The Teaching Christ
Scripture Reading: Matthew 13:1-58
Meditation
The crowds have forced Jesus off the shore and into a boat. As he sits down in the boat, he begins to teach them many things about the kingdom of heaven. He speaks to the crowd in parables—gritty, illustrative, simple stories that take the mysteries of God and demystify them.
His parables make divine mysteries manageable for the human mind.
“That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake. Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore. Then he told them many things in parables, saying: ‘A farmer went out to sow his seed.’ ”
After his first parable, Jesus says to the crowd,
“He who has ears to hear let him hear.”
Tragically, many in the crowd have come only to listen, not to learn or believe. Their hearts are calloused and closed to the truth. They hear his words, but they don’t understand what he’s trying to say. They see him with their eyes but they don’t perceive who he really is. The Truth is in their midst, but only a few recognize and receive it.
The prophet Isaiah foretold all of this.
“In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah:
‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving. For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.’ ”
To those who have ears to hear, the Teaching Christ tells seven parables.
He takes familiar things—a sower sowing seed, weeds, a mustard seed, yeast, a hidden treasure, a pearl and a net—and infuses those earthy vessels with something far beyond human understanding. He fills the stories with the truths of the kingdom of heaven.
“The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field.”
“The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field.”
“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field.”
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls.”
“Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish.”
Jesus teaches. He reveals. He speaks his disciples’ language. He shows them something higher and deeper, above and beyond, something surpassing their dreams, imaginations, and understanding. He shows them the secrets of the kingdom of heaven.
Even more incredible, through the parables Jesus reveals himself.
He’s the sower who sows the good seed.
He’s the treasure in the field.
He’s the pearl of great price.
He’s the kingdom of heaven in their midst.
He’s the Message and he’s the Messenger.
He’s the Way and he makes the way.
He is Life and he gives life.
He’s the point of the parables. In the collision of heavenly mysteries and the mundane moments of life, there is revelation.
As Jesus teaches his disciples, they do more than listen.
They hear. They learn. They see.
They believe.
He who has ears to hear let him hear.
Prayer
Father,
When your Son taught, he used parables. He took the common, simple, ordinary things of this world—a sower sowing seed, weeds, yeast, a mustard seed, a hidden treasure, and a net—and used them to describe the height and depth of his eternal kingdom.
He told stories and thereby illustrated what life in the kingdom of heaven was like. He made divine mysteries manageable for the human mind. As he taught, he spoke our language.
He started with something that we knew and, from there, taught us something that we didn’t know. He took the things that we’ve always seen, always been around, always known, and connected it to something that we had never seen, never been around, never known.
He collided his heavenly mysteries with the mundane moments of our lives. The result of that collision was revelation. Our eyes were opened and we saw what the kingdom of heaven was really like.
On this day, I ask that the Teaching Christ reveal to me the truth about the kingdom of heaven.
When I hear but don’t understand, when I see but don’t perceive, or when my heart is calloused and cold, may he enter my world, use the things around me, speak my language, and say to me in an intimate way,
“The kingdom of heaven is like …”
And when he speaks, may I have ears to hear and a heart to believe.
In the name of the Teaching Christ I pray. Amen.
Reflection
What does the Teaching Christ mean when he says, “he who has ears to hear let him hear”?
What do you need to learn from the Teaching Christ? What do you need to learn about him?
How has the Teaching Christ used the ordinary things around you to illustrate the kingdom of God?
What type of parable is Christ speaking in your life? How is Jesus revealing himself to you?
All Scripture references in the meditation are marked by italics and are taken from the Gospel reading for the day (Matthew 13:1-58). Those verses quoted outside of the chosen reading for the day are noted in parenthesis. All Scripture quoted on this site is taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.