By Christin Ditchfield Lazo
A Reading from the Gospel of Matthew 13:24-34a
24 He put before them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to someone who sowed good seed in his field; 25 but while everybody was asleep, an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and then went away. 26 So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared as well. 27 And the slaves of the householder came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where, then, did these weeds come from?’ 28He answered, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The slaves said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ 29But he replied, ‘No; for in gathering the weeds you would uproot the wheat along with them. 30Let both of them grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Collect the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.’”
31 He put before them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his field; 32 it is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.”
33 He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened.”
34 Jesus told the crowds all these things in parables; without a parable he told them nothing.
Meditation
There’s something about the power of a story — the way it engages our hearts and minds, stirs our imaginations. Story touches our emotions and deepens our connection with meaningful truths. It broadens our horizons. It helps us make sense of our own experiences and better understand others’.
A good story can be a far more effective way to get an important message across, than any preaching or teaching, any lecture or pitch or diatribe. It’s true!
Maybe that’s why — according to the gospels — Jesus always taught in parables, simple stories that reveal profound spiritual truths. Stories that stay with us long after we’ve first heard them. Stories that speak to us on different levels and in different ways, in different seasons of our lives. Stories that help us live out our own stories authentically and intentionally, and find our part, our place, in the Greatest Story Ever Told.
As you reflect on the parables that Jesus taught, which one most speaks to you or most resonates with you right now? Which one raises questions you might need to consider?
Think about a truth you’ve discovered that’s been life-changing for you, something that God has shown you, some wisdom you’ve acquired, or something worthwhile that you’d like to pass on to others. What’s the story behind it? How did you come to this knowledge, this revelation? Or what’s a great way to illustrate it, to understand it, and remember it?
Who can you share your story with today?
♱
Christin Ditchfield Lazo, M.A. (Bible and Theology), is a best-selling author, conference speaker, and syndicated radio host, passionate about calling believers to a deeper life of faith.
To receive a TLC Daily Devotional in your inbox each morning, click here.
♱
Daily Devotional Cycle of Prayer
Today we pray for:
Trinity Parish, St. Augustine, Fla.
Anglican Church of Kenya
