Matthew 13:23
“But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”
Have you ever been in class and had a question but thought, “No, I should know this… I won’t ask because I don’t want to embarrass myself” or was that just me?
In Matthew 13, Jesus is preaching and using parables (earthly stories with heavenly meanings) to teach the people. He would stand there and give His message, pulling from concepts they knew (farming, fishing, etc). It makes me laugh, though, because almost every time the DISCIPLES, who in my mind should be the smartest theologically here with all the time they are spending with Jesus, would ask Jesus to explain the parables to them (Matthew 13:36).
So, you’re telling me that the disciples who literally followed Jesus everywhere and heard Him speak all the time had a hard time grasping the concepts of His parables the first time around. If anyone should have known what Jesus was talking about, it was probably them. What does this tell us about Jesus?
There are no dumb questions. There is grace. Learning from Him isn’t this stressful situation where if you can’t understand it all right away then you’re done. No, Jesus wants us to understand and wants us to learn, that’s why He makes it easier and tells stories. He encourages us to ask questions. If you are reading the Bible and you come across something that doesn’t make sense or that is confusing, ask your pastor, ask your small group
leader. We learned earlier in Matthew 13 that when the seed (or the Word of God) falls onto a person who
understands, then they benefit from it greatly.
They grow in their relationship with God and it pours out onto others. Earlier in that story, we see that when the seed falls on the path (Word preached to someone who doesn’t understand) or when it falls on thorns (to a person bogged down by worries or deceit) then the seed doesn’t grow, or the person loses out on a relationship with God.
In order to pursue that relationship, it begins with asking questions. There are no bad questions. This week read a few chapters from the Bible and write down some questions you may have. Then, text your youth group leader or pastor and ask.