Moral of the Story
Read This Week: Matthew 13
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. – Matthew 13:1-3 NIV
Stories are the sound bites of life; they possess abilities. They can be humble yet boastful. They can attract or repel. They can build up and tear down. They can bring peace, preserve history, communicate truth, reunite friends, and harmonize families. They can sink ships, save lives, and close deals.
A good story. Every person, young or old, wants one. We want to hear one. We want to tell one to impress a stranger or entertain a large crowd. We want to read one in the pages of a novel or in a show we watch on Netflix. We want to watch one in a movie or acted out on a stage. We want to live a good story, a story that can get a reaction, incite laughter, and move one to tears. A story that motivates action and inspires life. No matter where we come from or where we’re going, we all love a good story.
Jesus understood this about us better than anyone. He knew how to communicate and harness the power of a story. He taught life-changing truths through stories to his followers and anyone who listened to Him. In the Gospels, these stories are called parables, or stories illustrating a moral or spiritual lesson. Jesus was creative with his methods, and He made efforts to get down on the level of the people and relate to them. We see this play out in verses 2-3 of Matthew 13:
He sat in a boat while all the people stood on the shore. Then he told them many things in parables.
In this passage, Jesus teaches principles and truth from the seat of a boat using the context of five parables. He communicates to them through the parable of the sower, the parable of the weeds, the parable of the mustard seed, the parable of the yeast, and the parable of the net. Each one carried its message about the Kingdom of God, the gospel, and the responsibility of people. Here are the morals of the stories or the main takeaways from each parable in this chapter:
• Parable of the Sower – We are to be messengers of God and plant His seeds of truth wherever we go. We do not control the condition of the hearts that it falls. But we are to be obedient to share and make sure our hearts are receptive to the word of God. We can choose to respond when hard times come and not fall away from the truth and the gospel. When life gets difficult, we can choose to serve the Lord and His kingdom.
• Parable of the Weeds – Weeds can never produce fruit. But when it comes to the gospel and following Jesus, people can change. What was once a weed can begin to bear fruit in the power of the Holy Spirit. It depends on a person’s choice, and God gives us time to choose. We should receive and respond to the word and not be useless weeds among God’s people.
• Parable of the Mustard Seed – Jesus describes the kingdom as the smallest seed. He is communicating that it begins small and does not come with fanfare and celebrity and human notoriety. Even though this is not what people want, the gospel story is about faithful, gradual growth.
• Parable of the Yeast – Yeast is not very noticeable at first in bread dough, but a small amount produces a big result. The movement of God begins small and inconspicuous, but it grows large. Jesus says that we must start and continue to be faithful in small ways for the kingdom and the gospel. But the entire story of God will grow into something beyond what we can think or imagine if we are faithful.
• Parable of the Net – The gospel captivates both good and bad people. The message comes to both. They exist in a community together and have the opportunity to change and grow. But the time comes when the good separate from the bad. God loves the bad and pursues the bad, yet he wants them to repent and change. We must choose to walk with God and be in the right relationship with Him and in service to His kingdom.
May we all glean and grow from the teachings of Jesus and be receptive to His truth even if it is inconvenient or uncomfortable. May we all ask Him for wisdom to understand the moral of the story and what He wants us to know and apply in our lives. May we all communicate Jesus and the gospel through our stories to everyone who comes into our lives.
Matthew 13:51-52 says, So Jesus spoke to them again. ‘Some men who teach the *Law have entered where God rules from heaven. They are like a man who owns a house. That person has new things and old things that he has saved in the house. And that person brings out those new things and those old things.’He said to them, Therefore every [s]teacher and interpreter of the Sacred Writings who has been instructed about and trained for the kingdom of heaven and has [t]become a disciple is like a householder who brings forth out of his storehouse treasure that is new and [treasure that is] old [the fresh as well as the familiar]. – AMPC
God was saying to me through these scriptures, “You are my child, a disciple, a servant, a messenger, you are like a house you are my temple. It’s important to continue to have your door open (your heart) to Me. In your house, you have old stories, memories, treasures that we have stored up together. When it’s the right time you can share them to help someone in their life. I have new ones coming, so keep your door open, your heart open, your ears listening to my voice so I can help you to grow more and more and share them with others to help them too.”
