What’s up with these Parables in Matthew 13?
Bible Background: Matthew 13 is a chapter with parables about the kingdom of God. The “Sower and the Seed” one is not so hard to relate to. Several of the others make us scratch our heads-and maybe that is what a parable is meant to do! If you teach somebody using a good story, they are going to have to ‘chew’ on it, and work with it, and try to understand and apply it. Matthew always shows Jesus as a great teacher (and often the disciples as somewhat slow learners!)

Digging Deeper: 1. The Parable of the Wheat and the Weeds-it doesn’t explain the question of “why is there evil”? Nor does it say who planted the ‘weed seeds’. The farmer says “Let them grow together-we’ll sort them out at the harvest.” When Jesus ‘explains’ the parable, we’re still wondering…Is it a story of God’s patience/grace? Is it a story about a final judgement? Are we so sure we are the ‘wheat’? Or are we both ‘weeds’ and ‘wheat’? Do we have both good and evil growing within?

2. The Parable of the Mustard Seed-is a bit of an exaggeration, as in, it’s not the smallest of all seeds, and it doesn’t become the biggest of trees. Scholars suggest that mustard was an invasive species! That it grew wherever it wanted to, and Jesus is suggesting the kingdom of God is like that? Like something that sneaks in and takes over? And yet is welcoming enough that the birds of the air can find a home there?

3. The Parable of the Leaven-yeast, by itself, isn’t good for much. But a little goes a long way when worked into flour! It makes so many things bake nicely and taste good! How is the kingdom of heaven like yeast? Are we already or could we be like yeast?

4. The summary statement about judgement, and about ‘weeping and gnashing of teeth’, is contrasted with how “the righteous will shine like the sun!” One part of that sounds great! The other part does not! But the bottom line is: Listen!

5. Does the parable of the “Wheat and the Weeds” challenge us to suspend much of our tendency to judge others, quickly, and often-on appearance? Might the parable of the “Mustard Seed” assure us that the kingdom of heaven isn’t going away-but is here to stay and to grow and to shelter people? Could the parable of the “Leaven” help us see that small actions of love/righteousness/justice add up? What image from one of these parables will you ‘chew’ on this week?