An 8 Week Study Companion to Matthew 13
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Why following Jesus Why God Doesn’t Say, “It’s No Big Deal”
isn’t
exactly
what you might think... Meditation Questions
For week of January 29th
Matthew 13:31-33
This booklet is a weekly companion to help you explore more of
the mysterious nature of the Kingdom of God revealed in
1. Both of these parables reveal two great mysteries about the
Mahew 13. This booklet contains the rst four weeks of this Kingdom of God. Below each mystery write down how Matthew
eight week session, and each week there is a Biblical meditation in verses 31-33, describes that mystery of the Kingdom of God.
designed for you to spend more time with the portion of
Scripture that Nate introduces on Sunday. • Mystery 1: The Kingdom of God does not come to us big
and obvious, but rather the Kingdom of God comes to us
Keep this tool with you on Sunday so that you can take notes small and hidden.
on the sermon and have them available for your meditation
throughout the week.
• Mystery 2: Even though the Kingdom of God comes to us
hidden and small, it will grow and have great impact.
2. Make a list of the ways in which you see the Kingdom of God
around you as both hidden and small, as well as growing and
having a great impact?
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Why God Doesn’t Say, “It’s No Big Deal”
If you are not sure how to meditate on scripture, below are 4
simple steps to follow.
1. Find a quiet place and remove distractions.
2. Ask the Holy Spirit to give you ears to hear what He is saying
to you.
3. Read the passage through nice and slow. Every word matters,
so pay attention to each one.
4. After reading through the passage 1x, read it again, but this
time answer the meditation questions below.
Check out one of the following courses for further exploration of
The Kingdom Mysteries of Matthew 13:
Formed By His Word @ Larry’s II Café every Tuesday
morning from 6:30-7:30am.
Formed By His Word for Ladies @ Living Faith Lincoln
(1987 S Lincoln Ave) every Tuesday morning from
10-11:30am, with child care.
Encountering God in Scripture @ CCS Every other
Wednesday Night at 6:30, with Children’s Ministry.
Meets January 18, February 1, 15, March 7, 21.
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Week of the January 8th Week of January 29th
Matthew 13:9-17, 34-35 Matthew 13:31-33
The Purpose of the Parables The Mustard Seed
9 He who has ears, let him hear.” 10 Then the disciples came and said to 31 He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is
him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” 11 And he answered them, like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. 32 It is
“To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the
but to them it has not been given. 12 For to the one who has, more will be garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and
given, and he will have an abundance, but from the one who has not, even make nests in its branches.”
what he has will be taken away. 13 This is why I speak to them in parables,
because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they The Leaven
understand. 14 Indeed, in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that 33 He told them another parable. “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven
says: that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all
“You will indeed hear but never understand, leavened.”
and you will indeed see but never perceive.”
15 For this people's heart has grown dull,
and with their ears they can barely hear,
and their eyes they have closed,
lest they should see with their eyes
and hear with their ears
and understand with their heart
and turn, and I would heal them.’
16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear.
17 For truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to
see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did
not hear it.
34 All these things Jesus said to the crowds in parables; indeed, he said
nothing to them without a parable. 35 This was to fulfill what was spoken
by the prophet: “I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter what has
been hidden since the foundation of the world.”
3 12
Why Is There So Much Evil In The World? Why Does God Seem so Hard to Figure Out?
Meditation Questions
For Week of January 22nd
Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43
1. Verse 41 tells us that at the end of the age Jesus will send his
angels, and they will gather out of His Kingdom all of the causes
of sin and all the law-breakers. According to this parable, what is
the cause of all sin and law-breaking? (Hint: verses 38, 39)
2. According to this parable, what has God decided to do in the
present time about the weeds that cause all the sin and law-
breaking? What has God promised to do in the future?
3. In what way does this mystery of the Kingdom of God help you
understand the world that you live in?
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Why Does God Seem so Hard to Figure Out? Why Is There So Much Evil In The World?
Meditation Questions
Week of January 8th
Matthew 13:9-17, 34-35
1. Jesus tells the disciples that both God and people are
responsible for their ability to understand God’s Word in the
parables. How do verses 11 and 12 indicate that God is
responsible? How do verses 13-15 indicate that people are
responsible for being spiritually dull and therefore unable to
understand the parables?
2. Can you think of any examples where God’s Word has revealed
to you mysteries of His Kingdom? These would be things that
you did not know until God made them known to you.
3. Instead of all of God’s Word being immediate and obvious, it
seems clear that God wants us to seek him and search for
understanding about His Kingdom’s secrets and mysteries. Why
do you think it is so important to seek and search for God and
His Word?
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Week of the January 22nd Week of the January 15th
Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43 Matthew 13:1-8, 18-23
The Parable of the Weeds The Parable of the Sower
24 He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. 2 And
may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, 25 but great crowds gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat down.
while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among And the whole crowd stood on the beach. 3 And he told them many things
the wheat and went away. 26 So when the plants came up and bore grain, in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow. 4 And as he sowed, some
then the weeds appeared also. 27 And the servants of the master of the seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. 5 Other
house came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and
field? How then does it have weeds?’ 28 He said to them, ‘An enemy has immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, 6 but when
done this.’ So the servants said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered
gather them?’ 29 But he said, ‘No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up away. 7 Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and
the wheat along with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest, choked them. 8 Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a
and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Gather the weeds first and bind hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.
them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.’”
The Parable of the Sower Explained
The Parable of the Weeds Explained 18 “Hear then the parable of the sower: 19 When anyone hears the word
36 Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples
of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and
came to him, saying, ”Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.”
snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown
37 He answered, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. 38
along the path. 20 As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one
The field is the world, and the good seed is the sons of the kingdom. The
who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, 21 yet he has no
weeds are the sons of the evil one, 39 and the enemy who sowed them is
root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or
the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. 40
persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away. 22
Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the end
As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word,
of the age. 41 The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather
but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word,
out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers, 42 and throw
and it proves unfruitful. 23 As for what was sown on good soil, this is the
them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and
one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and
gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the
yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”
kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.
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6
Week of the Hear God’s Voice?
Why Can’t I Always January 15th Why Can’t I always hear God’s voice?
Meditation Questions
For week of January 15th
Matthew 13:1-8, 18-23
1. The seeds are the words of the Kingdom of God that is sown on
each different type of soil. Describe what happens to the seed
on each type of soil (don’t forget about what Jesus said in verses
18-23).
a.Path:
b.Rocky ground:
c.Thorns:
d.Good Soil:
5. We have all experienced our heart being like all 4 soils: the path,
the rocky ground, the thorns, and the good soil. We have all been
unwilling and unable to receive the words of the Kingdom of
God at different point in our life. Pick one of the types of soil and
write down what that period of time was like for you.
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