Matthew 13

Thanks first of all to my little brother Patrick for recommending this blog to the folks who read his.  I'll do the same.  Check out www.patrickrussellray.blogspot.com it's called Love is a Verb.  You might like it.

Matthew 13 is full of Jesus speaking in parables.  Take time to read all of the parables in this chapter especially the parable of the four soils.  I'm not going to talk about that one, but you should definitely read it.  I want to look at just a few of the smaller parables in this chapter.

1) The parables of the weeds and the fishing net.

In these parables Jesus is talking about how God separates the good fish from the bad fish or the wheat from the weeds.  This is an important truth: God is not going to let bad and good mix or wheat and weed mix.  God is just.  Some will be saved and the others will be burned in the furnace where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth.  Hell is real and real people are going there.  God wants you to know that for sure.

However, Jesus tells us in this parable that God will do the sorting, not us.  In the parable of the weeds the servants ask the master, "Do you want us to go and pull them (the weeds) up?"  The master answers, "No, because while you are pulling up the weeds, you may root up the wheat with them."

Jesus is telling us that God does not want us to start early by throwing some out of the Kingdom.  It is not our job, most of the time, to decide who's in and who's out.  God will do this.  We might mistakenly rid the field of wheat (believers) as well as weeds (non-believers).  So we must error on the side of love.  Treat people like they are wheat like you.  Don't ignore sharing the Gospel, but do not consider yourself to be the judge.

2) The parables of the hidden treasure and the pearl merchant.

Verse 44- "The Kingdom of Heaven is like treasure hidden in a field.  When a man found it, he hid it again, and then IN HIS JOY went and sold all he had and bought that field."

Verse 45 & 46- "Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls.  When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it."

Is the Kingdom of Heaven worth everything to you?

When you give up everything for the Kingdom do you do it in joy?

Jesus is telling us that it is worth it.  That the juice is worth the squeeze.  The Kingdom of Heaven is worth everything and we need to start acting like it is.

So enjoy the gift of the Kingdom of Heaven and be loving to everyone like they are a brother or sister in the Kingdom with you today.