(13:1) There are a couple of symbols we can draw from Jesus going to sit by the sea. For one, the sea can be thought of as a symbol for humankind. Jesus went out and sat by humankind. On a boat, or on a platform, Jesus stood among the people and taught.
The actual sea is beautiful, as all of nature is, as it has been created by God (Through science! Different lecture). It's important that we, as humans, remain close to nature. We are of and a part of nature and when we further ourselves from it, we tend to overlook its wonder. It is inspiring and humbling to look into the intricacy of a leaf or the mass of a giant, moving sea.
(13:2) The wonderful thing about these people is that they chose to be students to Jesus. They are not in their homes, gossiping about what they have seen and heard with their neighbors, they are out there, hearing, seeing and learning for themselves. You have to put effort into everything that you do to yield positive results. They gave their time to be taught, and that is not a small gesture. When was the last time you dedicate your day, or even part of it, to be a student?
(13:3) Jesus begins The Parable of the Sower. Parables in the Bible can be thought of a metaphorical stories which have the purpose of bringing understanding to a complex thought. These parables apply to life now, they are not outdated. Here Jesus is instructing His students for their benefit.
(13:4) This parable pertains to the character of a person. We must be good and productive down to our foundation. If we have healthy roots, we become a healthy plant. If we have healthy habits and intentions, we become a healthy and well-intended person. We cannot be easily swayed from a righteous path, we must be strong and courageous.
This parable explains that if we do not properly align ourselves in life, we will lose the path. When we put little or half-effort, we are not reliable or strong. When we do not make it our mission to make the right choices each time we open our mouths, we get sidetracked by gossip, greed and worry.
You must determine what your values are and you must stand for them. Always. If you are not firm in your own beliefs, it will be easy for anyone to sidetrack you or corrupt your way. You must be a strong and wise individual and you can do this by choosing your values and defending them every day that you live.
(13:5) A person without morals and values will be overtaken by a stronger, likely negative force or person. Without standing for anything, anyone could knock you over; anyone could tell you what to think and why. Be a thoughtful person, learn from the instruction of living.
(13:6) In difficult times, a weak or corrupted person will wither away. Without courage and justice, you will have nothing. The slightest sign of trouble or danger will overtake you and you will lose the fight. Be knowledgeable. Be strong. Chart a course for your life and stick to it. Be honest, be fair, be progressive.
(13:7) When you do not think and choose the correct path, you often accidentally end up on a bad one. When you do not care or take life seriously, you ruin it for yourself; you make life harder for yourself.
(13:8) This person who fell on good ground became a success. This person had a strong foundation, a purposeful life of good-intention. They were strong and courageous, and the results of such a life are abundant.
(13:9) If you are capable and willing to understand this, understand it! Work for it. Listen to this instruction and apply it to your life.
(13:10) The disciples ask, why do you speak with parables? Perhaps you are wondering the same. Beyond it being beautiful language, what is the purpose? Jesus answers in the following verse.
(13:11-14) Jesus speaks in parables for a specific and careful reason: these parables are easily understood by an active student. Jesus distributes his message to people who want and seek diligently to learn. Many people do not care enough to put in any effort, and for that reason, Jesus needs to distinguish between the workers and the non-workers. Non-workers will not put in the effort and their actions define them fairly. Workers find wisdom and light in the word, their reward for the bit of extra work it takes to interpret it.
Some people have the heart, ears and eyes to learn about God. The Bible finds these people. You can understand the Bible if you truly want and work to, otherwise, it could be the most confusion book you've ever read. Some people read the Bible and get nothing out of it, either because they do not read it thoughtfully and analytically or because they read it just to have passed their eyes over the words without interpretation.
(13:15) These days especially, people do not make time for learning the word of God. Life is difficult for much of the world because they do not dedicate themselves.
(13:16) Jesus is saying, if you are hearing this, if you are listening and interpreting this... welcome!
(13:17) It was a uniquely special opportunity for these disciples to see Jesus but he was readying them to continue teaching His word after we was gone. He was reminding them to appreciate this time with Him, this instruction coming directly from Him, because they will need endurance and faith to continue on without Him. We have the word of God, we should receive this same message: we have a unique opportunity to work for God, to accomplish wonderful things for Him, by Him, with Him.
(13:18) If you are reading and studying the word... wonderful, continue. Jesus explains the Parable because He is asked to. God will always make something clearer to you when you work for it, when you are passionate about it.
(13:19) This part of the parable speaks particularly about people who have no knowledge of the word of God, they are easily led onto a difficult path.
(13:20-21) This part of the parable speaks about people who are happy to live on the surface. They say they believe in things but there is no evidence of it in their heart. They flit from idea to idea when it sounds good to them, but they never defined their values and therefore they cannot hold to them.
