PART 9 A

PARABLE OF THE SOWER

That same day Yeshua went out of the house and sat by the lake shore. Great crowds gathered around Him, so He went into a boat and sat down while the whole multitude stood on the shore. He taught them many things using parables. He began by saying, "Shema! [Hear!] A sower went out to sow and when he sowed, some seeds fell on the walk way, so the birds came and ate the seed. Some seed fell among stones, where there was not much soil. They sprang up quickly, because there was no depth to the soil. While the sun was up, they were burnt and because their root could not find moisture they withered away. And some seed fell among thorns. When the thorns came up they choked them, so no fruit was produced. But other seed sank into good soil and produced fruit; some a hundred times, some sixty time and some thirty times. Whoever has ears to Shema, let him understand it." Then His disciples came and asked Him in private, "Why do you speak to them using parables?" "Because, it is given to you to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven, but to them it is not given," answered Yeshua. "But to those who are outside the Kingdom, all things are taught in parables. For whoever has, more shall be given to him and he will have abundance, but whoever does not have, he will also lose what he has. Therefore, I speak to them using parables. Though they see, they do not really see, and though they hear, they do not really shema, because they do not understand. In them is the fulfilment of the prophecy of Yesha'yahu, which says, 'By hearing you shall hear and shall not understand; and by seeing you shall see, and shall not perceive.' For this population's heart has become grossly weighed down, and their ears of understanding are too dull to shema and they have closed their eyes, in case they might be able to see with their eyes and shema with their ears and should understand with their heart and should do t'shuvah, so that I can forgive them and cure them. However, blessed are your eyes because they see and your ears because they shema. Amen! I tell you, many prophets and righteous people have desired to see those things which you now are seeing, but they did not see them. They wanted to shema those things which you now shema, but they did not understand them. Do you not understand this parable? If not, how will you understand any parable? So then, shema the explanation and understand the parable of the sower. When people hear the Word of the Kingdom, but do not grasp it, the evil-one comes and snatches away the Word that was sown in their heart. The Deceiver does this so they will not trust and be saved. This is what happened to those who received the seed on the walk way. But those who received the seed in a stony place, they shema the Word and joyously receives it immediately. Yet, they do not have any root within, so it endures only a short time. For when they are tested with tribulation or persecution because of the Word, they feel trapped and stumble away. Others received seed among thorns. These have heard the Word, but the cares of this world, along with the deceitful security of riches and lust for pleasure, choke the Word. So they produce no fully ripened fruit. But those who received seed into good ground, they shema the Word and comprehend it. They hold on to it within a beautiful and good heart, so that it bears fruit through cheerful endurance. Some produce thirty times, some sixty times and some a hundred times." Yeshua continued to teach the crowds, "No man lights a lamp and then covers it with a basket or puts it under a bed. Rather, it is put on a stand so those who enter may see the light! So, there is nothing hidden, except for the purpose of eventually being brightly revealed. There is nothing kept a secret, except for the purpose of becoming known at the proper time. If anyone has ears to shema, let him understand. But, listen carefully to what you hear, for it is measured to you in proportion to the measure you have given out. You who shema will be given even more. Because he who has heard is given more and he who does not shema will have what he has heard taken from him."

PARABLES OF THE KINGDOM

Yeshua taught another parable to them, "The Kingdom of Heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while he slept a hateful one came and sowed false grain among the wheat and went his way. Then when the blade had sprung up and produced fruit, the false grain also appeared. So the servants of the head of the house came to him and said, 'Adonai, didn't you sow good seed in your field? Where did this false grain come from?' 'A hateful one has done this,' he replied. The servants asked, 'Do you wish for us to go now and pull out the false grain?' But he said, 'No, because pulling out the false grain at this time may prematurely pull up the wheat with them. Let both grow together for now until the harvest. When it is time for the harvest I will tell the reapers to gather together the false grain first and bind them in bundles to burn them, then gather the wheat into my barn.'" Yeshua said, "The Kingdom of Elohim is like when a man sows seed into the soil. At night he goes to sleep and awakes every morning. Eventually the seed springs up and grows, but he does not know how this happens. For the earth produces the fruit automatically. First the blade, then the stalk, after that the full kernel on the stalk. Then when the fruit is ready to surrender itself, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest is standing tall." Another parable Yeshua shared with them was, "The Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field. Indeed, this seed is the smallest of all seeds, but when it is grown it is the largest among the herbs and becomes a tree. It is so large that the birds of the sky come to nest in the branches of it. The Kingdom of Heaven is like a woman who took some yeast and concealed it in three measures of meal until all of it was leavened." Yeshua spoke to the crowds only in parables about all these things. In this way the message was provided just as the prophet said, "I will open my mouth in parables. I will speak things which have been kept secret from the foundation of creation." Then Yeshua sent the crowds away and went into the house. His disciples came to Him and requested of Him, "Explain to us the parable of the false grain sown in the field." Yeshua told them, "The one who sows the good seed is the Son of man. The field is the world. The good seed are the Children of the Kingdom, but the false grain is the children of the evil one. The hateful one who sewed them is the deceiver. The harvest is the end of the age and the reapers are the messengers of Heaven. Just as the false grain is gathered and burned in the fire, so will it happen at the end of this age. The Son of man will send out his heavenly messengers and they will gather out of his Kingdom all things that cause a trap and those who transgress the Torah. The heavenly messengers will throw the transgressors into a furnace of fire, where there will be wailing and teeth grating. Then those who are righteous will radiate brightness like the sun in the Kingdom of their Abba. Whoever has ears to shema, let him understand. The Kingdom of Heaven is also like a treasure which was buried in a field and when a man happened to find it, he buried it there again. Then delighted, he goes and sells everything he owns to buy that field. The Kingdom of Heaven is also like a merchant man, seeking to buy quality pearls. When he found one extremely valuable pearl, he went and sold all the others he had and bought it. The Kingdom of Heaven is like a net thrown into the sea which caught fish of every kind. When it was full, the fishermen drew it to shore, sat down and separated the good fish into containers, but threw the bad away. So it will be at the end of the age. Messengers will come from the separated place and separate the evil ones from among the righteous ones. They will throw them into the furnace of fire and there shall be wailing and teeth grating. Have you understood all these things?" Yeshua asked His followers. "Yes, Adonai," they answered. He replied, "Then you should know that everyone who learns Torah and also is instructed in the Kingdom of Heaven as you have been, is like a man that is head of a house and produces out of his treasure things old and new." When Yeshua had finished these parables, He departed from there.

YESHUA CALMS THE STORM

That same day in the evening, Yeshua directed the disciples, "Let's go over to the other side of the lake." So, they took Him in a large boat and there were also other smaller boats with Him. There arose a huge whirlwind on the lake. The waves beat against the boat and filled it up. Yeshua was in the stern of the boat, sound asleep on a pillow. So they woke Him and cried out, "Rabbi, don't you care that we are perishing? Save us, Adonai!" He got up and rebuked the wind and the waves and commanded the sea, "Hush! Be quiet!" And the wind stopped and there was a great shalom. Yeshua turned to them, "Why are you so timid? How can you not trust?" But they were terrified and said one to another, "Who, no doubt, is this? Even the wind and the sea obey him!"