How are you doing, Friend?
Matthew 13 contains 7 parables that Jesus admits are Kingdom secrets
(13:11). When Jesus tells stories about God’s Kingdom, He is speaking
about heaven. The Kingdom of Heaven can be best described as having
growth, value, and exclusivity.
A dichotomy appears in every story that Jesus tells. Jesus teaches us
about heaven by using strong contrasts. It seems like He doesn’t want
there to be any room for ambiguity. The people who listen to His stories
are without excuse because He speaks plainly enough. Yet, Jesus
emphasizes that people can be divided into two groups: those who can
understand Him (the Good) and those who listen to Him but can’t hear or
understand Him (the Bad) (13:13).
Good and Bad have other relevant labels that Jesus uses throughout Chapter 13:
- Good and Evil
- Haves and Have Nots
- Understanding and Confused
- Seeing and Not Seeing (Blind)
- Hearing and Not Hearing (Deaf)
- Open Minds and Stubborn Minds
- Turn to God and Turn Away from God
- Fruitful and Barren
- God-planted and Enemy-planted
- Saved/Selected and Unsaved/Rejected
- Preserved and Destroyed
Matt
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