What this means to me is I’m in God’s school always, everyday I get to learn, grow and then teach others. In this house of mine it’s important to put good things in it that’s from Father God. Jesus is the builder, He is helping me, and the Holy Spirit who lives in me and guides me. We’re working together. In life we have made so many memories together, there are treasures to share with others. I’m excited to learn and grow more and more, and to be able to share more treasures with others.
Thank you, Father God, for all your love and for always being here for us.
This is so good, Heidi. I love how you applied the moral of the stories of God to the heart, soul, and mind. I think you captured this in these two statements:
It’s important to continue to have your door open (your heart) to Me. In your house, you have old stories, memories, treasures that we have stored up together.
I’m in God’s school always, everyday I get to learn, grow and then teach others. In this house of mine it’s important to put good things in it that’s from Father God.
These points that you make embody the way God teaches us. He uses avenues, as Jesus did, to appeal to our emotions, our volition, and our minds with His truth, wisdom, and guidance. He is so good and gracious to us like that in our life with Him and learning from Him.
My post this week is from Matthew 13 verses 14-15:
You will be ever hearing but never understanding
You will be ever seeing but never perceiving.
For the people’s hearts have 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 God would heal them.
What that means to me is my prayer is “Lord, remove the blinders and heal their hearts. Open their ears to hear and their eyes to see. Turn hearts to you across the land. In Jesus’ name. Amen.”
I love your post, Jeri. This was my favorite part of your creative piece:
For the people’s hearts have become calloused,
They hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes.
A calloused heart can be a dangerous thing. It can lead to compounding issues in our relationship and walk with God. As you pointed out, it can lead to closed ears and eyes and an obstinate approach to God. May the Holy Spirit help us keep our eyes and ears open to the Lord no matter what we go through in life.
This is what I got from Matthew 13. My word must be understood before it can truly bear fruit. The enemy wants to keep you in darkness regarding your understanding of the gospel. Don’t just read My words, but study them to increase your understanding. Some of My people respond to My word with enthusiasm but soon wither away because they are not willing to face tribulation or persecution because of the word. They have a lack of depth.
Worldliness can choke My words out of you. The word will bear fruit in your life. I am in control and the harvest will come. It will depend on how you respond to My word. You need to think about how you can prepare your heart and mind to be the right kind of soil. There needs to be some action on your part.
It is My job to divide in judgment, the true believers and the false believers in the end. I will be judging your heart. As long as My people are still in the world, there will still be unbelievers among them. Jesus gave everything to redeem the whole world to preserve a treasure in it, and the treasures are His people.
What this said to me is I need to spend more time in The Word. I need to study it, to saturate my soul. I need to look for the treasures God gives me, and not close my eyes to them, listen, and do His will.
Wonderful commentary this week, Kathy. As I was thinking about Jesus’ parables and especially the parable of the sower, it caused me to think about my responsibility in learning from God’s truth and preparing myself to glean and grow. You summed this up perfectly and extracted the key to getting the moral of the story:
You need to think about how you can prepare your heart and mind to be the right kind of soil. There needs to be some action on your part.
We need to be prepared and active in our listening and connecting to God’s words and truth. This action of learning is key to preparing our hearts for His wisdom and the things He wants us to know, learn, and apply to our daily lives.
This week, God gave me a song from Matthew 13 called, “Treasures”:
We are children of the Lord, children of the Lord
We are children of the Lord who are blessed with treasures
Treasures of goodness, peace, and joy.
Having our hearts filled with love, we will shine, shine bright
Standing with our Lord, refreshing our spirits
We are blessed with our Lord’s fruit of kindness, peace, and joy
We are treasures of the Lord
We are treasures of the Lord
We are treasures of the Lord. Amen.
Thank you, God, for always believing in us. We love you for all your treasures.
I love this, Alma. When I think about the stories and truths that God has given us through His word, it definitely feels like he is giving us out of His treasures. It reminds me of Colossians 2:2-3 that talks about the true knowledge of God’s mystery, that is, Christ Himself, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
This was my favorite part of your song that captures this idea of God’s treasures that He imparts to us and graciously gives us out of His goodness:
Having our hearts filled with love, we will shine, shine bright.
Standing with our Lord, refreshing our spirits.
We are blessed with our Lord’s fruit of kindness, peace, and joy.