(13:22) This part of the parable is about people who give in to greed and wealth, material possession, because they are not careful to realize that love and honesty are the true wealth.
(13:23) When you work to become an honest, fair and compassionate person, your character changes the world by changing the lives of the people you encounter. You spread what has been given to you, what you have worked for, so that the lives of those around you can improve too.
(13:24) These pieces of scripture really describe the world as it is. The "Wheat" are the good humans, the "Tares" are the bad. God created the Earth and placed humankind on it.
(13:25) And then humankind became corrupted by their ability to be greedy for wealth and power and to be selfish. A mess was created by evil. Sometimes we think about evil as "Satan" but more importantly, we must understand what Satan stands for. Satan is evil because what he believes in is evil: power, greed, confusion over wisdom, division among people and these concepts really made a mess of the world and of humanity.
(13:26) Over time, nearly all (if not all) people became possessors of both good and bad character. Evil living among good, good living among evil. A mixture of the two coexisting.
(13:27) This verse reminds me of a common discussion among people today. People wonder, how did this happen? How did evil become so prevalent in the world?
(13:28) God tells the truth, an enemy corrupted the good. The enemy was able to corrupt the good because God allows us to be our true selves. Allowing people to be their true selves means allowing people to choose to be... not good. It means allowing people to choose evil. And evil corrupts.
In the parable, the servant asks if he should take all of the tares out of the field but God says no, let them remain in the next verse.
(13:29) God did not want to eliminate the evil people because he understands that good people can do evil things sometimes unless they have an opportunity to learn to be and do better. He did not want to remove any people in case a mistake was made and a good person was confused for a bad one. Each individual is so important to Him, He does not want to lose anybody and He is very careful to protect us.
(13:30) Let the bad and the good live together for awhile so that they can learn from each other. We become really true, authentic people during our time on Earth. Our choices define us. When we make hard decisions for the right reason, we become better and living among evil gives us that opportunity. God will gather up His children and continue to keep them safe under His wing, but first we live through this opportunity to earn it... to choose it.
(13:31-32) The Parable of the Mustard Seeds explains this: God chooses the small and meek to do great and wonderful things because the people who struggle often have the purest, strongest message. God says, you may start small, you may feel small, but with me (with Him), you will become so strong.
(13:33) Like the Mustard Seed, God's way will grow and spread and become great in you and in what you produce because of it. He guides you at every decision. He brings into your life people and situations who can benefit from your specific qualities. He makes you a helper and a healer and gives you an ultimate purpose.
(13:34) Jesus continues speaking in parables to get really strong, complex ideas across in a simple manner for His students.
(13:35) Jesus fulfills prophecy. He brings truth to a world which badly lacked it without Him.
(13:36) Jesus ultimately wants everyone to understand. He will explain and explain until it is understood. He comes back to the Parable of the Tares to ensure that it is understood fully and properly.
(13:37) Those who are good and do good are of God.
(13:38) Those who are bad and do bad are not of God.
(13:39) The harvest in the parable speaks of the final days when God will judge everybody for their good and bad actions. The good go with Him, the bad just go away!
(13:40) A reiteration: the bad will be gone.
(13:41) God will do a complete job of separating good and bad.
(13:42) The bad are going to be extinguished... turned to nothing. The people who choose to do evil and delight in hurting others will no longer have their chance.
(13:43) Those who are good will eternally shine. They are beautiful and brilliant and will be loved by God forever. If you're hearing this, God says, hear it... envelope yourself in His promises.
(13:44) Doing good is the true treasure which buys you a greater reward than you can even conceive of. Let humanity and compassion be your values and you will be rewarded. But do it without seeking a reward! Do it because you believe it's right.
(13:45-46) You are God's prized possession. He loves to have you. He will do anything for you, you are his jewel.
(13:47-52) God reassures us: Good and Bad will be separated and the good will be protected. Make sure you understand that: Good wins over evil. He will go through his treasures (humankind) and he will care for them and place them exactly where they wish and choose to be.
(13:53) Jesus accomplished His mission, He taught what He wanted to teach and he moved along so that He could spread His message. He wants everyone to hear this message which teaches truth and wisdom.
(13:54-58) Jesus returned to where He grew up and people have a difficult time associating the young boy they knew with this Son of God. Jesus teaches us that sometimes those closest to us have a difficult time seeing us as warriors (for good!) because they know us from our small and humble beginnings. Sometimes it will be easier and more profound for you to work away from those who know you best. People might not believe you, they might be jealous of you, and they might just have a hard time separating you from the brilliant word of God that you speak.
For Jesus this happened on a larger scale, but keep in mind that you can be more than people expect of you. Do not be held down if you are becoming a better more vocal person and people do not readily accept it. You can be great and it might be easier for you in a place where no one associates you with who you were.
