“He who has ears, let him hear.”
~ Matthew 13:9
Hi James and Ellen,
Because your grandpaa grew up on a farm, your grandpaa knows that it takes time and work to prepare a field for planting, to care for growing plants and to harvest a crop. While your grandmaa and grandpaa were living in Guatemala, they traveled to communities that are located next to Lake Atitlan’s shoreline. Three extinct volcanos slope down to Lake Atitlan. Your grandpaa can envision Jesus sitting in a boat on the Sea of Galilee teaching a crowd of guys, gals and kids. Your grandpaa can then picture Jesus while He is teaching a crowd of guys, gals and kids while sitting in a boat on the Sea of Galilee seeing a farmer planting his fields on the slope of a nearby hill. Your grandpaa can envisage Jesus pointing to the farmer who is planting his fields and then using the farmer’s fields as an example in a parable or an illustration to point out to the guys, gals and kids who are listening to Him as He is teaching them while sitting in a boat on the Sea of Galilee that the life of each guy, gal and kid is like a field. The parable or illustration that begins Matthew 13 is about four different fields. The first field that Jesus identifies is the path that the farmer used to get to and to go between his fields. The second field that Jesus identifies is a field that has lots of rocks in it. The third field that Jesus identifies is a field that has lots of weeds in it. The fourth field that Jesus identifies is a field that does not have rocks and weeds in it and which has been tilled by the farmer. Your grandpaa can visualize birds flying around the farmer as the farmer is planting his different fields by scattering the seeds by hand in the fields and seeing the birds eat the seeds that fell on the paths. Your grandpaa can hear Jesus as He is sitting in a boat on the Sea of Galilee telling the crowd of guys, gals and kids who are listening to Him as He is teaching them that the seeds that were being scattered in the field that is full of rocks will begin to grow but then the plants will become scorched by the hot sun because the plants will not have sufficient soil to sink down their roots to find water. Your grandpaa can hear Jesus as He is sitting in a boat on the Sea of Galilee telling the crowd of guys, gals and kids who are listening to Him as He is teaching them that the seeds that were being scattered in the field that is full of weeds will begin to grow but then the plants will become choked by the weeds that will grow up all around them to where the plants will not be able to grow. Your grandpaa can hear Jesus as He is sitting in a boat on the Sea of Galilee telling the crowd of guys, gals and kids who are listening to Him as He is teaching them that the seeds that the farmer is scattering in the field where he has removed all the rocks and weeds and which he has tilled will reproduce in a dramatic way a lot of new seeds.
Your grandpaa has often used this parable or illustration that Jesus taught a crowd of guys, gals and kids as He was sitting in a boat on the Sea of Galilee to encourage guys, gals and kids who he is teaching to specifically pray for another guy, gal or kid who they know as being a hard path, a rocky field, a weedy field or a tilled field. A hard path to your grandpaa is any guy, gal or kid who has never made a decision of faith by accepting Jesus as his or her Lord and Savior. Your grandpaa asks each guy, gal and kid who he is teaching to write down on a piece of paper the name of a guy, gal or kid who he or she personally knows who has never made a decision of faith by accepting Jesus as his or her Lord and Savior and to begin to persistently pray for that guy, gal or kid. Your grandpaa believes that persistently praying for a guy, gal or kid who has never made a decision of faith by never having made a decision of faith by accepting Jesus as his or her Lord and Savior is one way to soften up a hard path to where the path will then be able to have the seed – which is the Word of God, planted and for the seed to take root, grow and produce fruit. Your grandpaa believes also that to befriend a guy or gal who has never made a decision of faith to accept Jesus as his or her Lord and Savior is another way that God expects a guy or gal who knows Jesus as his or her Lord and Savior will fulfill His mandate for guys, gals and kids who know Him to love one’s neighbor. A field of rocks is any guy, gal or kid who has experienced or is experiencing a serious life difficulty. Your grandpaa will them ask each guy, gal and kid who he is teaching to write down the name of a guy, gal or kid who he or she personally knows who has made a decision of faith by accepting Jesus as his or her Lord and Savior who is no longer showing any interest to . . . because the guy, gal or kid is going through a serious life difficulty such as having a prolonged illness, unable to find work, death in the family . . . and to begin to persistently pray for that guy, gal or kid. A field of weeds is any guy, gal or kid who has compromised his or her life with a temptation. Your grandpaa will then ask each guy, gal and kid who he is teaching to write down the name of a guy, gal or kid who he or she personally knows who has made a decision of faith by accepting Jesus as his or her Lord and Savior but who no longer is showing any interest to . . . because the guy, gal or kid is letting a worldly temptation such as alcohol, drugs, promiscuity, . . . to control his or her life and to begin to persistently pray for that guy, gal or kid. A tilled field is a guy, gal or kid who has been taught and who has studied the truths that are found in the Bible. Your grandpaa will then ask each guy, gal and kid who he is teaching to write down the name of a guy, gal or kid who he or she personally knows who has been taught and who has studied the truths that are found in the Bible and to go to that guy, gal or kid to ask that guy, gal or kid to pray with him or her for their hard soil, rocky soil and weedy soil guy, gal or kid.
Verse 9 says, “He who has ears, let him hear.”” Are you hearing the voice of Jesus speaking to you right now?
Matthew 13 (620)