ONE WHO HEARS AND UNDERSTANDS
(Kingdom Parables, Part 1)
Matthew 13:1-23
Key Verse: 23
When and where did Jesus go next, and who gathered around him (1-2)? What did Jesus do (3a)? What is a parable?
Read 3b-8. What four kinds of soil did the seed fall on and what caused the seed to have adverse results on three soils? What is the farmer’s hope? What do you hear Jesus saying here (9)?
What good question did Jesus’ disciples ask (10)? What was given to them and not to others (11)? How did Jesus explain his reason for speaking in parables (12-13)?
What does Jesus’ quote of Isaiah reveal about their real problem and how they could be healed (14-15)? Why did Jesus call the disciples “blessed” (16-17)?
What does the seed represent (18-19a)? What is the problem with path-like people (19b)? Who are people who “have no root” that quickly fall away (20-21)? What thorns make the seed on that soil unfruitful (22)?
Read verse 23. Who does the good soil represent? All four kinds of people “hear the word.” What does it mean to “understand” it? What does it mean to produce 100, 60 or 30 times what was sown? What have you personally understood from this parable?