Matthew 13:24-29
Jesus told them another parable: The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.
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?’
“‘An enemy did this,’ he replied.
The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’
No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. 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.’
There is no formal Message this week – no lesson from the pastor – but rather a group discussion for those present at In-Person church this week. What follows here is simply some notes to guide our group discussion. Interestingly, we found the Kingdom of Heaven stories to be much more difficult to dissect and discuss, than the one longer story at the beginning.
See what you think. What can we learn from them?
** The Man who Sowed Good Seed:
A man sent his workers out to sow a new field. The seed he gave them was good seed, but when it began to sprout they discovered weeds mixed with the wheat (because someone evil had come along at night and sowed bad seed in with his good seed) ...
The five examples that follow are all KINGDOM OF HEAVEN stories, “The kingdom of heaven is like ... “
** The Mustard Seed:
“The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants...
** The Yeast:
The kingdom of heaven is like a woman baking bread -- she takes a small amount of yeast and mixes it all through her flour and because of the yeast, ends up with a much larger volume of bread – the result is greater than the sum of its parts
** The Treasure and the Pearl:
Two stories that are basically the same – The kingdom of heaven is like a man who found a treasure hidden in a field – or a merchant who came across a large pearl – each quickly ran to get as much money as they could raise in order to purchase the treasure they’d found – they sold all they had to possess the treasure they had found
** The Net:
The kingdom of heaven is like fishermen who lowered a large net into the lake, letting everything that came into the net, and when it was full they raised it. Only then did they stop and sort the good fish from the useless
See what you think. What can we learn from them?
** The Man who Sowed Good Seed:
A man sent his workers out to sow a new field. The seed he gave them was good seed, but when it began to sprout they discovered weeds mixed with the wheat (because someone evil had come along at night and sowed bad seed in with his good seed) ...
The five examples that follow are all KINGDOM OF HEAVEN stories, “The kingdom of heaven is like ... “
** The Mustard Seed:
“The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants...
** The Yeast:
The kingdom of heaven is like a woman baking bread -- she takes a small amount of yeast and mixes it all through her flour and because of the yeast, ends up with a much larger volume of bread – the result is greater than the sum of its parts
** The Treasure and the Pearl:
Two stories that are basically the same – The kingdom of heaven is like a man who found a treasure hidden in a field – or a merchant who came across a large pearl – each quickly ran to get as much money as they could raise in order to purchase the treasure they’d found – they sold all they had to possess the treasure they had found
** The Net:
The kingdom of heaven is like fishermen who lowered a large net into the lake, letting everything that came into the net, and when it was full they raised it. Only then did they stop and sort the good fish from the useless
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