Message Notes

INTERMEDIATE SUNDAY SCHOOL 3 SEPTEMBER 2023
STUDIES IN THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW
Text: Matthew 13:1-13

Subject: The Parables taught by the Lord Jesus

INTRODUCTION

1. The Lord Jesus taught in many ways

a) There were lessons for the Disciples to learn especially Matthew 5-7

b) There were lessons taught amidst practical ministry

i) Through healing

ii) Through the opposition raised by enemies of the Lord Jesus

c) There were lessons that were taught to the Multitudes

i) These were in the form of Parables

ii) Teaching by Parables was the main means of teaching

iii) Though, not the only means

2. A huge multitude followed the Lord Jesus

a) No one had taught the way the Lord Jesus did

b) His teaching was often accompanied by Miracles He performed to help those who were very sick

THE PARABLE OF THE SOWER Matthew 13:1-9

1On the same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the sea. 2 And great multitudes were gathered together to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore.
3 Then He spoke many things to them in parables, saying: “Behold, a sower went out to sow. 4 And as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds came and devoured them. 5 Some fell on stony places, where they did not have much earth; and they immediately sprang up because they had no depth of earth. 6 But when the sun was up they were scorched, and because they had no root they withered away. 7 And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked them. 8 But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. 9 He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”

Matthew 13:1-9

1. The scenario

a) He was by the seaside (Sea of Galilee)

b) Great multitudes followed Him

c) He got into a boat and from there He taught the people

2. What are Parables?

a) They are illustrative stories

b) They are drawn from true things in life

i) The Sower

ii) The seed sown

iii) The different types of ground

c) There are deeper lessons

i) The story/ illustration can be quite straightforward

ii) But the deeper meaning must be discovered and learned well

3. The Parable of the Sower

a) The Sower

i) It could be the Lord Jesus

ii) It could be anyone doing sowing of seeds

b) The seed sown

i) The Word of God

ii) It is compared to seeds that can grow well

c) The different types of ground

i) It is a reference to the heart

ii) The heart may respond differently

iii) Depending on the response, the results would be quite different

d) Four different types of Ground

i) The wayside

ii) The stony ground

iii) The thorny ground

iv) The good ground

f) Each type of ground will show different yields

i) Wayside yields nothing

ii) The Stony Ground also yields nothing at the end

iii) The Thorny Ground similarly yields nothing at the end

iv) The Good Ground yields good crops

(30-fold, 60-fold, 100-fold)

4. The question of the Disciples

10 And the disciples came and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?”
11 He answered and said to them, “Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. 12 For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. 13 Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.

Matthew 13:10-13

a) They could not understand why the Lord Jesus spoke to the people in Parables

b) The explanation

i) The mysteries of the kingdom of heaven are not given to them

ii) But it is given to the Disciples

c) Meaning with reference to the Multitudes

i) One must show responsibility when learning the Scriptures

ii) Whatever is learned can be lost along the way

iii) The multitudes were Jews and they had taught the Scriptures for a long time

iv) Yet, they had not shown any fruit at all

v) Simple Parables would be like learning Basic Lessons

vi) They must show interest and desire to learn

d) Meaning with reference to the Disciples

i) They had learned much

ii) More would be given

CONCLUSION

1. We need to take care of how we respond to what we learn

2. We can end up:

i) Like the Multitudes

ii) Like the Disciples

3. Much depends on how we respond to the Bible lessons we learn along the way