots, they died.7Other seeds fell among thorns that grew up and choked out the tender plants.8Still other seeds fell on fertile soil, and they produced a crop that was thirty, sixty, and even a hundred times as much as had been planted!9Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.”
10His disciples came and asked him, “Why do you use fparables when you talk to the people?”11He replied, “You are permitted to understand the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven, but others are not.12To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given, and they will have an abundance of knowledge. But for those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them.13That is why I use these parables,
For they look, but they don’t really see.
They hear, but they don’t really listen or understand.
14This fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah that says,‘When you hear what I say,
16“But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear.17I tell you the truth, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, but they didn’t see it. And they longed to hear what you hear, but they didn’t hear it.
We will get to the parable explanation next, but listen to what the Lord is saying here. We are so blessed. We have the words of the Son of God available to read and learn and love. We need to dive into this book with all our hearts. Jesus wants us to hear, and be changed. He wants us to work at understanding and knowing him, and then be change by him. And there is also a scary warning. Those who do not listen, they will become less and less understanding. They will lose what understanding they have.
Please Lord, open my ears and heart and mind to Your word. Change me and make me hunger alwasys for more of You. Beginner’s Online Bible Study *obbs*
