Who is family?
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Matthew 12:46-13:23. Who is family?
Rounding up the last two weeks, Jesus had just called the people an evil generation,
Jesus is refuting the scribes and Pharisees - in the middle of teaching, then someone said to Jesus that his mother and brothers are outside wanting to speak to Jesus. (Have you family done that to you showed up at your work to speak to you, as you are doing your job? Think Jesus is kind of gone off the rails that he is crazy Mark 3:32).
But Jesus seses the moment and replies, the people that do the will of my father in heaven is members of my family. (That is why we can be called family, brother sister etc.). That is Amazing this statement will shake up the whole social order and it is and great invitation to you to them, to come and do the will of the father and become part of the family. (Primary identity -today there is a lot of confusion about identity I have talked about it a few times, that a true and lasting Identity cannot be achieved or created, because the it can be lost, - true identity is given! As Jesus said, the one that does the will of his father, it part of his family, it is not the doing, it is what comes before the doing the trusting in God, as Lord, then the doing is what shows what has happened in a person not just words but action ) Opposite is also true, rejection of God and Jesus living for one’s own kingdom, also gives an identity as children of wrath, children of the evil one, living for our own kingdom in rebellion against God. It is no that easy that black and white there are some gray, not there is not…. Can it be confusing for us to know who is what, yes very, because people like we will se in the parable might say and do things so we thing they are one thing but could turn out to be something different. (Race for identity – stop it seek Gods kingdom first in him is the only true identity, made in the image for God, - remade in the image of his son Jesus, member of His family).
Words and action (Last week: Your words will condemn or justify – in the text here Jesus also say it is not enough with words it has to be lived out. You can just say all the right things about God, you need to live out his will.). As the parable also will teach.
Jesus’ clams rightly that he is the son of his father in heaven, and he shows it by living out what God said at his baptizem, and his teaching and he lived for the glory of God. Jesus’ clam to be God’s son, makes his invitation even better to become members of the family of God as I said before.
It seems like a long day, - but I might not have taken that long even if we have taken 3 weeks to cover the passages. Like we saw in the video - Jesus goes to the sea and a great crowd gather around him so many he gets up and sits in a boat, and he starts teaching. Jesus starts speaking in what we call parables. (There will be 8 coming up this week we will do the first.) Short stories about something familiar, that has a spiritual point/ truth/ sometimes or most time some mystery at least in how to understand it. This week it is a parable of sowing.
And as he sowed - some fell on the path, (Should he not be more careful in casting the seed? Generosity of God) – The birds eat it. Then some rocky groundlack of soil made it spring up and the son scorched it. And it withered away. Among thorns, the thorns grew up and choked them.
In good soil, it produced grain some, 100 times more, some 60, some 30. (A good crop would be 10 times.) So, it is a very good return. – Jesus ends like the prophets of old: He who has ears let him hear. (Most people have ears but we don’t always hear, that might be what Jesus is getting at).
PPT about parables The Christ mystery. The disciples ask a good question, why do you speak to the people in parables? (We don’t understand and we don’t think they do ether, if you are trying to build a following, it might not be the right way to do it.) Jesus why do you what people not to see? We did talk about is a little when Jesus would say don’t tell people I healed you, go and bring your offering to God…
Jesus who had just had an argument with the Pharisees, saying something greater that Jonah and Solomon are here. That they should turn an do the will of God. The don’t what to… they don’t want to hear.
Jesus respond that it was given to the disciples to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, - but not to all. (This is time period and mystery of God). In in verse 12. A somewhat chilling passage, that the who has to him more will be given of the kingdom of heaven understanding, but from the one that has not even what he has will be taken. (A communist socialist nightmare). But it is not about money but understating kingdom of heaven, where Jesus’ father is. All that to say it is God that reveals to us who he is and what His kingdom is like, and it is people that choses to look for another kingdom.
Jesus then relates his ministry back to the one who prophesized that Jesus the messiah would come. Isaiah, and saying that this generations was like the generation in Isaiah’s time, unfaithful to God, going after Gods, oppressing the poor and doing many unjust deeds, against, the sojourners, widows, etc. -Kind of like this generation also? Why don’t people hear?
The people’s hearts are dull, that results in an inability to understand and see and hear. And then they can’t turn to God to be healed. Then is that why Jesus speaks in parables because the people’s hearts are dull? What about our hearts? What about mine? Are we able to hear the word of God? To ask him to heal. (I am not blind then you are for the unbeliever – if you are not blind then you would turn and ask God to heal.).
16 blessed are you… - prophets longed to see, - and hear. The contrast is what Jesus said to his disciples; blessed are your eyes for they see and your ears for hear. This moment in time is what many prophets and righteous people had longed for. To see how God would bring about his kingdom and how the messiah would come… they said the words but did not see it happen but longed for the day… The disciples were living it with Jesus. As we will see, the disciples do not have a full idea about what God is doing or Jesus’ mission but they know some of it, God has let them see who Jesus is. Jesus then goes on to explain the parable to the disciples in 18-23. -that does not happen often.
When people don’t understand the word spoken about the kingdom, the evil one snatchesit away from the person’s heart. (the evil one was absent from the children’s video, it might not be bad, but do we forget that there is an enemy? Out to destroy, create division, get people to live for them self, say to people yes others should serve you, etc.)– that is what was sown on the path. (We know many of them – family friends everyone that heard but did not believe).
We may have seen some in the next category, exited about the word and revices it with Joy, but there are no roots. Then when something gets hard, they fall away… (Oh God does not exist if I have to endure trouble, or if I am not happy and for filed) Jesus talks more about persecution, because of the word. – The people I have seen like this seem exited and then keep going their own way, or is exited until, it they have to change and go God’s way… but that does not fit what they want, - some also reject Jesus when it cost something. (job, taking a stand).
The next one seems creepy – what was sown about the thorns, - the person hears the word, but the cares of the world, riches, choke/suffocate the word and it does not take root. What about you? Know people like that or is that you? The world overcomes Jesus… Not the gospel Jesus overcomes the world.
The good soil, like very good 100 times it a lot more that 10 times. – the ones that hears the word and understands it. (the others did not really understand, they were thinking they did but they did not, and is not that the case a lot of times, some hear the word but not really), understand God/Jesus. The person changed by the word, nears fruit some 100, 60, or 30 a lot of fruit if we are changed by the word.
And no lasting fruit if we don’t understand, - the word about the kingdom. – We will stay in our own. Were we don’t understand who God is. Dule hearts that keep us from hearing and eyes dim, that keeps us from seeing.
But the good news is that the one that understands the word can be changed and give a crazy amount back, as they live out the teaching about who God really is, it changes not only us but others. And become part of Jesus family, if you’re not a believer is your heart dull?
If you do believe, what is your hearing like and seeing, - in both cases, what fills our hearts, what fill our eyes and ears, and can we hear or not, - but we can all pray and seek Gods will, in Jesus Christ, asking the Holy Spirt to open our eyes and ears, and to go his way. To live for his glory in his word and deed by his grace and mercy towards us in Jesus Christ, short Gospel presentation.