QT 18 Apr 17, Matt 13:1-13, Individuals follow Christ, not the nation

Matthew 13:1–13 (ESV) — 1 That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. 2 And great crowds gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat down. And the whole crowd stood on the beach. 3 And he told them many things in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow. 4 And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. 5 Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, 6 but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away. 7 Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. 8 Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. 9 He who has ears, let him hear.”

10 Then the disciples came and said to him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” 11 And he answered them, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. 12 For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. 13 This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.

NOTE: This event follows the rejection and we see the first consequences of the rejection of the offer of the kingdom--Jesus speaks to the people in parables. The apostles immediately question Jesus why he is speaking in parables, and he answers quizzically. The offer of the kingdom has been rejected and given to another, the Gentiles. So his discussion of the kingdom, which Matthews groups in these next passages are not clear, seeing but do not see and hearing but do not hear, lest they understand. But for individuals with a heart to know God, they still come to the Lord during these days. The nation fails, but individuals, called the remnant believe and follow the Messiah. Today, we call these Jews, Messianic Jews or Completed Jews. In the days after Jesus, the were called a sect of Judaism, or followers of the way or Christ-followers or Christians. But they were 100 percent of the early church, at least for the first few years. We owe our Christian faith to a Jew, Jesus, the son of God, our savior, and a multitude of Jewish believers who carried the gospel into the known world.